Retail Leasing Beyond Location, Location, Location

Bill Harter is a driving force in empowering VL clients to strategically manage their lease portfolio data and optimize platform configurations for financial and operational success. Bill has been instrumental in the expansion of Visual Lease’s solutions. In his regular interactions with VL’s growing network of customers and partners, he foresaw the growing importance of ESG reporting. Recognizing VL's unique position to assist organizations in capturing and reporting on the environmental impact of their leased and owned assets, Bill utilized his extensive accounting and real estate expertise to delve into the realm of ESG reporting and goal setting. In 2021, Bill received his AICPA certification in ESG Fundamentals. With Bill’s support and guidance, VL developed its newest offering, VL ESG Steward™, the first carbon accounting and sustainability management solution for enterprise real estate and equipment portfolios. Since its launch in June 2023, VL ESG Steward has been recognized as a 2024 Top New Product by Accounting Today, a Sustainability Product of the Year by the Business Intelligence Group, and a finalist for Best SaaS Product for CSR, Sustainability and ESG by Software as a Service Awards. Bill holds an MBA in Finance. He began his career at Philips Edison & Company, where his responsibilities included acquisitions and development. Bill then went on to serve as a Managing Director at CBRE for their Global Corporate Services Division, overseeing accounts for Fortune 500 firms. His expertise covered Transaction Management, Facilities Management, Project Management, Portfolio Administration, and Strategic Consulting. Bill's experience illustrates his expertise in navigating global corporate real estate dynamics. As a result, he has been recognized as an expert in lease management, lease accounting and ESG, and has shared his expertise with various publications, including Bloomberg, Reuters and Accounting Today.

Lisa Krizek is an esteemed executive having led real estate, leasing, and accounting teams for brands that are household names. Now, she is giving back as the executive director of the NRTA.

Matt Waters is a CPA with 20+ years of lease and energy accounting experience. He currently serves as the Director of Lease Accounting and Sustainability at CoStar Real Estate Manager and has helped over 1,000 companies streamline lease administration, lease accounting, and ESG reporting. He is a leading expert on lease accounting and his insights have been featured by Bloomberg, Reuters, Accounting Today and other top trade publications. Matt is a frequent speaker at lease management, real estate, and accounting events such as The CoreNet Global Summit, The NRTA National Conference, BlackLine’s Beyond The Black and more. Before joining CoStar, Matt led lease and energy accounting teams at American Tower and The Home Depot. American Tower is one of the largest REITs in the world, with over 100,000 leases. While at The Home Depot, Matt oversaw a project to consolidate the accounting for thousands of leases into one central area to streamline the flow of information and prepare for ASC 842 lease accounting changes. Also at The Home Depot, Matt discovered the company was losing $6M worth of wooden pallets annually. This was a case of double materiality because it hurt the company financially and it hurt the environment. Matt identified discrepancies, raised awareness, presented a solution, assembled a cross functional team, and resolved. Matt holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from Auburn University and an MBA from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. In his personal life, Matt is a devoted husband, father to three teenage boys and an avid runner. He has completed 10+ running events at the marathon distance or longer including a 100-mile ultramarathon. In addition to running, he enjoys spending time outdoors hiking, biking, kayaking and camping.