On March 5, the ribbon was cut on the Pennsylvania Convention Center's $786 million expansion - the largest public- works project in the history of the Commonwealth.

Jewish Federation Real Estate chairman David Adelman invites new and prospective JFRE members to preview the facility and learn about its potential impact on Center City's hospitality and retail sectors during a special breakfast program on Tuesday, April 12, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Former Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell, whose administration fought to win legislative approval in Harrisburg for the expansion, has been invited to attend this program, which will feature a panel of industry experts. These include Joseph Zuritsky, CEO of the Parkway Corporation, Alan Greenberger, Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development and Peter Soens, Partner, SSH Real Estate, the largest independent commercial real estate firm in the Philadelphia region. Paul Levy, chief executive, Center City district and executive director, Philadelphia Development Corporation, will moderate the panel.

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'INTEGRAL PART OF PLANS'

This project, which took more than two years to complete, affords the convention center 1,000,000 total square feet of sellable space. The Pennsylvania Convention Center is now the nation's 14th-largest facility and boasts the largest ballroom on the entire East Coast.

"This is a major real estate project which is an integral part of Philadelphia's plans to develop new commercial space while adding jobs to boost the economy," said Adelman, who emphasized that programs like these enable current and prospective JFRE members to "stay at the forefront of the real estate industry."

Adelman added that "through ongoing breakfast events that discuss business trends and an annual fundraising gala, JFRE connects real estate leaders to one another and to the industry's leading experts."

He expressed excitement at the opportunity to "give our members access to this exciting new venue before it opens to the public " Adelman also encouraged new and prospective JFRE members to register online for this program - at www.jfre.net - as soon as possible, as space is limited.

For more information, call Alex Stroker at 215-832-0588.