NAIOP Podcast: Inside CRE

In this episode, Chad Lavender, president of capital markets for North America at Newmark, breaks down today’s commercial real estate landscape, calling it a constructive market driven by strong debt liquidity and smarter capital. He explores recovery signals across asset classes – from tightening industrial supply to surging interest in retail, senior housing and data centers – while highlighting pricing trends and investor behavior. Lavender also unpacks challenges for developers, the rise of private credit, and the growing impact of AI on real estate demand, offering a grounded, forward-looking view on where opportunities lie. Recorded on April 13, 2026.

In this episode, Marc sits down with I.CON West keynote speaker, techno-economist and venture capitalist Leonard Brody to unpack the supercycle shaping today’s global economy. Drawing on 300 years of history, Brody explains how major shifts – often driven by technology – trigger waves of uncertainty, disruption and ultimately growth. He argues that AI is the defining force of this cycle, accelerating change faster than ever while reshaping work, society and geopolitics. Despite near-term volatility, Brody emphasizes that history points to long-term economic expansion. He also shares why critical thinking and pattern recognition are essential skills in a “post-truth” era – and how leaders can navigate disruption without falling behind. Recorded on April 2, 2026.

In this episode, Jordan Lott, president and CEO of family-owned Lake Washington Partners, shares how his firm blends industrial roots with diversified investments across multifamily and mixed-use, with a growing presence and perspective that extends nationally. He discusses the company’s long-term, family-driven strategy, disciplined approach in today’s high-rate environment, and outlook on the industrial and multifamily sectors. Lott also offers insights on navigating entitlement challenges, pairing data with experience in decision-making, and why patience and long-term thinking are key to succeeding in the next real estate cycle. Recorded on March 18, 2026.

Gina Baker Chambers, president of MCB Real Estate, joins us for this episode, discussing her transition from institutional investor to operator and MCB’s rapid growth to over $4 billion in assets, 22 million square feet across all sectors and holdings in 40 states. The firm has been in the headlines recently for its role in Baltimore’s resurgence, advancing major projects including the $1 billion redevelopment of Harborplace on the city’s Inner Harbor waterfront. Chambers emphasizes how trust, transparency and creative capital structuring are key to delivering complex projects like Harborplace, and shares MCB’s strategy of aligning investor returns with long-term community impact. Recorded on March 18, 2026.

In this episode, Marc sits down with Carleton Riser, president of Transwestern Development, for a deep dive into development strategy, market timing, and how capital is navigating today’s multifamily and mixed use landscape. Carleton reflects on lessons from past cycles – from the dot com bust to the Great Financial Crisis to COVID – and shares how those insights shape his decision making today. He breaks down the fundamentals driving successful projects, what investors are prioritizing, and how developers can position themselves for the next upcycle. Recorded on Feb. 18, 2026.

Joining us on our 50th episode of Inside CRE is Jonathan Martin, politics bureau chief and senior political columnist at POLITICO. A veteran of the New York Times and co-author of the bestseller “This Will Not Pass,” Jonathan has spent his career in the rooms where decisions happen and often where they fall apart. He joins NAIOP Senior Vice President for Government Affairs Aquiles Suarez to talk about the shrinking political center, pros and cons of term limits, and why the 2028 midterms will be “a reckoning” for both Democrats and Republicans. Recorded on Feb. 10, 2026.

In this episode, Marc sits down with longtime Hubbell Realty Company CEO Rick Tollakson to discuss four decades of leadership, growth and transformation in the real estate industry. Rick, also the author of the recently published book, “Think Bigger, Lead Better,” shares the origins of his “Eight to Great” leadership framework, the key market signals he watches, and how a stare down with a nun challenged him to think bigger. From fostering entrepreneurialism to mastering process improvement, he outlines the principles he believes successful developers need most. He closes with the legacy he hopes to leave: a culture rooted in continuous improvement, having fun and giving back. Recorded on Jan. 29, 2026.

