Author: sHq_LoGiNz

PASADENA, Calif., Jan. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Berns Team, a top-producing Pasadena real estate team, announced the results of its first annual Raise to Give event, where past and current clients voted to determine how the team would donate $105,000 to local nonprofits and community organizations. This year’s client-directed giving effort supports seven Pasadena-area groups making an impact in homelessness, emergency relief, historic preservation, and community development.

At the heart of Raise to Give is a simple idea: every home bought or sold with The Berns Team helps fuel meaningful change in the community. Instead of choosing the beneficiaries themselves, the team invited their clients—people whose real estate journeys they’ve guided—to vote on where the funds should go.

Following the community vote, The Berns Team distributed donations totaling $105,000, including:

• $50,000 – Door of Hope
• $25,000 – Eaton Fire Survivors Network
• $12,500 – Friends in Deed
• $7,500 – Eaton Fire Collaborative
• $5,000 – Harambee Ministries
• $2,500 – Habitat for Humanity, San Gabriel Valley
• $2,500 – Pasadena Heritage

“Our mission has always been about more than real estate,” said Laura Berns, co-owner of The Berns Team. “Raise to Give allows us to deepen our connection with our community by empowering our clients to help direct real impact where it’s needed most.”

“Real estate is the vehicle, but giving back is the purpose,” added Jason Berns, co-owner. “We’re incredibly grateful to our clients whose trust in us makes moments like this possible. Their votes shaped this entire initiative.”

The Raise to Give event took place at The Berns Team’s annual Fall Festival Client Appreciation celebration, where over three hundred clients gathered to enjoy food, games, and the announcement of the donation recipients. The initiative reflects The Berns Team’s commitment to using their business success to uplift La Cañada, Altadena, Pasadena and surrounding communities.

The Berns Team plans to expand Raise to Give in 2026 as part of a long-term vision to increase community support year after year.

About The Berns Team

The Berns Team, Keller Williams Luxury, is a leading real estate team serving Pasadena, La Cañada, Altadena, Monrovia, South Pasadena, San Marino, and surrounding communities. Known for strategic marketing, concierge-level service, and strong community involvement, The Berns Team has helped thousands of families buy and sell homes while reinvesting in local nonprofits through initiatives like Raise to Give.
Learn more at www.BernsTeamBlessings.com

Media Contact

The Berns Team
Keller Williams Real Estate
Pasadena, California
JasonLaura@theBernsTeam.com
Laura: (626) 676-1884 | Jason: (626) 826-4544

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/local-real-estate-team-distributes-105-000-to-seven-pasadena-organizations-302655752.html

SOURCE The Berns Team

Reaffirms Commitment to Pursuing All Measures to Maximize Value for Shareholders, Including by Voting Against All Incumbent Whitestone Board Members

BALTIMORE, Jan. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — MCB Real Estate (“MCB”), a leading commercial real estate developer and investment management firm with a diverse nationwide portfolio and approximately $4 billion in AUM, today sent a letter to the Board of Trustees of Whitestone REIT (NYSE: WSR) (“Whitestone” or the “Company”) regarding MCB’s previously announced proposal to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Whitestone REIT for $15.20 per share in cash, with no financing contingency.

The full text of the letter is as follows:

January 7, 2025

Board of Trustees
C/O David K. Holeman
Whitestone REIT
2600 S. Gessner Rd, Suite 500
Houston, TX 77063

Dear Whitestone REIT Board of Trustees:

MCB Real Estate has yet to receive a response from the Whitestone Board, management team or advisors since we submitted a compelling, fully-financed proposal to acquire Whitestone REIT at an attractive 21.0% premium to the Company’s unaffected share price on November 3, 2025. As a significant shareholder owning approximately 9.2% of outstanding shares, MCB is asking the Whitestone Board to do its job and advance the best interests of all shareholders by responding to the acquisition proposal submitted more than two months ago.

We stand ready to consummate the proposed acquisition of Whitestone for $15.20 per share – and are willing to consider increasing our proposal price if Whitestone would grant due diligence and demonstrate that more value is warranted. MCB is committed to taking all actions necessary to maximize value for Whitestone shareholders.

More than a year has passed since the Board rejected MCB’s previous acquisition proposal, but Whitestone has not made meaningful progress towards closing the Company’s significant value gap or addressing its material underperformance relative to peers. We remain resolute that a sale of the Company is the best and only way to maximize value, and that the incumbent board members must take action now or be removed. Accordingly, we remain committed to voting against all incumbent Whitestone directors at the next Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

We know many of our fellow Whitestone shareholders share our frustration with the Board and management team’s inaction, evidenced by recent public events and reporting. We ask each member of the Whitestone Board to uphold their fiduciary duty to all shareholders by authorizing engagement with MCB or entering into a public strategic alternatives process. 

