CBRE’s Laura O’Brien, Chris Ludeman and Bill Concannon offer sage advice and discuss lessons learned as they wrap up storied commercial real estate careers—a must-listen for anyone interested in seasoned perspectives on our industry’s past, present and future.

Insights to Share:

1.     From Laura O’Brien: “Mentorship should actually be intentional. If you ask someone in this company to be your mentor, chances are they will say yes, but you have to make the first move.”

2.    From Chris Ludeman: “Take the work that we have been asked to do very seriously, but never take yourself too seriously.”

3.    From Bill Concannon: “Commercial real estate is a complex sale and a long cycle. So building trust requires time with people you know face to face.”

Secondary transactions—sometimes called indirect investing—are on the rise as a way to acquire real estate. Evercore’s Jarrett Vitulli and CBRE Investment Management’s Achal Gandhi discuss how these investment vehicles can boost returns at lower risk. 

• Secondary transactions are gaining traction as a way to acquire real estate. Often, these transactions offer  investors an opportunity to acquire real estate portfolios at a discount, enhancing returns without taking on property-level risk. 

• The secondary market for real estate is expanding, driven by the need for liquidity, strategic portfolio management and recapitalization opportunities. Notable opportunities are available in logistics, multifamily and healthcare real estate. 

• In today's market, secondary transactions can offer core stabilized assets at discounted rates. 

The real estate capital markets can be complex in the best of times and vexing in the worst of times. Lone Star Funds’ Bob Ricci and CBRE’s Tom Rugg share some insights on succeeding in a sluggish time, finding opportunity amid headwinds and where those headwinds have started to ease.

Insights to Share:

• As challenges in the capital markets persist, properties that were financed with heavy leverage may present opportunities.
• Higher interest rates will make rolling over debt a pervasive issue for several years.
• Distress is unlikely to reach the levels of the post-Great Financial Crisis years.

DLP Capital, a workforce housing investor, has new ideas for measuring productivity and hiring and managing talent. Founder Don Wenner and Claudia Schiepers join Spencer Levy to offer insights on growing a successful business.

The Resmark Companies’ Ziv Cohen and CBRE’s Roland Merchant join Spencer Levy to offer insights on what’s next for residential development.

What’s the outlook for the second half of 2022 and beyond? CBRE’s Mike Watts and Spencer Levy take a deeper look at the economic and real estate sector insights shared during CBRE’s Mid-Year Global Outlook webcast.

Author and futurist Jacob Morgan joins Spencer Levy for a deep dive into business leadership, corporate culture, employee experience and the future of work.

Inflation, supply chain disruptions, labor shortages, rising energy prices and stricter regulations are changing the game for the construction industry. CNY Group’s Ken Colao and strategist Dr. Rebecca Homkes discuss the best approaches to managing projects through uncertainty.

Networking is an essential—though often neglected—cornerstone of business relationships. In a special episode recorded at the CBRE Women’s Network conference, CBRE leaders explain how to build a robust and authentic network at every stage of your career.

What will the future of office work look like? Commercial real estate insiders offer their latest thinking on evolving return to office plans.

With a real estate and logistics strategy predicated on buying local, Sprouts is reinventing the grocery sector. Sprouts’ Dave McGlinchey and CBRE’s Brandon Famous discuss the implications for grocery-anchored retail centers and how landlords and owners can attract today’s discerning shoppers. 

How’s the future of work taking shape? What’s next for New York’s office market? Citi’s Linda Foggie and CBRE’s Bob Alexander join Spencer Levy to offer insights on the strategies, technologies and amenities attracting workers back to the office.

The Weekly Take traveled to Las Vegas where ICSC CEO Tom McGee and CBRE’s Bill Wright offered insights on the implications of retail’s evolution for consumers, real estate investors and retailers.

San Francisco has been facing extraordinarily high office vacancy rates since the pandemic. But more recently, the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has stimulated demand for space and an influx of capital. Real estate investor Glenn Gilmore and CBRE’s Mike Taquino discuss the city’s history of resilience, culture of innovation and greatest opportunities.

Insights to Share:

• Venture capital firms, particularly those focused on AI, are increasingly establishing offices in San Francisco, which is driving demand for office space.

• San Francisco’s well-known headwinds have caused investors to shy away from what could be  generational buying opportunities.

• AI is driving significant changes in San Francisco's real estate market, in terms of the types of offices needed and the locations most in demand. AI is also encouraging shorter lease terms, reflecting the fast-moving nature of tech companies.

• San Francisco’s tenants are showing a preference for high-end and creative office space, as well as a preference for sustainability and adaptive reuse.

CBRE’s CEO offers lessons on leadership, including thoughts on the future of the office, hybrid work and resilience during the pandemic. He also touches on his career evolution as he joins Spencer Levy on The Weekly Take to celebrate 100 podcast episodes.

