Jamie Russo and Giovanni Palavacini

Flex Uncensored - A Coworking Podcast

Business EN ↓ 197 episodes

Giovanni Palavacini and Jamie Russo have partnered to ask industry leaders the questions that are on your mind. Giovanni Palavacini is a Real Estate Strategist focused on helping operators, landlords, and investors to make wise coworking/flexible office decisions using a combination of science and art. Jamie Russo was a coworking space owner/operator for 8 years, Executive Director of the GWA, the industry association, for 5 years, and has spent the last few years helping operators start and run profitable coworking businesses.

Author

Jamie Russo and Giovanni Palavacini

Episodes

47. Making Coworking Work in Hotels - Ian Minor Figured it Out 04.04.2023 1:00:51

Ian Minor leveraged his deep hospitality background and his passion for innovation to lead the team that brought the coworking concept working from_ to the Hoxton Hotels. The Hoxton Hotels Delightful experiences. Gorgeous, buzzy lobbies. On-point F&B. Community-engaged. The hotel/coworking model is VERY compelling for those that want more than a desk and a chair inside of four sound-proofed...

46. The COO of Asset Services at Madison Marquette on Owning Commercial Office Assets in 2023 28.03.2023 44:00

Fernando Vasquez is the Chief Operating Officer - Asset Services at Madison Marquette. He talks about what it's like to oversee a portfolio of real estate assets that includes office…when the demand for commercial office space is so in flux. He talks about the flight to quality and location like what we've seen with retail…and how flexible office will become an important component of office...

45. Stasha Anderson on how JLL is Helping Landlords get more Flexible 21.03.2023 51:42

Stasha Anderson got hooked on real estate during her undergrad studies in Madison, WI. It was just kind of a calling for her. What started out as a role to help brokers learn how to incorporate flex into their client solutions evolved into a role helping investors integrate flexible office solutions into key assets. In this episode we talk about: Minimum "efficiency" to make the model work The...

44. What Landlord Partnerships look like for Australia's Largest Coworking Brand 14.03.2023 59:35

John Preece is the Chief Property Officer at Hub Australia, Australia's largest national coworking operator. We talk about: How Hub Australia partners with landlords How each each location is designed to fit the local market The launch of "Hub local" which is an answer to post-COVID preferences to "work near home." Hub's focus on staying at the top of Australia's Best Places to Work list John's pr...

43. Ryan Simonetti, CEO of Convene, on Activating Buildings for Landlords 07.03.2023 51:53

Ryan Simonetti is the CEO and co-founder of Convene. Convene is a leading hospitality company founded off the simple question: "What if you ran an office building like a hotel?" Convene's model is more relevant than ever in a post-COVID world…I think it's interesting to focus on how they are serving today's modern landlord. We talked with Ryan about Convene's recovery from the pandemic. How...

42. How a Property Manager Evolved into a Coworking Community Manager Focused on Brand & Hospitality 28.02.2023 52:13

Katie Vaughan wears a lot of hats, as most Community Managers do. She also runs a super lean team that manages 66,000 square feet of memberships, events, and a cafe. Enterprise Coworking is the Coworking/flexible office arm of the parent company Focus Property Group. In this episode, we talk about: Transitioning from the role of property manager to Community Manager Giving Enterprise a brand and...

41. Resilience and Community: How Coworking Helped Jillian Brown Overcome Personal Trauma 21.02.2023 51:19

Jillian Brown, the Director of Global Occupier Business Development at Avison Young, is driven by her early experience in coworking and her passion for helping occupiers find the right real estate solutions for their people. Her role at Avison Young prioritizes people over place, and she works with both occupiers and owners to integrate flexible office and amenity solutions into their portfolio...

40. From Design to Hospitality: How Root Coworking is Thriving in Tulsa 14.02.2023 56:43

Ben Von Drehle is the mastermind behind Tulsa's premier Coworking brand Root Coworking…although he gives most of the credit to his amazing community management team, including his wife, who is beloved for her sense of humor. Ben worked on an early WeWork deal as a tenant rep broker in Denver and couldn't stop thinking about how much he lived the business model. Under his leadership, Root Coworking...

39. James Rankin on The Flex Supply Gap and The Need for Industry Data to Drive Investment 07.02.2023 51:58

James Rankin is the Head of Research and Insight at the Instant Group. They have arguably the richest data set in the flex industry, sourced from transaction data and primary research. They recently released their annual Flex Industry Survey. James talks about some of the findings and his broader insights into the flex industry. The pace of landlord investment into flex The challenge with capital...

38. How Brick House Blue is Killing it With Their Meetings & Events Business and Hospitality Mindset 31.01.2023 53:15

Cid Rhomberg is co-founder and Chief Experience Officer for Brick House Blue, in Dublin, OH. Brickhouse is setting the industry standard for how to run a post-COVID meeting and events business along with coworking. Cid started Brick House Blue to solve a personal challenge - she wanted a professional, inspiring, hospitality-focused, local spot to host her team offsites for Fortune 500 companies l...

37. Stormy McBride previews GCUC 2023 in Chicago 24.01.2023 51:15

Stormy McBride is the Director of Operations for GCUC. GCUC hosts live events around the world. Rumor has it they might get back to Australia this year! She gives us the BTS on: What it's like to host an event at Convene The speakers she's most looking forward to at the event What this year's content tracks will look like The insights she's picking up as she talks to GCUC constituents Resources...

36. Kurt Patrick and Faye Stutts on whether 2023 is "The Year of the Landlord" for the Flex Industry 17.01.2023 57:45

Gio talks Kurt Patrick, flex office software and IT expert and Faye Stutts, flex office operations and sales expert, into a last-minute discussion on what 2023 looks like for the Flex Industry. Spoiler alert: the general consensus is that 2023 will be the year of the landlord…with some risk to that prediction because most landlords are still moving cautiously in the direction of flex. Resourc...

