Bob Cavoto

Bob Cavoto is the founder of 20/20 Foresight, a retained executive search, coaching and marketing firm, specializing in the real estate, financial and services industries. 20/20 was recently awarded with Forbes top 20 distinction as one of America's best executive recruiting firms

Before founding the company, Bob worked as the CFO of a $1 billion manufacturing, entertainment and real estate company. He was also the President of Merrill Lynch Realty-Chicago (real estate investment banking), a consultant with a Big Four international accounting firm and a college-level real estate finance instructor.

Bob earned his accounting degree from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He also holds a Certified Public Accountants certificate and Real Estate Licenses Series 7 and 63.

Ira Weidhorn

Ira Weidhorn is a Managing Director and Co-Head of H.I.G. Realty Partners. Ira has twenty-one years of experience in real estate investing across all property types. He is located in H.I.G.'s New York office and is responsible for investment origination, transaction structuring and the oversight of the portfolio.

Before joining H.I.G., Ira was a Managing Principal and head of the New York office for Lubert-Adler where he was responsible for new acquisitions and asset management. Previously, he was a Principal in Lehman Brothers Real Estate Partners and an Associate at Goldman Sachs, working in acquisitions for the Whitehall Street Real Estate Funds.

Ira earned an M.B.A. from the Wharton School and is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science in Economics and a Bachelor of Arts in History.

 Jon Mikula

Jon is Senior Managing Director and Co-Head of the New Jersey office of JLL Capital Markets, Americas. He serves on the firm’s leadership committee. 

Jon has more than 25 years of experience in commercial real estate finance, and is primarily responsible for arranging debt and equity placement transactions as well as being responsible for the day-to-day operations of the firm’s New Jersey office.  Over his career, he has completed in excess of $14 billion in commercial real estate transactions.

Jon started at HFF in May 2000.  Before that, he spent six years with the David Cronheim Mortgage Corporation in Chatham, New Jersey, where he served as managing director.  He also spent two years at James R. Poole & Company in Newark, New Jersey.

Richard Browne

Richard Browne is the Managing Partner of Sterling Project Development Group, a full-service development management and advisory firm. SPD is an affiliate of Sterling Equities, a 50-yearold real estate owner/manager and developer based in New York. Its ownership group also owns and operates the New York Mets Baseball Team as well as SportsNet New York, a regional sports network also based in New York.

SPD is currently involved in approximately $24 billion (hard cost) worth of development projects across its advisory portfolio. SPD assists approximately 100 clients throughout the United States as well as Europe and the Caribbean. Richard has enjoyed equally successful careers as a builder, commercial building owner and project consultant. Since his real estate and construction career began in 1986, Mr. Browne has been involved in the coordination and supervision of over $10 billion worth of commercial, residential and sports-related projects.

Bill O'Connor

Bill O’Connor serves as the New York Office Leader of the international law firm, Thompson Knight. Bill is also a recognized leader in the special servicing of commercial mortgage backed securities (CMBS) and related aspects of loan workouts. He concentrates his practice on creditors’ rights litigation, loan workouts, loan portfolio sales and acquisitions, rescue financing, bankruptcies, restructurings, ICC arbitrations, international documentary credits, multinational insolvencies and restructurings, and Foreign Sovereign Immunity Act cases. 

He also has an active international practice involving infrastructure and project finance. Bill co-leads a team representing leading financial institutions, special servicers, hedge funds, and real estate opportunity funds. He is a founding member and past chairman of the High Yield Distressed Realty Assets (HYDRA) Forum of CREFC, the leading industry trade association for the commercial real estate finance industry.