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.

Private and public sector leaders of Charlotte, North Carolina, have transformed Charlotte’s downtown from a struggling, nine-to-five office center into the gleaming, modern mixed-use destination that it is today. Former Bank of America chairman Hugh McColl described this remarkable half-century journey to ULI Spring Meeting attendees, and presented his vision for the future.
Retailers face a multitude of challenges including online commerce with its 24/7 access. Panelists at the 2012 ULI Spring Meeting looked at significant steps major retailers have already taken to reshape the shopping experience for their customers, while integrating their physical stores with online sales.
The European debt crisis has an upside: lending and investment opportunities exist in prime markets, but not for the faint of heart. Both Scott Malkin of Value Retail and Van Stults of Orion Capital Managers agree that the ever-worsening conditions will create substantial opportunities for savvy international investors.
Former EPA Administrator Carol Browner in the opening session of the ULI Spring Meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina, told the audience that whoever leads the world in development of clean energy technology will lead the global economy. She noted that American private sector energy innovators are receiving lukewarm support from the Federal government.
You cannot improve the market, but you can improve the information you rely upon, says The Econosphereauthor Craig Thomas.
Federal agencies are under continuing pressure to reduce their demand for leased and build-to-suit space. They intend to reduce square footage used per employee, increase teleworking—and make better use of existing government buildings, administrators told a ULI WashingtonTrends conference audience.
Public/private partnerships can be used to create and restore public spaces, adding value to surrounding real estate. Bryant Park in Manhattan serves as a successful model of this. In Washington, D.C., a public/private partnership has been established to bring that improvement model to the National Mall.
The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act will have little effect on U.S. real estate markets, says former governor Eliot Spitzer, because it is being “whittled away piece by piece.” Spitzer says it repeatedly has been demonstrated that self-regulation does not work and that it is the job of government.
When it comes to decreasing energy use in privately owned buildings, is it more effective to use a carrot or a stick? Experts from around the country, Laurie Kerr, senior policy adviser for New York City’s Mayor’s Office; Jayson Antonoff, energy and climate policy adviser for Seattle; Barry Hooper, private sector green building specialist for SF Environment, San Francisco’s environment department; and Charles Leitner, chair of ULI Greenprint Center for Building Performance, discuss efforts and obstacles to getting owners to measure and publicly report energy use.
In order to lower energy use in privately owned buildings, is it more effective to use a carrot or a stick?
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