What are some of the most important legal considerations when forming an Opportunity Zone Fund? What are some of the pros and cons of corporation, partnership, REIT, and synthetic fund structures? Jessica Millett is partner, chair, and “Wizard of OZ” of the tax practice group at Duval & Stachenfeld, a real estate law firm headquartered … Read more
The second tranche of regulations that were published two months ago clarified many questions regarding opportunity zone businesses. What are some strategies for operating business investment that OZ funds should consider? M&A attorney Ashley Tison is founder and CEO of the Charlotte, NC-based Ōz group of companies (pronounced OHz). Ōz is an opportunity zone consulting … Read more
Why does a trade association for Qualified Opportunity Funds want more data collection and reporting? And could the Opportunity Zone program be renewed at some point in the future? Senator Tim Scott’s former tax adviser, Shay Hawkins is founder and CEO of the Opportunity Funds Association (OFA) — a Washington, DC-based advocacy, education, and communications … Read more
How can incubating local businesses in shipping containers achieve Opportunity Zone community activation and gentrification without displacement? Sasha Favelukis is founder of CoPlace, a San Diego-based investment and advisory firm that performs a mix of real estate and local business investing. They specialize in community activation in Opportunity Zones. Click the play button below to … Read more
Will office real estate be the driver for much of the economic growth across the nation’s Opportunity Zones? Clint Myers is partner at Revolution’s Rise of the Rest, a seed fund that invests in startups located outside of locations that traditionally receive startup funding — an approach that has a lot of overlap with the … Read more
Are Opportunity Zone Funds actually raising any money yet? Chris Loeffler is co-founder and CEO of Caliber, an Arizona-based alternatives investment management firm that was among the first to launch a Qualified Opportunity Fund last year, a fund which has already raised $40 million, is actively deploying capital to Opportunity Zones, and is expected to … Read more
How can the resources of the Federal government be leveraged to help deliver generational impact to Opportunity Zone communities? Scott Turner is the newly appointed executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council — a group of cabinet members and White House officials charged with coordinating Federal agency efforts to magnify the impact … Read more
How was the Opportunity Zones initiative created in the first place? And why is this program so radically different from previous place-based policies? John Lettieri is co-founder and president of the Economic Innovation Group, a Washington, DC-based public policy organization that created the Opportunity Zones legislation and continues to inform the rulemaking process. Click the … Read more
How can retail investors access alternative investments typically reserved for institutional investors? And where do Opportunity Zones fit into the universe of portfolio alternatives? Washington, DC-based Tony Chereso is president and CEO of the Institute for Portfolio Alternatives, a trade group tasked with advocating for awareness of portfolio diversifying investments (PDIs). Click the play button … Read more
Chicago is home to 133 opportunity zones. But which neighborhoods on Chicago’s West and South Sides have the greatest levels of redevelopment need? And what are some of the challenges of acquiring capital for building in low-income communities? Lennox Jackson is founder and CEO of Urban Equities, a Chicago-based real estate developer and advisor that … Read more