Alumni Friends,

With Q4 + the holidays being particularly busy for your AMDP Alumni leadership team this year, we’ve combined November & December into a single newsletter.

Our biggest news today is that registrations are now open for our 2026 AMDP Global Gathering in NYC! Learn more and register here.

🤩 And if you need any extra convincing, today’s Partnership Corner segment is about a pair of AMDPers who met at an alumni event, then partnered on an unstoppable project.

See you in the new year!

With friendship,

Your AMDP Alumni Association Leadership

🗞 Reunion News: Registrations are officially open for our 2026 Global Gathering in NYC! Learn more and register here.

💻 Online Learning Community: Thank you to the Loony Beavers, and keep an eye out for a “badass” program in February.

🌐 AMDP Connections: Meetups are happening in Giza, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Las Vegas, and Anaheim.

🤝 Partnership Corner: Farhan Abbasi and Decora Sandiford have partnered on a creative hospitality investment thesis — and you can join them.

📱 Community Roundup: Gevorg Shahbazyan topped out his building in Miami… Brian Murray is accepting new GPs and LPs for Clifton Blake… Forrest Corral wants to talk about race cars… And more!

📣 Our next AMDP Global Gathering will be taking place in New York City — April 12-14, 2026. This directly follows the annual Harvard Real Estate Symposium, a short train-ride away in Boston.

And registrations are now open!

In addition to 2.5 days of absolutely killer programming, we’ve also secured 40% off the posted rate, PLUS a free upgrade to Cathedral View rooms at the iconic Lotte New York Palace Hotel for the first 30 attendees!

As we finalize the budget for this program, we are also seeking sponsors to help off-set the cost for attendees.

If you’re interested in sponsoring, we can offer:

Reply to this email to express your interest in sponsoring our AMDP Global Gathering in NYC!

Many thanks to “The Loony Beavers”, Class 25’s winning team project, for presenting to our AMDP Alumni Community last month! You guys slayed it!

Don’t miss our next OLC event:

📆 February 27, 11am ET — Straight from the storm-forged mind of a certified "badass" — the guy who can spin a $50M self-storage build into a $1B data-center entitlement masterplan without breaking stride. Join this epic presentation by Ryan Fletcher, Class 24 (registration details coming soon).

We’re also continuing to work through additional video content, highlighting the scale and depth of AMDP Alumni’s most impressive Independent Projects.

Want to participate in OLC initiatives? Contact:

Forrest Corral 📱 +1 (949) 413-9636

Winnie Chang 📱 +1 (514) 806-1025

Feel like you’re missing out? Be sure to join our AMDP Alumni WhatsApp Community!

_{We want everyone to be able to easily connect with each other, and build deeper relationships — whether that be with local alumni, or friends around the globe. And as long as we all collectively operate with transparency, and respect each other’s privacy, the AMDP Alumni Association can continue to provide platforms that facilitate these connections.}

Farhan Abbasi (Class 21) and Decora Sandiford (Class 24) are two hospitality developers who bubble over with so much creative energy, you’ll think you’ve wandered into the early days of The Ace Hotel — if those founders actually underwrote their own deals. 😉

Farhan, wrapping up a decade in Boston, had two final to-do’s before leaving town:

Have a baby. ✔

Go to Harvard. ✔

With help from AMDP (and his patient wife), he checked both boxes, moved to Toronto, and began the search for an aligned joint venture partner to tackle creative projects.

Decora, on the other hand, enrolled in AMDP for a brilliantly simple reason:

“I wanted a network I could keep learning from.” — A goal he’s since achieved by visiting over a dozen alumni-led projects all over the country.

Farhan and Decora met during an AMDP Alumni weekend hosted by Rick Peiser at Linda Law’s Berkshires estate — a historic Vanderbilt mansion and future hospitality development site.

It turned out to be the perfect setting for their partnership origin story.

“We were literally walking a project, talking capital stacks, potential uses, hearing Rick share how he raised money — and that’s when it clicked,” said Decora. He walked away from the weekend thinking “This is something I can do — and someone I can do it with.”

Farhan agreed. “It was business and leisure, exactly the AMDP vibe. We were standing in this incredible space, dreaming out loud about what we’d do with it, and realizing we were aligned — in energy, in values, and in how we think about deals.”

Shortly after, over some tasty tacos in Toronto, Farhan and Decora made their partnership official.

