Life Sciences: Shaping Philadelphia's Future

Joe Gibson, Associate Director of Research, CBRE

Joe Gibson joined CBRE in late 2015 and brings 15 years of commercial real estate research experience to his role as the Associate Director of Research for the Pennsylvania market. In his role, he is responsible for collecting and analyzing market data while communicating market trend implications to clients. In conjunction with our local sales and leasing professionals, Joe advises clients on the supply, demand and pricing landscape across several property types within the greater Philadelphia region as well as the Pittsburgh market. Mr. Gibson came to commercial real estate research with a degree in mathematics from West Chester University where he graduated with magna cum laude honors. During his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family, listening to and playing music, hiking, fishing and binge-listening to podcasts.

Erik Lustgarten, Sciences Leader, Senior Associate at Gensler

A global leader in Gensler's Sciences practice, Erik applies his deep understanding of the technical challenges faced by science organizations to design creative research environments for Higher Education clients and companies such as Novartis and GlaxoSmithKline. His project experience encompasses work recognized by the AIA, the Boston Society of Architects, and the Illumination Engineering Society. Well-known within the industry, Erik has spoken on science- and technology-related topics at Tradeline and Laboratory Design conferences, authored numerous articles for national publications, and served as a grants review panelist for the National Science Foundation. He has acted as Treasurer and Board of Directors member for the New England Chapter of the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories. He earned his Bachelor of Architecture from Roger Williams University and furthered his studies at the Czech Technical Institute and Harvard School of Public Health

Mark Seltzer, Senior Vice President,
Development - East Region at Ensemble/Mosaic  

Mark’s extensive background in commercial real estate includes 20+ years in the public and private sectors. Operating out of Ensemble’s Philadelphia office, Mark serves as a key member of our executive team to lead the vision, strategy, and execution of development opportunities in the East Coast Region.

Previously, Mark was Vice President of Leasing & Property Development for Liberty Property Trust, where he was responsible for Development, Leasing, and Dispositions. During his tenure with Liberty, he oversaw 1.6 million SF of commercial real estate activity at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.

Prior to Liberty, Mark was Vice President at the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC) – Philadelphia’s economic development agency, where he was responsible for the day to day redevelopment of The Navy Yard, including the marketing, development, transaction, and property management activity. During Mark’s 7.5 years at PIDC, The Navy Yard added more than 1 million square feet of commercial space and over 5,000 employees.

Stephen P. Rush, Vice President, Leasing of Brandywine Realty Trust

Over the past twenty years Steve’s professional career at Brandywine has focused mainly on the leasing and development of the company’s Philadelphia CBD portfolio, including Schuylkill Yards, FMC Tower, Cira Centre, and the Logan Square complex. In this role, he has negotiated major lease transactions as well as analyzed and implemented various project financing strategies. He also works closely with Brandywine’s CBD development team in all aspects of design development and master planning for new development in the University City market.

Before joining Brandywine, Steve was employed in the field of public finance as a consultant with Philadelphia-based Public Financial Management (PFM). While at PFM, he worked with the Strategic Municipal Consulting division, focusing on developing long term financial recovery plans for clients such as Nassau County, NY and the City of Camden, NJ. Before joining PFM, he was employed as an economic development consultant with the Montgomery County Industrial Development Corporation, and prior to that was a Legislative Aide in Philadelphia City Council.  Steve has a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from Temple University, and a Masters Degree in Government Administration from the University of Pennsylvania.  

Mike Wojewodka, Executive Vice President and Partner of MRA Group

Mike Wojewodka serves as Executive Vice President and Partner of MRA Group and its affiliated companies (MRA). With nearly twenty years of commercial real estate experience, Mr. Wojewodka has developed an expertise in the healthcare and life sciences industries having developed more than 2.5 million square feet of medical, ambulatory surgery, commercial office, and class-a labs.

Since 2009, Mr. Wojewodka has been at the helm of MRA’s client services business where the company provides asset management, property management, lease administration and other related services to many of the Philadelphia regions health systems. Additionally, Mr. Wojewodka is a member of MRA’s Executive Leadership Team (ELT) where he works closely with other ELT members to cast the vision & mission for the company, develop organizational governance and provide leadership to the company’s associates. In conjunction with his responsibilities with MRA, Mr. Wojewodka played a key role in the development of the Greater Reading Keystone Innovation Zone and is actively involved with several local and regional economic development groups.

Outside of work, Mr. Wojewodka enjoys traveling with his wife and three daughters.

John Grady, Northeast Region Executive and Senior Vice President of Development at Wexford

With more than 30 years of experience, John brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise in building and managing public-private partnerships that drive investment, development and job growth. In his role, John develops relationships and executes projects that create and expand Wexford’s Knowledge Communities throughout the Northeast, including Philadelphia’s uCity Square, Providence’s Innovation & Design District, and Pittsburgh’s Innovation Corridor. 

Prior to joining Wexford, John served as President of PIDC, Philadelphia’s city-wide public-private development corporation where he was responsible for efforts to drive economic growth to every corner of Philadelphia. In this role, John led PIDC’s efforts to strengthen relationships among the public, private, institutional and philanthropic sectors to promote business growth, investment and development across the city and throughout its economy. John joined PIDC in 1998 and served as its President for 9 years. Prior to joining PIDC, John spent 9 years with the Cooper’s Ferry Development Association planning and developing Camden, New Jersey’s commercial waterfront.

John is a graduate of La Salle University with a BA in Economics and the University of Pennsylvania’s MPA program. He is active with a number of corporate, higher education and civic organizations in Philadelphia, including serving on the Board of Directors at PECO Energy, an Exelon Subsidiary; as a Trustee at La Salle University; and on the Board of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. He also serves as a member of the President’s Real Estate Council at Drexel University, the Corporate Council at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and the Innovation Advisory Board at the University of Pennsylvania’s Abramson Cancer Center.

Robert Scheer, President & Founder of Scheer Partners, Inc. 

In 1991, Robert Scheer founded Scheer Partners, the leading, locally-owned full-service provider of commercial real estate services in the Washington and Baltimore metropolitan regions. In addition to overseeing the company, he is actively engaged in real estate brokerage and acquisitions. Robert has overseen more than 1,000 transactions, including 3 million square feet of life sciences real estate projects – more than any other real estate professional in the region. Notable clients include Human Genome Sciences, MedImmune, Johns Hopkins University and the state of Maryland. In addition to overseeing Scheer Partners integrated real estate services and investment activities, he is the co-manager of the Greater Washington Life Science Fund. The Greater Washington Life Science Fund is a $100 million private equity fund with JBG Properties. Most of the equity was contributed by JBG and the balance by Robert and friends and family. Of note, is the participation by the state of Maryland in the Fund, which fully vetted Robert and his team.

Robert holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in business economics from Flagler College.