In this conversation, 2026 NAIOP Chair Celeste Tanner, co-founder, president and chief development officer of Confluent Development, shares the leadership principles that have shaped her career in the collaborative world of commercial real estate. She discusses why stepping outside your comfort zone unlocks opportunity, how empowering experts leads to better decisions and details the “breakout evolutionary cycle” she sees ahead for CRE. She outlines her priorities as chair, including changing public perception of the industry and fostering connections between members across cities, states and provinces. She also lands a punchline about what happens when you put a developer, an architect and a contractor in a room. Recorded on Jan. 15, 2026.

On this final episode of 2025, NAIOP’s Senior Vice President for Government Affairs Aquiles Suarez joins the podcast to break down a historic year for commercial real estate policy. From the passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” – securing permanent tax provisions like 100% bonus depreciation and the 20% pass-through deduction – to emerging priorities such as adaptive reuse and energy infrastructure, Suarez shares insights on what these wins mean for long-term stability and CRE investment. He also looks ahead to 2026, discussing the political dynamics shaping future legislation and why educating lawmakers remains a critical challenge. Recorded on Dec. 3, 2025.

Global strategist and AlphaGeo founder Parag Khanna joins Inside CRE to explore how demographics, geopolitics, climate risk and new infrastructure are reshaping North American real estate. From regionalization and the Great Lakes “New North” to migration trends, climate-adaptation opportunities and the industrial resurgence, Parag shares data-driven insights on the forces guiding long-term development decisions. Hear his take on what investors should consider – looking beyond last quarter’s cap rate – as they plan assets with 30-year horizons. Recorded on Nov. 24, 2025.

In this episode, Marc sits down with Ryan Severino, chief economist and head of research at BGO, for a deep dive into the forces shaping commercial real estate across North America. Fresh off his keynote at the CRE.Converge conference, Ryan shares his data-driven outlook on the economy, interest rate cycles, and what today’s uncertainty means for developers and investors. From policy risks and central bank moves to sector-specific trends in industrial, multifamily, retail, office and data centers, Ryan offers clear insights on where resilience and opportunity are emerging. Recorded on Nov. 6, 2025.

In this special episode, NAIOP Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Shaine Anderson, CAE, explores how technology is transforming commercial real estate in partnership with CREtech. She’s joined by three industry leaders – Carrie Denning Jackson, director of innovation and sustainability at Jamestown; Colin Joynt, senior vice president and chief information officer at BXP; and Will O’Donnell, managing partner at Prologis Ventures – to discuss how AI, data and emerging tech are reshaping operations, investment strategies and tenant experiences. From evaluating new tools to managing cybersecurity and measuring ROI, this episode offers practical insights for CRE professionals looking to innovate and future-proof their organizations. Recorded Oct. 1, 2025.

Industrial real estate is evolving fast. In this episode of Inside CRE, Greek Real Estate Partners’ David Greek and Matt Schlindwein share insights on today’s investment climate and the headwinds shaping logistics real estate – from rising interest rates to shifting community sentiment. They discuss opportunities in small-bay, port-adjacent and cold storage products, how developers are adapting to higher costs and political pressures, and how their NAIOP involvement has shaped their careers. Recorded Sept. 18, 2025.

On this episode of Inside CRE, we’re joined by Ada Healey, Chief Real Estate Officer at Vulcan Real Estate, recently honored as NAIOP’s 2025 Developer of the Year. Ada reflects on what this recognition means for the team and shares lessons learned since Vulcan first earned the award in 2013. She discusses how the company’s relatively small core team has delivered more than 13 million square feet of transformative projects, guided by values of prosperity, sustainability, urban vitality, and engagement. Ada also offers insights on navigating market cycles, fostering inclusion, and embracing innovation, while looking ahead to opportunities both in Seattle and beyond. Recorded on Aug. 21, 2025.

In this episode, we welcome back Carey Heyman, managing principal for the real estate industry at CLA. Carey breaks down the newly enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act and what it means for commercial real estate. He covers key provisions like 100% bonus depreciation, Section 179 expensing and business interest deduction relief, along with updates to the Opportunity Zone program, including rural investment incentives and expanded reporting requirements. Carey also shares strategies for balancing today’s tax advantages with uncertainty around tariffs, offering practical insights to help firms enhance benefits, manage costs, and stay ahead of emerging risks. Recorded on Aug. 7, 2025.

