• Kairos Investment Management Company, a $4.2-billion real estate private equity and debt platform headquartered in Irvine, appointed Briana Succop as a senior investment director who will lead the firm’s business development team. Succop brings over 20 years of commercial real estate investment and capital raising experience to Kairos. She was most recently at AllianceBernstein, where she led business development efforts in North America, South America and Australia for AB’s private alternatives platform. In addition to AB, Succop has held capital raising roles at Harrison Street, Abacus Capital Group and Covenant Capital Group.  

• Newman Garrison + Partners (NG+P), a full-service architecture, urban planning, and interior design studio located in Costa Mesa, added Huaxia Song as associate design principal. Huaxia brings 13 years of experience to NG+P, where she will spearhead planning development and crafting design concepts for a range of hospitality, multifamily, and mixed-use projects.   

• Jim Kruse, Kidder Mathews regional president of brokerage for Greater Los Angeles, earned a gold medal in water polo at the World Aquatics Masters Championships in Kumamoto, Japan. Representing the San Diego Athletic Club, his team won 8-5 against Australia’s “Cockatoos.” Before his career in commercial real estate, Kruse was a prominent water polo player. He was a member of the U.S. National and Olympic teams, playing for the U.S. for seven years, and was later invited to be a water polo commentator for NBC and ABC Sports for five Olympic Games between 1980 and 2000. 

• SOM urban designer & planner Ellen Lou is now serving as president of the Institute for Transportation & Development Policy, a global organization that provides expertise and guidance to mitigate the impacts of climate change, improve air quality, and support prosperous, sustainable, and equitable cities. Leading SOM’s City Design Practice, Lou has authored some of the most visible urban plans in the San Francisco Bay Area, including the Transbay Design for Redevelopment and San Jose Diridon Station Area Plan. 

• Pacific Industrial, an industrial development and acquisition platform based in Southern California, recently purchased 10 acres located at 17969 Railroad St. in the City of Industry adjacent to the 60 Freeway. The company plans to build a speculative industrial facility totaling approximately 215,000 square feet and known as the Pacific Railroad Center. Chris Bonney and Brad Gilmer with Lee & Associates will be the exclusive leasing agents for the project. 

• Los Angeles-based RentSpree, an end-to-end rental management software provider, has partnered with NorthstarMLS. The multiple listing service is one of the largest in the U.S., boasting more than 22,600 subscribers in Minnesota and Western Wisconsin. The agreement involves a complete integration of RentSpree with the NorthstarMLS Add/Edit platform and multiple front-end solutions, which will empower members to generate more leads, reduce transaction time, and boost returns. 

• The Clean Power Alliance (CPA) board of directors approved six 20-year Power Purchase Agreements to expand its community solar program. The agreements with Prologis fulfill the capacity for CPA’s Power Share program. The resulting additional capacity will provide 100% renewable energy at a 20% bill discount to approximately 1,400 additional CPA low-income customers. 

• Presidio Property Trust, Inc., an internally managed, diversified REIT headquartered in San Diego, said its board has established a special committee to explore potential strategic alternatives focusing on maximizing stockholder value. The special committee will consider alternatives including a business combination involving the company, a sale of all or part of the company’s assets, joint venture arrangements and/or restructurings, and will determine whether a strategic transaction is in the best interests of the company. 

• Granite has been awarded a time and materials contract by the California Department of Transportation. Granite will clear and repair multiple rock and mudslide areas to restore access through the Sequoia National Forest near Kings Canyon National Park. The park’s landscapes and vistas have temporarily become inaccessible due to the severe impact of the winter storms during the 2022/2023 season. 

Connect Orange County will take place Sept. 27, 2023 at VEA | Newport Beach Marriott in Newport Beach, concurrently with Connect Healthcare Real Estate on Sept. 27 and 28. Click here to register for Connect Orange County, and here to register for Connect Healthcare Real Estate.