Decora had already been scouting Catskills hospitality properties for a year. By the time he found the one — a charming but underutilized hotel on a mountain ridge — the vision was already forming. Farhan brought capital markets expertise and a boutique hospitality investment playbook. They got it under contract, closed, and got to work renovating.

Their flagship property, The Perch Hotel, was born. 👇

The Perch is a boutique hotel with jaw-dropping 5-state views, a gourmet restaurant, multiple bars, and creative vibes you just can’t fake. It’s already hosting guests, booking weekends solid, and gaining word-of-mouth traction — with brand equity growing just as fast as revenue.

And it’s just the beginning.

Across the country, mom-and-pop hotels are aging out. Owners are ready to retire, their kids don’t want to take over, and traditional lenders won’t touch the deals.

That’s where Farhan and Decora step in — identifying overlooked assets with location and story, breathing life (and coolness) back into them, and operating them with a hospitality-forward mindset.

Farhan and Decora are now building a fund to scale this model. They’re looking to connect with fellow AMDPers who:

Whatever your interest — they're down to chat. Tacos are on them. 🌮

Farhan Abbasi 📱 +1 (617) 251-8581

Decora Sandiford 📱 +1 (845) 800-0849

First — let’s all congratulate Rali Mampeule on his nomination for African Philanthropist of the Year, Gevorg Shahbazyan on his topping out ceremony in Miami, and Lynnette Sacchetto on her billboard in Dubai!

👉 Brian Murray is closing a $7 million bridge loan in Pittsburgh on a large equestrian estate. Pricing is 12% floating, senior secured on all collateral, 18-24 month term. If you’re interested in joining the deal, contact Brian on WhatsApp: 📱 +1 (201) 663-3414

👉 Gilbert Bareng has MOU's in place with a few school districts and is looking for opportunities from aligned private capital to partner on K-12 education and affordable housing industries. If you’re interested, contact Gilbert on WhatsApp: 📱 +1 (559) 372-5335

👉 Mike Randell has a deal looking for $1.5M - $1.8M in equity for last dollar funding. The project is ground-up mixed use retail and townhome development in the Austin market. If you’re interested, contact Mike on WhatsApp: 📱 +1 (512) 577-5309

👉 Drew Kenning announced his final offering on his Hoversafe seed raise. He has raised $1.5m in new equity, targeting $2.6m to scale and position for a buyout. If you’re interested , contact Drew on WhatsApp: 📱 +1 (847) 287-6021

👉 Brian Murray opened his first Clifton Blake office in Riyadh! They are accepting new GP and LP investors to the fund through their Europe and Cayman Islands offices. If you want to discuss participating in loans or their current Global Mortgage Fund, contact Brian on WhatsApp: 📱 +1 (201) 663-3414

👉 VM is looking for an AMDPer based in China who can assist with a walkthrough of the Yiwu Market. If you can help, contact VM on WhatsApp: 📱 +971 56 426 8665

👉 Farhan Abbasi is seeking introductions to special servicers, REO officers, and receivers handling MFRE properties in CT, MA, and NJ. If you can help, contact Farhan on WhatsApp: 📱 +1 (617) 251-8581

👉 Julien Romanet is looking for a real estate private equity associate to join a newly set-up Dubai based manager with strong backing and a global mandate. If you have any talented candidates in mind, contact Julien on WhatsApp: 📱 +971 50 127 4008

👉 Forrest Corral wants to talk to anyone who has experience with race cars (ownership, marketing, etc.). If you can help, contact Forrest on WhatsApp: 📱 +1 (949) 413-9636

👉 Farhan Abbasi would like to chat with some AMDPers to help evaluate a couple of deals in the Boston market. If you can help, contact Farhan on WhatsApp: 📱 +1 (617) 251-8581

👉 Forrest Corral is seeking a contact at FanDuel or DraftKings If you can help, contact Forrest on WhatsApp: 📱 +1 (949) 413-9636

Not in our AMDP WhatsApp Community? Why not?! Get in there—

Would you like to be featured in the Community Roundup or Partnership Corner of this newsletter next month? Be sure to engage with our WhatsApp Community, register on the official AMDP Alumni website, and hit reply with any important details!

Please remember — The AMDP Alumni Association is a group of humble volunteers, who are giving their time and talents to provide all alumni with a platform to stay connected.