LBX Investments’ Robert Levy and CBRE’s Chris Decouflé join Spencer Levy to offer insights on the retail real estate sector and which property types are most attractive.

With rising inflation and the Fed tightening monetary policy, investors and occupiers have questions about the impacts on the macro economy, capital markets and key real estate asset classes. Get insightful answers from CBRE experts.

Carla Harris joins The Weekly Take to offer tips and insights on getting ahead in business—from relationship building to seizing opportunity to opening doors more widely to people of all backgrounds and experiences.

Work from anywhere is here to stay, CBRE’s latest Occupier Sentiment Survey confirms. Economist Steven Davis and CBRE’s Julie Whelan join Spencer Levy to explore what dynamic work arrangements mean for office occupancy strategies. Pt. 2 of The Weekly Take’s series on the Future of Office and Hybrid Work.

A legacy of the pandemic is hybrid work. Economist Steven Davis and CBRE’s Julie Whelan join Spencer Levy to offer insights on what’s next for the workplace and how are companies are approaching it.

With Earth Day approaching, CBRE’s Global Chief Economist Richard Barkham and Chief Responsibility Officer Tim Dismond provide fresh perspective on environmental sustainability, and we hear from recent guests who shared insights on this topic.

Futurist Erica Orange joins Spencer Levy to offer insights on what’s driving new ways of working and strategies to future-proof commercial real estate and improve resilience.

What’s the secret to multifamily’s continued success? Camden Property Trust CEO Ric Campo and CBRE’s Matt Vance join Spencer Levy to offer insights on multifamily investment, adaptive reuse, purpose-built development and more.

Dr. Parag Khanna joins Spencer Levy to explore what’s next for the future of work, how businesses can foresee where people will live in the future and the effects of technology, fiscal policy, climate and culture in a globally connected world.

Belinda Román, 2023’s most accurate forecaster, according to The Wall Street Journal, and CBRE Econometric Advisors’ Dennis Schoenmaker opine on the art, science and technology involved in predicting the ebbs and flows of the global economy.

Insights to Share:

• Belinda Román, Associate Professor of Economics at St. Mary’s University, expects GDP growth of 3% this year.
• CBRE EA’s Dennis Schoenmaker expects GDP to hover around 2%.
• Even with slower economic growth, there will be opportunities in commercial real estate.
• Regional, national and global forecasting requires a deep understanding of the available data.
• In commercial real estate, where information has historically been opaque, future forecasting can be enhanced by  AI.

What country had the fastest-growing economy in the developed world in 2021? Ireland. In this episode, IDA Ireland’s Denis Curran, Kennedy Wilson’s Bill McMorrow and CBRE’s Marie Hunt offer insights on how the small island nation weathered the pandemic exceptionally well and the factors pointing to its continued success.

In part two of our Women’s History Month interview, we hear from three accomplished female executives about mentorship, networking, saying “yes” to opportunities and how women are shaping the future of work.

The Dallas Metroplex enjoys a central location, business-friendly government policies and other favorable attributes that have attracted business expansions and investment. Crow Holdings’ Michael Levy and CBRE’s Chelby Sanders join Spencer Levy to offer insights on the catalysts for the area’s enviable growth.

How can more women flourish in commercial real estate? This International Women’s Day, three industry leaders—CREW Network’s Wendy Mann and CBRE’s Benji Baer and Alison Caplan—share their challenges, inspirations and practical ideas to help women succeed and transform the future of work.

Exploring the intersection of brand and place, Rachel Friedman of TENFOLD and TENSPACE and Brian Taff of Streetsense join Spencer Levy to offer insights on how branding and placemaking can work with real estate to create memorable experiences and shape company culture.

Abundant investment capital is targeting life sciences properties, but breaking into this sector is not easy. Tim Schoen, CEO of BioMed Realty, and CBRE’s Ted Jacobs join Spencer Levy to analyze the keys to success, including how to pull off an office-to-lab conversion and why locating near talent and innovation clusters is so important.

With the big game set to kick off in a few days, Fred Maas, Chief of Staff for the L.A. Chargers, and CBRE’s Phillip Ruhl join Spencer to offer insights on the franchise’s sparkling new development project that has resulted in a championship-caliber facility that will serve the players, staff and the Greater Los Angeles community.

Health and wellness are top of mind for investors and occupiers alike. The Center for Active Design’s Joanna Frank, QuadReal’s Jamie Gray-Donald, and BentallGreenOak’s Rob Naso join Spencer Levy to discuss fostering and measuring building wellbeing in the workplace as well as the broader ESG considerations influencing today’s real estate market.

