Real Perspectives Podcast

Welcome to today's episode of our podcast, where we are honored to be joined by renowned architect, Bill Leddy . Bill is an accomplished architect with over 30 years of experience designing buildings that integrate sustainability, functionality, and aesthetic beauty. Throughout his career, Bill has worked on a variety of projects ranging from single-family homes to large-scale commercial developme...

Today, we have the pleasure of speaking with Juan Bueno , the Principal and US President of Avison Young. With over two decades of experience in a number of industries before joining the firm, Juan brings a unique perspective to the table, with a deep understanding of how data and technology can transform how we achieve business goals for clients. Juan's disciplined planning and execution have bee...

Today, we are thrilled to have Jenny Bodem, the principal at Within Design , as our guest. Within Design is a firm that specializes in interior design and merchandising for model homes, commercial spaces, and multi-family communities. With over 20 years of experience in the industry, Jenny brings a unique perspective to the table, with a focus on creating spaces that are both functional and beauti...

Today, we have the pleasure of interviewing Laura Tinetti , the Executive Vice President of JLL and Senior Lead of the Retail Team in San Francisco. With over two decades of experience in the retail industry, Laura has a wealth of knowledge and expertise in all aspects of site selection, strategic planning, and store development for some of the nation's leading retailers. Her impressive track reco...

Welcome to today's episode of our podcast! If you're interested in the residential housing industry and the market that has the biggest impact on it, you're in for a treat. Our guest today is Wendy Forsythe , the newly appointed President of California, Nevada, and Hawaii for Compass, Inc. - the largest residential real estate brokerage in the US. With 30 years of experience in the market, Wendy i...

Today on the podcast, I have the pleasure of introducing Sean Burton, the Chief Executive Officer of Los Angeles-based Cityview , one of the leading developers and operators of workforce, attainable and market-rate multifamily properties across several Western U.S. markets. Our conversation focuses on Sean’s leadership of Cityview , strategic goals for the organization, as well as a perspective an...

Innovation in homebuilding is something that many companies have been pursuing recently, but Mountain View-based Aro Homes is taking a truly new approach. The company is focusing on in-fill construction and development opportunities, and the homes are going to be carbon-negative and sustainably built. How they’ll get there is what Carl Gish , the company’s co-founder and co-CEO is here to tell us....

Today, we want to introduce you to Codi , and its founder & CEO, Christelle Rohaut .  Codi , like so many other startup firms, is looking to transform its industry, and in this case the commercial real estate industry. The business is here to help provide flexible office space solutions for any size company and any type of configuration, and it will even work with you if you want to share your...

Today's episode provides a departure from our typical interview format and takes us to a commercial real estate event that The Registry hosted in San Francisco on February 16, 2023. At this event, we featured a commercial broker panel, followed by a developer and landlord panel that went into a comprehensive analysis of the state of the commercial real estate market in San Francisco during the fir...

Today, I have an opportunity to interview Scott Gebicke, the CEO of Mighty Buildings , who is looking to transform how homes are designed and constructed across the world. His mission is to bring a 3-D printed process that is sustainable, fast and ready for the effects of climate change that we are likely to experience over the next few decades and beyond. His company is also looking to bring this...

Rochelle Mills is the President and CEO of Innovative Housing Opportunities , a high-quality affordable housing provider and developer that has been growing across Southern California with an approach to make their communities indistinguishable from market rate properties, where residents can thrive, develop healthy habits, and achieve success and stability. IHO was formed in 1976 to help business...

For the last 15 years, Michael Iino has been on the frontlines of a real estate market in Northern California that has undergone one of the most dramatic transformations of any market in the US and perhaps even globally. Starting his commercial real estate career in San Francisco’s famed The CAC Group, Michael honed his skills there alongside some of the best brokers in the industry. When CBRE pur...

Today’s podcast conversation takes us into Southern California, where we meet up with Birtcher Development’s Brandy Birtcher, who is the CEO of the development company, and his daughter, Brooke Birtcher Gustafson, a managing director at the firm and the next generation of the family expecting to take over the leadership at the company. The family’s history in many ways is tied to the history of th...

