Without a doubt, the retail sector has seen some dark days especially since the start of the pandemic, when predictions called for a recovery period that would take years. But, much like hotels which were supposedly on a similar grim path, the retail sector has rebounded nicely, even with Covid-19 still part of our lives. Shoppers have returned to the stores, e-commerce is taking less of a bite out of total retail sales and it is forecast that this year there will be more store openings than closures. In the following pages, we acknowledge the men and women who successfully navigated  these changes and made a meaningful impact on the sector in the last year.

Individuals

MATT ANNIBALE Matt Annibale has 12 years of industry experience, including two years in his current role as senior director of acquisitions at First National Realty Partners, where he is responsible for overseeing acquisitions in the eastern U.S., including marketing, underwriting, leasing and capital markets, as well as managing a team of analysts. He leads by example and is known for his work ethic, enthusiasm and dependability. With a focus on sourcing more and better retail centers in key markets, Annibale leverages his connections within the brokerage community and encourages his team to create networks and build relationships in markets across the nation. Since joining the firm in August 2020, Annibale has helped grow FNRP's portfolio by more than $465 million through 23 deals. He closed 18 of those deals in 2021 and achieved a 100% closing rate. Annibale has been a board member of CCIM for more than six years and is a NextGen committee member of ICSC.

BILL BAUMAN Bill Bauman joined Newmark's capital markets team in January 2018 as VP of the firm's downtown Los Angeles office, where he heads a full-service retail brokerage team specializing in retail land planning, developer consultation and investment sales. A 30-year industry veteran, Bauman has completed more than $22 billion in transactions. He has an extensive background in land acquisition and disposition programs, pre-leasing commitments, retail tenant representation, investment sales, development consulting services and overall retail market analysis. Under Bauman's leadership, his team provides comprehensive tenant representation consultation services, including expert market and trade area analysis, competitor analysis, lease negotiation services, implementation of rollout strategies and overall market expertise. In the past three years, Bauman has leased and sold many of Southern California's most prominent retail projects, including the $136 million sale of Burbank Town Center. His team commenced 2022 with the sale of a Home Depot-occupied property for $96.3 million in Watertown, MA, which represented a record price point for a Home Depot in the U.S. His team is also involved in leasing major redevelopment projects such as South Bay Pavilion, Burbank Towne Center and Eagle Rock Plaza, as well as an existing retail portfolio of three million square feet throughout Southern California. Bauman is described as a dedicated professional who is always seeking new and innovative ways to best serve his clients. He has participated as a panelist or speaker at several industry events and is an active member of ICSC.