Leslie Braunstein

Leslie A. Braunstein, APR, is principal of LHB Communications, Inc., a boutique public relations firm located in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. LHB combines the flexibility, creativity, and cost-effectiveness of a small PR firm with the solid experience and outstanding results of a large PR agency. The mission of LHB Communications is to help clients meet their business goals by building their brands and enhancing awareness of their accomplishments among key stakeholders and audiences. Leslie is a seasoned award-winning PR professional with over 25 years of experience working with real estate industry clients and others in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, throughout North America, and abroad. Leslie holds professional accreditation from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and a master’s degree from the University of Maryland’s College of Journalism. On behalf of clients and under her own byline, Leslie has published millions of words in a variety of prestigious media including The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, numerous trade publications, and many other well-known publications and online media. Earlier in her career, Leslie served as served as a public information officer with the U.S. Department of Energy and as a communications manager with Booz-Allen & Hamilton, Inc. For more information, see www.lhbcommunications.com.

“In the U.S., we are spending only half the amount that needs to be spent on infrastructure,” says Maureen McAvey, executive vice president of ULI, echoing the conclusion of a new study by ULI and Ernst & Young titled “Infrastructure 2011: A Strategic Priority.” Read why the United States is falling far behind emerging markets when it comes to fulfilling infrastructure agendas.
Laws and regulations affect all types of real estate in all markets, but perhaps nowhere more profoundly than in the nation’s capital. For this reason, federal rules and regulations for leased facilities are watched closely by private sector owners and developers of office space. Read what a panel of industry insiders at the recent ULI Washington Real Estate Trends Conference had to say about this topic.
According to multifamily industry leaders who spoke at the recent ULI Washington Real Estate Trends Conference, the multifamily housing market in Washington, D.C., and other top markets is so rich with investment opportunity that “there are no bad strategies right now.” Read what types of multifamily communities and developments the panel said are achieving market acceptance at present.
Everyone knows the role the federal government plays in the D.C. area’s enduring economic strength, but fewer people realize that educational and medical facilities are playing an increasingly dominant role in the regional and national economy. Read what participants in the “Eds and Meds” panel at ULI Washington’s Real Estate Trends Conference said in regard to developing property for this sector.
Washington, D.C., is not only the capital of the United States, but also the darling of the capital markets, with real estate that is “close to fully priced,” said Greg Vorwaller, head of global capital markets for Cushman & Wakefield, at ULI Washington’s annual Real Estate Trends Conference. But how long will the good times roll?
Commercial mortgage–backed securities (CMBS)—pools of real estate loans bundled and sold to investors—are back, say attendees at the CRE Finance Council’s recent conference in Washington, D.C. Read what they said about “CMBS 2.0,” the more “prudent lending environment” driven both by new regulatory scrutiny and by the market, and what the revival of CMBS means for the real estate industry.
Though U.S. commercial real estate markets are recovering from the Great Recession, debt financing has become more difficult to find. A recent ULI workshop held in Washington, D.C., helped participants gain an understanding of private equity, which has assumed a more prominent position in the capital stack. Find out what equity providers are now targeting and what advice they gave attendees.
National and regional housing policy leaders gathered recently in the nation’s quintessential “edge city,” Tysons Corner, Virginia, to discuss why it’s so important to include workforce housing in a planned transformation of a sprawling suburban office park to a walkable, green urban center. Read what ULI members and other experts say about the need for, and ability to, include workforce housing in this particular project and nationally.
ULI’s Fall Meeting in Washington, D.C., provided actionable information and a slightly upbeat note compared to the mood seen during the depths of the 2008–2009 recession. In addition to the usual high-level panels and research presented at ULI’s annual fall meetings, the 2010 edition, held in Washington, D.C., offered top-ranking current and former government officials, many of whom broke away from their day jobs to come to the convention center and make presentations. Read what FDIC chair Sheila Bair considers the biggest concern regarding the economy.
The U.S. economy is in for “a long, slow climb out of a deep hole,” said former Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Dr. Donald Kohn. Kohn, who stepped down from the Fed only five weeks ago after a 40-year career, identified a variety of factors that will make this the slowest economic recovery since The Great Depression, rather than a “garden-variety” recession that can be addressed by monetary policy.
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