CCIM Connections Podcast

The podcast, “REITs Remain Steady Despite Headwinds with Gina Szymanski of AEW Capital Management,” details sectors with promise, like manufactured housing and industrial and also acknowledges some economic headwinds that could prove troublesome in 2023. Gina Szymanski, director and portfolio manager at AEW Capital Management, one of the world’s largest real estate investment managers with $73.5 billion in assets under management, joins the podcast.

The podcast, “Optimizing Healthy Buildings with Joanna Frank, president and CEO of CfAD,” discusses potential improvements in the multifamily sector to improve tenant satisfaction, while limiting owner/operator expenditure. Joanna Frank, president and CEO of the Center for Active Design, joins the podcast.  Frank’s company operates Fitwel, a CDC-developed certification system that emphasizes practical design and operational strategies for buildings and communities to optimize health. Frank also offers practical advice for CRE professionals who want to improve assets through improved air quality, increased green space, and healthy food options.

The podcast, “The Value and Versatility of 1031 Exchanges with Scott Saunders, SVP with Asset Preservation Inc.,” discusses the current state of 1031 exchanges and the immense value they provide to commercial real estate and the national economy as a whole. Scott Saunders outlines the many uses of 1031s available to CRE professionals and how the industry can leverage such tools in response to the large-scale changes as a result of COVID-19. Saunders is senior vice president of Asset Preservation Inc., a prominent national firm that specializes in 1031 exchanges.

The podcast, “Inflation’s Impact on CRE with Martha Peyton, Ph.D., with Aegon Asset Management,” provides context to all the discussion of inflation. Long considered a hedge against inflation, commercial real estate continues to face challenges in the face of COVID-19 and war in Ukraine, but opportunities are available in all property sectors for smart, knowledgeable investors. Martha Peyton, Ph.D., managing director and global head real assets research at Aegon Asset Management, joins the podcast. Peyton is responsible for the development and application of research to real asset strategies. 

The podcast, “5 Years In, Opportunity Zones Pack Potential with Reid Thomas with JTC Americas,” discusses the continued potential for investment and development in opportunity zones. Reid Thomas, chief revenue officer and managing director of JTC Americas, the North American division of JTC Group, joins the podcast. Five years after the legislation was passed, Thomas shares why it’s still an attractive opportunity for direct investment in underdeveloped and underserved communities. While continued changes could come from Washington, D.C., Thomas sees opportunity zones as a part of commercial real estate that’s here to stay.

The podcast, “Hospitality’s Improving Prospects with Helen Zaver, SVP with Colliers International,”  discusses hospitality’s steady recovery in Year 3 of COVID-19.  Helen Zaver, senior vice president with Colliers International and a member of its National Hospitality Group, joins the podcast. With leisure travel bouncing back to pre-pandemic levels, she details how business and convention activity may continue to increase, which can mean different experiences for major urban markets versus secondary vacation destinations. Based in Atlanta, Zaver looks at Atlanta and Savannah as a proxy for the sector’s overall health.

The podcast, “Opening Doors in CRE with Nancy Glick, Cofounder of the CRESDA Diversity Initiative,” details why the Commercial Real Estate Supplier Diversity Alliance (CRESDA) is vital to the future of CRE, what common obstacles pop up in DE&I efforts, and how the next generation of CRE professionals will change the industry. Nancy Glick, COO of Newmark Associates, joins the podcast to discuss how she recently cofounded CRESDA to diversify the supply chains of Fortune 500 companies. Glick also shares how COVID-19 has impacted distressed assets — one of her areas of expertise — including how commercial real estate practitioners can best approach potential deals in this sector.

The podcast, “Exploring the ‘E’ in ESG with David Amerikaner the Duane Morris’ Real Estate Practice Group,” discusses what commercial real estate is doing in the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) arena.  David Amerikaner is special counsel with the Duane Morris’s Real Estate Practice Group, with a focus on sustainability, land use, project development, and environmental law. He joins the podcast to detail how tenant demand for sustainable practices and shortening ROI on green investment are changing the equation for developers and owners.

The podcast, “Meeting Demand in the Booming Biotech Sector with the Kevin Perry, Principal with HED,” discusses growing demand in the biotech sector of commercial real estate, noting low vacancy rates and rising rents in primary markets like Boston, San Francisco, and San Diego.  Kevin Perry, principal with HED, an architecture design, engineering, and planning firm with eight locations across the U.S., joins the podcast. Perry details the challenges in site selection for biotech lab and office facilities that come with the sector’s specific infrastructure requirements, while also highlighting the opportunities associated with a growing market.