There are few people in California that understand affordable housing more intimately than our next guest. Noni Ramos is the Chief Executive Officer of Housing Trust Silicon Valley , a CDFI or Community Development Financial Institution, which helps fund affordable housing development across the greater Bay Area.  Her organization has invested over half a billion dollars in affordable housing sinc...

We’re here today to speak with Justin Draplin, the founder the CEO of South Carolina-based Eclipse Cottages . This firm has brought to the market one of the most interesting prefabricated products, and Justin’s vision goes beyond ADUs and granny units that people can build on their lots. Eclipse is making one of the most sustainable cottages in the industry, which includes solar roofing, wireless...

Adam Clark is the President of the newly formed Aegis Development. Based on a foundation of award-winning developments, Aegis Development was created to pursue future site development for Aegis Living operations and to leverage the company’s distinct strengths in this area more broadly in the industry. Adam leads the newest endeavor to push Aegis Living forward in innovation and sustainability wit...

Our next guest is one of the Founding Principals of Relativity Architects , Tima Bell. His path to architecture, like everyone’s perhaps, is not a usual one, and it is rich in experience in art, creativity and an upbringing around Hollywood that has given him a unique perspective on the industry his firm serves today. Relativity is today very well known for its studio design, but as you’ll see fro...

Today, I am speaking with Patricia Kammer , a Principal Researcher, Workspace Futures - Research for Steelcase. She leads the strategic foresight practice and is responsible for identifying disruptive forces of change impacting the world of work to drive decision-making for the company. For the past 24 years, she has focused on complex adaptive systems and how we might design solutions that can le...

Today’s conversation will take us into the field of retail commercial real estate, and we probably can’t find a better person to talk about it than Alanna Loeffler , a Managing Director with Cushman & Wakefield who has recently moved to the West Coast to help lead the Business Strategy group within the firm’s Americas Retail Services. Alanna will go into detail about the industry, its drivers...

Today, I have the pleasure of sitting with Joanna Frank, the President and CEO of The Center for Active Design, an organization that promotes architecture and urban planning solutions to improve public health, and also operates the Fitwel healthy building certification system. The Center for Active Design was launched by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2012 to transform New York City’s groundbreaking A...

Today’s conversation takes us into a deep dive in the construction industry across the Pacific Northwest with Brett Earnest , the Senior Vice President of the Western Region for Clark Construction. Brett, who is based in Seattle, leads Clark Construction Group’s project development and delivery efforts in the Pacific Northwest. He is responsible for the company’s work in Washington, Oregon and Ida...

Today’s episode is with Chris Nelson and Sam Sukut, both are partners in San Diego-based Inland Pacific , an industrial brokerage firm. Chris and Sam talk to us about the state of the industry across Southern California, and especially how the life science sector has been influencing the market in the second half of 2022. Their insight is a valuable perspective on one of the most active markets in...

Today, I have the privilege of speaking with Jimmy Silverwood, the President of San Diego-based affordable housing developer Affirmed Housing .  Jimmy, as he’s known in the industry in order to be distinguished from his father, the founder the CEO James Silverwood, has grown up around real estate and from a very early age was exposed to the intricacies of the business. Today, the company’s focus i...

Today’s podcast episode is a little different than usual. We recently held a Northern California Life Science Webinar, which I found to be interesting and informative about where the industry is today and how it’s shaping up in the near future. As you’ll see, our panel is comprised of investors, developers, brokers and construction companies whose daily work in this area gives them just the kind o...

Today, I have the privilege of speaking with Tiffany Wright , the president of and chief energy officer - the name I invented for Tiffany by myself - of a Pacific Northwest-based brokerage, CPX.  Tiffany is somewhat unique in her role - a female leading a commercial brokerage firm - and also a keen strategist thinking of everything from motivating her team members to finding ways to grow the enter...