Opportunity Zones Podcast

Opportunity Zone reform legislation introduced in April 2022 failed to pass before the end of last year. But extending and improving the tax policy remains a priority for the industry and key supporters in Congress. John Sciarretti, head of the Novogradac Opportunity Zones Working Group, and Peter Lawrence, director of public policy and government relations at Novogradac, join the show to discuss...

This current point in time may offer a great opportunity for real estate investors, despite (or perhaps partly due to) negative investor and consumer sentiment. Mike Hardy, principal and co-founder at Cyrus Capital Management, joins the show to discuss his macroeconomic view of the residential real estate market, and how his Opportunity Zone fund may be poised to take advantage of a generational o...

Last year's economic turbulence posed a challenge to investors as well as real estate fund sponsors raising equity. But amidst the economic headwinds, there have been a few success stories. James Brunger, chief sales officer at Capital Square, joins the show to discuss how his team was able to set new records by raising over $1 billion in equity in 2022. Show notes: https://opportunityzones.com/20...

RIAs and other financial advisors remain an elusive, relatively untapped source of equity for Opportunity Zone deals. Barrett Linburg, founder of Savoy Equity Partners, joins the show to discuss the opportunity for OZ developers and fund sponsors to tap into the RIA market, as well as the opportunity for RIAs to bolster their clients' portfolios with Qualified Opportunity Fund holdings. Show notes...

In this segment from OZ Pitch Day Fall 2022, Ashley Tison from OZ Pros takes live questions from Opportunity Zone investors on a wide range of topics. Show notes: https://opportunityzones.com/2022/11/ashley-tison-242/

In many ways, Opportunity Zones have exceeded initial expectations, roughly four-and-a-half years into the place-based tax policy. To kick off the new year, OpportunityDb founder Jimmy Atkinson recaps the current state of the Opportunity Zone marketplace, and what may lie in store for OZs in 2023. Show notes: https://opportunityzones.com/2023/01/2023-opportunity-zones-241/

How do multi-family offices invest in Opportunity Zones? And as we head to year end, where might OZs head in the future? Zane Beadles, vice president at Mercatus Partners, joins the show to discuss how their private real estate investment company works with multi-family office investors to invest in institutional quality Opportunity Zone developments. Show notes: https://opportunitydb.com/2022/12/...

The vast majority of Opportunity Zone developments are urban. But there are also rural areas taking advantage of the Opportunity Zone tax incentive to raise equity for community projects. Jennifer Whitney, founder of River Queen Holdings, joins the show to discuss one such rural Main Street project that she is working to develop in the gateway community of Bishop, CA. Show notes: https://opportuni...

Perennial crop farms and regenerative agriculture in many ways overlaps with Opportunity Zones, creating a positive financial benefit for investors, as well as a positive environmental impact. Kevin Maher, founder of CrannMor Advisors, joins the show to discuss how his group is utilizing Opportunity Zones to raise equity for their regenerative farming operations in upstate New York. Show notes: ht...

This year has been a turbulent one for investors. But does economic turmoil and fear in the market create a unique opportunity for investors and fund sponsors? Noah Weiss, managing director and COO at Atlas Real Estate Partners, joins the show to discuss why now may be a perfect time to strike on new deals in high quality Opportunity Zone locations. Show notes: https://opportunitydb.com/2022/12/no...

The month of December in 2019, 2020, and 2021 was the strongest equity raising month in each of those years for Opportunity Zone investors. Will 2022 turn out the same? Erik Hayden, founder and CEO of Urban Catalyst, returns to the show to provide a year-end status update on Urban Catalyst and give his thoughts on why December is traditionally the most popular month of the year for investing in Qu...

