Jill Bensley:  Founder, JB Research

JB Research was founded in 1990 by Jill Bensley.  Ms. Bensley brings more than 20 years of experience in the economic planning and research industry, beginning with her work with Economics Research Associates in Los Angeles.  At the Federated Department Stores she served as a Research Analyst and was the Director of Research for South Mark/University Group, a multi-million-dollar real estate firm.  She was Vice President of Harrison Price Company in Los Angeles before establishing JB Research Company in Ojai, CA.

Ms. Bensley is co-founder of Kids' Arts, an arts education program for children in foster care in Ventura County.  She served as an appointed member of the Economic Vitality Commission in Ventura County and has taught real estate market analysis at UCLA and UCSB.  She is a full member of the Urban Land Institute and vice chair of the Entertainment Development Council, International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, and Themed Entertainment  Association.  

Ms. Bensley is widely considered the foremost feasibility consultant for entertainment, attraction, culture, retail and real estate projects in the United States.  She is a full member of the prestigious Urban Land Institute where she served as the Chair of the Entertainment Development Council.  She is also a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers, the Themed Entertainment Association, the International Association of Attractions and Amusement Parks, and Financial Women International.  In recent years, Ms. Bensley has been involved with selecting and testing retail and entertainment elements for many of the most successful sports-anchored mixed-use developments in the country, including L.A. Live adjacent to the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles, and ancillary developments built around professional sports arenas in Atlanta, Anaheim and Edmonton, among others.  She has conducted hundreds of market, financial feasibility and economic impact analyses and consumer research for retail/entertainment developments and mixed-use projects all across the country.

Jay M. Shapiro: President, JMS Advisory

Jay M. Shapiro provides cinema strategic planning services, market due diligence, site selection evaluation, real estate deal making, lease negotiations, project management, and disposition and valuation services to institutional investors, landowners, developers, redevelopment agencies and colleges and universities.

A leading expert in exhibition and theatre real estate with over 35 years of industry experience, Jay serves as President of JMS Advisory, a Cambridge-based theatre and exhibition consulting firm. Before founding JMSA, he was Senior Vice President of Development for General Cinema Theaters (1980-1995), prior to which he was National Director for Real Estate at American Multi-Cinema.  From 1973-1975, he served as Assistant Attorney General for the state of Missouri.  For more on JMS Advisory please visit http://www.jmsadvisory.com