Communities Connected: A Land and Lifestyle Podcast by Alosant

In this episode of the Alosant Innovator Series , we sit down with John Darby , CEO and Chairman of the Board of The Beach Company , a fifth-generation real estate development company based in Charleston. John shares the company’s origin story, beginning with his grandfather acquiring land to build affordable housing for WWII veterans—an early example of The Beach Company’s commitment to community...

In this episode of the Alosant Innovator Series , we sit down with Mike Swanson, Co-Founder of Alosant. Throughout the episode we explore Mike’s journey to the company and delve into the origin and purpose of DataBridgeAI, a new product from Alosant.  Mike shares valuable insights from his diverse career—spanning the music industry, medical research, and ultimately co-founding Alosant. A comm...

In this episode of the Alosant Innovator Series, April LaMon sits down with Tom Marchant, Co-Founder of Black Tomato, to explore his journey in redefining travel and hospitality. Black Tomato was born from a desire to offer travelers more than just a destination—it’s about delivering experiences and evoking feelings. Tom explains how the company’s approach emerged from a market gap: while traveler...

In this episode of the Alosant Innovator Series , we sit down with A’Lisa Ozment, Founder and CEO of Architectural Plan Review (APR). With over 25 years of experience, A’Lisa shares how her fascination with homebuilding led to entrepreneurship. She founded APR, a company that manages architectural control for master-planned residential communities. A’Lisa highlights APR’s role as a liaison between...

In this episode of the Alosant Innovator Series, Tara Trevino , Director of Customer Operations at Alosant , explores the top community trends of 2024 and how the Alosant app is driving them forward. Learn how resident-created content transforms engagement and how app-enabled gear garages make outdoor living more accessible. Tara also highlights the growing emphasis on wellness, with popular ameni...

In this episode of the Alosant Innovator Series, Scott Snodgrass, founder of Meristem Communities, shares his evolution from a farmer to a leading voice in the agrihood movement.  Scott discusses the development of Indigo and its innovative approach to creating a community that supports diverse family structures while incorporating agriculture through features like edible landscaping.  The convers...

In this episode of the Alosant Innovator Series, we are joined by Sarah Phelps, Director of Astronaut Experience at Blue Origin. Sarah discusses her career journey, from designing exclusive community experiences at the Yellowstone Club in Big Sky, Montana, to curating world-class experiences for those pursuing the dream of commercial space travel at Blue Origin. Sarah explains how she crafts a 5-s...

In this episode of the Alosant Innovator Series, we feature Callie Friedman, the Vice President of Operations at OnPlace, for an inside look at the experience of using Alosant Core app. Callie oversees the Welcome Center for Sunterra, a 1,039-acre master-planned community in Katy, Texas. She shares how Alosant Core app enhances the experience for potential buyers by providing clear information all...

In this episode of the Alosant Innovator Series, we speak with Nick Smoot, Chairman & CEO of Aesop Industries Inc., about his approach to human and economic development. Nick’s work focuses on addressing the psychological and emotional needs of residents through sentiment mapping. This process helps design amenities that foster connections and a sense of purpose within the community. He advise...

The home buying experience is inherently stressful. In the current market, various factors impact the homebuyer's emotions and the outcome of the purchasing experience.  In Episode 35 of the Alosant Innovator Series, we revisit conversations with industry experts on how to approach the home buying experience, highlighting insights about what drives decision-making and how to approach the proce...

Episode 34 of the Alosant Innovator Series features Grant Syth, Principal at Bridger Land Group. Grant takes us on a journey from his roots in his family’s construction business to pioneering the Blackwood Groves development in Bozeman.  Leveraging the design, lifestyle and experience principles learned while at Discovery Land, Grant and the Bridger Land Group team focuses on applying those princi...

Welcome to Episode 33 of the Alosant Innovator Series! We're joined by Deborah Blake, Principal at The Ipsum Group. With decades of experience in 55+ active adult real estate development, Deborah shares her thoughts on the market and how it is evolving.   Today’s 55+ buyers are less interested in “retirement” than “what’s next”.  Deborah explores the value of doing thorough research that may r...

