Gala Keynote Speaker

Quintin E. Primo III

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Capri Capital Partners, LLC

Mr. Primo serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Capri Capital Partners, LLC, a real estate investment management firm headquartered in Chicago that he co-founded in 1992.  The firm has approximately $4-billion in total real estate assets under management and is an active investor in all major property sectors and markets throughout the United States.  Capri is currently expanding overseas, with major real estate development projects in India and the Middle East.

Mr. Primo has 30 years of experience in real estate investment and capital markets.  Prior to the formation of Capri Capital Partners, he was Managing Director of Q. Primo & Company, Inc., a real estate investment banking firm established in 1988 specializing in foreign and domestic private placements.  Prior to forming Q. Primo & Company, he was employed with Citicorp Real Estate, Inc., where he was Vice President in the commercial lending and real estate investment banking divisions.

Mr. Primo received a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance, with honors and high distinction, from Indiana University.  Within the real estate industry, he is a member of the Urban Land Institute, a board member of the Pension Real Estate Association, a member of the Real Estate Roundtable, Chairman of the Real Estate Executive Council, and a former trustee of AMLI Residential, a NYSE-listed company taken private by Morgan Stanley.

Mr. Primo is active in civic and charitable organizations.  He is a member of The Economic Club of Chicago and a former member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Seventh District Advisory Council.  He serves as a member of the Executive Committee of the Chicago Community Trust, as a trustee of the (Episcopal) Church Pension Group, and is a former trustee of the University of Chicago Hospitals and Ravinia Festival.  He is currently Chairman of the Primo Center for Women and Children, a transitional shelter serving the homeless and Chair-elect for the Chicago Alliance to End Homelessness.

Mr. Primo has been featured in national publications, such as The Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, The New York Times, Business Week, Forbes, and Black Enterprise Magazine, and has made frequent guest appearances on network television and cable news and radio programs, including CNBC, CNN, MSNBC and National Public Radio.  He has received numerous awards and has been highly recognized for his professional, civic and philanthropic contributions.

Mr. Primo and his family reside in the Chicago area.

Luncheon Keynote Speaker

Anré Williams

President, Global Commercial Card
American Express Company

In June 2007, Anré Williams was appointed President of American Express’ Global Commercial Card division.  In this role, he has overall P&L responsibility for the division that markets the American Express Corporate Card, Corporate Purchasing Solutions and other payment products to mid-size companies and large corporations around the world.  He leads a team of 3,000 employees in 36 countries.

Mr. Williams joined American Express in 1989, and began his career in marketing roles that focused on offering unique services to college students and subsequently to Platinum Card members. He then joined the Small Business division, where he led new product development and supervised the launch of seven new products and services in a two-year period.  Additionally, he spearheaded the division’s advertising efforts to attract new small business customers.  Since 1999, Mr. Williams has worked in the Global Commercial Card division where he has been promoted to roles of increasing responsibility, including SVP, U.S. Middle Market and Executive Vice President of U.S. Commercial Card.

In 2008, Mr. Williams negotiated several significant investments for American Express, including the $1.1 billion acquisition of General Electric’s Corporate Payment Services business, and a $251 million investment in Concur Technologies, a leading provider of on-demand T&E expense management services.

Mr. Williams earned his BA from Stanford University in 1986 and his MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1990.   He currently serves on the American Express U.S. Diversity Council.  In addition, he is Chairman of the Board of Junior Achievement of New York and serves on the Board of Trustees at Kent Place School.  He resides in South Orange, NJ with his wife, Paula, and their two children.

Gala Keynote Introduction

Jason Lewis

Senior Associate
Capri Capital Partners

Jason Lewis is a member of the  Investments/Asset Management team for Capri Capital Partners, LLC a real estate investment management firm headquartered in Chicago.  The firm has approximately $4 billion in total real estate assets under management and is an active investor in all major property sectors and markets throughout the United States.

Mr. Lewis is responsible for underwriting, financing, and asset managing investments in various property types as well as performance measurement for Capri’s separate accounts and commingled funds.

He joined Capri in August 2007 and has served functional rotations in marketing and client services, investments, and asset management.

Mr. Lewis holds an M.B.A. with concentrations in finance and real estate from Columbia Business School, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Morehouse College.