EB-5 INDUSTRY FORUM 2018
The 8th Annual EB-5 Industry Forum
OCTOBER 29 – 30, 2018
CHICAGO, IL
Combining AILA’s experience in offering world-class continuing legal education and unparalleled networking events for immigration law professionals and IIUSA’s unmatched expertise on the EB-5 investor visa program, the two-day conference was be the most important EB-5 event of the year! Whether an immigration attorney, a regional center representative, a service provider or a foreign intermediary, the 2018 event offered unprecedented opportunities to learn, network, drive business development, and have fun at social events in one of America’s most vibrant cities.
AILA is the national association of immigration lawyers established to promote justice, advocate for fair and reasonable immigration law and policy, advance the quality of immigration and nationality law and practice, and enhance the professional development of its 15,000+ members.
IIUSA is the national membership-based 501(c)(6) not-for-profit industry trade association for the EB-5 Regional Center Program, with members accounting for a vast majority of capital formation and job creation in the United States resulting from the program. Together, in cooperation with the foremost experts of the EB-5 program, these two organizations are uniquely positioned to address every aspect of the industry in great depth.
The 2018 EB-5 Industray Forum was hosted at Sheraton Grand Chicago Hotel, Chicago, IL, USA!
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Conference Schedule
8:00am – 5:00pm: Registration/Exhibit Hall Hours
8:00am – 9:25am: EB-5 Beginners Session: An Introduction to EB-5:Investment, Jobs and Citizenship
Faculty:
- Joseph Martin Barnett (DL), Wolfsdorf Rosenthal LLP, Santa Monica, CA;
- Alex Brown, Impact DataSource, Austin, TX;
- Matthew T. Galati, Green and Spiegel LLC, AILA EB-5 Investor Committee, Philadelphia, PA
- Noreen Hogan, CMB Regional Centers, Rock Island, IL
9:25am – 9:30am: Opening Remarks
Speakers:
- Aaron Grau, IIUSA Interim Executive Director, Washington, DC
- Bernard P. Wolfsdorf, Conference Program Chair, AILA Past President/EB-5 Investor Committee, Wolfsdorf Rosenthal LLP, Santa Monica, CA
9:30am – 10:00am: Keynote Address: Sarah M. Kendall, Chief, USCIS Immigrant Investor Program Office (IPO)
Introduction by:
- Robert Kraft, IIUSA President/President, FirstPathway Partners, Milwaukee, WI
- Marketa Lindt, AILA President-Elect, Sidley Austin LLP, Chicago, IL
10:00am – 10:30am: Networking Break
10:40am – 11:40am: Looking Ahead: Post-September 30th and the 116th Congress
Faculty:
- Bill Gresser (DL), IIUSA Vice President, EB-5 New York State Regional Center, Buffalo, NY
- Jon Baselice, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Washington, DC
- George McElwee, Commonwealth Strategic Partners, Washington, DC
- Laura Foote Reiff, Greenburg Traurig LLP, Washington, DC
11:45am – 12:45pm: Pending Regulations and Other Administrative Policy Updates: Turning Uncertainty into Opportunity
Faculty:
- Adam Greene (DL), EB-5 New York State Regional Center, Buffalo, NY
- Carolyn S. Lee, Miller Mayer LLP, AILA EB-5 Investor Committee Chair, Ithaca, NY
- Joseph McCarthy, IIUSA Director, American Dream Fund, Huntington Beach, CA
- Leon Rodriguez, Seyfarth Shaw, AILA EB-5 Investor Committee, Washington, DC
12:45pm – 1:25pm: Lunch Served
1:25pm – 2:25pm: Breakout Sessions
Capital Stack Trends: How to Fund and Successfully Incorporate Non-EB-5 Funds
Faculty:
- Steve Strnisha (DL), IIUSA Secretary-Treasurer, Cleveland International Fund, Cleveland, OH
- Michael Fitzpatrick, Baker Tilly Capital, Madison, WI
- David Morris, DC Regional Center, AILA EB-5 Investor Committee Vice Chair, Washington, DC
- Reid Thomas, NES Financial, San Jose, CA
Choices in EB-5: Examining Direct vs. Regional Center Opportunities from Key Perspectives
