Aaron Knox

Aaron Knox serves as Chief Communications Officer at Innovation Economy Corporation, a commercialization company created to transform innovation into high growth businesses.

Knox started a strategic communications practice in 1989 with a very simple mission statement: “Promote the Economic and Social Advancement of Inland Southern California”. By 2009, as President of TMG Communications, Inc., his practice had matured into the largest Public Relations and Public Affairs agency in the region.

Organizing grassroots coalitions and interfacing at the local levels of government as advocates for economic interests, Knox and his team represented clients on issues ranging from land use entitlement, water, local taxation, public safety, health care, energy development and mineral resource mining.

Bringing stakeholders together to focus on the region’s economic advancement creates value and opportunities. To this end, Knox founded Stakeholders Solutions Group, Inc. and in 2005 started producing a series of stakeholder driven summits, symposiums and forums each focused on issues covering economic development and infrastructure in Inland Southern California. The summits routinely generate dozens of financial sponsors, hundreds of co-host and over a thousand attendees each.

Knox is an active investor and principal in several business and real estate ventures. He has extensive involvement in real estate development and land use entitlement. In 2008 he became a Partner and Co-Manager of March Global Port, the master real estate developer at March Inland Port Air Port at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, CA.

Knox is a strong and active advocate for Capitalism in America. He participates as a member of the Board of Advisors for TriTech Small Business Development Center and is a member of the National Federation of Independent Business and the CATO Institute. 

Knox served with honors as a soldier in the US Army from 1981 till 1987 when he was honorably discharged at the rank of Sergeant/E5.

Knox, his wife Stephany and their three children make their home in Corona, CA.

Ray Brimble

President and CEO of Lynxs Group LLC

Ray Brimble serves as President and CEO of Lynxs Group LLC, a joint venture between GECAS and Lynxs Holdings, LLC, a facilities developer for CargoPorts around the globe.

GECAS is the commercial aircraft financing and leasing branch of General Electric (GE), a diversified technology, media and financial services company, serving customers in more than 100 countries. Lynxs Holdings, LLC, was founded by Mr. Brimble and he also continues today to serve as its chairman.

Mr. Brimble’s business portfolio combines entrepreneurial, managerial, and academic accomplishments spanning a 30-year career, which began when he founded his first company at the age of 22. Through the years, Mr. Brimble has become known for a specialty in bringing together numerous elements such as people, ideas, capital, research and expertise into one focused effort toward a common goal. His leadership talent has earned Brimble his place as an international leader in Texas business circles with global impact, especially for his role as past chairman and current board member of the International Partnership of Greater Austin a non-profit organization bridging cultural, educational and business opportunities from Texas to the world. Mr. Brimble also serves as an Austin Interfaith Board Member, and has always supported community programs that help aid the homeless.

Barry Lang

Chairman and Founding Partner Covington Capital

Barry Lang started his career in the economic development field assisting small businesses finance building expansions and helping cities implement economic development projects which emphasized job creation. Later he began to develop his own projects primarily in the area of recycled older industrial buildings and the development of new industrial buildings throughout the United States.

In the last 25 years, he has developed or redeveloped over 20 million SF of buildings and has been instrumental in creating thousands of jobs. During the past 15 years he has been actively engaged in land development, including industrial, residential and master planned communities.

Matt Denham

Director of Land Use Services

Matt is responsible for handling land-use related and real estate development issues for TMG clients. He is extremely successful in creating excellent working relationships with staff and elected officials in jurisdictions throughout Southern California.

Matt began his career in real estate as an attorney with Horton & Ryan, APC, where he litigated real estate disputes, and defended developers, builders and subcontractors against construction defect claims. He has also been employed as General Counsel at Ion Communities, LLC, a California developer, and Vice President of Land Acquisition and Entitlement. As VP, he assembled private capital to finance projects, conducted due diligence, acquired land, and directed the processing and approval of tentative and final maps.

Matt received his bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Russian Studies from the University of California at San Diego. After graduation Matt worked as a construction foreman for a subcontractor specializing in environmental mitigation for CalTrans and Army Corps of Engineers’ projects. Matt decided to continue his education in 1994, and attended law school at the University of San Diego, School of Law, where he obtained his Juris Doctorate.

Kenneth Sheer

President and Chief Executive Officer, Covington Capital Management 
(Pasadena Office)

Mr. Sheer is responsible for setting the strategic direction for Covington Capital’s building and land acquisition throughout the United States. Mr. Sheer has identified and structured complex land development projects, such as the 12,000 acre, master planed, Mesa del Sol located in Albuquerque, NM. Currently under development with Covington partner, Forest City Enterprises, Mesa del Sol embodies the latest in New Urbanism planning and design principles.

Before his work with Covington Capital, Mr. Sheer co-founded Huntington Development where he closed leases on more than 7 million square feet of commercial real estate, managed over 6 million square feet of industrial properties, and oversaw the retrofit and construction of over 3.5 million square feet of buildings. His expertise includes: industrial, commercial, and residential real estate; land development; master planning; and site selection for the third party logistics industry. Mr. Sheer is a graduate of Hofstra University and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration.

Mark Milakovich

Vice President, Planning and Development, Covington Capital Management
(Pasadena Office)

Mr. Milakovich heads up Covington's land development activities, and is responsible for the visioning and implementation of projects on the various parcels in the Covington portfolio, including industrial parks, retail centers, and residential subdivisions. Mr. Milakovich directly manages multiple development projects in the Southern California region, and plays a large role in the underwriting of new acquisitions. Mr. Milakovich has over 15 years of professional experience in a variety of settings, including the public sector, consulting, start-up, and Fortune 500 environments.

Spending most of his career in planning, economic development, and real estate, Mr. Milakovich was most recently employed as a Regional Manager of Economic/Industrial Development for the BNSF Railway Company in Southern California. Mr. Milakovich is a member of CoreNet Global and NAIOP, as well as an Associate Member of the Urban Land Institute. He received his undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley in Architecture and City & Regional Planning, and has an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.