Real Estate Chicago Style Podcast

Joe Smazal sits down with Kenny and Michael Motew of MO2 Properties — two brothers who've quietly built one of Chicago's most active middle-market multifamily operations to ~850 units across ~80 buildings, while staying relentlessly hands-on. They get into how the business has evolved from six-flat walk-up rehabs into ground-up new construction and adaptive reuse (office-to-resi, a church conversi...

Joe Smazal sits down with Barry Misner (CEO, Misner Group) and Larry Goldwasser (Executive VP, CBRE) inside a brand-new industrial building in Chicago's Union Stockyards — the geographic center of the city and one of the most constrained, high-barrier industrial submarkets in the country. Barry leads a third-generation, 81-year-old development firm with over 750 projects and $3B+ in completed work...

Matt Garrison and Zach Cupkovic, co-founders of R2 Companies, sit down with host Joe Smazal for a rare and wide-ranging conversation about how they built one of Chicago's most iconic real estate portfolios: from student housing at Purdue during the financial crisis to the Salt Shed, the Chicago Board of Trade, and a growing loft office empire acquired at reset basis while everyone else was running...

We interview Tom Liravongsa, aka "The Skyscraper Guy," for an exclusive behind-the-scenes conversation inside the iconic Pittsfield Building — one of Chicago's most storied and historically troubled skyscrapers. In this episode, Tom breaks down how he acquired a 40-story, nearly 500,000 sq ft Chicago landmark for just $7.5 million — and why no one else had the vision (or nerve) to do it. He walks...

The 2026 Edgewater Uptown Builders Association (EUBA) annual forecast brought together four Chicago real estate insiders spanning across development, property management, leasing, and sales, for a candid conversation about where the market is headed — and why Chicago might finally be having its moment. Key takeaways: No supply = rent growth. Downtown delivered just 145 units in 2025. Class A rents...

In this episode of Real Estate Chicago Style, host Joe Smazal sits down with two powerhouses: Adam Friedberg, CEO of Mavrek, and Matt Wilke, Managing Partner of LG Group. Together, these two firms represent over $3.5 billion in real estate value and thousands of residential units. Instead of the "old guard" secrets and cut-throat competition, Adam and Matt discuss a new era of transparency and col...

In this episode of Real Estate Chicago Style, host Joe Smazal sits down with Chicago residential heavyweight Jeff Lowe of the Lowe Group at Compass, on location in a 3,000 sq ft authentic loft conversion in the West Loop. With nearly $5 billion in career sales volume, Jeff breaks down how he built one of the most productive residential practices in the city, why he still genuinely enjoys the grind...

YouTube Description: Join host Joe Smazal for an insider's look at Chicago's high-end retail real estate with Elan Rasansky, partner at Canvas Real Estate. Discover how a boutique brokerage competes with national giants like CBRE and JLL while representing the world's top luxury brands and restaurant groups. In this episode, Elan reveals: How Canvas built relationships with brands like Sweet Green...

In this episode of Real Estate Chicago Style, host Joe Smazal sits down with Nate Ernst, founder and principal of Envoi Partners, to discuss his journey from acquiring distressed properties in the wake of the Great Financial Crisis to developing over 520 residential units in Chicago's Loop. Nate shares the story behind founding Ernst Development Company post-2008, where he acquired and repositione...

Join us for an insightful conversation with Regina Stilp, founding principal of Farpoint Development, one of Chicago's most innovative real estate development firms. Since co-founding Farpoint in 2016, Regina has spearheaded development projects totaling $4.9 billion across the Midwest and Southeast, including transformative Chicago landmarks. In This Episode: Regina shares her journey from travel...

Join host Joe Smazal for an in-depth conversation with Collette English Dixon, Executive Director of the Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate at Roosevelt University and the first African American woman to lead a higher education real estate program in the US. In this episode, Colette shares her remarkable journey from accidentally stumbling into real estate at a college job fair to becoming...

In this episode, we sit down with Tom Sitz and Cody Huntertmark from Cushman & Wakefield, one of the world's largest commercial real estate services firms, to dive deep into their professional journeys and get an insider's look at high-stakes commercial real estate. What We Cover: How Tom and Cody built their careers and landed at a top-tier commercial real estate firm. The unique challenges a...

