Fully Occupied

Eryn Bassett , President of Intelica, and Todd Kohlbecker , SVP of Occupier Services at Intelica, share how effective lease administration becomes a strategic advantage as companies scale their real estate portfolios. Eryn, Todd, and Matt explore why spreadsheets and reactive processes fall short, how missed renewal dates can result in costly mistakes, and why a customized, tech-enabled approach t...

Robert Kluger , Chief Development Officer at Kura Sushi , joins Matt to share the story behind Kura Sushi, a revolving sushi bar restaurant originating from Japan. He discusses how Kura Sushi leverages technology, such as revolving sushi belts and drink robots, to enhance labor efficiency and create unforgettable customer experiences. Robert, who has held leadership roles at industry giants like P...

Akash Kapoor , Founder and CEO of Curry Up Now and Mortar & Pestle Bar, shares his journey from turning a single food truck into a rapidly expanding global franchise. Akash discusses the challenges of scaling, lessons learned in franchising, and his vision for the future of fast-casual dining. Tune in for insights into the evolution of a brand blending bold flavors with innovative growth strat...

Kendall Whitaker from Zucker Investment Group (ZIG) dives into the vital role of real estate development and growth equity in the QSR space. Kendall explores the significance of location selection, the rise of modular build-out concepts, and effective capital structures for syndicating deals with investors. He shares ZIG’s approach to partnering with QSR operators, offering strategic support that...

Mike LaRue is the VP of Franchise Development at Angry Chickz and a seasoned expert in the franchise space, particularly in the emerging brands sector. He joins Matt to share how emerging brands can strategically scale in a competitive market, the importance of storytelling in building a brand, and the 3 key considerations for successful brand development.

Dan Rowe is the Founder and CEO of Fransmart, one of the largest restaurant franchise development firms in the world. Fransmart specializes in finding the next big thing at the earliest stages and has sold over 5,000 franchises worldwide. He joins Matt to share his extensive experience in the franchise world, discussing the strategies for identifying and developing successful restaurant brands. Da...

Eddie Gonzalez is the Designated Broker at CRE8 Advisors and a seasoned expert in the retail brokerage industry. Eddie shares his journey from the hospitality sector to becoming a trusted name in Phoenix's competitive retail real estate market. He reveals how his background in hospitality has shaped his client-centric approach, emphasizing the importance of exceptional customer service and per...

Julie Whelan , Global Head of Occupier Thought Leadership at CBRE, dives into CBRE's recent report on " Shaping Tomorrow's Cities ". She discusses the future of American cities and the impact of remote work on the office market. She emphasizes the need for cities to transform into vibrant mixed-use environments that offer more than just office space. The report also highlights th...

Edie Weintraub advises new + established retail, hospitality, and restaurant brands on their real estate growth strategy. Edie joins Matt to chat about the idea of *Local First Retail Real Estate Strategies* to integrate your brand into the fabric of the local community. Tune in to gain insights into how Edie supports local retailers, beauty shops, and restaurant tenants with their location expans...

Auren Hoffman , CEO of SafeGraph discusses the challenges of data matching and the solution provided by Placekey . He also explores the impact of AI and LLMs on data availability and pricing. Tune in to learn about the benefits of seamlessly joining disparate datasets.

Pepper Lunch is a fast-casual Japanese hot plate concept that originated in Tokyo, Japan, and is poised for explosive growth in North America over the coming years. Troy Hooper , CEO, and Dana Hathaitham , Director of Real Estate & Development, share their rapid expansion strategy involving both corporate and multi-unit franchise deals in the United States market. They discuss all the consider...

Shawn Walchef is the owner of Cali BBQ and Cali BBQ Media . He discusses the early challenges he faced as a restaurant owner, how he learned to use the internet and social media to his advantage, and shares his insights on building a successful restaurant brand in the digital age. Shawn emphasizes the importance of leveraging technology and storytelling to market a business effectively and the nee...