35. Gio and Jamie do a Look Back on 2022 and a Preview into the Flex Office Industry in 2023 10.01.2023 41:01

Make sure to listen to the end where Gio prompts us to share our personal and professional achievements for 2022. Spoiler alert…Gio's are MUCH more compelling than mine. In this episode we cover: Why Gio is doing a "75 days hard" program 2022 Flex Office industry themes that will extend to 2023 Office vacancy levels in key markets and what that means for flex Closures and acquisitions and what we'...

34. David Kinnaird, Chief Customer Officer at essensys on the User Experience in a "Lit Up" Building 03.01.2023 56:17

Connect with Giovanni on LinkedIn Find Jamie on the Everything Coworking Podcast Resources Mentioned in this Podcast: David Kinnaird on LinkedIn Essensys website David Kinnaird is the Cheif Customer Officer at essensys. He has a rich history in the serviced office/flex industry and shares some great stories that give us a sense of what IT looked like not that long ago before platforms like e...

33. Best of 2022: Grant Barnhill on the Power of Hospitality in Coworking 27.12.2022 58:10

Connect with Giovanni on LinkedIn Find Jamie on the Everything Coworking Podcast Resources Mentioned in this Podcast: Grant Barhnhill on LI Shift Workspaces I have been enamored by the Shift's approach to hospitality since I first toured their first location many years ago. They are doing something different that has become even more compelling post-COVID. They are extremely intentional about th...

32. Ray Titus, CEO Of United Franchise Group On Growing A Portfolio Of Coworking Brand Flags 20.12.2022 1:01:22

Connect with Giovanni on LinkedIn Find Jamie on the Everything Coworking Podcast Resources Mentioned in this Podcast: Ray Titus on LinkedIn Venture X website United Franchise Group website Ray Titus is the founder and CEO of United Franchise Group - they have 10 brands, 1600 franchisees in 80 countries…including Venture X and Office Evolution. The combined two brands, with more than 130 location...

31. Tammy Smith, Flex Industry Veteran, on Why Coworking Spaces Should List on CoStar 13.12.2022 42:28

Connect with Giovanni on LinkedIn Find Jamie on the Everything Coworking Podcast Resources Mentioned in this Podcast: Tammy Smith on LI Tammy's email address: tsmith5@costar.com CoStar Group Tammy Smith "gets" coworking operators and their lead-gen approaches because she was a General Manager for Regus. One of her favorite aspects of her role at CoStar is helping operators optimize their listing...

30. Sari Lash on the Interplay of Cutlure and Brand in 25N's Coworking Business 06.12.2022 49:57

Connect with Giovanni on LinkedIn Find Jamie on the Everything Coworking Podcast Resources Mentioned in this Podcast: Sari Lash on LI 25N Coworking website

29. What Happens When You Cross A Community-Focused Former Pastor With A Passionate Real Estate Developer? FUSE! 29.11.2022 1:00:08

Connect with Giovanni on LinkedIn Find Jamie on the Everything Coworking Podcast Resources Mentioned in this Podcast: Mike Daugherty on LI John Herring on LI FUSE Workspace website DPG Partners website What happens when you cross a community-focused former pastor with a passionate real estate developer? You get the perfect mix of leadership and energy to grow a thriving coworking space! Mike...

28. Industrious - From Your Apartment Building to Equinox to Penn One - Wherever YOU want to Work 22.11.2022 1:04:31

Connect with Giovanni on LinkedIn Find Jamie on the Everything Coworking Podcast

27. The Game Changing Platform that Helps Brokers get Real Time Access to Flex Office Inventory 15.11.2022 56:24

Connect with Giovanni on LinkedIn Find Jamie on the Everything Coworking Podcast Resources Mentioned in this Podcast: Francesco De Camilli on LI Valve Guest host Charlie Morrison and I sat down with Francesco Di Cammilli, GM of Valve for the US. Valve is the Global Distribution System for the flex office market. Valve is the one-stop for brokers to get access to real-time flex inventory in a m...

26. CoStar Writer Candace Carlisle on Commercial Real Estate's Flight to Quality….of Life 08.11.2022 1:01:35

Connect with Giovanni on LinkedIn Find Jamie on the Everything Coworking Podcast Resources Mentioned in this Podcast: Candace Carlisle on LI CoStar Candace Carlisle is a Dallas-Fort Worth real estate writer covering North Texas' corporate relocations, major billion-dollar developments and big-time, headline-stealing real estate deals. We talk about: JP Morgan's multi-billion dollar office projec...

25. Anytime Mailbox Solves Coworking Customer Pain Point with Self-Serve Shipping Kiosk 01.11.2022 50:40

Connect with Giovanni on LinkedIn Find Jamie on the Everything Coworking Podcast Resources Mentioned in this Podcast: Matt Going on LI Anytime Mailbox Anytime Mailbox already solves mail management for coworking space operators…and brings them mailing address customers through their significant lead generation efforts. Now Anytime has launched an outbound mail/shipping solution that operators...

24. How Alidade Partners Uses Data To Help Occupiers And Asset Owners Optimize Their Real Estate 25.10.2022 56:39

Connect with Giovanni on LinkedIn Find Jamie on the Everything Coworking Podcast Resources Mentioned in this Podcast: Brandon Madeiros on LI Alidade Partners Commercial real estate ocupiers today are looking to optimize their real estate spend. They want the right amount, the right type, in the right place. They also want to be able to flex up and down as necessary to accommodate special proje...

23. Ben Wright Leveraging Data to Help Operators Find Their Next Location 18.10.2022 1:12:01

Connect with Giovanni on LinkedIn Find Jamie on the Everything Coworking Podcast