Join host Joe Smazal for an entertaining and insightful conversation with Ron Abrams, owner of Silver Property Group and one of Chicago's most successful multifamily investors. With over 25 years in real estate and 30+ years as an attorney, Ron has built an impressive portfolio of 1,500+ units across 120+ buildings throughout Chicago's north and northwest sides. What You'll Learn: How Ron transiti...

Join us for a conversation with Ben Firestone, CEO and Co-Founder of Blueprint Healthcare Real Estate Advisors, the leading advisory firm exclusively focused on Senior Housing and Healthcare real estate as he takes us from his beginnings at Marcus & Millichap to founding his own firm with $15B sold. Since founding Blueprint in 2013, Ben has driven the company's rapid growth and innovative appr...

Join us for an exclusive conversation with Jonathan Gordon, Founder and CEO of The Neighborhood Hotel, a growing boutique hospitality brand rooted in community, comfort, and character. In this episode, Jonathan shares: The inspiration behind launching The Neighborhood Hotel in 2020. How he merges historic architecture with contemporary design across Chicago neighborhoods—Lincoln Park, Little Italy...

Join us for an inspiring conversation with Matt Laricy, Chicago’s TOP real estate broker and managing partner of Americorp Real Estate. A third-generation realtor and lifelong Chicagoan, Matt has built a reputation for his deep knowledge of the city’s neighborhoods, relentless work ethic, and commitment to professionalism. In this episode, we dive into the lost art of professionalism and determina...

Join us for an exclusive interview with Kevin Werner, CEO and Co-Founder of Renovo Financial, as we dive deep into the incredible growth story of one of the nation's fastest growing rehab and construction lenders. Kevin, recently named CEO of the Year by the National Private Lenders Association, shares insights on how Renovo has expanded from a Chicago-based startup founded in 2011 to a national p...

Join us for an engaging conversation with Matt Pistorio, founder of Madison Rose, a dynamic Chicago-based real estate firm revolutionizing agency leasing. Discover how Madison Rose has breathed new life into commercial properties, earning accolades like the 2018 NAIOP Chicago Award for Excellence for a landmark Walgreens lease at the Old Post Office. Matt shares insights on navigating the evolving...

Our podcast with Sal Becovic, President of Becovic Management Group, is packed with value for the aspiring real estate investor who wants to build a legacy focused on service. Becovic is a family-owned real estate firm with deep roots in Chicago's North Side. Since taking the helm in 2003, Sal has expanded the company's portfolio from 400 to over 2,000 units, emphasizing community investment and s...

Today's guest Shane Rachman is leading one of the fastest growing new real estate brands that bridges the gap between property management and high-speed lease-ups. Cross-streets goal is to add value at every step of the multi-family process, from design and branding, to leasing with a high-level of service. His old school approach is more person-to-person rather than relying on automation. In this...

Gabe Horstick is Founder and CEO of Base 3 (Real Estate Development Group), which was formed in 2021. Gabe Horstick has been passionate about real estate since acquiring his first building at just 23 years old. He founded Campbell Street Asset Management in 2008 and later established Base 3 Development, which now owns and manages 650+ multifamily units. Over the years, Gabe has successfully develo...

Mike Zucker spent his early days brokering apartments to make rent, But he slowly came to the realization that by starting his own property management company (an unpopular decision) and combining his ability to develop investor relationships, he was able to scale his business to managing over 10,000 units.  Now Peak manages some of Chicago's largest residential buildings, and has scaled to over 2...

TJ Rubin has established one of Chicago's top residential brokerage firms, with an emphasis on multifamily apartment complexes: Fulton Grace. Over the years he has grown the team and earned numerous accolades on INC and Chicago Crain's Fast 50, among others. Tooday we talk about his journey from litigation attorney to finding his true passion in creating relationships with investors, developing ne...

AJ Patton tells his incredible story of leaving the 9 to 5 to start his own solar and development company, along the way he has lead large corporations like Lowe's and even the state of Illinois on how to impact real change in the most impoverished areas of Chicago

Adam Friedberg comes from a real estate upbringing but his success is largely self taught. Taking his own risks, and being involved with every step of the development process. Now his company Mavrek is developing downtown high-rises where others are sitting on the sidelines.