Opportunity Zones Podcast

What are the five most impactful changes in the final IRS regulations on Opportunity Zones? And what’s the true story behind the Opportunity Zone designation in Storey County, NV? Daniel Kowalski is counselor to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and led the Treasury Department’s efforts in issuing regulations on Qualified Opportunity Funds. Show notes and transcript on OpportunityDb.com

What types of foreign investors may be ideal candidates for Opportunity Zone investing? And is there an opportunity for OZ fund sponsors to raise capital overseas? Stephen Christiano is an associate tax director of Frank Hirth's business tax group, specializing in U.S. business taxation and Opportunity Zones. Show notes and transcript on OpportunityDb.com

What is a Community Development Financial Institution, or CDFI? And how can Opportunity Zone fund sponsors, real estate developers, and QOZB business owners leverage their local CDFIs as a capital raising resource? Ruben Alonso is president of AltCap, a CDFI headquartered in Kansas City. Emily Lecuyer is managing director of Equity Squared, a subsidiary of AltCap. Show notes and transcript on Oppo...

Final regulations on Opportunity Zones have been issued by the IRS. What are the most meaningful changes and additions to be aware of? Tony Nitti is an Aspen-based real estate tax law expert, CPA, and tax services partner at RubinBrown. He serves on the editorial advisory board for The Tax Adviser. He’s also a regular contributor at Forbes.com, where his latest article breaks down Opportunity Zone...

Does the climate change mitigation industry pose a huge OZ business opportunity? Jack Sullivan is founder and CEO of RedCarbon, a Qualified Opportunity Zone Business that focuses on carbon sequestration technologies and processes. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

How did Origin Investments line up over $100 million for their Opportunity Zone fund in less than 24 hours? And what are some of the biggest challenges and complexities of managing an OZ fund? Michael Episcope is co-founder and principal of Origin Investments, a private equity real estate firm founded in 2007. Show notes and transcript at OpportunityDb.com

Are Opportunity Zone funds living up to the spirit and intent of the initiative? And how should social impact reporting be conducted? Greg Genovese is president of Sound West Realty Capital, a real estate development group based in the Seattle area. Steve Sego is president of the Waterman Group, a community redevelopment, investment, and mitigation company. Show notes and transcript on Opportunity...

How can different real estate tax credits (New Markets, Low Income Housing, Renewable Energy, and Historic) be paired with the Opportunity Zones tax incentive? This is Part 2 of my two-part conversation with Michael Novogradac. Michael Novogradac is managing partner of Novogradac, a top 50 accounting firm and thought leader in the Opportunity Zone industry. Show notes and transcript on Opportunity...

Are Opportunity Zone funds having success raising enough capital? Will capital raising reach federal government estimates? Find out why one prominent tax accountant thinks so. This is Part 1 of my two-part conversation with Michael Novogradac. Michael Novogradac is managing partner of Novogradac, a top 50 accounting firm and thought leader in the Opportunity Zone industry. Show notes and transcrip...

What are some of the biggest misconceptions and inconsistencies surrounding the Opportunity Zone tax incentive? Bob Richardson is managing partner of Blue Cardinal Capital, a real estate private equity firm with Opportunity Zone projects in upstate New York. Show notes and transcript at OpportunityDb.com

Can an Opportunity Zone marketplace connect communities, OZ project sponsors, and investors to advance capital deployment and community impact? Peter Truog is founder of The Opportunity Exchange — a marketplace that connects impactful Opportunity Zone projects to capital sources. Also joining today’s podcast episode from The Opportunity Exchange are Leo Peña and Ayat Amin. Show notes and transcrip...

For business owners, what are some tips for approaching investors and raising Opportunity Zone capital? Len Mills is CEO of Verte OZ, a venture capital Opportunity Zone fund launched in September 2019 that invests in high-growth disruptive businesses. Show notes and transcript at OpportunityDb.com

Are you considering starting your own Qualified Opportunity Zone Business or converting an existing business into a QOZB? Or perhaps you need a QOZB for your Qualified Opportunity Fund? This episode is for you. What are the most important considerations when structuring your entity, and what are some best practices for regulatory compliance? Opportunity Zones Podcast host Jimmy Atkinson and OZ Con...

