Beyond the Skyline

University of St. Thomas economics professor Tyler Schipper talks to F&C reporter Dan Netter. Schipper talks about the downstream effects of tariffs and increased energy pricing. He also talked about his “On a Stick Index,” a project he and students at St. Thomas undertook to measure inflation at the Minnesota State Fair. This interview was recorded on Sept. 9.

Jason Gabrick, senior vice president of operations for the Northern Division of Ryan Cos. US Inc., talks to F&C reporter Brian Johnson. Gabrick talks about the ongoing shortage of skilled labor, the need for mentorship to get new workers over the “90-day hump,” and the industry’s multistage approach to building a pipeline of future talent.

Avery Ticer, an executive director at Cushman & Wakefield, talks to F&C reporter Dan Netter. Ticer talks about the West End and what makes it such a valuable micro-market within the I-394 corridor submarket.

Minnesota State Fair CEO Renee Alexander talks to F&C reporter Brian Johnson. Alexander talks about improvements at the fairgrounds, including at the 4-H Building and the 75-year-old Lee & Rose Warner Coliseum.

Michael Gelfman, an executive vice president at Colliers, talks to F&C reporter Dan Netter. Gelfman talks about his work leasing suburban office buildings, the health of the market, what an office “reset” might look like as well as why he thinks the Class B office market is in crisis.

Kenneth Bush, executive director of the Minnesota Minority Trades Council, talks to F&C reporter Brian Johnson. Bush talks about his background in real estate, the evolution of the Minnesota Minority Trades Council, and recent changes to the federal Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program.

Heidi Swank, executive director of Rethos, talks to F&C reporter Dan Netter. Swank talks about her role at Rethos, as well as the nonprofit’s plans for legislative lobbying in the upcoming session and its new grant from the Bush Foundation.

Chris Duininck, president of Duininck Inc., which celebrated its 100th anniversary this year, talks to F&C reporter Brian Johnson. Chris Duininck talks about the company’s history, his various roles in the business, and the opportunities and challenges in the industry.

Tia Jacobs, a recently promoted developer at Sherman Associates, talks to F&C reporter Dan Netter. Jacobs talks about her career, her time getting her master’s degree in urban and regional planning, as well as what types of projects she would like to take up in the future.

Matt Anfang, executive director of the Minnesota Commercial Association of Real Estate and Realtors, talks to F&C reporter Brian Johnson. Anfang talks about his plans for retirement, MNCAR’s evolution, the rise of young women in real estate, and the challenges and opportunities for the industry in the coming years.

Brian Forcier, CEO of Titanium Partners, talks to F&C reporter Dan Netter. Forcier talks about development in Duluth, misconceptions about doing business in Duluth and what some cities could do to make themselves more friendly to development.

Tim Worke, CEO of AGC-Minnesota, talks to F&C reporter Brian Johnson. Worke, who recently announced his retirement, reflects on his long run with AGC-Minnesota, changes in the construction industry in the past two decades and more.

Josh Budish, principal at Endeavor Development, talks to F&C reporter Dan Netter. Budish talks about developing the company and discusses its future as a developer and acquirer of industrial property.

Jordan Milman, chairman and CEO of Archer Datacenters, talks to F&C reporter Brian Johnson. Milman talks about his company’s project in Faribault, advanced cooling technologies for data centers, potential benefits to the community, and the regulatory process, among other topics.

Mike Wilhelm, principal at Fountain Real Estate Capital, talks to F&C reporter Dan Netter. Wilhelm talks about Fountain’s founding, its partnership with Midloch Investment Partners and his advice for starting a new company.

Kathryn Hoffman, the executive director of the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy talks to F&C reporter Brian Johnson. Hoffman talks in depth about data center project impacts, the environmental review process for proposed hyperscale data centers and other topics.

Laura Russ, the new executive director of the Shenehon Center for Real Estate at the University of St. Thomas, talks to F&C reporter Dan Netter. Russ talks about the transition from her position at the nonprofit Aeon and where she intends to take the Shenehon Center.

Daniel Lightfoot and Craig Johnson of the League of Minnesota Cities talk to F&C reporter Brian Johnson about the 2026 legislative session, taking a deep dive on topics that include bonding, investments in housing and water infrastructure, and tax policy.

Suzanne Schefcik, a vice president at Colliers with experience in industrial and retail properties, talks to F&C reporter Dan Netter. Schefcik talks about the recent uptick in activity happening in the Twin Cities retail market.

Stacy Arnold, director of safety and CHASE at Associated General Contractors of Minnesota, talks to F&C reporter Brian Johnson. Arnold talks about the latest construction safety trends, the growing emphasis on mental health in the industry, and the role of technology in safety, among other topics.

Gretchen Camp, a managing principal at ESG Architecture & Design talks to F&C reporter Dan Netter. Camp talks about current market challenges for architecture firms, what her day-to-day work tends to look like and why she finds the Twin Cities Housing Alliance valuable.

Nick Johnson, planning manager for the city of Bloomington, Minnesota, talks to F&C reporter Dan Netter. Johnson talks about his first year as planning manager, as well as the planning commission and staff’s approach to policy and the city’s 2050 Comprehensive Plan.

Matt Mullins, the founder of real estate advisory services firm Bricks and Brand, talks to F&C reporter Brian Johnson. Mullins talks about the multifamily market’s post-COVID challenges, the importance of relationships in real estate, and the ongoing affordable housing crisis.

Rachel Robinson, president and CEO of Aeon, talks to F&C reporter Brian Johnson. Robinson talks about Aeon’s mission, her background in multifamily real estate, and her decision to go into the affordable housing field.

