POSTED: WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015 1:00 AM
What does the fatal shooting of Osama bin Laden have to do with Omaha real estate?
This year’s Commercial Real Estate Summit will feature as a keynote speaker former Navy SEAL Rob O'Neill. News accounts have named the highly decorated combat veteran as the self-described shooter who took the fatal shot at the most-wanted al-Qaida leader during the famed 2011 mission in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
O’Neill, who has been touring as a motivational speaker, has become a source of controversy since his account of the bin Laden mission. Another SEAL wrote a different account in a 2012 book, “No Easy Day.” And the Navy Times this month reported that O'Neill was being investigated for possibly sharing classified information.
His marketing information for the Omaha visit does not mention bin Laden.
O’Neill’s combat career reflects instant, high-stakes decision-making that can lead to successful ventures in fields like commercial real estate, said Omaha lawyer Jerry Slusky, founder of the conference that is in its 26th year.
Slusky said O'Neill is expected to share his views and pointers on how to become the “best of the best” in fluid and uncertain environments.
Also featured at the all-day April 10 event, which is expected to draw a record 700 people to the CenturyLink Center Omaha, is a panel of widely known local developers who will assess the commercial real estate market. Other workshop leaders will explore such topics as the future of transportation and infrastructure as it relates to real estate, repurposing in-fill land and trends in retail and office space.
The Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce is taking a more active role in this year’s conference,
Slusky said. He said the conference theme, “Change Agents,” is a nod to the cross-section of real estate and business leaders who rely on one another to change the landscape of the Omaha and Lincoln areas.
“If we acknowledge that and actually sit and plan together, we think we can even further improve the results,” Slusky said.
According to a press release, O’Neill, who was a team leader with the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, was deployed more than a dozen times and held leadership roles in more than 400 combat missions in four different theaters of war.
His mantra is “never quit,” the release said, adding that O’Neill believes that to be the most important factor in determining success.
For more information or to register, go to attendcresummit.com.
Contact the writer: 402-444-1224, cindy.gonzalez@owh.com