Mark Roberts, managing director of research at Crow Holdings, joins the podcast to share his insights – from macroeconomic trends to individual asset classes. He sees current valuation lags in open-end funds as a rare investment opportunity and predicts inflation will fall below 2% by year’s end. Roberts remains optimistic about the economy, citing strong household balance sheets, business investment, and low credit spreads. He highlights opportunities in retail, moderate-sized industrial assets, and select multifamily markets like Chicago and Miami, while advising caution in overbuilt metros like Austin and Phoenix. Emphasizing solid research and current market data over headlines, he concludes that real estate is poised to outperform bonds for the first time in years. Recorded on July 9, 2025.

Former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo delivered a candid assessment of the U.S. economy in her keynote remarks at NAIOP’s I.CON East conference in New Jersey last month: strong at its core but held back by what she called “self-inflicted wounds.” On this special episode of Inside CRE, you’ll hear Secretary Raimondo’s conversation with NAIOP President and CEO Marc Selvitelli, where she discussed the future of American industry and how strategic investment can help reshape the nation’s industrial future. Recorded on June 4, 2025.

In this episode, Moody’s Analytics Chief Economist Mark Zandi joins us to unpack the extraordinary uncertainty facing today’s economy – on par, he says, with the global financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing from insights shared during his keynote at NAIOP’s National Forums Symposium, Zandi discusses the weakening labor force, volatile economic policy, and growing pressure from tariffs and immigration shifts. He explores how inflation, interest rates, and consumer trends are affecting commercial real estate and why many developers are in a holding pattern. For an industry built on long-term decisions, navigating a short-term, policy-driven fog is a major challenge. Recorded on June 11, 2025.

In this episode, Melinda McLaughlin, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Research at Prologis, discusses the evolving state of global trade and its impact on logistics real estate. She highlights how trade disruptions, starting with tariffs in 2017 and intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic, have accelerated supply chain diversification – especially toward non-China Asia and Mexico. Companies are moving away from fragile, hyper-optimized supply chains toward diversified, resilient networks. While some growth decisions are paused due to market ambiguity, long-term strategies emphasize adaptability. McLaughlin stresses the importance of understanding micro-market dynamics and using scenario planning to navigate multiple potential futures in an evolving trade landscape. Recorded on April 28, 2025.

Commercial real estate leaders Amy Curry, Chief Strategy Officer of Dermody; Ed Griffin, CEO, Griffin Partners; and Kevin Hardy, Head of Eastern Canadian Office, Oxford Properties; join us for a special episode to discuss the impacts of tariffs on the industry. In this candid conversation they share how uncertainty is increasing scrutiny, moderating deal velocity and complicating risk assessments. They also address how developers are adjusting construction budgets and managing relationships with lenders and equity partners in uncertain times. While short-term market volatility poses challenges, the group’s long-term investment perspectives remain optimistic. Recorded on May 16, 2025.

Christopher Thornberg, Ph.D., founding partner of Beacon Economics and recent I.CON West keynote, joins the podcast to parse the growing disconnect between economic data and public sentiment. While U.S. households are financially strong and consumer spending drives growth, this prosperity is propped up by an unsustainable government deficit and foreign capital inflows. Thornberg stresses the need for immigration-driven labor growth, explains how current spending is masking deeper fiscal risk, and shares to the data point – not the 10-year Treasury – that we should all be keeping track of. Recorded on April 15, 2025.

Scott Jennings started his political career licking envelopes in a campaign office but went on to work for campaigns at both the local and national level, including four presidential campaigns. The CNN senior conservative political commentator – and keynote speaker at NAIOP’s 2025 Chapter Leadership and Legislative Retreat – joins the podcast to share his views on political strategy, including what it takes today for a candidate to win, the two policy areas he believes drove Donald Trump back into the White House, and how Republicans “completely revolutionized” their ground game in the 2024 presidential election. He discusses the ambitious timeline for Congress to pass a tax bill, the Trump administration’s use of tariffs and other economic levers, whether J.D. Vance gets the nod as the Republican candidate for 2028, and even his opinion on the Democratic Party’s best option for a candidate in 2028. Recorded on March 18, 2025.

