John Husing has had the chance to live a fascinating and rewarding life. He has climbed mountains, trekked through jungles, run wild rivers, lived with previously unknown tribes and jogged 8½ miles through the heaviest concentration of lion in Africa. Oh yes, he is also a Ph.D. economist who has studied Southern California’s growing economy for five decades helping to create everthing from detailed explanations of the ebbs and flows of Inland Empire economy to the analysis that helped create the Clean Truck Program at the ports of LA and Long Beach and developed a keen understanding of the impact of logistics in Southern California. He has also repeatedly analyzed and proposed strategies to over 40 inland cities, as well as sub-regions like the High Desert and the Coachella Valley. Somewhere in the mix John also had time to serve as a community college professor, manage a Nevada Casino and run 50 or so political campaigns. In that capacity, he elected five Assembly members plus a host of city councilmen, mayors and supervisors plus ethnically integrating the school boards of two local cities. His impact was acknowledged by the Los Angeles Times in 2006, naming him one of the 100 people exerting the most influence over Southern California.

Matt Ehrlich serves as the Vice President of Leasing and is responsible for leasing, strategy, tenant relations, and investment management across the firm’s portfolio. To date, Mr. Ehrlich has led the leasing team in the execution of over 25 million square feet of leasing activity. Matt is also involved in other key areas of the company’s activities including value-add improvement, acquisitions, and management. Matt began his career at Rexford in 2008 before joining Madison Capital in New York City in 2012, only to return back to Rexford in 2017. While at Madison Capital, Matt oversaw the asset management, leasing, redevelopment, and joint-venture efforts across the firm’s $3B+ mixed-use portfolio throughout the New York, Chicago, and Miami markets. Matt earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan.

Nicole Welch, equity owner and Managing Director, is an Asset Management officer at Clarion Partners. Based in Los Angeles, Nicole works with the Industrial Group and is responsible for managing the Western U.S. Region, totaling over 60 million square feet and $10B in value. Nicole was previously with JLL for 9 years as a broker focused on big box industrial in Southern California. Nicole joined Clarion Partners in 2017 and has been working in the real estate industry since 2004. She is on the Steering Committee of the Clarion Partners Women’s Leadership Network (CPWLN) and a member of NAIOP.

Brandon Birtcher is the co-owner & CEO of Birtcher Development LLC, a leading U.S. warehouse development company inspired by his great-grandfather in 1939. With the 5th generation now in its ownership, the company specializes in developing speculative “Big Box” warehouse facilities from 100,000 sqft to 1.5mil sqft in the highest barrier to entry and highest absorbing markets of the US. From 2012-2016, Brandon served as CEO of Goodman Birtcher North America, a joint venture that was capitalized with US$2bil of equity, 55% from the Goodman Group of Australia and 45% from the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. Under his leadership, Goodman Birtcher developed a pipeline valued at US$1.7bil, containing 14mil sqft of logistics space across 13 sites in 4 states. Customers include Amazon, Georgia Pacific, Walmart and Benjamin Moore to name a few. Since its inception, the Company has developed for some of America’s finest companies and has acquired, managed or developed more than 65mil square feet over 260 projects valued in excess of US$7bil. Birtcher has ventured with over 100 partners including QuadReal, Goodman Group of Australia, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, Southern Pacific Railroad, Mitsui, Mutual of New York, Xerox Corporation, State Farm Insurance and Mass Mutual to name a few. In July of 1996, the China Daily News announced that Birtcher Enterprises formed the first ever real estate venture between the U.S. and China to manage and develop properties in China. Mr. Birtcher began working for the family firm in 1976. In 1979, he conceived of and developed America’s first solar assisted business park in Laguna Niguel, California which earned him a position on a Congressional study committee on the parity of solar among other competing technologies. Brandon went on to serve as development partner, overseeing the development of suburban mid-rise office and wholesale design centers in California, Arizona, and Texas. From 1991 to 1994, he was responsible for opening company offices in Guadalajara and Mexico City, Mexico. There, he directed several significant projects including the construction of the Hyatt Regency in Guadalajara, and the Mexican headquarters for General Electric, Levi Strauss, Hughes Satellite, Bechtel, and Allergan to name a few. Mr. Birtcher also hold the patent issued for a “virtual receptionist” which will eliminate the need for receptionists in the lobby of small business. Mr. Birtcher was the recipient of the Southern California Property Owner’s Association’s “Developer of the Year” award in 1987, and the company was the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties’ (NAIOP) “Real Estate Developer of the Year” in 1989. The firm was also named Orange County Business Journal’s “Family Business of the Year” in 2000. He has been a visiting industry executive teaching classes on government & private sector relationships and on innovations and blue water strategies for the real estate sector at the University of California, Irvine; dynamics of the family business and charting a career in real estate development at the University of Southern California and practicum’s in real estate development at Claremont McKenna College. Mr. Birtcher holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business/Economics from Claremont Men’s College and served in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserves Port Security Division from 1971 to 1977, honorably discharged as a First Class Petty Officer (E-6). At present, Mr. Birtcher serves on the University of California Irvine Paul Merage School Of Business Board of Advisors, a member of the Young Presidents Organization—California Coast Chapter (Chairman 2003/2004), Hoag Hospital Cancer Center Board of Advisors and actively participates in the Urban Land Institute (ULI). Previous affiliations include Claremont McKenna College’s Rose Institute of State and Local Government Board of Directors, the University of Southern California’s Lusk Center for Real Estate Board of Directors Executive Committee, NAIOP National Board of Directors, Braille Institute National Board, and, co-founder of Young Executives of America, among others. Brandon is passionate about salt water & fly fishing, enjoys boating with his family, and is an active member of Mariners Church in Newport Beach. ###