Newswise — SPOKANE, Washington – Kevin Daniels, president of Nitze-Stagen & Co. and Daniels Real Estate, and Mike Powe, senior research manager for the Preservation Green Lab of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, will deliver the Gonzaga University School of Business Administration's Fourth Annual Pigott Entrepreneurship Lecture at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 18. The event is titled, “Sustainability, Global Change & Preservation: Rebuilding the Urban Community through Creative Entrepreneurship.”

Todd Finkle, Gonzaga’s Pigott Professor of Entrepreneurship, stated “The presentation will be very exciting because it hits on one of the hottest areas in the field of entrepreneurship. We are fortunate enough to have two national experts who will educate us about the current trends and opportunities within sustainability and green construction.”

Daniels, a 1979 Gonzaga accounting graduate and a Gonzaga Regent, has more than 30 years of real estate experience, including leasing, development and property management. Nitze-Stagen is a family real estate firm with more than 3.5 million square feet of commercial space in Seattle. Daniels Real Estate focuses on large development projects in the Seattle area. The Seattle restoration projects he has led include Union Station, Starbucks Center, King Street Station, and First United Methodist Church. Daniels’ current Seattle developments Stadium Place and Fifth + Columbia demonstrate preservation and sustainability in projects other than older buildings. Stadium Place is the largest transit-oriented development on the West Coast, and Fifth + Columbia is a 43-story high-rise luxury hotel and office tower.

Daniels is a leading voice nationally for stimulating economic development through preservation. His development team has received two National Preservation Awards and numerous local and state awards. His numerous professional accolades include being the first recipient of the Urban Hero award from the International Sustainability Institute. He received the Washington State Special Achievement Award and the Judge’s Choice Award from the National Association of Office & Industrial Properties for his work to save First United Methodist Church.

Powe, who holds a doctorate in planning, policy, and design from University of California, Irvine, leads the Seattle-based Preservation Green Lab research efforts to empirically assess the contributions that existing buildings and commercial districts offer communities. The Green Lab seeks to minimize carbon impacts from the built environment, and conserve character-rich communities that attract people to more sustainable, urban living. He is part of a team that aims to unlock the inherent strengths of old buildings to save natural resources and strengthen local economies. Powe and his colleagues recently completed work on the Green Lab’s “Older, Smaller, Better” project, which demonstrates the crucial role that older, smaller buildings play in supporting the social, cultural, and economic vitality of urban neighborhoods. Through its Preservation Green Lab, the National Trust for Historic Preservation strengthens communities by leveraging the value of existing buildings to reduce waste, create jobs, and bolster a strong sense of community.

The lecture is made possible by Gonzaga’s Pigott Professor of Entrepreneurship, a permanent endowment established by the Mark Pigott family, whose legacy of supporting Gonzaga spans nearly five decades. Pigott, executive chairman of PACCAR Inc., is a successful industrialist and philanthropist who recognizes the importance of a comprehensive educational program to develop the next generation of global leaders. Bill Powar, former senior executive for Visa, delivered the first Pigott Lecture in 2011. Gerard Centioli, founder, president and CEO of ICON, delivered the lecture in 2012. David Sabey, president of Sabey Corporation, gave the lecture last year.

The public and Gonzaga faculty, staff and students are cordially encouraged to attend the free lecture in the Jepson Center’s Wolff Auditorium. A pre-lecture reception will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Jepson Center Lobby and the lecture will be followed by a question-and-answer session. Space is limited; to reserve a seat please visit www.gonzaga.edu/sbalecture.

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact Professor Finkle at (509) 313-7048 or email him at [email protected].

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