Faculty:
- Ignacio A. Donoso (DL), Conference Program Committee, I.A. Donoso & Associates LLC, Bethesda, MD
- Tammy Fox-Isicoff, Rifkin & Fox-Isicoff P.A., AILA Board of Governors/Latin America and
Caribbean Chapter Chair, Miami, FL - Edward C. Beshara, Conference Program Committee, Beshara PA, Maitland, FL
- Samuel Duggins Newbold, Barst Mukamel & Kleiner, AILA EB-5 Investor Committee, New York, NY
2:25pm – 2:55pm: Post-Session Dialogue
2:55pm – 3:55pm: Breakout Sessions
Regional Center Operations: Lessons Learned and Risk Mitigation in 2018
- Faculty:
- Dave Souders (DL), IIUSA Director, Todd & Associates, Beachwood, OH
- Mary King, New York City Regional Center, New York, NY
- Robert Kraft, IIUSA President/President, FirstPathway Partners, Milwaukee, WI
Insights from Investment Regulations: SEC Enforcement Actions-What We Know and Why It Matters
Faculty:
- Catherine DeBono Holmes (DL), Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell, Manhattan Beach, CA
- Ronald R. Fieldstone, Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLP, Miami, FL
- Scot O’Brien, Akerman LLP, Washington, DC
- Osvaldo F. Torres, Torres Law PA, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
- Clem Turner, New York, NY
4:00pm – 5:00pm: Breakout Sessions
The Ideal EB-5 Project: Case Studies, Checking All the Boxes, and Making the Right Decisions for Success in Today’s Market
Faculty:
- Al Rattan (DL), IIUSA Director, Continental Regional Center, Murrieta, CA
- Rupy Cheema, EB5 Diligence, Toronto, Canada
- Douglas D. Hauer, Mintz Levin, Boston, MA
- Patrick Hogan, IIUSA Director, CMB Regional Centers, Rock Island, IL
- Alexei Kondenkov, Axos Bank, San Diego, CA
EB-5 Site Visits and Compliance Reviews: What they Mean for You and How to Prepare Your Regional Center, Project, and Employees
Faculty:
- Kristal Jeanette Ozmun (DL), Miller Mayer, LLP, Ithaca, NY
- Rafael Anchia, Civitas Capital, Dallas, TX
- Linda W. Lau, Global Law Group, Pasadena, CA
- Darrell Sanders, American Life Inc., Seattle, WA
5:00pm – 6:30pm: Welcome Reception (Sponsored by CMB Regional Centers)
Download conference schedule in PDF format at here
8:00am – 5:00pm: Registration/Exhibit Hall Hours
8:30am – 9:30am: Breakout Sessions
What’s Happening in China? Investor Withdrawal Requests, Agent Marketing, and What it Means for the Market
Faculty:
- Tom Rosenfeld (DL), IIUSA Director Emeritus, CanAm Enterprises, New York, NY
- David Chen, Visas Consulting Group, Shanghai, China
- Robert P. Gaffney, Law Offices of Robert P. Gaffney, San Francisco, CA
- Cletus M. Weber, IIUSA Director, Peng & Weber PLLC, Mercer Island, WA
An Introduction to EB-5:Investment, Jobs and Citizenship
9:35am – 10:20am: Keynote Address: Charles Oppenheim, Chief, Immigrant Visa Control & Reporting, U.S. Department of State
Moderators:
- Robert C. Divine (DL), IIUSA Vice President Emeritus, Baker Donelson, Chattanooga, TN
- Cletus M. Weber, IIUSA Director, Peng & Weber PLLC, Mercer Island, WA
- Bernard P. Wolfsdorf, Conference Program Chair, AILA Past President/EB-5 Investor Committee, Wolfsdorf Rosenthal LLP, Santa Monica, CA
10:20am – 10:50am: Networking Break
10:50am – 11:50am: Breakout Sessions
Distressed and Troubled Projects: How to Reverse Course and What it Means for Material Change
Faculty:
- Eren Cicekdagi (DL), Conference Program Committee, Golden Gate Global, San Francisco, CA
- Rohit Kapuria, Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr, Miami, FL
- Andrew F. O’Neill, Sidley Austin LLP, Chicago, IL
- Lincoln Stone, Stone Grzegorek & Gonzalez LLP, Los Angeles, CA
Investor Markets Discussion: Asia (Vietnam, India and Beyond)
Faculty:
- Brandon Meyer (DL), Fakhoury Global Immigration, San Francisco, CA
- David A. Enterline, WTW – Taipei Commercial Law Firm, Taipei, Taiwan
- Janak Mehta, FRR Immigration, Mumbai, India
