Annual Real Estate Dinner

Laura Brunner is President and Chief Executive Officer of The Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority (The Port), an economic development agency based in Cincinnati, Ohio. For more than a decade, Laura has led The Port with her impassioned efforts to fix broken real estate in order to reduce wealth disparities, increase homeownership and grow manufacturing jobs.

Throughout her career, Brunner has consistently challenged the status quo and leaned into risk. When at developer Al. Neyer, the opportunity arose to transform the Vernon Manor into offices. Laura saw an opportunity for minority investors to own a majority interest in the project. She was successful in making that a reality, and now over 700 employees of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital work in the redeveloped hotel.

Brunner gained national recognition in 2022 when she led the unprecedented effort to acquire 194 single-family homes from an out-of-town investor to keep the American dream of home ownership alive for many Cincinnatians. She also blazed new trails in sustainable investing when The Port issued $11 million in social impact bonds for the creation of advanced manufacturing jobs.

As a quasi-governmental public agency, The Port is uniquely able to issue debt and invest in real estate, and Laura acts decisively in leveraging these tools to maximize The Port’s impact while tackling the most complex challenges in Hamilton County.

Laura earned a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University, spent 25 years in public accounting and management consulting, and more than a decade in the commercial real estate industry. She is the recipient of dozens of awards, including Cincinnati Enquirer Woman of the Year and the NAACP President’s Award. She has also served on many arts and social services boards, including as President of the Cincinnati Ballet and the Dan Beard Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

On June 14, 2023, 620 guests visited Music Hall in downtown Cincinnati to highlight the accomplishments of the center, the real estate program, its supporters, Carl H. Lindner College of Business faculty and staff and distinguished students and alumni.

The evening’s highlights included:

• A celebration of 2022-23 academic year scholarship recipients
• Recognition of the Board of Executive Advisors in Real Estate Scholars
• The introduction of Gary Painter, PhD, as the new academic director of the real estate program
• Recognition of Laura Brunner, president and CEO of the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority, as the recipient of the Distinguished Real Estate Service Award.

Following a two-year absenced due to COVID-19, the center marked the joyous return of its annual awards dinner on June 1, 2022, attracting 550 commercial real estate professionals to the Hyatt Regency Cincinnati to celebrate the accomplishments of the center, program, faculty, staff and distinguished students and alumni.

Rusty Myers, BBA ’82, was recognized as the Distinguished Service Award recipient. Myers is a longtime volunteer and servant leader for UC. The fourth-generation Bearcat is a past president of the UC Alumni Association, Real Estate Advisory Counsel and Real Estate Roundtable.

Furthermore, 18 students received a combined total of $40,000 in UC scholarship awards. Additionally, four of these students received additional external scholarships from Ohio Realtors and Society of Industrial and Office Realtors valued at another $7,000.