PHOENIX, Mar. 22, 2013 ‐‐ Recent economic challenges have caused many municipal projects to fail or be cancelled. Still, notable successes have been achieved when knowledgeable public officials, developers and financial partners have come together to arrange winning deal structures. To advance such creative partnerships in the public interest, the Arizona State University School of Public Affairs presented the 2013 Municipal Finance Challenge at the Sheraton Downtown Phoenix Hotel in Phoenix, Ariz.
During the event from March 21‐22, 2013, in Phoenix, Ariz., speakers from teams nationwide that have creatively financed and successfully implemented municipal projects spoke about core principles, best practices, and how to assess risks.
Our speakers include leaders and innovators in municipal finance who are eager to share their knowledge, solutions and strategies for making successful deals happen,” said conference co‐chair Susan Giles Bischak, president and CEO of Giles & Company Strategic Business Consultants, Inc., and a faculty associate in the school.
Ray Garfield and Greg Garfield, respectively Chairman and President of Garfield Public/Private LLC, were two of five representatives from the Durham Performing Arts Center in Durham, N.C. and the Overton Hotel & Conference Center in Lubbock, Texas, sharing their experiences in creating successful deals on the panel titled The Challenge Answered: Achieve Success with Municipal Finance.
We were pleased to share our experience with challenges successfully managed in the delivery of these two Garfield public/private developments,” Ray Garfield said. “Communities can improve the odds of success of their essential redevelopment projects by working with private developers in combining the efficiencies of private delivery methods with the lowest‐cost capital plan meeting the municipality’s financial, legal, and policy goals and constraints.
Other presenters on the panel included Reginald J. Johnson, City of Durham Community Development Director; Kent Lawrence, Managing Director, Municipal Finance Securities, Citigroup; and Linda Chamales, City of Lubbock General Counsel. The panel was moderated by Geoffrey E. Buswick, Managing Director, Standard and Poor’s, U.S. Public Finance Infrastructure Group.
ABOUT GARFIELD PUBLIC PRIVATE
Garfield Public/Private is a national development services provider focusing exclusively on public and public/private developments. The company uses innovative and cost‐effective financing solutions tailored to the requirements of public sector clients. Garfield employs a “turnkey” delivery method that minimizes client risk and administrative burden, maximizes transparency and accountability, and enables “fast track” delivery of high quality facilities months or even years ahead of when otherwise thought possible. Garfield Public/Private and its executives have developed more than 20 million square feet of all property types nationally and abroad, and have financed more than $7 billion in debt and equity. For more information, please visit
www.garfieldpublicprivate.com.