Outlier Planning Principal Brandon Schaad to Speak at Planning Conference

Online, September 1, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Brandon Schaad, AICP, LEED AP, will be part of a presentation and a panel discussion on Friday, September 9, as part of the Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association's annual conference at the Breakers in Palm Beach. The presentation on Friday morning at 11:00 AM will focus on sustainable economic development, particularly the practical "green" approach being pursued by the City of Sebastian. This presentation stems from Mr. Schaad's work on the City's Evaluation and Appraisal Report (EAR) and CRA Master Plan Update in 2010, and the City's Riverfront Parking Study, completed in 2011. He will be joined in the presentation by Nilsa Zacarias, AICP, of NZ Consultants and by Rebecca Grohall, AICP, former Growth Management Director for the City of Sebastian. The focus of the presentation will be how Sebastian is taking steps to improve its economy long-term by posititioning itself to be a leader in the emerging Green Economy, even as the City's fiscal resources are increasingly strained.

Also on Friday, September 9 at 4:15 PM, Mr. Schaad will take part in a panel discussion on strategies for "Making it Through the Recession." Along with Ms. Zacarias, he will be joined in this discussion by Jenn Gomez, AICP, Principal Planner with the City of Pompano Beach. Mr. Schaad will be discussing lessons learned as he has steered a startup company in a battered industry through perhaps the worst economy in more than a generation, particularly focusing on the opportunities that tend to be created by tough times and potential clients' cost-saving efforts. All three panelists have experienced layoffs, and will be sharing their experiences in dealing with this difficult and challenging time.

Outlier Planning, which works throughout Florida, has a list of services including comprehensive planning, redevelopment, neighborhood plans and planning studies, development review and permitting, GIS and custom mapping and expert planning and zoning analysis. The firm is based in West Palm Beach.