IRWA Region 3 Spring Forum

As Director for the BNSF Railway, Cary is responsible for all the disposition, lease and permitting/licensing transactions for land revenue management and real estate.  He also manages the lease administration team that supports over 400 leased facilities.  Prior to his current role, he managed complex business expansion and new business location projects as well as lead teams responsible for Regional Economic Development and Colocation activities of Intermodal Customers.  Prior to the BNSF, Cary worked as an Economic Development Specialist at Jones Lang LaSalle. He has also served in a variety of economic and business development positions at the Dallas Regional Chamber and the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (Indiana Department of Commerce).  Cary has completed projects totaling over $1.1B in investment and creating tens of thousands of jobs. 

A certified residential appraiser licensed in Minnesota and Wisconsin, Byron is the owner and principal appraiser of BM Appraisals in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  His firm specializes in valuation services for consulting, divorce, estate, litigation, relocation, and right of way.  Byron’s niche is valuing complex properties.  His experience ranges from agricultural, lakefront, multi-unit, and upper-bracket properties. He performs assignments for attorneys, eminent domain, estates, and lenders.  He is also an instructor, course developer, author, an eminent domain county commissioner, and a member of the Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) of The Appraisal Foundation or TAF.  Byron has an intense passion for appraising and helping others.  This passion manifests itself in the form of continual self improvement through education, instruction, and mentoring.   

Josh Root is Deputy Chief Counsel for the Minnesota Department of Transportation and appreciates all this room has done to keep him busy over the years.  Josh began his legal career in corporate practice in Saint Pail after matriculating from the Ivy League of Iowa.  Prior to joining MnDOT as Discovery Counsel in the tragic aftermath of the 35W bridge collapse he made the brilliantly timed move to leave the secure corporate world for a small law firm in 2008.  Since 2014 Josh has worn a few hats at MnDOT from Assistant Director of Aeronautics to Legislative Affairs but most of my work has been as Counsel and been rooted in how MnDOT maintains its data, the legal requirements for disseminating it, and how best to defend the agency from litigation risks.  

Manuel Jordán is an ISA Certified Arborist specializing in tree valuation, risk assessment and tree preservation practices. He has worked in the green industry for over 15 years, including serving in the private, municipal and state agency sectors in the green industry.  Mr. Jordán is a member of the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) and the Minnesota Society of Arboriculture (MSA), where he serves as Chair of the Tree Valuation Committee. He is also an instructor in the field of Arboriculture at Hennepin Technical College in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. Mr. Jordán has been qualified and testified as an expert witness in federal court. His reports have been used to settle cases related to criminal trespass and tree removal, automobile/tree collisions, retail theft, property line neighbor tree disputes and more.

Mr. Johnson has been appraising real estate since 1979 and has been involved in right of way acquisition since 1987.  He has managed multi-parcel acquisition projects, appraised hundreds of partial acquisitions, and testified as an expert witness in numerous eminent domain hearings. He is the owner of DKJ Appraisal LLC, a right of way appraisal company started in March of 2013. Mr. Johnson has attained the SR/WA professional designation from the IRWA and is a past President of the Minnesota IRWA Chapter.  He has taught several IRWA appraisal courses and has been a presenter at past MnDOT Right of Way Professional’s Workshops. Mr. Johnson has a “Certified General Real Property Appraiser License” from the State of Minnesota.  

Faye is a Right of Way Specialist with more than 29 years-experience in the real estate industry, with the past 12 years concentrated in acquisition and relocation projects. Faye offers a unique blend of technical expertise with valuable behind the scenes experience. Her specialty is relationship management, including the provision of superior client service, building trust and rapport with landowners, and maintaining open lines of communication with all parties to ensure a timely and efficient process. Faye is experienced in land rights for local and state governments, as well as public and private utilities, and other entities in Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and South Dakota. She is a member of the International Right of Way Association