Program Coordinator
Julian Adams is the Community Services Program Coordinator for the New York State Division for Historic Preservation. A native of Georgia, he holds a Masters of Historic Preservation from the University of Georgia at Athens. He entered New York State service in 1988, in the Division’s Technical Services Unit, overseeing rehabilitations and restorations across New York State under federal and state programs. During a sabbatical from the SHPO in 1995-1996, he worked with the Historic Natchez (MS) Foundation, overseeing low income housing development in historic neighborhoods, working with the local preservation commission and planning department, and assisting in heritage education. In 2000 he was named head of the Technical Services Unit. In 2013 was named Director of the Bureau of Community Preservation Services, overseeing several state and federal programs, including the Federal Rehabilitation Tax Credit, Certified Local Government program, National Register and Survey programs, The Historic Preservation Grants program, and the Preservation Education and Advocacy program, assisting communities, municipalities and the agency across New York State with preservation issues.
Owner and Manager
Eric Unkauf is the owner and manager of The Shirt Factory in the City of Glens Falls. Eric brings the unique experience of a private citizen in the historic reuse market. Growing up in Massachusetts, Eric saw untapped potential in the old mills around him. After moving to the Capital Region for an engineering degree from RPI, he attended an auction at the former McMullen-Leavens Shirt Factory in 1996 that sold off much of the production equipment. Eric recognized the unique opportunity and began working to preserve the property, even though he would not take possession of the property for another 3 years. Unkauf planned to use the basement for his manufacturing business and rent out several floors to artists looking for studio space. Since then, The Shirt Factory has come to life and become an anchor in Glens Falls’ east-end neighborhood. Nearly 100 creative, talented, and passionate individuals are now part of a community at The Shirt Factory. The building includes artist’s studios, retail shops, galleries and healing arts. Eric also manages the popular Thursday Market, a gathering every Thursday of restaurants and other vendors outside the Shirt Factory building. The market has become a place where all kind of makers, from food truck to farmers to artists, can connect with residents. Purchased the building next door which was most recently a warehouse for a paper recycling company and has completely renovated the former shell into additional spaces housing multiple tenants including a distillery, a commercial bakery with cafe, and a small scale specialty foods maker. Grounds across the street from this building that were formerly part of the D&H rail yard will be transformed into a small park with a connector between the Warren County Bike Path and the new Glens Falls Arts District Trail.
Executive Vice President
Jeffrey Mirel is Executive Vice President at The Rosenblum Companies, one of the largest developers and a full-service owner-operator of premier properties in the Capital Region. Mr. Mirel provides strategic direction and oversight for all company operations and with company CEO, Seth Rosenblum, spearheads such innovative adaptive reuse and infill development projects as The News Apartments in Troy, NY, a historically sensitive renovation of the century-old Troy Record building combined with a contextually appropriate new addition. In addition to Albany Barn, he is active on numerous boards and committees, among them the Alliance for the Creative Economy (ACE) Leadership Committee, Albany County Convention and Visitors Bureau Board, Downtown Troy Business Improvement District Board and Central Avenue Business Improvement District Board. Mirel is a Jefferson Award for Public Service medalist, a Albany Business Review “40 Under Forty” and a 2018 City & State “Albany 40 Under 40 Rising Star.” He is a BSBA graduate of Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business (cum laude).
Partner
Mike Puma is one of the partners at Preservation Studios, which is based in Buffalo, NY. Preservation Studios works with building owners, municipalities, and community groups to assist with historic tax credit work and other preservation projects across the greater northeast. His company is a full service firm that provides National Register work for buildings and historic districts, survey work, technical preservation assistance for the entire historic tax credit process, and guidance on the historic tax credits themselves. Since 2002, Preservation Studios has helped to leverage more than a quarter billion dollars across hundreds of projects in the state.
Co-Founder
Bill Teator is co-founder of The Small Business Solutions Center (SBSC), provides overall project management and strategic communication to Capital Advocates, LLC, its clients and his business holding company, DEW Ventures, LLC. He has over 20 years of experience in strategic planning, communication, business development, government relations, and public affairs serving the needs of elected officials, corporate, small business, municipal and non-profit organizations. He specializes in strategic planning, project management and execution to identify and deliver public policy and business development solutions supporting commercial and economic development goals of clients. Since 2014 under DEW Ventures, LLC, Bill has helped originate, frame the use mix, secure commercial tenants, public approvals and long-term multi-million dollar incentives supporting mixed-use real estate projects. Two active projects totaling investment over $105 million are stabilized and in construction in Buffalo and Utica, New York. Two others approved and pending final financing total $70 million in Amsterdam and Saratoga Springs, NY. The latter includes a 12,000 sf space to house the Spark Saratoga entrepreneur incubator and accelerator in concert with Saratoga CoWorks.
Vice President
Stacy is the Vice President of Development for KCG Companies, Inc. With over 14 years of community development leadership experience, Stacy has managed all aspects of the development process – from site acquisition through community engagement, to punch list close-out. She has experience with several reuse projects in New York State, including the Lofts at Globe Mill in Utica, the AP Lofts at Larkinville in Buffalo, and the Chalmer Mills project in Amsterdam. Stacy earned a Bachelor’s degree from Indiana University and a Master’s degree in Public Affairs from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. While in Austin, Stacy served on the City of Austin’s Building and Standards Commission and the Community Advancement Network. She has participated on and facilitated panel discussions at Affordable Housing Finance Live and Student Housing Business national conferences.