Dealing with Commercial Leases During COVID-19 presented by Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce

Many business owners are diligently trying to figure out how to deal with their commercial leases obligations as a result of COVID-19's impact on their business. In this unprecedented time, how do you engage and negotiate with your landlord? 
Join us for this webinar to better understand the context for commercial leases and how to prepare for and approach commercial rent negotiations important to your business? success or even survival.  Some of the topics that will be covered include:

• Understanding your commercial lease commitment; all of it.
• Strategies for engaging with your landlord and, as and if needed, re-negotiating your lease
• What resources are needed and available to support you?
• Understanding your obligations under your personal guaranty of your lease

There will be ample time for Q&A as well after the presentation.
Thank you to Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce presenters, Lance Gilliam, CRX CSM SCLS CDP, with Executive Level Chamber Member, Waterman Steele, and Elizabeth Pringle Johnson, with Hanszen Laporte for sharing their expertise on this timely topic. 

 
Lance has spent most of his career focused on retail user transactions, including tenant representation and project development. He has represented national, regional and local restaurateurs and retailers throughout a broad market area including Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and most of the southeastern and western United States.

Lance's clients include and have included local | regional | national firms such as ALDI, Amegy Bank, Bally's Total Fitness, Cabela's, Circuit City, to name a few. He also represents or had represented national and Houston local restaurateurs including The Besh Restaurant Group (New Orleans' Borgne, Domenica and Restaurant August), Charles Clark & Grant Cooper (Ibiza, Coppa, Brasserie 19) and others. 

Lance is a partner in Waterman Steele Real Estate Advisors, a member of The Waterman Steele Group and, until 2013, was the managing partner and shareholder in UCR Houston and its predecessors Moody Rambin Interests? Retail Properties Division which he co-founded in 1993. He was also a shareholder in Moody Rambin Interests. Read more about Lance.
Elizabeth Pringle Johnson is a partner with the law firm of Hanszen Laporte. Elizabeth specializes in tenant representation in commercial leases, commercial real estate secured lending, commercial real estate development and general business transactions. A native of Mobile, Alabama, Elizabeth has resided in Houston since 1982. She was a partner at the Winstead Firm prior to becoming the General Counsel and Senior Vice-President at Camden Property Trust.

Elizabeth graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Alabama and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She graduated in the top 5% of her law school class from the University of Alabama and was selected for the Alabama Law Review. She has served on the boards of West University Elementary School, Lanier Middle School and St. Agnes Academy. She was President of the Heart of Texas Chapter on the National Charity League and has volunteered extensively at Medical Bridges, Christian Community Service Center and Memorial Hermann Hospital.  Read more about Elizabeth.
 

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Thank you to Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce Executive Level Member, Waterman Steele, for sponsoring this webinar. 
Waterman Steele creates opportunities for our clients and communities with a deep understanding of real estate and its value in people's lives. More than anything, we have a profound respect for how important real estate decisions are for our clients. We believe that opportunities can be found in both the most complex and the most common real estate transactions when we convene the right people and insights around the table. 
 

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A link with the webinar login information will be sent via email prior to the meeting.

New to Video Conferencing or Zoom?

Everybody is learning in this new norm and we want to answer all your questions and make sure you're comfortable and ready to go. We'll be online at 1:45 p.m. where you can join in early, test Zoom as we'll get any questions answered about how to interact online. We are here for you.

The Chamber will be offering a series of webinars in the coming days and months to help our members deal with the impact of COVID-19. Please keep an eye out for more details.