CWD Real Estate Investment’s Samuel Cummings to speak at Nov. 3 SPDC Industry Seminar Series

The MSU School of Planning, Design and Construction (SPDC) is hosting the 10th Industry Seminar Series event Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016, at the Human Ecology Building on the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing.

Sam Cummings, principal and managing partner of CWD Real Estate Investment in Grand Rapids

The MSU School of Planning, Design and Construction (SPDC) is hosting the 10th Industry Seminar Series event Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016, at the Human Ecology Building on the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing.

The featured speaker is Sam Cummings, principal and managing partner of CWD Real Estate Investment. He will present on “Downtown Grand Rapids Revitalization.” Cummings has dedicated the last 25 years of his life to the preservation of the City’s history and revitalization of the community through the built environment. One by one, he has brought back to life some of Grand Rapids’ most historic treasures and long-neglected buildings. Today, CWD is working to bring new vision, vibrancy and vitality to the urban core and community.

Since forming CWD Real Estate Investment in 2008, Cummings and his partners (Scott Wierda and Dan DeVos) have assembled more than three million square feet of retail and urban office real estate in West Michigan—making CWD one of the largest, locally owned property management firms in the area. CWD’s investments in the community are focused on providing quality spaces and stability for generations.

CWD’s most recent projects include the renovation of four historic downtown buildings: The Michigan Trust Building, Ledyard Building, the CWD Building at 50 Louis NW and the historic Rowe Hotel at Michigan and Monroe. Each  has undergone multi-million dollar updates—the first significant renovations in decades—breathing new life into more than 350,000 square feet of downtown residential, office and retail space. CWD also owns and manages the recent Bucktown development in Grandville, which includes signature retailers, such as Cabela’s, Target, Kessler Diamonds and Five Guys, among others.

Cummings has a proven track record in adaptive reuse, historic renovation and mixed-use development. He possesses a keen understanding of the processes necessary to utilize local, state and federal financial incentives to maximize value in underperforming assets. Cummings also has significant experience working with local and state governments on successful public-private partnerships.

The SPDC Industry Seminar Series consists of lectures by invited speakers who are industry leaders in the Built Environment profession. Past presenters include:

Joseph Maguire, president and CEO of Wolverine Development Corporation, and president and co-founder of SERF, serves as the facilitator of the Series.

This event is free and open to the public. The lecture will take place from 5:15-6 p.m. in Room 300 in the MSU Human Ecology Building in East Lansing. A reception sponsored by CWD Real Estate Investment will follow.

For more information, visit SPDC Industry Speaker Series. Questions about the Series and the Nov. 3 event may be sent to Heidi Macwan at charron@landpolicy.msu.edu or call (517) 353-4454.

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