Episode 32 of The Alosant Innovator Series delves into the world of real estate marketing with Jaimee Reinertsen, Principal & Creative Director at SparkFire Branding.  With a rich background in marketing, specifically in real estate and MPC branding, Jaimee brings a wealth of experience and invaluable insights into understanding the psychology of real estate consumers. Throughout the episode,...

Episode 31 of the Alosant Innovator Series spotlights John Marlin, the Founder & CEO of MA Partners.  In this episode, April and John dive into MA Partners' newest project, Elevon. John chats about the details of the land planning process, giving us some great insights on how they're putting together a variety of home designs and amenities that could suit folks from all walks of life....

The 30th episode of the Alosant Innovator Series features Lesley Deutch, Managing Principal at John Burns Research and Consulting. Lesley has more than 25 years of consulting experience  - working across a wide spectrum of the real estate industry. Lesley stresses the importance of understanding the demographics of your potential customers, and providing amenities tailored to them. She goes on to...

Episode 29 of the Alosant Innovator Series features Dan Grosswald, Division President SE Florida at Mattamy Homes.  Dan lays out the vision of Newfield and its unique features for residents, as well as some of the obstacles they’ve faced along the way and how they overcame them. Dan unpacks some of the planning, programming, product segmentation, and community outreach efforts that are making the...

In episode 28 of the Alosant Innovator Series, April is joined by Mark Kehke, Chairman & Founder of Pacific Ventures Management, LLC. Pacific Ventures is a fully integrated real estate development and operating company focused on residential and mixed-use communities of scale. They have a long history of developing some of the greatest communities in the West. Mark describes their process to d...

The 27th episode of the Alosant Innovator Series is a special episode, which features a compilation of segments from previous podcast guests. In every episode, April asks her guest, “What advice would you give to your 25-year-old self?” Episode 27 highlights and showcases some of the very best answers to that question from the first 26 episodes. We chose 5 guests to highlight, but there is so much...

Jim Dobbie is founder and CEO of  Zeal for Living , a real estate development company focused on creating rental Wellness Living Communities for all ages.   Jim shares examples of the Zeal approach from simple lighting choices that can alter the quality of sleep to smart appliances that warn of maintenance needs before significant problems can occur. He goes on to elaborate on the challenge of emb...

Episode 25 of the Alosant Innovator Series features two guests, Tom Woliver, co-president of  Oxland Group  and Christina Acuna, owner & founder of  Paper Lot Marketing . Before digging into the details about what has made the Painted Tree and Two Step Farm  communities so successful and inspiring, April, Tom & Christina discuss how vital their outsider perspectives were when re-envisionin...

In Ep. 24 of the Alosant Innovator Series, April is joined by Jennifer Cooper, Founder of Evolution Marketing and Fractional CMO. Jennifer fell in love with the home building industry as a teenage, obsessed with interior design. Purchasing a home being a major decision, she finds great joy in being a part of that journey with people. Jennifer partners with top home builders in the country as a Fra...

In the 23rd episode of the Alosant Innovator Series, April speaks with  Craig Collin , President and COO of  Tavistock Development Company .  Craig firmly believes that he and his team are curating not just homes, but communities and lifestyles for their residents to assimilate to.  In the episode Craig speaks to housing affordability macro trends and the exponentially expanding technological adva...

In the 22nd episode of the Alosant Innovators Series, April speaks with Lita Dirks of Lita Dirks & Co.  Lita is an interior designer passionate about creating positive emotions with potential homebuyers, and creating a deep desire to live there. That is what Lita Dirks & Co. has been doing successfully for more than 25 years. They discuss design, marketing, branding, and merchandising prin...

In the 21st episode of the Alosant Innovators Series, April LaMon speaks with Jenna Louie, Chief Innovation and Strategy Officer at Ivory Innovations. Ivory Innovations seeks to promote the most compelling ideas in housing affordability by working across sectors, providing monetary awards for groundbreaking innovations and leveraging its network and resources. The organization seeks to find and bo...

Episode 20 of the Alosant Innovator Series features a conversation between host April LaMon and Jane Arthur-Roslovic, CEO, Co-Founder at  Treplus Communities . Based in Columbus Ohio, Treplus Communities offers newly-evolving living options to active adults. Jane describes how, often, their residents have owned their own homes for decades, and cash in the equity they’ve built to downsize. She shar...