HOME Line co-executive directors Eric Hauge and Jess Zarik talk to F&C reporter Dan Netter. Hauge and Zarik talk about the impact that Operation Metro Surge has had on their work, touching on topics like rent assistance, pre-eviction notices and where the Twin Cities goes from here.

Cyrus Batheja, the new president and CEO of Ecumen, talks to F&C reporter Brian Johnson. Batheja talks about the importance of integrating health care and housing, listening to community needs and fostering collaborative partnerships.

Joseph Peris, a director at JLL, talks to F&C reporter Dan Netter. Peris talks about his transition from building communities to selling them with JLL, as well as offering his thoughts on the state of the market.

Dan Peterson, the director of Kraus-Anderson’s Advisory Services-Mission Critical, talks to F&C reporter Brian Johnson. Peterson talks about Kraus-Anderson’s Advisory Services – Missional Critical platform, the future of data center development, and other topics.

Rep. Spencer Igo talks to F&C reporter Dan Netter. Igo, the co-chair of the Minnesota House Committee on Housing Finance & Policy, talks about zoning and the rural housing crisis.

Brad Hendrickson, COO and incoming CEO of Adolfson & Peterson, talks to F&C reporter Brian Johnson. Hendrickson talks about Adolfson & Peterson’s succession planning process, AP’s workload throughout the country, and keys to success in the company’s 80-year run, among other topics.

Dan Ruehl, senior acquisitions manager at Enclave Cos., talks to F&C reporter Dan Netter. Ruehl talks about why Enclave is jumping into the investment game, what the company is looking for in new properties, as well as his own career.

Paul Donovan, COO of Forte Real Estate Services talks to F&C reporter Brian Johnson. Donovan talks about his job duties with Forte, his experience in site selection and transaction management, and the outlook for the office-industrial market.

Alex Baron, co-founder of Stack Industrial Partners talks to F&C reporter Dan Netter. Baron talks about the new firm, its goals and what challenges he anticipates for Stack Industrial in its first year.

Tina Wyffels, the new president of BKBM Engineers talks to F&C reporter Brian Johnson. Wyffels talks about her new duties as president, the company’s projected workload in 2026, the struggle to attract workers in the industry, and the importance of “pivoting and adapting” to ensure the firm’s success.

Minnesota Housing Commissioner Jennifer Ho talks to F&C reporter Dan Netter. Ho talks about her priorities for 2026 as well as federal uncertainty as it relates to housing funding and the increased presence of federal immigration officers in the Twin Cities.

Brent Erickson, a senior managing director in Newmark’s Minneapolis-St. Paul office, talks to F&C reporter Brian Johnson. Erickson talks about wrapping up his long career in commercial real estate, the downtown Minneapolis office market, and his experience with properties such as Butler Square and the TractorWorks building.

Bentley Smith, a senior vice president at CBRE, talks to F&C reporter Dan Netter. Smith discusses the Twin Cities industrial market in 2025 and where he thinks it’s headline in 2026.

Delma Palma, principal and market leader for housing and private development at LSE Architects, talks to F&C reporter Brian Johnson. Palma talks about her background in urban design and architecture, affordable housing challenges and other topics.

Minneapolis Fed researchers Libby Starling, a senior community development adviser, and Ben Horowitz, a senior policy analyst, talk to F&C reporter Dan Netter. Starling and Horowitz discuss the work from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis’ community development team on housing and commercial real estate.

Jason Rentmeester, construction executive at Kraus-Anderson, talks to F&C reporter Brian Johnson. Rentmeester oversees the busy K-12 Education Group at Kraus-Anderson. He talks about his experience working on school projects and the outlook for K-12 construction in 2026.

Aaron Barnard, a senior director at Cushman & Wakefield and president-elect of the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors, talks to F&C reporter Dan Netter. Barnard talks about his leadership with SIOR, his work at C&W and how the two connect.

Jamie Verbrugge, president and CEO of Catholic Charities Twin Cities talks to F&C reporter Brian Johnson. Verbrugge talks about Catholic Charities Twin Cities’ mission, his prior experience as city manager in Bloomington and the challenge of creating affordable housing.

Tony Ferraro, managing director for Bridgewater Bank’s commercial banking team, talks to F&C reporter Dan Netter. Ferraro talks about how Bridgewater’s C&I team finds clients, as well as what makes for a good loan.

New Founders Properties President Kim Hofstede talks to F&C reporter Brian Johnson. Hofstede discusses her career journey, her new job duties, and challenges and opportunities in the local industrial market.

Jeff Jiovanazzo, managing director and market leader for CBRE Minneapolis, talks to F&C reporter Dan Netter. Jiovanazzo discusses his role in the CBRE office, his leadership style and how the retail and office markets are doing.

Barb Lau, the executive director of the Association of Women Contractors, talks to F&C reporter Brian Johnson. Lau takes a deep dive into the changing landscape of the U.S. Department of Transportation‘s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program, which was established in part to ensure “nondiscrimination in the award and administration of DOT-assisted contracts.”

Erik Hansen, the director of the Department of Community Planning and Economic Development for the city of Minneapolis, talks to F&C reporter Dan Netter. Hansen talks about the Way Home report as well as what the city is looking to do to encourage development.

Meredith Hayes Gordon, HGA’s Science + Technology Market Sector leader, talks to F&C reporter Brian Johnson. Hayes Gordon talks about her role in the Science + Technology Market Sector, the outlook for the science and technology sector, and what inspired her to become an architect.

Tom O’Brien, vice chair at Colliers in Minneapolis, talks to F&C reporter Dan Netter. O’Brien discusses why he made the switch to Colliers, the transition so far and the state of Normandale Lake.

Bret Weiss, president and CEO of WSB, talks to F&C reporter Brian Johnson. Weiss talks about the company’s growth, the outlook for infrastructure projects in the Twin Cities and beyond, and other topics.