As the national director for office analytics, Phil Mobley leads the development of CoStar's house view of the office market. In this episode, he examines the office sector from every angle, highlighting the misconception of a simple “flight to quality,” explaining that both premium and affordable office spaces are thriving while mid-tier buildings face challenges. Mobley shares what he’s watching with the greatest interest over the next 12-24 months, discusses fragmentation in the sector, and how limited new supply is slowing move-outs as occupiers hold onto space longer. Despite ongoing hurdles, he remains optimistic about the long-term role of office as landlords adjust to tenant needs and get a handle on each “micro market.” Recorded on March 13, 2025.

Artist. Architect. Chairman. Philanthropist. Author. Lawrence Armstrong, chairman of leading international design firm Ware Malcomb, joined the firm nearly 40 years ago and served as CEO from 1992 to 2020. In addition to expanding the company from a Southern California firm to a national and international firm with 28 offices across North America, his tenure as CEO is hallmarked by an unprecedented 40x revenue growth. He talks candidly about the importance of succession planning, navigating economic downturns over the years, and how creative leadership can drive double-digit growth. Recorded on Feb. 19, 2025.

Is the era of tariff-free goods on the North American continent coming to an end? Shannon O’Neil, Senior Vice President and Director of Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of “The Globalization Myth: Why Regions Matter,” joins us for this especially timely episode. Shannon discusses how tariff uncertainty and shifting global trade patterns will impact commercial real estate markets across North America, the potential renegotiation of the USMCA, and Mexico’s growing role in global supply chains. She shares why she believes that regionalization – not globalization – has had the biggest economic impact of the last 40 years and details a counterintuitive strategy for creating more jobs in the U.S. Recorded on Jan. 15, 2025.

Opening our third season of Inside CRE, Christopher Ware, NAIOP’s Vice President for Business Development and Strategic Initiatives, speaks with Alex Thomson, founder of Prevail Consultants and 2025 NAIOP Chair. With two decades of experience in commercial real estate, Alex has gained expertise in every aspect of the business, spanning acquisitions, entitlements, development, financing and dispositions. Notably, he’s also NAIOP’s first Canadian chair. In this episode, Alex discusses his priorities for the association during his tenure, his family’s longstanding spirit of volunteerism, and why a career in CRE won out over one as a mountain guide. He comments on the unprecedented political changes occurring in Canada with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s recent resignation, and explains the collaborative approach taken by NAIOP’s Canadian chapters in addressing legislative issues. Get to know Alex – including his surprising hobby (influenced by Robert Burns) and what kind of peated scotch he recommends. Recorded Jan. 14, 2025.

Aquiles Suarez, Senior Vice President for Government Affairs at NAIOP, has the considerable task of overseeing the association’s advocacy efforts at the federal, state and local level, and managing the association’s political action committee, NAIOP-PAC. In his signature candor, Aquiles shares with Marc his take on what Republican control of the White House and Congress means for the country and for commercial real estate, the impacts of tariffs proposed by the Trump administration, and the tax debate that’s coming in 2025. He also discusses the two Supreme Court decisions that stand to impact CRE, a NAIOP-supported adaptive reuse bill, and the organization’s top legislative priorities going into 2025. Recorded on Nov. 20, 2024.

Generational changes happening now are creating a fundamental shift in our society and the way people live and work, says Nikki Greenberg, a world-leading futurist focused on the trends and technologies shaping cities of the future. She joins NAIOP’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Shaine Anderson talk about the path that led her from licensed architect to futurist; the differences in motivating, training and retaining the next generation of workers; and five principles to help leaders adopt a future-ready mindset today. Nikki explains the concept of “Outcome As a Service” and shares small, practical steps that leaders can take to introduce more innovation into their organizations. She also offers an important reminder for anyone feeling overwhelmed by the tech tidal wave: “No one is an expert – we’re all just playing around.” Recorded on Oct. 18. 2024.

David C. Smith is the head of Americas insights for the Cushman & Wakefield global think tank. He joins the podcast and puts in a pitch for the office sector, which he said is experiencing a reckoning similar to the “retail apocalypse” that made headlines back in the mid-2010s through 2020. David discusses topical office trends including reduced square footage per worker, flexible office configurations and the flight to quality. He explains the cyclical vs. structural headwinds faced by the office sector, why “urban nodes” are one of the greatest opportunities over the next decade, and the optimal mix of downtown real estate (42% should be office) for maximizing GDP. Recorded on Sept. 23, 2024.

