#10: The Dealmaker’s Playbook: CBRE’s Darla Longo on the Future of Logistics Real Estate, AI & Leadership

How is the logistics real estate market shaping up in 2026 — and how is CBRE creatively using AI in its business? In this episode of Moving the World, Prologis’ Chris Burns sits down with CBRE Managing Director Darla Longo, one of the most experienced dealmakers in logistics real estate. With more than four decades in the business and over $91.5 billion in closed transactions, Darla shares where she’s seeing real momentum, how AI is changing decision-making on the ground, and what leaders often get wrong as technology reshapes the industry. The conversation goes beyond market forecasts to explore how Darla has built and led teams across cycles — and why culture, judgment and relationships still matter just as much as data in an increasingly digital, global business. In this episode:  00:00 - Intro 00:59 - Early Days in Logistics Real Estate and Market Growth 05:09 - Transition from Leasing to Capital Markets 07:40 - 2026 Logistics Real Estate Market Outlook and Demand Trends 10:30 - Global Logistics Momentum and Emerging Markets 12:08 - U.S. Logistics Capital Markets and Investment Trends 20:02 - Role of AI in Logistics Real Estate 22:10 - Human Element and Future of AI in Business 26:25 - Nurturing Corporate Culture in a Digital Age 29:44 - Leadership, Mentorship and Building High-Performance Teams Today’s experts: Chris Burns is head of deployment for North America at Prologis. He oversees deployment forecasting, portfolio strategy, multi-market acquisitions and dispositions, and manages the company’s investment services group and Investment Analyst Program. Prior to joining Prologis, Burns spent more than two decades at Duke Realty, where he served as executive vice president of real estate operations and helped expand the company’s West Coast portfolio to nearly 30 million square feet. Darla Longo is vice chairman and managing director with CBRE’s West Coast Institutional Group and one of the most accomplished industrial real estate brokers in the country. Over a 47-plus-year career, she has been involved in more than $91.5 billion in real estate transactions, including investment sales totaling more than 1.5 billion square feet. Longo is the first woman elected to CBRE’s board of directors and has ranked among the firm’s top producers for more than four decades. In 2021, CBRE named the Darla Longo Award in her honor, recognizing the next generation of outstanding producers.