Real Perspectives Podcast

You should not be thinking about opening your office post-COVID before you speak with our next guest. A creative and innovative industry veteran, Laurie Sewell rose through the ranks at Servicon since she joined the company in 1988, working in payroll, supplies, inventory control and distribution, and appointed President of Servicon in 2008. She oversaw a management restructuring in 2014 that led...

Today, we sit down with Doug Demers, the managing principal of the Seattle office of B+H, a global architecture and design strategy firm. Doug is, first and foremost, an entrepreneur – in business, at play, and in life there is nothing he approaches without wondering how he could do things differently and improve the outcome. His entire Advance Strategy team, located in the Seattle studio he found...

Today, we are excited to talk to Nellie Hayat and Parin Ahmadi, co-founders of Workplaced , a brand new commercial real estate venture that connects industry experts with employers that want to build world–class employee & workplace experiences! Nellie is a former workplace strategist at Stripe. She specializes in employee experience and advises companies on how to design and curate spaces to...

Today, we have an opportunity to chat with one of The Registry’s oldest friends, the affable Paul Zeger. Paul has been instrumental in helping us get off the ground back in 2008 and served at one time on our Editorial Board. Paul is a partner in the San Francisco-based Polaris Pacific where for over 30 years, he’s helped lead his clients in identifying and capitalizing on residential-development o...

Rob Zirkle is the founding principal at Brick, an Oakland, California-based architecture firm that describes itself as friendly, un-conventional, can-do architects. Rob brings a strong record of successful and recognized design excellence to a wide variety of project types in both architecture, interiors, and urban design. Having studied under noted Pritzker prize-winning architect Glen Murcutt, R...

Rex Hime is the President & CEO of the California Business Properties Association. CBPA is the recognized voice of all aspects of the commercial retail industrial real estate industry in California — representing the largest commercial real estate consortium with over 10,000 industry members. Established in 1972, CBPA proudly serves as the legislative and regulatory advocate for property owner...

Shannon Loew, is the founder and CEO of Settle-based Hatchback Cottages. The company was created to increase housing options in Seattle while complementing the character of the neighborhoods people love. By generating the opportunity for supplemental income, Hatchback can help stabilize homeowners and create options for their future, which helps families and communities stay connected. The company...

Alan Collenette is a great friend of The Registry and someone with whom we have been collaborating for many years in his capacity as a commercial real estate industry leader. Over the past decade, as a Managing Director of Colliers leading the firm’s efforts across Northern California, Alan created and led a rapid expansion strategy for Colliers' brokerage operations in San Francisco by recruiting...

Today, we sit down with Veronica Givone. She was recently hired by IA Interior Architects in their London office as Managing Director and head of the firm’s hospitality practice. Veronica will drive the firm’s global hospitality market efforts to develop and expand the practice and collaborate with the firm’s bank of talented design and architectural professionals. Veronica brings deep expertise a...

John Pollock is Chief Executive Officer of Meridian and is responsible for the vision, growth and profitability of the company. John directs the company’s strategy and manages operations, including development, sales, marketing, asset management and finance. Prior to his appointment as CEO, John was Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the company. With more than 20 years of know...

H. Pike Oliver is the sole proprietor of URBANEXUS through which he works on managing land and creating built environments. He is also an Affiliate Instructor for the Runstad Department of Real Estate in the College of Built Environments at the University of Washington.  Early in his career, Pike worked for public agencies, including the California Governor's Office of Planning and Research where...

Today, we sit down with Rene Olivo and Chris Henderson. Rene is the president of Skyline Construction in the Bay Area and Chris is the president of Unimark Construction in Seattle. Both are part of the larger, Skyline Enterprises organization and lead their companies in California and Washington.  We talk to them about what it’s like to run a construction and building organization in today’s envir...

Today, we sit down Josh Santos, a Bay Area resident and current Northern California Division President for Landsea Homes, where he leads all aspects of the Northern California portfolio for the company. We talk to Josh about home building and home buying and the challenges this part of the industry is experiencing today. As you’ve probably heard, people want more single-family detached homes, and...