Brian Natwick, Chairman and CEO of Crescent Communities, our 2024 Developer of the Year, joins guest host Kathryn Hamilton, NAIOP’s vice president for marketing and communications, for this episode. “At the end of the day, real estate is an experience,” Brian points out – a principle that guides the firm’s approach to creating exceptional development projects. He shares the three definitive points in time that shaped the company; what Disney taught him about the value of creating experiences; and the value of a “guest chef” strategy. He’s brutally honest about the underwriting challenges and capital markets paralysis in recent years; tells us why he’s bullish on the Sunbelt; and explains what he means when he says Crescent is a place where you end your career, not start it. Recorded on Sept. 9, 2024.

Carey Heyman, CPA and managing principal of the real estate industry at CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen), joins us this time on the NAIOP podcast with guest host Christopher Ware, NAIOP’s Vice President for Business Development and Strategic Initiatives. Carey discusses his background, career journey and insights into the commercial real estate market. He also shares how CLA advises clients on managing cash flow and mitigating risk in their real estate portfolios; tax planning strategies for real estate owners, operators and investors; the potential impact of interest rate cuts; the need for proactive engagement with elected officials regarding potential policy changes; and more. Recorded on Aug. 29, 2024.

Get to know two special guests who lead the Cocoziello Institute of Real Estate Innovation at Penn State. Peter Cocoziello is the founder, president and CEO of Advance Realty Investors, a New Jersey-based real estate development, investment and management company, and the founding chair of the Institute. Scarlett Miller is a professor of industrial engineering and of mechanical engineering in the College of Engineering at Penn State and serves as the Institute’s inaugural director. Peter and Scarlett joined Marc (a proud Penn State alumnus) to discuss how the Institute will work to develop new solutions to improve the built environment, support sustainable development, address rapidly evolving real estate policies and regulations, and more. Recorded on Aug. 15, 2024.

In advance of NAIOP’s largest annual conference, CRE.Converge, Oct. 8-10 at Caesars Palace Las Vegas, hear from two seasoned CRE pros working in the region. Cassie Catania-Hsu, managing director and market leader for Las Vegas, CBRE, and Julie Cleaver, vice chair for NAIOP’s Education committee, discussed the city's unique experience economy; developing in a land-constrained market; the impact of sports and entertainment; trends in the greater Southwest and more. Recorded on July 23, 2024.

Erin McDannald, CEO of Elevated, started working with data centers back in 1998 during the dot-com boom, so she’s seen the sector evolve over decades. She joins podcast guest host Jennifer LeFurgy, Ph.D., NAIOP’s vice president of knowledge and research and executive director of the NAIOP Research Foundation, to share why she believes data centers are a critical piece of infrastructure. With construction spending on data centers up 69% year over year according to the Census Bureau, Erin explains the key demand drivers (not just AI), and how in many ways, data centers are leading the charge in implementing smart energy, preventative maintenance, and developing methods for more efficient cooling. She doesn’t shy away from discussing the challenges inherent with the sector, either: community concerns, the cost of cooling, supply chain issues for critical components and more. Recorded July 2, 2024.

An author, futurist and senior advisor to the Arizona State University Threatcasting Lab, Greg Lindsay guides institutions such as NATO and the United States Secret Service in identifying, disrupting, and mitigating future threats. He joins the podcast with guest host Shaine Anderson, NAIOP’s EVP and COO. Lindsay shares what’s up next for AI and automation – not Skynet or HAL 9000, but software that can act on its own and interface with real world systems. He discusses the massive data center buildout to support AI development, what it means for financial markets, the power grid, and whether intellectual property laws will be able to catch up. The very analog Sears catalog even gets a special shout-out. Recorded on June 11, 2024.

Spencer Levy is global client strategist and senior economic advisor at CBRE, the largest commercial real estate services firm in the world. He studies statistics in his free time, so he was happy to offer his analysis on the ripple effects coming with a new era of deglobalization, share a Tom Petty quote, and discuss two specific opportunities that have come with the recent devaluation of the office sector. With the U.S. presidential election looming, he drove home the point that while global politics matter, the most important issues that CRE pros should be worrying about are the local ones: electrical availability, water availability, the ease of doing business, the cost of property and casualty insurance. Spencer also talks about the uniqueness of data center properties, why he’s bullish on multifamily, and what he learned about the psychology of real estate from horse racing. Recorded on May 22, 2024.

