The Comms Exchange: a Podcast by 30|90 Marketing

In this episode of The Comms Exchange, hosts Rachel Ledet and Christianne Brunini sit down with Jeff Good, President of Mangia Bene Restaurant Management Group, to explore how restaurants can serve as powerful catalysts for community development, workforce training, and neighborhood revitalization. Jeff shares his unlikely journey from selling computers to building one of Mississippi’s most recogn...

In this episode of The Comms Exchange , hosts Rachel Ledet and Christianne Brunini sit down with Sarah Harjung , Director of Design at Wilshire Pacific Builders, to explore the hidden design decisions that shape affordable housing communities. With more than 20 years of interior design experience, Sarah now leads multifamily renovation projects across the country, working at the intersection of de...

In this episode of The Comms Exchange , hosts Rachel Ledet and Christianne Brunini sit down with Kristin Kautz , founder of Jam Idea Agency , to unpack one of the most pressing shifts facing the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry today: artificial intelligence. Kristin shares why this moment in AI adoption is fundamentally different from past waves of technology and why AEC...

In this episode of The Comms Exchange , hosts Rachel Ledet and Christianne Brunini sit down with State Representative and Real Estate Developer Michael Echols to explore how leadership, storytelling, and strategic investment are shaping the future of Monroe and the broader I-20 corridor. Michael shares his journey from private sector developer to public servant, offering a firsthand perspective on...

In this episode of The Comms Exchange , hosts Rachel Ledet and Christianne Brunini explore workforce development through a very literal lens: the construction site. Their guest is Aaron Frumin , founder and CEO of Uncommon Construction , a nonprofit that has spent more than a decade transforming how young people enter the workforce. Uncommon Construction brings high school students from across New...

In this episode of The Comms Exchange , hosts Rachel Ledet and Christianne Brunini go behind the spreadsheets with Amanda Roy and Alison Fossyl of Aprio to unpack the financial, regulatory, and strategic realities shaping affordable housing today. Amanda and Alison share what they are seeing firsthand across public housing authorities, LIHTC developments, and complex real estate portfolios , from...

In this episode of The Comms Exchange , hosts Rachel Ledet and Christianne Brunini sit down with Wes Palmisano , Founder and CEO of RNGD , to explore what it truly means to build a construction company where people, culture, and brand drive growth . Wes shares how RNGD evolved from a young startup into a regional construction powerhouse by investing in company culture, leadership development, and...

In this episode of The Comms Exchange , developer and designer Mimi Spiehler shares how she (and her brother David Fuselier) transformed a 1925 Spanish Colonial Revival church in Uptown New Orleans into The Josephine , an immersive cultural venue that blends historic preservation , digital projection mapping , and community-centered programming. Mimi opens up about what it means to be a woman lead...

In this episode of The Comms Exchange , architect Steve Rome , partner at VergesRome Architects , joins host Rachel Ledet and co-host Christianne Brunini to explore what resilient design really looks like on the Gulf Coast. Steve walks through the story of Les Maisons de Bayou Lafourche , a $9.5M affordable housing community in Lockport, Louisiana, designed with Fortified Gold , Enterprise Green ,...

Affordable housing, housing policy, and the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) take center stage in this episode of The Comms Exchange . Hosts Rachel Ledet and Christianne Brunini sit down with Emily Cadik , Executive Director of the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition , to unpack why LIHTC has never been stronger politically and what that means for developers, advocates, and communities. E...

In this episode of The Comms Exchange , hosts Rachel Ledet and Christianne Brunini sit down with Brandi Bailey, VP of Strategic Development at Snyder Construction Group. Brandi shares how she moved from commercial interior design into construction business development and what she has learned about communication, leadership, and growth along the way. Together, they dig into how creativity shows up...

In this episode of The Comms Exchange , hosts Rachel Ledet and Christianne Brunini sit down with Melissa Warren, Senior Advisor and Market Leader with Stirling Properties, long-time industry advocate, and the driving force behind the NAIOP Gulf Coast Chapter’s rapid rise. Melissa shares her journey from political consulting to commercial real estate, the mentors who shaped her path, and the pivota...

In this episode of The Comms Exchange , Rachel Ledet and Christianne Brunini sit down with Michael Hecht, President and CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc. and State Coordinator for Infrastructure and Economic Development for Super Bowl LIX. Together, they unpack how a single sporting event became a forcing function for cleaner streets, brighter public spaces, new public art, and a renewed sense of p...

Summary Chief Growth Officer Brian Moldaner takes us inside T. Baker Smith’s culture-first playbook, where EOS becomes “the TBS Way” and heart, knowledge, and grit guide how teams work and grow. We unpack how a shared language and an internal communications hub align eight offices, why immersive office environments and authentic project photography deepen pride and connection, and how culture fuel...

In this episode, land use expert Zach Smith breaks down how permitting and zoning really work in New Orleans and why policy and politics so often slow good projects. Drawing on years inside City Hall, he explains the ripple effect of delays on small businesses and neighborhood investment, why “time kills deals,” and how clearer rules and faster processes would lower costs and unlock growth. We dig...

In this episode, Rachel Ledet and Christianne Brunini host a discussion with Jillian Carruth and Emily Pourciau about the importance of personal branding, color analysis, and photography in presenting oneself authentically and confidently. They explore how colors and styles can enhance personal branding, the significance of first impressions, and the role of confidence in front of the camera. The...

In this conversation, Rachel Ledet and Christianne Brunini discuss the transformative impact of AI in the real estate sector with Jake Heller, founder of AI for CRE Collective. They explore the origins of the collective, its mission to create a community around AI and technology in real estate, and the various use cases of AI in underwriting, lead generation, and property management. The discussio...

In this conversation, Rachel Ledet and Christianne Brunini engage with Kelly Longwell, an attorney and leader in affordable housing, discussing her journey in building the Longwell Riess law firm. They explore themes of thought leadership, community engagement, and the importance of networking in the legal field. Kelly shares insights on establishing a brand, the significance of affordable housing...

In this episode of the Comms Exchange, Rachel Ledet and Christianne Brunini engage with Oji Alexander, CEO of People's Housing Plus, to discuss the organization's mission in affordable housing and community development in New Orleans. They delve into the significance of the Louisiana Firehouse Project, which aims to restore a historic firehouse into a mixed-use space that includes affordable housi...

Episode 1: Strategy as the Starting Point In our very first episode of The Comms Exchange , Rachel and Christianne talk about why strategy is the foundation of every successful project. We share how years of client work and the creation of culture books for organizations led us to build our own EOS-inspired framework. You will hear the story of our team retreat where we defined our core values, ho...