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Dan FosterDan Foster heads the incentives practice of Newmark Grubb Knight Frank Global Corporate Services as a Managing Director. Dan has over 20 years of experience managing corporate site selection engagements, business incentives projects and economic development consulting assignments.  Dan’s experience and expertise includes domestic and international site selection and location analysis, economic incentives research and acquisition, target industry analysis, program development and demonstrating the economic and fiscal impacts of a wide variety of projects to both corporations and governments.

Prior to joining Newmark Grubb Knight Frank, Dan was a director in Duff and Phelp’s Business Incentives Group, based in Detroit. Dan has also previously served as a senior manager and regional practice leader with the credit and incentives practice at Deloitte & Touche and as a senior manager for business incentives services at Ernst & Young LLP.  In addition to Dan’s core expertise, he has significant experience in advising clients in other areas, including manufacturing rationalization and consolidation, relocation feasibility, strategic cost reduction, large capital investment program management, commercial and industrial site evaluation and due diligence methods, detailed labor market/workforce analysis and public sector economic development strategies.

Dan has spoken on a variety of economic development topics at the Tax Executive Institute; New Mexico Governor’s Summit on Economic Development; Expansion Management’s Roundtable in the Rockies; and at various local economic development organizations and Chambers of Commerce.  Dan has also provided expert testimony to the Michigan Senate and House Joint Select Committee on Economic Growth.

Dan received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Hope College and a Master’s degree in urban and regional planning from the A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

PaulHamptonAs managing director, Paul Hampton specializes in conducting analysis and developing strategy for target industry identification, economic cluster analysis, feasibility studies, market studies and economic impact analysis at Newmark Grubb Knight Frank. Paul is skilled in integrating advanced analysis techniques into the decision-making process to help develop and validate recommendations. He has worked with numerous governmental entities, private developers and economic development organizations of various sizes to help them identify key assets and develop strategy to promote economic growth.

Prior to joining Newmark Grubb Knight Frank Global Corporate Services, Paul was an economic development consultant at Vierbicher Associates for three years, where he helped the firm grow its practice in industrial/business park development and market studies for the retail and office sectors. Other past experience includes a research position with the University of Wisconsin-Extension Center for Community and Economic Development.

Paul has led projects throughout Wisconsin, including the development of an industry recruitment strategy for Douglas County and the City of Superior, office development strategy for a gateway development in the City of Madison, feasibility and operations planning for an advanced manufacturing focused business incubator in Dane County and a business recruitment plan for a business park in Reedsburg, Wisconsin, equipped with a municipal fiber optic network.

Paul has a Master of Science in Urban and Regional Planning/Economic Development from the University of Wisconsin and a Bachelor of Arts in Strategic Communication from the University of Wisconsin School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Brad GriggsBrad Griggs is a managing director with Newmark Grubb Knight Frank’s Global Corporate Services group. Brad specializes in negotiating with state agencies and local municipalities to secure economic development incentive packages for his clients. Brad has more than eight years of experience managing business incentives projects, corporate site selection engagements and economic development consulting assignments.

Brad is an expert in the delivery of professional services, with an emphasis on responsiveness to clients, rigorous analysis, and negotiation strategy and implementation. Brad has successfully completed projects with a variety of Fortune 1000 companies as well as projects in the advanced polymer manufacturing, automotive, aerospace, computer software development, consumer products, defense, energy, environmental technology solutions, financial services, food and beverage production and distribution, healthcare, insurance brokerage, medical device manufacturing, paper products manufacturing, packaging and pharmaceuticals industries.

Prior to joining Newmark Grubb Knight Frank’s Global Corporate Services, Brad worked as a team leader at Ryan LLC, in the firm’s New York office. Other past experience includes site selection and incentives negotiation and compliance services at Duff & Phelps LLC, and corporate tax accounting services at BDO Seidman LLP.

Brad earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in accounting from Loyola University Maryland.

*please note: at the time this recording took place, Peter was with Newmark Grubb Knight Frank. He has since moved on to new opportunities, but still offers incredible insight into the field of site selection in this interview.


Peter WirthPeter Wirth joined Newmark Knight Grubb Frank’s Dallas office in 2010 to fulfill a commitment to strengthen and expand the integrated services operation of the real estate platform of Newmark Grubb Knight Frank’s Global Corporate Services division, being one of a distinguished and select few certified GCS Brokers. Peter assists in the development and implementation of strategic initiatives to companies around the globe and has a keen understanding for fully leveraging Newmark Grubb Knight Frank’s operational consulting arm with the global real estate strategy offerings. Peter’s specialty is location strategy, helping clients identify the fundamental for where they should be and why.

Peter has assisted such clients as Kohl’s Department Stores, Nokia Siemens Networks, AT&T, SuperMedia (Verizon Wireless Yellow Pages), Just Energy, Momentis Energy, Hancock Bank and Huntington Bank, among others. Peter is recognized by both his peers and his clients as a source of trust and integrity.

Prior to joining Newmark Grubb Knight Frank, Peter served at GVA Cawley as a global corporate services associate. He has been awarded Power Broker, CoStar, 2013; and Top Office Deal of the Year from DCEO Magazine, 2013.

Peter holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Texas Christian University’s M.J. Neeley School of Business, where he majored in both finance and real estate.

Rajeev Thakur

Rajeev ThakurAs Senior Managing Director of Location Strategy with Newmark Grubb Knight Frank, Rajeev Thakur is focused on market entry strategy, domestic and global location strategy, portfolio optimization and real estate advisory services. Rajeev has managed and completed location strategy and site selection engagements for clients across many industries including manufacturing, financial services, life sciences, back office and call centers and headquarters in North America, Asia-Pacific, and Europe. Select clients include eClerx, Enbridge, Entergy, Citigroup, Capital One, Nordic Windpower, Computershare, TriZetto, Starwood, Hancock Bank, Soitec, American Express, Bank of America, Pfizer, Cadila Pharmaceutical (India), Booz Allen Hamilton, Aon Insurance, Deloitte (India), and American Red Cross. Rajeev is also engaged in developing target industry and business attraction strategies for economic development agencies across the United States.

Prior to joining NGKF, Rajeev was a management consultant in Deloitte’s Global Strategy & Operations practice. Prior to becoming a consultant, Rajeev had a career as an architect and urban planning consultant and managed large commercial mixed use development projects in South and Southeast Asia.

Rajeev received his Masters of Business Administration from Rotterdam School of Management at Erasmus University, Netherlands, concentrating in corporate finance. Rajeev also received a Master’s degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with concentration in economic development, and a Bachelor of Arts from School of Planning & Architecture, New Delhi, India, with focus on urban design.