As CEO of Cityview, named the most active multifamily developer in Los Angeles by the Los Angeles Business Journal for the past four years, Sean Burton stays busy. He joins the podcast with our guest host, NAIOP Vice President of Knowledge and Research Jennifer LeFurgy, Ph.D., to share market fundamentals for multifamily development, the buzzy sub-sectors with the biggest momentum, and how Cityview is working to address the extreme housing shortage in L.A. He also explains his personal passion for public service and the thinking behind this bold statement: The current market presents the best multifamily buying opportunity since the Great Recession. Recorded on April 4, 2024.

As managing director and chief U.S. economist at CoStar Group, Christine Cooper, Ph.D., provides insights and analysis of national and regional macroeconomic conditions across the nation. She joined the podcast to share CoStar’s near-term forecast for the industrial sector, discuss the risk factors still out there with the supply chain, and why the Fed’s interest rate cuts haven’t materialized so far this year. Christine predicts that we haven’t seen the end of office delinquencies this cycle, talks about how retail has benefited from “disciplined development,” and explains the critical and often overlooked connection between the housing market and the industrial market. Recorded on March 27, 2024.

Can we stick the “soft landing”? Rebecca Rockey, Deputy Chief Economist and Global Head of Forecasting at Cushman & Wakefield, joins the podcast to catch us up on the current state of the economy with an eye to commercial real estate. She pinpoints the areas of the economy under significant pressure, defines “rolling recession,” and addresses the disconnect between public perception of the economy and what the data demonstrates. The good news? She’s feeling confident about her forecast for this year, which includes an acceleration in the second half of 2024. Recorded on Feb. 21, 2024.

Political commentator and journalist Chris Cillizza spent four years as an editor at large at CNN and regularly appeared as a political analyst on the network’s airwaves. He joins Aquiles Suarez, NAIOP’s senior vice president for government affairs, to talk about the upcoming presidential election, including his predictions for the hot-button issues prioritized by each candidate, the kitchen-table concerns that will drive Americans’ view of the economy, and how journalists can regain the public trust. He even shares a memorable anecdote about a local representative foiled by a golden toilet. Recorded February 13, 2024.

Nearshoring expert Rafael McCadden joins the podcast to share his outlook on how industrial real estate in Mexico has evolved and continues to expand. Projected to attract $35 billion in foreign investments over the next five years, Mexico is now the premier trade partner for the U.S. McCadden has more than 30 years’ experience as an industrial and logistics strategist representing corporations in multiple markets throughout Mexico. McCadden talks with guest host Shaine Anderson on the advantages and challenges for Mexico’s industrial markets. Recorded January 31, 2024.

Our 2024 NAIOP Chair Brian Walker, president of Pittsburgh-based Burns Scalo Real Estate, kicks off season two of the Inside CRE podcast. Brian shares his goals for the year (and the headwinds to fight through), why “operating brilliantly” can be more critical than savvy deal-making, and how to prioritize communication in a confusing market. He and Marc discuss the renewed importance of creating value and opportunity throughout a project lifecycle, how climate change is working its way into valuations, and the area he’s challenging himself to focus more on. Brian has some interesting stories – hear how he considered a run for office and received a death threat (!) within the same week. Recorded Jan. 18, 2024.

Nicholas Pell sees the big picture – he has to. As president and chief investment officer for Link Logistics, formed by Blackstone in 2019, he is responsible for managing the company’s immense U.S.-based industrial real estate portfolio spanning over 500 million square feet, which a full 5% of U.S. GDP flows through. In this episode, Nick talks to Marc about operating in the current choppy capital markets, why he expects a strong leasing environment in 2024, and the challenges inherent when focusing on infill development, as Link does. Six data scientists sit outside Nick’s office; he explains how Link is embracing the potential applications of AI and finding new ways to get data into the hands of decisionmakers more efficiently, underwriting better and faster. He also shares one thing that never gets old: making the deal. Recorded Nov. 27, 2023.