How can you form your own Opportunity Zone fund? What are the most important considerations when structuring your entity, and what are some best practices for regulatory compliance? Opportunity Zones Podcast host Jimmy Atkinson and OZ Consultants CEO Ashley Tison have teamed up to create OZ Pros, a document generation tool for quick and easy OZ fund and OZ business formation. Show notes and transc...

Philanthropic capital will be crucial to achieving large-scale success in Opportunity Zones nationwide. So why has the philanthropic community's response been tepid thus far? John Lettieri is co-founder, president, and CEO of the Economic Innovation Group (EIG), a Washington DC-based policy group that helped create the Opportunity Zone tax policy. Show notes and transcript at OpportunityDb.com

How can Opportunity Zones ignite a place-based economic development revolution in one of the nation's poorest states? Alex Flachsbart is president and CEO of Opportunity Alabama, the nation's first nonprofit organization to create a marketplace for Opportunity Zone investment in a particular state. Show notes and transcript at OpportunityDb.com

It's been nearly six months since the IRS issued its second tranche of regulatory guidance on Qualified Opportunity Funds. How are business Opportunity Zone funds proceeding? Brian Phillips is managing partner of The Pearl Fund, the first Opportunity Zone fund to focus exclusively on business, using a venture capital model. Show notes and transcript on OpportunityDb.com

Erie, Pennsylvania is home to the nation's poorest ZIP code, and the nation's first organization dedicated to promoting a municipality's Opportunity Zones.  Erie Downtown Development Corporation is led by CEO John Persinger and VP for finance and development Matt Wachter. Show notes and transcript on OpportunityDb.com

You've got Opportunity Zone questions. We've got Opportunity Zone answers. This is the inaugural edition of Opportunity Zones Podcast Listener Questions. Today's listener questions deal with options for existing Opportunity Zone property owners, incentives for Opportunity Zone businesses, and more. If you'd like to submit your own question or comment, leave a voicemail on the Opportunity Zones Pod...

What are some best practices for packaging an Opportunity Zone real estate deal and raising capital from investors? What are some examples of good deals and bad deals? Gabriel Fernandez is a real estate investment manager in Brooklyn, NY. Show notes and transcript on OpportunityDb.com

Is there a big problem with the Opportunity Zones program? Thomas Morgan is a real estate developer, broker, and investor who specializes in impact investing and 1031 exchange strategies. On today's episode, we discuss the recent New York Times article and the challenges of raising Opportunity Zone capital for projects in blighted locations. Show notes and transcript on OpportunityDb.com

Is the development of owner occupied housing on a massive scale achievable in blighted Opportunity Zone neighborhoods? First, you have to shock the system. Daniel Edwards and Ebony Edwards are founders of Kansas City-based Opportunity Zone development firm NeighborBuilt. Show notes and transcript on OpportunityDb.com

How can real estate and a unique entertainment product combine into a Qualified Opportunity Zone Business to deliver long-lasting social impact and job creation? Todd Perlmutter is CEO of Hotbed Entertainment Group. He previously spent 19 years at Blue Man Group as senior music director. Seth Dunlap is HEG's real estate and portfolio manager. Show notes and transcript on OpportunityDb

How can agribusiness capitalize on the Opportunity Zones program? Chris Rawley is founder and CEO of Fort Worth, TX-based Harvest Returns, an investment firm that facilitates capital raises for small- to medium-sized farmers. They launched the Sustainable Agriculture Opportunity Zone Fund earlier this summer. Show notes and transcript on OpportunityDb.com

Can Opportunity Zones be leveraged for biorefinery development and renewable fuel production? Nick Andrews is founder and CEO of Scottsdale, AZ-based USA BioEnergy, a multi-disciplinary company with experience in real estate development and renewable diesel biofuel production. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com