Podcast
CREDA Podcast: Inside CRE
Hosted by CREDA · EN
Inside CRE features interviews with commercial real estate leaders who share industry and career insights. The Commercial Real Estate Development Association is the development industry’s leading source for education, advocacy and connections that drive your business forward. Inside CRE is brought to you by Majestic Realty.
To learn more about CREDA and join a network of over 20,000 commercial real estate professionals, visit www.credaglobal.org.
34episodes
Episodes
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Alex Thomson, 2025 NAIOP Chair
Jan 27, 2025Tap to summarizeOpening 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.
Transcribe →2025 Legislative Priorities, Policies and Realities
Dec 9, 2024Tap to summarizeAquiles 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.
Transcribe →Carey Heyman, CLA
Sep 16, 2024Tap to summarizeCarey 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.
Transcribe →The Las Vegas Experience Economy
Aug 19, 2024Tap to summarizeIn 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.
Transcribe →Sean Burton, Cityview
May 6, 2024Tap to summarizeAs 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.
Transcribe →Rafael McCadden, Colliers International
Feb 12, 2024Tap to summarizeNearshoring 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.
Transcribe →Brian Walker, Burns Scalo Real Estate
Jan 29, 2024Tap to summarizeOur 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.
Transcribe →A Closer Look at CRE Construction Trends
Jul 17, 2023Tap to summarizeMarc 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.
Transcribe →We’re on Recession Watch
Jun 26, 2023Tap to summarizeDana 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.
Transcribe →Playing the Long Game
May 15, 2023Tap to summarizeThe 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.
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