Executives from Toys "R" Us, Paine Webber, Garrick-Aug and Price Costco will discuss new directions in retail real estate at the 14th annual Cornell Real Estate Conference, Friday, Oct. 18, at Cornell University.

"Retail real estate is clearly in a transition that may be a predictor of what is in store for other segments of our industry," said Robert Abrams, co-chair of the Real Estate Council and director of the Cornell MPS/Program in Real Estate. "Not only are we seeing intensive consolidation of tenants through mergers, acquisitions and bankruptcies, but the fundamentals for accessing capital are also evolving rapidly."

The conference, "Retail Real Estate: New Directions and Opportunities," opens with a panel discussion on the trends in space and financing, to be held from 9:45 to 11:45 a.m. in Room G-10 of the Biotechnology Building. Panelists are:

• Kathleen Nelson, managing director for Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association's $28 billion Mortgage and Real Estate portfolio.
• William McCabe, general partner and senior vice president of New England Development. In the past decade the firm has built more retail space along the eastern seaboard than any other firm in the New England states.
• Jonathan Litt, senior real estate investment trusts analyst with Paine Webber Inc.
• Faith Hope Consolo, senior managing director for Garrick-Aug Worldwide, the largest real estate organization in the United States specializing in retail space. Crain's New York Business selected Consolo as one of New York's 75 most influential women in business.
• Neal Harris, vice president of operations, Eastern Division, PriceCostco, a cash-and-carry membership warehouse developer. PriceCostco is the eight largest retailer in the United States and 13th largest worldwide.

The conference moderator is John Riordan, president of International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), the international trade association for the shopping center industry.

M. Leanne Lachman, managing director of Schroder Real Estate Associates, which specializes in real estate asset management for institutional investors, will deliver the luncheon address at 1:15 p.m. in the Carrier Grand Ballroom of the Statler Hotel.

Lachman also serves as managing director of Schroder Mortgage Associates, which was formed to bring pension fund moneys into the commercial mortgage market. A popular speaker and author whose articles have appeared in Real Estate's Demographic Puzzle and Retail Trends: Consumers, Goods and Real Estate, Lachman sits on the boards of Lincoln National Corp., Chicago Title & Trust Co. and Liberty Property Trust, as well as serving as vice president and trustee of the Urban Land Institute and Urban Land Foundation.

The afternoon session, which runs from 2:15 to 4:15 p.m., will feature panel discussions on retail real estate from an owner and developer's view and a retailer's view. Panelists discussing the owner and developer's view are:

• John Millar, executive vice president for institutional portfolio, General Growth Management, and a 1966 Cornell alumnus.
• Adam Metz, treasurer and chief financial officer for EVP and director of acquisitions for Urban Shopping Centers Inc., and a 1983 alumnus.
• Richard Dube, president of Tri-Land Properties Inc., and a 1973 alumnus.

Panelists discussing the retailer's view are:

• Stephanie Harris, senior regional real estate manager, metropolitan New York for Toys "R" Us, and a 1972 Cornell alumnus. Harris' responsibilities include store placement and site acquisition for the toy and clothing retailer.
• Steffen Warfield, senior vice president and managing director -- East Coast, Northwest-Atlantic Partners, a full-service real estate company. He is a 1979 alumnus.
• Allan Cooperman, president of The Cooperman Co., a real estate development, leasing and consulting firm with offices in northern New Jersey and Westchester County.
• Gene German, professor and director of the Cornell Food Industry Management Program in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell, will deliver the dinner address at 8:45 p.m. in G-10 of the Biotechnology Building. German has consulted with the U.S. food industry, including such companies as K-Mart, Wal-Mart and Kroger.

Sponsored by the Cornell University Real Estate Council, the conference is expected to attract 150 real estate investors, developers and bank and mortgage company executives. The Cornell University Real Estate Council, founded by Cornell alumni in the 1970s, advises Cornell in such areas as planning and property development, investments and student housing. The council has been instrumental in the recent establishment of Cornell's graduate program in real estate.

For more information, contact the Real Estate Council Office at (607) 254-6174.