Solomon Choi is a seasoned F&B entrepreneur, investor, and advisor with over 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry. He is the founder of 16 Handles and Greeno Products and is currently the CEO of Jabba Brands . Solomon joins Matt to discuss the importance of product-market fit and understanding consumer preferences, the challenges and opportunities in the restaurant space, and the...

Stephanie Cegielski , Vice President of Research and Public Relations at ICSC , joins Matt to discuss the trends defining the future of retail and retail real estate. She highlights the importance of brick-and-mortar stores and the synergy between online and physical retail. ICSC declares 2024 as the Year of the Store , as consumers continue to value the in-store experience. Make sure to register...

Paul Tran is a seasoned entrepreneur with a history of founding, scaling, and selling successful restaurants and franchisees, including the largest franchisee of The Halal Guys. He shares his experiences with growing a portfolio of franchise sites and advice on what aspiring franchisees should look for. Tune in for Paul's insights on how to build a successful franchise empire and restaurant br...

Ben Berman , President of BermanCRE , joins Matt to talk about the current state of the leasing market. He discusses opportunities in the retail and industrial markets, the impact of COVID-19 on the industry, and the disconnect between capital markets and the leasing market. Tune in for his advice on how landlords bolster their portfolios to withstand unstable economic conditions.

Robert Cartwright , Head of Global Hospitality at Fidelity Investments , discusses the implementation of hospitality in the workplace. He joins Matt to share his background in the hotel industry and how he brought his expertise to Fidelity. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, Rob and his team leveraged the situation to redefine the employee experience. Tune in as he shares effective strategies...

Gary Kao is the SVP of Business Development and Operations and on the founding team at Dealpath , a platform with a mission to smooth out the workflows for transactions for institutional owners. He joins  Matt Giffune  to share Dealpath's story, platform capabilities, its evolution over the last 9 years, and what they have in store for the future. Tune in for Gary's predictions on what the...

Meredith Danberg-Ficarelli is the Co-Founder and CEO of WATS (Waste Administration and Tracking Software). She joins Matt to talk about how commercial buildings can improve the way they handle all the waste produced on a daily basis. Meredith shares how she built WATS to help owners and tenants track all of the waste that gets generated through their commercial spaces.

Pickleball has become America's fastest-growing sport, and Ace Pickleball Club is the leader in developing premium indoor pickleball facilities. Chief Growth Officer, Diego Pacheco , joins Matt to talk about their real estate strategy, what they look for in deals, and how they're developing over 50 franchises across the United States. Tune in to learn more about the trending sport and how...

Ethan Chernofsky is the SVP of Marketing at Placer.ai , a foot traffic analytics platform for anyone with a stake in the physical world. Ethan joins Matt to discuss how retailers and retail investors can use analytics and data to make better decisions for not only store locations, but how they connect with their audiences. The trends he's seeing at Placer line up with what we're seeing her...

Dillon Okner is a Co-Founder of SiteRise , a platform that helps companies, especially emerging retail brands, centralize their entire process for site selection and build out door opening for retail stores. Dillon has over 15 years of experience building out in-house software to help brands like Apple and Tesla expand their initial retail presence. He joins Matt to talk about some of the key chal...

Brandon Peterson is the CEO & Founder of Geokey , a mobile access control platform that has revolutionized the way multi-family apartment communities manage and secure their access points. He joins Matt to share how Geokey can help developers, investors, and property managers increase NOI and operational efficiency.

Kristina Tipton is the Director of Market Research at Near , a global, full-stack data intelligence platform that curates one of the world's largest sources of intelligence on people and places. Kristina joins Matt to share trends and findings from a recent CRE report. To understand the emerging trends in shopping centers, Near analyzed consumer behavior data for malls across the US. Tune in f...

Len Dugow is the Founder and CEO of DASH , a revolutionary PropTech platform that provides a one-stop solution for a licensed residential real estate agent’s marketing needs. He shares how his career as an executive branding and marketing luxury residential platforms led him to realize that there's a better way to share content about residential properties with brokers, agents, and developers....