Kim Nelson-Edwards
Lydia Pierre
Shariff James
Gary Carr
Keitha Maciel
The Room Where Real Estate Comes Together
Mission GalaCON was born out of Mission New Value Group, where co-founders Shariff James and Gary Carr saw the same problem on every site that good deals stalling because the right people weren’t connected. Shariff, with more than 17 years producing events, and Gary, a veteran of 100+ conferences worldwide, built the answer. It’s a conference with real takeaways from people doing the work, paired with a black-tie gala. It’s not a party. It’s a movement with a purpose.
Today, Mission GalaCON is a year-round business development platform for partners, sponsors and investors. Through education, collaboration, connections and visibility, we bring developers, builders, lenders, agents and policymakers into the same room to participate in the conversations they won’t hear anywhere else.
Meet The Founders
Mission GalaCON is led by a team of developers, entrepreneurs, strategists, community builders, and event professionals committed to expanding access to opportunity. Together, we are building more than an annual event. We are creating a platform where relationships can grow, ideas can move forward, and individuals and organizations can help shape a stronger legacy.
Shariff James, Founder
Shariff James is a visionary developer, strategic connector, and the driving force behind Mission GalaCON. As Co-Founder of Mission New Value Group, he operates at the intersection of land development, investment, economic advancement, and influence. He brings together developers, investors, corporate leaders, entrepreneurs, and public-sector decision-makers around opportunities designed to create ownership, impact, and lasting value. Known for seeing what is possible before it is obvious to others, Shariff builds the platforms, partnerships, and conversations that can move bold ideas from vision to reality.
Gary Carr, Partner
Gary Carr is a relationship strategist and business development leader who understands that the right connection can change the trajectory of a project, an organization, or an entire community. As Co-Founder of Mission New Value Group, he leverages deep relationship capital to align investors, developers, sponsors, business leaders, and influential partners around shared opportunities. Through Mission GalaCON, Gary helps create a powerful environment where high-level relationships are formed, strategic doors are opened, and conversations have the potential to become meaningful business.
Our Mission
To close the distance between opportunity and ownership.
We connect every link in the real estate value chain, from raw land to financing, and from policy to the people who will one day own what gets built. When the right people understand one another, projects move faster, risk goes down, and wealth reaches the communities that need it most.
Get involved and expand your reach within an ecosystem built to move deals, and communities forward.
Elevate. Celebrate. Evolve.
Meet The Founders
Mission GalaCON is led by a team of developers, entrepreneurs, strategists, community builders, and event professionals committed to expanding access to opportunity. Together, we are building more than an annual event. We are creating a platform where relationships can grow, ideas can move forward, and individuals and organizations can help shape a stronger legacy.
Shariff James, Co-Founder
Shariff James is a visionary developer, strategic connector, and the driving force behind Mission GalaCON. As Co-Founder of Mission New Value Group, he operates at the intersection of land development, investment, economic advancement, and influence. He brings together developers, investors, corporate leaders, entrepreneurs, and public-sector decision-makers around opportunities designed to create ownership, impact, and lasting value. Known for seeing what is possible before it is obvious to others, Shariff builds the platforms, partnerships, and conversations that can move bold ideas from vision to reality.
Gary Carr, Co-Founder
Gary Carr is a relationship strategist and business development leader who understands that the right connection can change the trajectory of a project, an organization, or an entire community. As Co-Founder of Mission New Value Group, he leverages deep relationship capital to align investors, developers, sponsors, business leaders, and influential partners around shared opportunities. Through Mission GalaCON, Gary helps create a powerful environment where high-level relationships are formed, strategic doors are opened, and conversations have the potential to become meaningful business.
The Heartbeat of the Mission: Youth Legacy
Generational wealth only lasts when the next generation is ready to receive it, grow it, and pass it forward. Our Youth Legacy Initiative gives young adults ages 17 to 22 mentorship, exposure to entrepreneurship and real estate development, and pathways into the trades that build our communities. Each year at the gala, we celebrate their progress on stage.
Your involvement with Mission GalaCON directly supports that pipeline, turning today's residents into tomorrow's builders, owners and stakeholders.
The Youth Legacy Program
The Youth Legacy Program introduces emerging leaders to the possibilities within real estate, entrepreneurship, development, and ownership. Through education, mentorship, industry exposure, and access to professionals already doing the work, young participants can begin to see themselves as future investors, developers, business owners, and community leaders.
For sponsors and partners, the initiative offers an opportunity to support visible, meaningful impact connected to workforce development, economic mobility, and the next generation of industry talent.
Past GalaCONs
Each Mission GalaCON has built on the last has created a distinctive blend of insight, connection, and celebration that guests remember long after the weekend ends. Explore the galleries below to experience the atmosphere, energy, and evolution of Mission GalaCON through the years.
Take Your Place in the Mission GalaCON Ecosystem
Bring your leadership team, valued clients, or business partners into an experience designed to expand perspectives and strengthen relationships. Reserve a table to be part of the weekend or explore sponsorship opportunities that position your organization more visibly within the Mission GalaCON community.