Sincerely,
/s/ P. David Bramble
P. David Bramble, Managing Partner

‍Advisors
MCB has engaged Vinson & Elkins LLP as lead counsel and Wells Fargo is serving as financial advisor to MCB. Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher is serving as strategic communications advisor to MCB.

About MCB Real Estate
Founded in 2007, MCB Real Estate is a community-centric, privately held national commercial real estate investment management and development firm headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. MCB boasts a nationwide portfolio of $4 billion in assets under management totaling approximately 20 million square feet with approximately 6 million square feet in its development pipeline. Property types include industrial, retail, mixed-use, multi-family, office, and healthcare. The firm offers a seamlessly integrated suite of commercial real estate investment services, including acquisitions, development, construction, asset management, property management, leasing, marketing, financing and legal expertise, thus ensuring comprehensive support throughout every stage of an asset’s lifecycle. www.mcbrealestate.com.

Additional Information
This communication does not constitute an offer to buy or solicitation of an offer to sell any securities. This communication relates to a proposal which MCB has made to acquire all of the outstanding shares of the Company. In furtherance of this proposal and subject to future developments, MCB (and, if a negotiated transaction is agreed, the Company) may file one or more proxy statements, tender offer or other documents with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). This communication is not a substitute for any proxy statement, prospectus, tender offer document or other document MCB or the Company may file with the SEC in connection with the proposed transaction.

This communication is neither a solicitation of a proxy nor a substitute for any proxy statement or other filings that may be made with the SEC. Nonetheless, MCB and its executive officers and other members of management and employees may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in respect of the proposed transaction. Additional information regarding the interests of such potential participants will be included in one or more proxy statements, tender offer documents or other documents filed with the SEC if and when they become available. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS OF THE COMPANY ARE URGED TO READ THESE AND OTHER DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC CAREFULLY IN THEIR ENTIRETY IF AND WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION. These documents (if and when available) may be obtained free of charge from the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

‍Media Contacts

‍Andrew Siegel / Lyle Weston
Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher
212-355-4449

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mcb-real-estate-requests-response-from-whitestone-reit-board-of-trustees-regarding-compelling-all-cash-acquisition-proposal-302655624.html

SOURCE MCB Real Estate

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On the anniversary of the January 2025 devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, California, experts at Plastic Pollution Coalition and Habitable stress the need to reduce plastics in homes and other buildings to reduce future health and wildfire risks.

Their report, “How Plastics Fuel Wildfires & How to Rebuild Better,” explores the links between plastics and wildfires, and shows how communities impacted by wildfires can build and rebuild better with safer, plastic-free materials. Plastic building materials burn hotter, faster, and more toxic than natural materials. And while the immediate threats of wildfire may diminish once fires are extinguished, long-term environmental threats can persist for years following a disaster. Plastics greatly exacerbate these risks.

“Building homes and neighborhoods from flammable and toxic plastic is a giant risk to our health, safety, and futures. Last year, my family nearly lost our home in the wildfires that swept across LA. I saw first hand how countless neighborhoods, schools, and lives were upended in this unnecessary chain reaction. While there were of course other factors at play, I believe choosing plastic-free building materials and passing legislation to make these materials more affordable and accessible can help prevent heartbreaking loss like this from happening in the future.” — Grace Potter, Musician

“As LA rebuilds from last year’s fires, we must build resilience—that means using less plastic and more natural and nontoxic building materials.” — Dianna Cohen, Co-Founder & CEO, Plastic Pollution Coalition

Cohen and Potter, who both live in California, recently teamed up to write about the serious impacts of the 2025 disaster, its connections, and Los Angeles’ opportunity to build back better—with safer natural materials instead of harmful plastics.

Habitable CEO Gina Ciganik’s November 2025 TEDx Talk, “The Plastic Problem Hidden in Plain Sight” further describes the harms from plastic building materials and related chemicals, including links to cancer, reproductive harm, and developmental issues, and proposes solutions. Ciganik’s talk was part of TEDxGreatPacificGarbagePatch, focused on solutions to plastic pollution.

The building and construction industry is the second-biggest driver of plastic production and pollution, after the packaging industry. Better decisionmaking tools for builders and policies encouraging safer, plastic-free building materials use can help usher in necessary change that better protects communities from plastics’ dangers. The report and TEDx Talk present readily available healthier and more sustainable alternatives to plastic building materials, often with comparable cost and performance. They spotlight Habitable’s Informed^™, a free, publicly available product guidance grounded in science-based research, using a red-to-green ranking that allows building industry practitioners to easily avoid worst-in-class products (red), and prefer those that tend to be no or low-plastic (yellow or green).

Press contact:
Erica Cirino
Communications Manager
Plastic Pollution Coalition
press@plasticpollutioncoalition.org 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/experts-stress-reducing-plastics-in-homes-as-los-angeles-rebuilds-from-wildfires-302655638.html

SOURCE Plastic Pollution Coalition