The economic recession of this year has had impacts across the broad financial markets, including real estate transactions, impacting Opportunity Zone investors. Brett Siglin, partner at Jennings Strouss, joins the show to discuss the impact of the recession on the Opportunity Zones marketplace, and what he expects for 2023. Show notes: https://opportunitydb.com/2022/12/brett-siglin-235/

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 restored and enhanced more than two dozen clean energy tax credits. But how can these tax credits be applied to Opportunity Zone projects? Marc Schultz, partner at Snell & Wilmer, joins the show to provide a visual presentation on how the Inflation Reduction Act may interact with certain OZ projects, particularly those that participate in renewable energy initia...

In October, GTIS Partners hosted their GTIS Investor Day at their headquarters in New York City, which included market insights panels, followed by an Opportunity Zone project tour in New Jersey. Today's podcast episode a recording of that event's Opportunity Zones panel, featuring Jimmy Atkinson from OpportunityDb, Peter Ciganik from GTIS Partners, Joseph Scalio from KPMG, and Kunal Shah from iCa...

Opportunity Zones can be a powerful tool in wealth creation and wealth preservation. The tax benefit has the ability to compound, which not only preserves but creates wealth. Brian Duren, signing director at CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA), joins the show to discuss the Opportunity Zone lifecycle, and the role that the unique tax benefits of OZ investing can play in wealth planning. Show notes: https://o...

In this panel from OZ Pitch Day Fall 2022, Kirk Walton and Gordon Goldie review strategies for performing due diligence on OZ funds.   Show notes: https://opportunitydb.com/2022/11/due-diligence-231/

In this panel from OZ Pitch Day Fall 2022, Paul Saint-Pierre and John Sciarretti discuss current trends in the OZ marketplace and what this means for OZ investors.   Show notes: https://opportunitydb.com/2022/11/investing-trends-230/

In this keynote address from OZ Pitch Day Fall 2022, Shay Hawkins takes a look back at the first few years of the Opportunity Zone program and predicts what may lie ahead.  Show notes: https://opportunitydb.com/2022/11/shay-hawkins-229/

In the wake of the midterm elections, how might the balance of power in the next session of Congress affect Opportunity Zones in 2023 and beyond? Also, potential legislative changes that could form a new "Version 2.0" of Opportunity Zones, and what the OZ industry can do to help its own cause. Alex Bhathal, managing partner at Revitate, and Brett Siglin, partner at Jennings Strouss Law Firm, join...

How can the Opportunity Zone incentive catalyze community impact-oriented investing? Allivate Impact Capital's co-founders, Noelle St. Clair Lentz and Doug Schaeffer, join the show to discuss how investing for impact can catalyze positive community outcomes, and lead to lucrative financial returns for investors. Show notes: https://opportunitydb.com/2022/11/allivate-impact-capital-227/

Register now at OZPitchDay.com. (Plus, get your free bonus guides!) OZ Pitch Day is the biggest online Opportunity Zones event of the year. It's a free, one-day, live event that takes place via Zoom -- Wednesday, November 9th.

Four years into the launch of the first Qualified Opportunity Funds, how have expectations of the tax policy changed? And what types of success have some early adopters had so far? Stephanie Copeland, managing partner at Four Points Funding, joins the show to provide an update on her team's efforts to develop in Opportunity Zone communities in Colorado over the past four years. Show notes: https:/...

The Opportunity Zones tax policy can be utilized as a tool to help revitalize urban neighborhoods. But getting the local communities involved can often be a challenge. Sherri Franklin, founder and CEO of Urban Design Center, and Delores Brown, CEO of Community Economic Development Corporation, join the show to discuss how they are working with investors and local residents to catalyze revitalizati...

Opportunity Zones have raised over $100 billion of capital. But what good is it doing? Blake Christian, CPA and tax partner at HCVT, joins the show to discuss the importance of advocacy on behalf of the Opportunity Zones policy. Show notes: https://opportunitydb.com/2022/10/blake-christian-224/

Four years into the Opportunity Zone program, success stories are abundant. Today's podcast episode is the first in a series of episodes that will highlight stories of true impact that the OZ program has helped to create. Roi Maufas, co-founder and lead designer at MIT Modular, joins the show to share the job creation success story of MIT Modular, a builder of affordable, sustainable housing. Show...