LOS ANGELES—Nadine Watt, president of Watt Cos., has been named a board chair on the Los Angeles Business Council. Watt is the first female in history to sit on the LABC, and will succeed Jacob Lipa, the CEO of Micropolitan, a subsidiary of Psomas, who had sat on the board since 2011.
“During the decade that I've served on the board of the LABC, I've watched the organization evolve into one of the most innovative and effective advocacy and education organizations in the region,” Watt tells GlobeSt.com. “The LABC tackles challenging topics that are central to creating new jobs and investment and creating new markets. We believe that the best policy is built when business, academic, civic, environmental, labor and social justice leaders share ideas and collaborate, so we host annual events that bring together diverse industry leaders to discuss housing, transportation, clean energy and workforce development. Similarly, our research arm—the LABC Institute—brings together a wide spectrum of industry professionals and thought leaders to collaborate on research and education related to these issues. I am so excited about the work that the LABC is doing to make Los Angeles a more livable and sustainable city for everyone, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to continue these efforts as the new chair of the LABC board.”
At Watt Cos., which is one of the largest female-owned businesses in L.A. County, Watt overseas all commercial investment activities for the company's 6-million-square-foot portfolio. In 2011, after restructuring the company, she launched Watt Investment Partners, a platform focused on investing $60 million of debt and equity across property types in the Western US. Her skill set and experience will be invaluable to the LABC board, where she will work to carry out Lipa's important legacy.
While serving on the LABC board, Lipa was instrumental in supporting research and development of the city's Solar Feed-In Tariff program. He also launched the LABC Institute, which works with UCLA and USC to provide market research on everything from energy to workforce housing to transportation.
The LABC has 450 members. Watt has been a member for the past decade.
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