The Real Estate Roundtable Convenes in D.C.

BOMA International Chair Brian Cappelli, BOMA Fellow, RPA, and President Henry Chamberlain attended The Real Estate Roundtable’s spring meeting in Washington, D.C. Senior real estate executives, industry leaders and a bipartisan group of key lawmakers and policymakers gathered to discuss issues that affect U.S. real estate.

Concerns around big data, data privacy and cybersecurity came up repeatedly throughout the meeting, starting with Senator Michael Crapo (R-Idaho), chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, who kicked off the event by expressing his concerns on these issues. Next, Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Co.) spoke on the positive impact of renewable energy on the economy and discussed the importance of creating new tax incentives for energy storage.

Tim Sloan, former Wells Fargo CEO, is cautiously optimistic about the current economy. While the pace of growth is slowing, Sloan pointed to wage growth rising to more than 3 percent for the first time in years and a strong credit environment. Deputy Treasury Secretary Justin Muzinich echoed this confidence and spoke on the Trump administration's focus on economic growth.

Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.), co-chairs of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus within the U.S. House of Representatives, talked about their efforts securing cooperation across the aisle. Despite the rancor in Washington, D.C., they believe they are making some progress working on issues ranging from prescription drugs to infrastructure funding to healthcare and immigration reform. They were followed by former Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe, who spoke on how the federal government can learn from well-run state governments around the country.

The event offered Cappelli and Chamberlain the opportunity to speak directly with these and other lawmakers, including Representatives Kevin Brady (R-Texas), Trey Hollingsworth (R-Ind.), Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and (French Hill (R-Ark.), pictured between Chamberlain and Cappelli.)

Read more about The Real Estate Roundtable here.