Becker Business Podcast

Episode: Helping Healthcare Practices Find the Right Space with Mark Brodson of Resource Commercial Advisors
Date: September 29, 2025
Host: Scott Becker
Guest: Mark Brodson, Resource Commercial Advisors

Episode Overview

In this episode, Scott Becker speaks with Mark Brodson, founder of Resource Commercial Advisors, a boutique commercial real estate firm specializing in healthcare. The discussion focuses on how Mark and his team help healthcare organizations—particularly mid-sized, multi-site operators like dental service organizations (DSOs) and direct primary care providers—secure the right real estate to support their business goals. Mark shares insights on industry trends, the unique challenges of healthcare tenancy, and keys to long-term success in healthcare real estate.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Mark Brodson’s Background and Firm Approach

• Introduction to Mark and His Company
  • Mark leads Resource Commercial Advisors based in Northbrook, Illinois.
  • The firm specializes exclusively in healthcare-oriented real estate across the U.S., leveraging a vetted network of local correspondent brokers.
    (00:30) Mark Brodson: "We are a boutique commercial real estate brokerage firm that does healthcare oriented real estate nationwide ... through our network of what we call correspondent brokers."
• Client Focus and Bread-and-Butter
  • Their specialty lies in tenant representation for mid-sized healthcare organizations (DSOs, private equity backed, or scaling up to 5–30 locations).
  • Clients typically lack dedicated in-house real estate teams and need end-to-end support.
    (01:07) Mark Brodson: "We usually love the sweet spot of five to 20 or 30 locations, because that's where a lot of the growth is."
  • Support covers everything from site selection to turnkey handoff, differentiating them from brokers who exit after lease signing.
  • Ongoing advisory includes managing renewals (medical leases average 10 years, so large practices face frequent rollovers) and reducing the burden/cost of relocations. (02:14) Mark Brodson: "It's also about maintaining the existing leases. So an average medical lease is about 10 years ... It's very expensive to find and relocate a space, and it takes six months to a year to get that actually done."

Evolution and Key Sectors in Healthcare Real Estate

• How Mark Got into Healthcare Real Estate
  • Began in commercial real estate in 2006; pivoted to healthcare in 2013 after encouragement from a medical lease attorney.
  • Built an early niche in dental but expanded into behavioral health, autism therapy, urgent care, and direct pay/primary care medicine. (03:11) Mark Brodson: "Dental is still a core piece of our business. We're also working behavioral health. We do a lot of autism therapy, urgent care, primary care."
• Trends in Healthcare Practice Models
  • Rapid growth in concierge and direct pay medicine, partially driven by dissatisfaction with traditional models. (03:45) Scott Becker: "It seems like every primary care physician is moving towards concierge, and you can't blame them ... The traditional practice model for primary care ended up being somewhat broken and very, very challenging."

National Scope and Relationship-Focused Model

• How Resource Commercial Works Nationally
  • The business operates in roughly 20 states, maintaining client relationships directly while leveraging city-specific market expertise from local partners.
  • Relationships are built with the sponsored companies themselves, often pre-acquisition, then expanded post-acquisition by private equity. (04:44) Mark Brodson: "We actually get into the private equity milieu by starting to work with the sponsored companies and then they get acquired ... those relationships ... then grow and expand to be on the larger private equity corporate level."

Keys to Success in Healthcare Real Estate

• Patient, Client-Centric Service
  • Mark emphasizes deep listening, persistence, and service consistency as vital to getting clients both the right space and the right outcome. (05:23) Mark Brodson: "It's really listening to what the client's needs are and being patient to recognize that you're not always going to get the right space found on the first try."
  • Deals may take 18 months or more; rushing leads to expensive mistakes. (05:51) Scott Becker: "We saw one big business locate in what ended up being the absolute wrong area. And they would have been far better off waiting 18 to 20 months to find the right space."
• Disciplined, Honest Brokering
  • Not afraid to highlight negatives of a potential site, even if it means delaying a deal. (06:18) Mark Brodson: "We always point out the good, the bad and the ugly of a site. Because my philosophy is I'd far rather have you get into a space after time that you're satisfied with than make a financially huge mistake."
  • Negotiations are conducted with long-term relationships in mind (both tenant and landlord); avoid eroding goodwill just to save on lease concessions. (07:02) Mark Brodson: "We recognize that once that lease is signed, there's a relationship that has to exist between the tenant and the landlord. And therefore we can't erode all that goodwill in the upfront negotiations."
• Focus on Client’s Core Business
  • The real value is taking real estate headaches off clients’ plates so they can prioritize patient care and core practice growth. (07:38) Mark Brodson: "We approach all of our clients from the perspective of your number one goal is to provide great patient care. We take all of the real estate challenges and headaches off your plate to facilitate that."

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Real Estate Service Philosophy:
  "It's persistence and giving your clients the level of service that they need to be able to succeed." – Mark Brodson (05:31)

• On Relationship-Driven Negotiations:
  "We recognize that once that lease is signed, there's a relationship that has to exist between the tenant and the landlord. And therefore we can't erode all that goodwill in the upfront negotiations." – Mark Brodson (07:02)

• On the Risks of Rushing Site Selection:
  "You might want to look at this. ... I'd far rather have you get into a space after time that you're satisfied with than make a financially huge mistake that could ultimately hinder the future growth of the company." – Mark Brodson (06:18)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:30 – Mark introduces Resource Commercial Advisors and its national boutique model
• 01:07 – Types of clients served and end-to-end brokerage approach
• 02:14 – Challenges of lease renewals and tenant relocation in healthcare
• 03:11 – How Mark entered healthcare real estate; evolution of focus sectors like dental and behavioral health
• 03:45 – Discussion on the rise of concierge and direct primary care medicine
• 04:44 – Explanation of relationship-building with both sponsors and private equity firms
• 05:23 – Key to success: listening, patience, and long-term service
• 06:18 – The importance of delaying deals to avoid costly real estate decisions
• 07:02 – Importance of tenant-landlord relationships in the negotiation process
• 07:38 – Real estate as an enabler for better patient care

Learn More

• Resource Commercial Advisors: resourcecommercial.net
  Features their process, company values, and approach to helping healthcare professionals succeed in their real estate decisions (08:07).

This episode provides vital perspective for healthcare operators looking to expand, relocate, or better manage their real estate, emphasizing the value of patience, expert advocacy, and prioritizing relationships as much as transactional gains.