As the leading promoter, event producer, and partner in development for downtown, Downtown Lexington Partnership (DLP) has gathered data through commissioned research and community partners in development and real estate to benchmark the health of downtown in the first inaugural State of Downtown Presented by Republic Bank.
This first-year event will be held at the Lexington Opera House on Wednesday, June 19 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tickets are still available at: https://downtownlexington.z2systems.com/np/clients/downtownlexington/eventRegistration.jsp?event=4&
The event will feature a plethora of data, including stats on:
- The development pipeline
- Street level occupancy and rental rates
- Office market
- Conventions and hotels
- Downtown event attendance
- The residential market
- Crime Rates
- Walkability
- Parking
- Homelessness
The State of Downtown Presented by Republic Bank is much more than just statistics and data, it’s also a premier networking event for downtown professionals. Guests have the opportunity to hear from an expert panel, and mingle with some of the leading developers, real estate professionals, lenders, and community leaders that Lexington has to offer!
Meet the Panel:
Melody Flowers
Melody Flowers has engaged in strategic and financial planning, project management, and policy work for over twenty years in fields as varied as transportation, the environment, community development, emergency preparedness, homeland security, healthcare, and higher education.
A University of Kentucky graduate with a degree in Political Science and a Harry S. Truman Scholar, Melody earned a Masters in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School. Melody currently serves as the Executive Director of Strategic Analysis and Policy for the University of Kentucky.
Melody stays involved in various community activities in her adopted hometown of Lexington, KY, including serving on the boards of CivicLex, the Gaines Center for the Humanities, and the Downtown Lexington Partnership. Melody also regularly lectures at the UK College of Education, and mentors nationally competitive scholarship candidates at UK.
Dudley Webb
Dudley Webb, a Lexington attorney and developer, was born in the coal mining community of Hot Spot in Letcher County, Kentucky, located in the heart of Appalachia. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Webb Companies, headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky. Mr. Webb is also a Senior Partner in the law firm Webb, Hoskins, Brown & Thompson, P.S.C. After attending school in Whitesburg, Kentucky, Mr. Webb went on to graduate from Georgetown College (B.A. – Business Administration) and the University of Kentucky College of Law (J.D. – 1968). That same year, he established his private law practice. Four years later, he partnered with his brother, Donald W. Webb, to found what is today the law firm of Webb, Hoskins, Brown & Thompson, P.S.C.
Mr. Webb is currently a member of the Kentucky, Ohio, Fayette County and American Bar Associations. In 1972, Dudley and Donald Webb entered into real estate development and investing. They quickly expanded their horizons from small residential and warehouse projects to the world of high-rise commercial real estate development. They teamed to form The Webb Companies, a consolidation of design, development, finance, legal, construction, marketing, leasing, brokerage, property management, and ancillary real estate functions. Under the Webb brothers’ leadership, The Webb Companies and its affiliates grew to become one of the largest real estate development organizations in the U.S., with partners and projects in over 60 major markets from New York to San Francisco and Boston to Miami. Their successes have been featured in many major publications including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, the National Real Estate Investor and Building Design & Construction magazine. Completed projects include a vast array of world class mixed-use complexes, hotels, office parks and towers, retail centers, warehouse and distribution facilities, residential high-rises, and marinas.
Today, Mr. Webb continues to focus on new development projects, including the $200MM City Center mixed-use complex located in the heart of Lexington’s central business district scheduled to open in the Fall of 2019. Mr. Webb has served on various national industry boards and committees throughout his career, including the Urban Land Institute, the International Council of Shopping Centers, and the National Association of Industrial and Office Parks. Locally, he has served on the boards of PNC Bank, the Triangle Foundation, the Bluegrass Community Foundation, the Lexington Chamber of Commerce (now Commerce Lexington), and the Downtown Lexington Corporation. He has served on the Board of Trustees for Georgetown College and is a former member of the University of Kentucky Development Council. In 2005, the Downtown Lexington Corporation honored Mr. Webb as one of its three Lifetime Members.
In February 2014, The Blue Grass Council, Boy Scouts of America honored Mr. Webb with the distinguished Boy Scouts of America North Star Award for playing a critical role in the success of Brave the Blue during its first two years as the signature event of the Blue Grass Council. In May 2014, Mr. Webb, along with his brother Don, were inducted into Junior Achievement’s Bluegrass Business Hall of Fame. The Webb brothers have also served as co-chairs of the American Cancer Society drives and have co-hosted the annual Cardinal Hill Hospital telethon. Mr. Webb has led major fund-raising efforts for the Calvary Baptist Church, Georgetown College and The Lexington School. Currently, he serves on the Board of Trustees at Sayre School. Dudley is married to the former Marla Collins of Versailles. They live in Lexington, Kentucky with their three children.
James Schrader
James M. Schrader is the owner of Schrader Commercial Properties, LLC, a full-service commercial real estate firm specializing in commercial real estate sales, leasing, property management, tenant representation and court-appointed receiverships in the central Kentucky market. Due to the complexity and nature of the transactions in which the firm is involved, Schrader interacts regularly with bankers, attorneys, engineers, government officials and all professions involved in the sale, leasing and development of commercial properties. Mr. Schrader also owns and operates a related company, Schrader Auction Group, LLC which auctions commercial real estate.
Prior to Mr. Schrader’s full-time involvement in commercial real estate, he worked over 10 years in the banking industry concentrating in commercial real estate lending in Louisville and Lexington.
Mr. Schrader is the past President and a long-time board member of the Commercial Property Association of Lexington (CPAL), an association of real estate investors and professionals who meet regularly to discuss real estate markets, new properties under development, economic factors affecting Lexington and general conditions of the Lexington commercial real estate market.
In addition to his professional activities, Mr. Schrader is the President-Elect of the Lexington Rotary Club and serves on its board of directors. Mr. Schrader also serves on the board of Junior Achievement of Lexington.
Mason McCauley
Mason has spent his entire 14-year banking career in Lexington, starting with National City Bank (now PNC) in 2005. In 2015, he joined Republic Bank and currently works as a Private Banking Officer. Mason specializes in helping to meet the commercial and residential lending and deposit needs of high-net-worth individuals, medical professionals, and small-to-medium-sized businesses. Throughout his banking career, he has gained in-depth experience in commercial lending and managing troubled bank assets.
In 2007, Mason earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration from Transylvania University and graduated from the Kentucky Bankers Association General Banking School in 2009.
Mason is a graduate of Leadership Lexington and an active community partner. He is a classroom volunteer and committee member for Junior Achievement of the Bluegrass and a board member with Visually Impaired Preschool Services. He is also a member of The Rotary Club of Lexington and serves as an Elder and Chairman of the Finance Committee for Second Presbyterian Church. He serves on the Transylvania University Board of Regents.
Mason and his wife, Haley, reside in Lexington with their two young children.
State of Downtown – Program Overview:
4:00 PM – Doors Open
4:30 PM to 5:30 PM – Presentation and Panel Discussion
5:30 PM to 6:30 PM – Networking Happy Hour
Complimentary beer, wine, and hors d’oeuvres.