- Jinhee K. Wilde, Wilde & Associates, Rockville, MD
11:50am – 12:30pm: Lunch Served
12:30pm – 1:30pm: Breakout Sessions
Source of Funds Issues with China, Other EB-5 Investor Markets, and Third-Party Exchanges
Faculty:
- Anusree “Anu” Nair (DL), Klasko Immigration Law Group, Philadelphia, PA
- Jana Aristizabal, Marcum LLP, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
- June Cheng, Fredrickson & Byron P.A., Minneapolis, MN
Investor Markets Discussion: The Americas (Brazil, Venezuela, Mexico and Beyond)
Faculty:
- Maria Isabel Casablanca (DL), Akerman LLP, AILA EB-5 Investor Committee, Miami, FL
- Victor A. Espinosa, Golden Gate Global, San Francisco, CA
- Gonzalo Lopez-Jordan, American Regional Center Group, Miami, FL
- Manuel Ortiz, Civitas Capital, Dallas, TX
1:35pm – 2:35pm: Breakout Sessions
EB-5 Quota Backlog: Prescriptions for the Impatient Investor
Faculty:
- Bernard P. Wolfsdorf (DL), Conference Program Chair, AILA Past President/EB-5 Investor Committee, Wolfsdorf Rosenthal LLP, Santa Monica, CA
- Charles C. Foster, Foster Global, IIUSA Director, AILA Past President, Houston, TX
- David Hirson, David Hirson & Partners, LLP, Costa Mesa, CA
- Kraig Schwigen, Conference Program Committee, CMB Regional Centers, Rock Island, IL
Investor Market Discussions: Europe and the Middle East
Faculty:
- Mona Shah (DL), Conference Program Committee, Mona Shah & Associates, New York, NY
- Reza Rahbaran, Rahbaran & Associates, PLLC, Miami, FL
- Irina Rostova, Rostova Westerman Law Group, Fort Lauderdale, FL
2:35pm – 2:55pm: Post-Session Dialogue
2:55pm – 3:55pm: Breakout Sessions
USCIS Adjudication Trends, Response Strategies and Implications for Investors Regarding RFE’s, NOIT’s and NOID’s
Faculty:
- Michele A. Franchett (DL), Stone Grzegorek & Gonzalez LLP, AILA EB-5 Investor Committee, Los Angeles, CA
- Chun Yun “Elizabeth” Peng, Peng & Weber PLLC, Mercer Island, WA
- John Patrick Pratt, Kurzban, Kurzban, Weinger, Tetzeli & Pratt, AILA Board of Governors/EB-5 Investor Committee, Miami, FL
- Rebecca S. Singh, Mona Shah & Associates, New York, NY
EB-5 Financing Structures: What’s Right for Me?
Faculty:
- Richard Booth (DL), Signature Bank, New York, NY
- Gary Stern, CanAm Enterprises, Chicago, IL
- * Richard Fischer, Sterling National Bank, New York, NY
4:00pm – 5:00pm: Breakout Sessions
Redeploying EB-5 Investments: A Roadmap to Help Navigate Securities Laws and USCIS Guidance
Faculty:
- Mariza E. McKee (DL), Conference Program Committee, Kutak Rock, Chicago, IL
- Benjamin Cummings, Birch Capital, Wellesley, MA
- Michael G. Homeier, Law Office of Michael G. Homeier, PC, Sherman Oaks, CA
- Rana Jazayerli, Klingner Jazayerli LLP, Washington, DC
- Abteen Vaziri, IIUSA Director, Brevet Capital, New York, NY
EB-5 Litigation and What It Means: Who is Suing Whom and Why it Matters
Faculty:
- H. Ronald Klasko (DL), Conference Program Committee, AILA Past President/Administrative Litigation Task Force Chair, Klasko Immigration Law Partners, Philadelphia, PA
- Ira J. Kurzban, Kurzban, Kurzban, Weinger, Tetzeli & Pratt, AILA Author, Kurzban’s Immigration Law Sourcebook/AILA Past President, Miami, FL
- Alan Tantleff, FTI Consulting, New York, NY
Download conference schedule in PDF format at here
PHOTO GALLERY
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IIUSA members benefit from access to state-of-the-art tools, networking opportunities, educational events, and insights into the latest trends in the EB-5 industry. For over a decade, IIUSA has served as the unifying voice of the EB-5 Regional Center Industry, representing and connecting thousands of diverse stakeholders who contribute billions of dollars of economic development and job growth in the United States through EB-5 investment. Interested in learning more about the many benefits of IIUSA membership?