Jeremy Thornton is an executive vice president of Colliers International in San Francisco, and he has 20+ years of experience in the sourcing and structuring of debt and equity capital for commercial real estate transactions nationally and internationally with over $6.5 billion in successfully completed assignments in his career. His expertise encompasses a wide spectrum of transaction types inclu...

Amy Bradac founded Bradac Co. in 2011 as a full-service real estate construction management firm. As the CEO, she is responsible for the daily operations of the company, building new business relationships, and ensuring her team delivers high quality, high-value service to all of her firm's clients. Amy’s 20 years of experience as an architect and contractor give her the unique perspective of havi...

Kim Snyder is responsible for all activities for Prologis’ West region, including development, acquisitions and operations. Key markets include San Francisco, Seattle, the Central Valley, Southern California, the Inland Empire, Las Vegas and Phoenix. He joined AMB Property Corporation in 2005, bringing extensive experience in real estate development and construction, acquisitions and industrial le...

John Cumbelich is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of John Cumbelich & Associates. Headquartered in Walnut Creek, CA, the firm has been responsible for several of the highest-profile retail real estate transactions in Northern California since its inception in 2000. John has more than 30 years of retail real estate experience and has personally been involved in transactions totaling in...

Today, we sit down with David Karol, Principal at Ridge Capital Investors and Dick Scott, Divisional Vice President of PS Business Parks. Dave is a chapter president of NAIOP San Francisco and Dick leads NAIOP Silicon Valley. Today, we speak with them as representatives of their local NAIOP chapters, where we discuss the impact of California Senate Bill 939 and its intended and unintended conseque...

As the CEO of Grosvenor Americas, Steve O'Connell provides the strategic direction for the company's investment, development and financing activities. Steve O'Connell was appointed to the Grosvenor Americas Board in 2018 after joining in 2011. He became Chief Executive of Grosvenor Americas in 2019. Steve led Grosvenor’s Development team in San Francisco and successfully established its multifamil...

Julie Taylor is an executive vice president of Colliers International in its San Francisco office. She works exclusively to serve the needs of retail real estate property owners, investors, and retailers. Julie is highly active in the Downtown San Francisco trade area leasing flagship properties and representing luxury and urban retailers. She has leased almost 800,000 square feet totaling 70 tran...

Pamela Anderson-Brulé is co-founder and president of Anderson Brulé Architects, the San Jose firm she started in 1984. Working exclusively in the public realm, Pamela created a new architectural practice model through her development of Strategic Process Design. The process was developed and fine-tuned by ABA over the firm’s 35+ year history. ABA was nationally recognized specifically for the grou...

Ryan Grams & Eugene Gershman are two leaders of GIS International Group in Seattle, a real estate development and construction company serving the greater Puget Sound area. The company specializes in single-family and multi-unit projects, and it is known for its work on all types of terrain with a particular understanding of difficult building sites such as steep slopes and wetlands. As a thir...

Brad Hinthorne is a principal in the Seattle office of Perkins and Will. He was born in a Bavarian-themed town in Washington, spent his childhood in the Seattle suburbs, and his teenage years on the family’s cattle ranch prior to attending college and graduate school at the University of Washington. His three decades of professional experience is equally diverse, having practiced in Boston, San Fr...

Today, we sit down with John Thatch, senior principal at the Dahlin Group in San Francisco. John oversees the design innovation and design quality control at the firm. As a leader and mentor, he places a special focus on staff education and professional development for the benefit of everyone at his firm. John often gains inspiration for design through travel and walking the great cities of the wo...

Susan Boyd is the CEO of Bellwether Housing in Seattle. She was elected to her role in February of 2017 after 28 years of experience in direct social service, policy analysis, advocacy and law and as a respected voice on regional housing issues. Prior to her current role, Boyd had served as Bellwether’s Director of Real Estate Development, leading housing development strategy and tripling the numb...