One of the world’s great cities, Chicago’s diversified economy and eclectic culture attract talent, jobs and investment capital, even amid challenges. Roosevelt University’s Collete English Dixon and CBRE’s Lisa Konieczka join Spencer Levy to share insights on the Windy City’s blueprint for growth and revitalization.

What does 2022 have in store for commercial real estate? This week’s guests provide a well-informed perspective. The Real Estate Roundtable’s Ryan McCormick and CBRE’s Global Chief Economist Richard Barkham join Spencer Levy to offer insights on which sectors stand to benefit from an economy that, despite continued challenges, is poised for further growth.

Industrial remains a highly desirable asset class despite a cooling of demand and softened market fundamentals. Prologis’ Melinda McLaughlin and CBRE’s Chris Riley offer insights on the long-term prospects for the sector.

Insights to Share:

• While the last 24 months have seen a slowdown of transaction activity in industrial markets, the long-term prospects remain solid.

• Conversions to industrial are typically viable where land comprises most of the total development costs, which usually are close to densely populated urban centers.

• Manufacturing and warehouse facilities have increased automation, adding technology that enables machinery to adapt to changes in the business.

As we close the book on 2021, commercial real estate professionals look to start fresh in 2022. On The Weekly Take, Glenn Rufrano, former CEO of VEREIT, and CBRE net lease specialist Will Pike join Spencer Levy to discuss recovery trends in office, retail, REITs and more.

What’s ahead for commercial real estate? Educators from Cornell University, Ohio State University and the University of North Carolina join Spencer Levy to discuss what’s happening today—and what to expect for the office and retail markets, as well as labor trends, as the recovery unfolds.

The Weekly Take covered defining topics of 2021: the future of cities and the office, ESG investing, supply chains, click-to-brick retail experiences and scores of others. Our roster of influential guests ran from A to Z: Allen de Olazzara of Miami’s Parkway Properties to the inimitable Sam Zell. In this year-end episode, we look back to some of our favorite moments from the year and look forward to new insights and conversations in 2022.

New strategies are getting shoppers back into stores. Industry experts Brian Harper, CEO of RPT Realty, and CBRE’s Lisa Stoddard join Spencer Levy to discuss investment trends, the tenant mix, this year’s shopping season and what it takes to succeed in 2022 and beyond.

What do the recent Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales figures portend for the holiday shopping season? Retail data expert Dana Telsey and CBRE’s Brandon Isner join Spencer Levy to offer insights on the future of retail in 2022 and beyond.

New hybrid workplaces, retail experiences and multifamily residences will help to shape the future of cities in continental Europe. CBRE’s Javier Chico Palazón joins Spencer in Madrid for an international take on the changing ways we work, shop and live.

As Atlanta celebrates its World Series championship, Cousins Properties’ CEO Colin Connolly and CBRE’s John Shlesinger and Ellen Stern join Spencer Levy to examine the business-friendly climate that has propelled Atlanta’s robust recovery and look ahead to future opportunity.

Interest in golf surged during the pandemic. Course designer Beau Welling and CBRE’s Jeff Woolson and David Gossett (ex-professional golfer) join Spencer Levy to discuss the reasons for the renewed popularity, its durability and what the future holds for golf as a sport and a business.

No matter the setting – from home to school to work -- our environments affect our concentration, creativity and critical thinking. In this episode, authors from Harvard University, Joe Allen and John Macomber, join Spencer to explore how healthy buildings can boost employee wellbeing and productivity and ultimately, business performance.

In this episode we take a deep dive into the world of REITs. Nareit’s John Worth and CBRE’s Richard Barkham join host Spencer Levy to offer insights on the global economy and trends in commercial real estate investment.

CBRE Capital Markets specialists offer insights on debt availability, capital flows, sector fundamentals and deal pricing, while our Chief Economist comments on the economic outlook.

Insights to Share:

• Uncertainty about the direction of interest rates continues to hamper commercial real estate investment activity.
• Industrial and multifamily are facing softening fundamentals, but remain historically solid.
• Office continues to be split between the best assets and most of the rest and retail is growing in importance to institutional investors.
• Maintaining strong relationships with lenders is always critical, but especially so now.

Data Centers are playing an increasingly integral role in the digital economy. Sureel Choksi, CEO of Vantage Data Centers, and CBRE’s Pat Lynch join Spencer to discuss innovations that increase data center reliability, operational efficiency and value, including new forms of energy management.

The world's largest companies are increasingly focused on employee well-being and mental health. Lisa Furst of Vibrant Emotional Health and CBRE's Lacey Willard join Spencer to discuss how proactively promoting employee wellness can yield profound benefits for a company's culture.

Miami is booming, capturing the imaginations of people, businesses and investors.  Parkway Property Investments’ Allen de Olazarra and CBRE's Shay Pope join Spencer to take a deep dive into what makes Miami the Magic City.