🎙️ Local Real Estate Developers

What if the biggest opportunity in real estate is right in your own backyard? Andy Warnock spent nearly two decades in commercial real estate finance and built a portfolio of nearly 2,600 apartment units. Along the way, he learned through failed deals, the 2008 crash, partnerships, insurance mistakes, and plenty of hard-earned lessons. Today, Andy is focused on transforming small-town communities...

What happens when you don't have deep pockets or a massive team but refuse to walk away from the opportunity? Will Hanrahan found a one-acre industrial property on Facebook Marketplace and bought it for $435,000. He didn't have the full vision figured out. He just knew the location had potential. Through zoning research, adaptive reuse, Brownfield programs, local funding, and strong relati...

What happens when developers from across the country come together to share what they’re actually building? In Episode #70, Raphael Collazo and Kristi Kandel recap the first LRED developer meetup in Louisville, bringing together local developers, investors, city leaders, and industry professionals. They talk about the real lessons from touring active projects, learning from experienced developers,...

What if you didn’t need years of experience, a massive network, or millions in the bank to become a developer? YJ Tung shares how he went from working in tech and marketing to taking on his first 37-acre development project near California’s Western States Trail. With his partner, YJ is developing Forestill Basecamp, a hospitality project featuring 10 modular cabins, saunas, cold plunges, and reco...

What happens when your first development project doesn't go as planned? After years in brokerage, Alan Sestito took the leap into development. His first project had potential but city delays, a reduced site plan, and unexpected setbacks quickly turned it into a real-world education. Instead of walking away, Alan adapted, leaned on his partner, and kept moving. In this episode, Alan shares the...

What if you didn’t need millions of dollars or generational wealth to become a developer? In this episode, Kristi Kandel sits down with Kimberly Honea to talk about her journey from a small-town Oklahoma upbringing to hospitality, adaptive reuse, and launching her own development company. Kimberly shares the hard lessons behind taking the leap, learning construction and finance, finding the right...

What if becoming a developer isn’t about having all the answers but having the courage to take the next step? In Episode #67, Raphael Collazo and Kristi Kandel get real about how they went from first-time investors and nervous beginners to building commercial projects and community-focused developments. They share the fear behind their first deals, lessons from finding lenders and partners, the po...

What if your community doesn't need another billion-dollar project... it just needs someone willing to care? For years, cities have chased mega-projects, outside investors, and expensive revitalization plans believing bigger budgets lead to better communities. But what if the biggest transformation starts with something much smaller? In this episode, urban planner and Ash & Lime founder Rik Ad...

What if one weekend could completely change how you see real estate development? REGISTER: https://www.localrealestatedeveloper.com/lred-meetup-2026 In this episode, Raphael Collazo and Kristi Kandel share what to expect at the first-ever Local Real Estate Developer Conference in Louisville, Kentucky. From inspiring keynote speakers and adaptive reuse site tours to honest conversations about proje...

Raising capital doesn't always mean finding new investors. In this episode, Kaaren Hall reveals how self-directed IRAs can unlock retirement dollars to fund real estate development projects. Learn how developers can access an overlooked source of capital, build investor trust through transparency, and navigate the realities of partnerships, financing, and growing a development business. After...

Most people wait until they have experience. Alex Martinsen built a team and started anyway. After exiting a successful construction business, Alex took on an entirely new challenge: building 100 affordable homes in his first year of real estate development. In this episode, he shares how relationships, partnerships, private capital, and a simple land acquisition strategy are helping solve one of...

What if one question could completely change your life? Renzo Sanio never planned to become a real estate developer. He started college studying physics, but everything changed after a professor asked him one simple question: "What do you build here, and why?" That question sparked an obsession that led him from winning a national real estate development competition to launching his own...

What if the biggest reason your development deal isn't moving forward... isn't the project, it's your capital stack? In this episode, Sal Tarsia, Managing Partner of CastleGreen Finance, reveals one of the most overlooked financing tools available to local real estate developers: C-PACE financing. From adaptive reuse and historic renovations to ground-up construction, Sal explains how...

What does it take to help build and manage thousands of retail locations across the country? In this episode, Danni Gallagher shares how she went from studying architecture to leading large-scale development programs for some of the biggest retail and healthcare brands in America. Over nearly two decades at CVS, Danni worked her way from construction management to executive leadership, helping ove...

What happens when two women with no development experience decide to stop playing small? In this episode, Amirah and Kodah share how a Facebook connection turned into a development partnership that's now building cottage communities across Portland. Starting with a modest $6,500 mobile home flip, they learned the fundamentals of investing before taking on larger development projects. Along the...

What happens when nobody is coming to save your town? For Luke Henry, the answer was simple: buy the buildings, take the risk, and start building. In this episode, Luke shares how he went from mowing lawns and house hacking his first property to acquiring eight vacant downtown buildings and helping transform Marion, Ohio's Main Street. He breaks down the realities of small-town development, ea...

What does it take to go from hospitality jobs and side businesses to helping build a $450M mixed-use sports and community development? And how do you step into development when you never set out to be a developer? In this episode, Beth Underhill shares her path from catering and entrepreneurship to real estate investing, student housing, and ultimately leading a large-scale 103-acre sports and mix...

What happens when a local stops waiting for permission… and starts rebuilding the block himself? In this episode, Justin Hampton shares how he went from making $39K a year and renovating his family’s first home to buying an entire block in Montgomery, Alabama. Justin breaks down the real side of development, failed inspections, contractor issues, financing challenges, imposter syndrome, and learni...

What happens when local developers finally stop building alone? After 50+ podcast episodes, we realized everyone was asking the same thing: “Where are our people?” That’s why we’re launching the first-ever LRED Meetup in Louisville, Kentucky. This isn’t another corporate conference. We’re bringing together developers, city leaders, architects, investors, and locals who are actively building projec...

What happens when a teacher quits his job, gets ghosted, and bets everything on a camera? In this episode, Taylor Gangis shares how documenting Tampa Bay’s growth turned him from a high school math teacher into one of the city’s rising voices in development media. From internet backlash to community storytelling, this conversation dives into why local voices matter in shaping the future of our cit...

Most local developers don’t fail because the deal was bad. They fail because nobody showed them how the money actually works. In this episode, Jordan Blanchard breaks down the hidden world of USDA lending, rural development financing, and capital stacking. From hotels and adaptive reuse projects to infrastructure and community development, he shares how local developers are unlocking funding most...

What if the land you think you control… isn’t actually accessible? And how many deals are quietly sitting on legal landmines no one checked? In this episode, real estate attorney Richard Crouch breaks down the hidden legal side of development deals, the part that decides whether projects move forward or fall apart after real money is on the line. From missing easements and title issues to investor...

What happens when the projects you’re building… stop meaning anything? And what does it really take to build something your community actually needs? In this episode, Kelvin Enfinger shares his journey from growing up in a construction family to working high-pressure national retail jobs… and ultimately choosing a different path, one focused on local impact in Pensacola. From tight deadlines and r...

What if the deal you almost ignored… was the one that changes everything? And what if becoming a developer isn’t about knowing more, but being willing to figure it out when it gets messy? In this episode, Kelsie LPJ Johnston shares her raw journey from small local projects to building a 15-unit cottage community in her own town. No formal training. No perfect plan. Just taking action on an opportu...

What do you do when the deal you thought would change your life… falls apart at the last minute? Most people stall. They second-guess. They quit quietly. These two didn’t. In this episode, Valeria Jaramillo and Michelle Stevenson pull back the curtain on what it actually looks like to step into real estate development with no safety net, just conviction, pressure, and a whole lot of uncomfortable...