Peter Zeihan has an uncanny ability to predict tomorrow's headlines. The geopolitical strategist talked with guest host Christopher Ware, NAIOP’s vice president for business development and strategic initiatives, on current U.S. demographic shifts, how the labor force is changing, and why he thinks now is the best time for businesses to hire and borrow. He explains China’s precipitous population decline, how the cost of manufactured goods will increase, and why we need to double the size of the industrial plant in North America. This episode covers a lot of ground thanks to Zeihan's expert understanding of demography, economics, energy, politics, technology and security. Recorded on October 25, 2023.

Dave Harrison, president of VanTrust Real Estate, our 2023 Developer of the Year, joined guest host Kathryn Hamilton, NAIOP’s vice president for marketing and communications for this episode. Harrison – who proudly describes his company as a “small-ball baseball team” – shares his favorite project to date (he still lives there), why he prefers whiteboards over spreadsheets, and the bold declaration the company made in the Wall Street Journal during the pandemic. Harrison explains how VanTrust’s asset mix has evolved, why price per square foot in office properties doesn’t matter anymore, and the company’s mantra of developing with a difference – all the way down to the dirt. Recorded on Sept. 26, 2023.

Marc sits down with Julie Whelan, CBRE’s Global Head of Occupier Thought Leadership, whose team is tasked with identifying major trends impacting occupiers across all industries. As many organizations adopt a hybrid model for their workforce and office utilization needs continue to change, you can imagine Julie has plenty to discuss. She dives into the rightsizing happening today; draws parallels between the office sector’s current uncertainty and retail (remember brick-and-mortar’s predicted demise?); shares her advice for big cities facing the dreaded urban doom loop; and explains why building owners should always explore what her colleague calls “the $100,000 solution.” Recorded on Aug. 31, 2023.

Mark, meet Marc. Mark Rose, chair and CEO of Avison Young, joins Marc on the podcast for a discussion about building a workplace culture that matters; what his experience tells him about challenges in the current economic climate; the rumor he’s heard about the Fed; and why he “couldn’t be more optimistic” about the office sector. Mark shares recent data about longer-term leases that may surprise you, talks about actively mentoring 14 professionals, and why he believes office space will return to the days where it was a key part of a company brand. Recorded on August 2, 2023.

Marc sits down with Richard Branch, chief economist at Dodge Construction Network, a leading source of data analytics and insights on the commercial construction industry. Branch has us time-travel to the peak of the office market in 1985 (when the tax code allowed for extended depreciation); shares the latest data from Dodge on office renovation projects; and explores the link between the office market and popular culture, from “Mad Men” to “Office Space” to the end of the corner office. He discusses the hotel industry’s “aggressive rebound” post-economic crises; makes the case for why the office sector is here to stay; and shares the opportunities he sees for adaptive reuse in big cities and build-to-suit office space made for the hybrid work environment. Recorded on June 14, 2023.

Dana Peterson, chief economist and center leader for economy, strategy and finance at The Conference Board, joined our guest host Christopher Ware, NAIOP’s vice president for business development and strategic initiatives. Peterson – who delivered keynote remarks at I.CON East this year – paints a broad macroeconomic picture, discussing the implications of the recent regional bank failures; deglobalization and the manufacturing renaissance; and why the tight labor market isn’t going away. Peterson also explains the Fed’s recent “hawkish skip” in interest-rate increases; the state of global monetary policy; and two positive forces impacting the industrial CRE sector that may help it weather the next recession. Recorded on June 16, 2023.

The exceptionally upbeat Rhonda Payne, workforce equity advisor and DEI educator, founder and CEO of Flock Theory, talks to Marc about avoiding “the ostrich approach” to measuring workforce diversity, offers straightforward explanations of equity and equality, and shares the philosophies that often guide DEI initiatives (for better or worse). Payne acknowledges how difficult it can be for companies to shake the systems they’ve inherited, and why a seat at the table doesn’t count for much unless power is also shared. She talks candidly about establishing a true talent strategy that sticks, shares a CRE association success story, and explains why DEI is a long game. And as Marc pointed out, commercial real estate leaders know a little something about playing the long game.Recorded on Feb. 1, 2023.