Donald Smith Email & Phone Number

Los Angeles, California

Responsible for all aspects of project development for Milagro Cinemas, the offshoot of the real estate development arm of Maya Cinemas North America Inc., including site procurement, underwriting, loan submittal requests, investor procurement, tenant leasing, and P3 public partnerships for governmental subsidies for the benefit of the project capital stack.Seeking the renovation and ground up development for theaters and experiential cultural development projects in underserved Latino communities in California, Nevada and New Mexico. Skilled in solving the financing constraints limiting experiential development in underserved communities.Currently working to development several projects anchored by experiential and cultural tenants that enhance the quality of life in underserved communities.

4340 Von Karman Avenue, Suite 200, Newport Beach, Ca 92660

Mr. Smith is the President of StartingGate and a member of its board. As President, he is responsible for StartingGate interests including real estate development, entitlements, capital procurement, investments, consulting oversight, land auction opportunities and strategic partnerships.

3111 North Tustin, Suite 230, Orange, Ca

Don Smith served briefly as a Principal with Urban Futures joining the firm to direct PLUS, the companies recently formed Public Land Use Specialists division. PLUS evaluates real estate assets held by the public sector and then prepares reports for local governments with sound economic analysis.

Downtown Los Angeles

Don Smith joined Kosmont Realty Corporation in 2013 as a Senior Marketing Director focusing on the identification, listing and sale of Successor Agency (former RDA) real estate assets held by California cities and counties. Mr. Smith served as the KRC liaison between Auction.com and Lee & Associates Investment Services Group (Lee ISG), KRCs strategic partners concerning the KRC's effort to list as sell former RDA assets.Working with Lee ISG, Mr. Smith successfully presented and closed agreements with local Lee offices in San Diego, Riverside, Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Mr. Smith also helped develop KRCs Access data base of former RDA assets and help to write acceptable language so that the State's Department of Finance would allow former RDA real estate assets to be sold via an auction platform.

Donald T. Smith, Jr. formed Smith Consulting Group (SCG) as Principal to oversee the retail recruitment strategy for the City of Long Beach’s Redevelopment Agency (April of 2007 through April of 2009). While working with the RDA to promote downtown Long Beach, SCG fostered the attention of commercial mixed use developers on downtown Long Beach. SCG successfully procured Fresh & Easy and La Creperie for the RDA and actively worked with lifestyle tenants such as Apple, H&M, Active Ride, American Apparel, Forever 21, and Urban Outfitters. SCG marketed to Trader Joe’s, Laemmle Fine Arts Cinemas, Babies R Us / Toys R Us, Morton’s Steak House, Staples and 24 Hour Fitness Sport and also represented Cal State University Long Beach in their efforts towards opening a downtown campus. After the economic collapse in the Fall of 2008, SCG assisted Navarro Retail Group with their Burlington Coat Factory new store development in Southern California. In early 2010, SCG and NRG began marketing the original May Company department store in downtown Los Angeles as a proposed Urban Power Center. Together, they procured offers from national retail chains in excess of 300,000 sf for the proposed vertical power center. SCG consulted the City of Bellflower in their ongoing efforts to assemble properties to create a 25 acre retail power center off the 91 freeway. These efforts involved reaching out to existing tenants and creative solutions to affect change without the use of public assistance.

Mr. Smith served as Crown Realty & Development’s Director of Acquisitions from July of 2001 through April of 2007, specializing in off market acquisitions involving retail, mixed use and value add properties. As Crown’s Director of Acquisitions, Don has procured the acquisition of a neighborhood shopping center in Oceanside, assisted in the acquisition of a 1.2 million regional mall, purchased an industrial building in Hawthorne which was redeveloped into one of the premier retail locations in the Oceangate Power Center and several Sears Homelife buildings—all of which represented outstanding redevelopment / assemblage opportunities. While Don was at Crown, real estate transactions were successfully negotiated with Target Stores, Circuit City, Sears Roebuck and Company, Bed Bath & Beyond, PF Changs, and Loehmans. At Crown, Don also actively worked with Wal-Mart, Walgreen’s and Vons in site acquisition opportunities as a preferred developer and was also the company’s expert regarding manufactured housing communities (mobile home parks) conversions to fee ownership for park residents so that residents could own the fee air rights interest in the land surrounding their home.

Represented National, Regional and Local Retail Tenants as well as Regional and Local Shopping Center Developers and Owners.

Solana Beach, Ca

Worked with the Franchise Owners of San Diego County to procure new sites and solicit Investors for DQSD's expansion into San Diego County.

Greater San Diego Area

Sold and private placement syndications as a licensed securities broker to accredited investors nationwide. Successfully sold limited partnership interests in New York City Office buildings, the iconic former Fluor Corporate Headquarters in Irvine, properties on Nantucket Island, Pier 66 in Fort Lauderdale, Barriston Cable Investors and Justice Radio Broadcasting.

400 N. Roxbury Drive, Beverly Hills, Ca 90210

Sold eurodollars and government and municipal securities to the Bank's affluent and entertainment clients. Personal sales exceeded 200 million dollars.

Olympic Blvd, Downtown Los Angeles, Ca

Worked with the Bank's computer programmers to implement systems updates to the banks installment, commercial loans and Instant Teller ATM network.

Balboa Island, Ca

Held only one job until graduating college (7 years) as a collector and then upon obtain the required teatime, a licensed United States Coast Guard Inland Waters Operator (January 1979).

B.A. Economics, Local, National And International Economics, Computer Sciences, Practical Writing, Public Speaking

Activities and Societies: Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity

Education record

Activities and Societies: Basketball, Ebbtide Year Book, Trident Newspaper, Key Club, California Scholastic Federation