Cesar J. Claro

Principal

Cesar J. Claro has over thirty years of experience working in economic development, urban planning, and philanthropy.

Cesar was President & CEO of the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation (SIEDC) for three decades. He grew the organization from a budget of $50k, one employee, and two programs to a $4 million operation with a dozen employees, over two hundred and fifty members, and thirty-plus projects, programs, and events on its menu. He created dozens of major businesses and networking events, launched three Business Improvement Districts, and secured millions in public grants. He envisioned and crafted strategies for long-term public/private initiatives including the West Shore Light Rail, the Staten Island Gondola, and the Staten Island Skyway. During his tenure, he helped recruit a forty-member Board of Directors, made up of the top business leaders in Staten Island.

Cesar is currently a member of the Regional Planning Association’s New Jersey Board Committee. He previously served on the New York State Regional Council for New York City and Mayor Bloomberg’s transition team.

Now he is bringing that experience and the talent of multiple collaborators to Claro Ventures, a full-service Business Solutions operation.

Collaborators

Steven Grillo

Mr. Grillo is an urban planner with nearly 15 years of experience in grant writing, affordable housing, economic development, transportation planning, community advocacy, environmental remediation, and intergovernmental affairs. As principal of the Urban Solutions Group, he strives to advance community-based, common-sense deliverables to challenging issues and critical projects. Urban Solutions Group provides a number of services for clients including planning and economic analysis, public engagement, and project evaluation.

Mr. Grillo has served in several capacities during his career which makes Urban Solutions Group uniquely positioned to perform a diverse number of services for clients. Mr. Grillo has served as the First Vice President of the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation as well as various positions with Con Edison, the United States National Park Service, and the Affordable Housing Alliance. He also served as a councilman in his hometown of Sayreville, New Jersey. In addition to his work with Urban Solutions Group, he is also the Executive Director of Explore Millburn-Short Hills, a Special Improvement District in Essex County.

Mr. Grillo holds a bachelor’s degree in geography from the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and a master’s degree in urban planning from Hunter College in Manhattan. He has served on multiple boards and advisory committees and has been published in a variety of urban planning periodicals including Crain’s New York Business. Mr. Grillo has also been a guest lecturer at Rutgers University, Wagner College, and Pratt Institute.

David Sweeny

David Sweeny is the President of PDS, an established veteran in the non-profit, finance, and real estate sectors, and the founder of two first-of-kind non-profit finance and real estate organizations, Civic Builders and Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center. Civic Builders has grown to be a national leader in the CDFI, NMTC, and charter school space, acting as developer and fund manager for charter facilities finance. GMDC used public purpose capital to develop 680,000 square feet of industrial property in Brooklyn during Sweeny’s tenure, and both organizations continue to thrive over two decades after their founding.

Over the last decade, PDS has blended institutional equity with NMTCs, HTCs, non-traditional debt, and CMBS senior debt to build a 630,000 square foot commercial property portfolio valued at $190 million. The PDS portfolio also includes a handful of specialty projects, including affordable housing, tax-credit financed restoration projects, and non-profit fee-for-service developments which live outside the core portfolio.

Adam Zellner

Greener by Design LLC is a full-service energy and sustainability company offering microgrid and renewable energy development, land use, planning and redevelopment services with its primary office in New Brunswick, NJ.

For over ten years, Greener by Design has provided Energy Consulting and Environmental Asset Management to clients with a focus on grant-writing and administration, formulation of multi-stakeholder ownership/investment structures and strategies for non-profit and for-profit companies. The Greener by Design team has assisted clients with clean energy policies and waste management market research, project financing, renewable energy implementation, and permitting coordination.

Adam Zellner, the President of Greener by Design, started the company in 2007 and opened for business in New Brunswick in January 2009. Mr. Zellner served as Policy Director to the Governor of New Jersey, overseeing the development of a variety of policies, including energy, land use, and environment. Prior to joining the Governor’s staff, he served as the Deputy Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and the former Executive Director of the New Jersey Office of Smart Growth.