Jeff Mirel, Executive Vice President at The Rosenblum Companies and Board President of the AlbanyBarn, will address the Albany Roundtable on Wednesday, October14. Albany Roundtable luncheon meetings are held at the National Register-listed University Club, 141 Washington Avenue at Dove Street in Albany, and are open to the public.

Mirel joined The Rosenblum Companies, a developer and manager of premier properties in the Capital Region, in 2014.  Rosenblum’s Great Oaks Office Park in Guilderland is one of the most desirable office locations in the Albany area and the company’s inaugural residential project, 17 Chapel, is downtown Albany’s first and only luxury condominium building. The Albany Business Review recognized 17 Chapel as one of “50 Projects That Are Reshaping Life and Business in the Capital Region.” 

Mirel also founded Albany Barn, Inc. and led the non-profit’s successful efforts to establish a creative arts incubator and community art center called The Barn, partnering with the Albany Housing Authority and the City of Albany to repurpose a 40,000+ square foot former school building in the city’s Arbor Hill neighborhood. The Barn, which opened fully in late April 2014, consists of 22 affordable live/work apartments and over 13,000 square feet of highly subsidized work and rehearsal suites, a recording studio, and ample exhibition, performance and programming space.

Previously, Jeff spent seven years as a senior manager at FirstLight Fiber (formerly Tech Valley Communications), implementing the company’s municipal wireless broadband program, which included Albany FreeNet, a free WiFi Internet access service available in distressed City of Albany neighborhoods. 

“This is an incredibly exciting time for our region, and demographic trends favor the continuing revitalization of our urban centers,” said Mirel. “But with that momentum comes hard questions about how we can remake the urban ‘renewal’ of the twentieth century, and align public, social, cultural, educational, industry and technology resources for more equitable, sustainable development.”

Mirel is a BSBA graduate of Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business (cum laude).  He served on the Community Engagement and Empowerment Committee for Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan’s Transition Team, the City of Albany 2030 Comprehensive Plan Board, the Arbor Hill Implementation Team, and the Albany County District Attorney’s Community Accountability Board.

The Roundtable’s New Patroon Award will be presented at the October luncheon to the Albany Chefs’ Food & Wine Festival: Wine & Dine for the Arts, its founder Yono Purnomo and its organizers for providing sustainable funding for the support and preservation of the not-for-profit arts community in Albany. The festival has provided more than $500,000 to arts and culture organizations since its inception in January, 2010.

The cost for the luncheon is $20, which may be paid at the door. The Roundtable also offers its guests the option of paying in advance with a credit card. The University Club will serve a hot and cold buffet from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m., with the program commencing at 12:30. Reservations for the October 14 luncheon are required by Tuesday, October 13 and may be made by prepaying online, by calling 518-431-1400 (the Albany Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce) or by sending an e-mail to albanyroundtable@yahoo.com.