Welcome back to Sustainability Street, our podcast on the intersection of commercial real estate and the world we live in. For this episode, my guests—Sairah Burki, managing director & head of Regulatory Affairs & Sustainability at the Commercial Real Estate Finance Council, and David McCarthy, CREFC managing director & head of Legislative Affairs—…

The global real estate market is in the early stages of recovery, according to the latest survey by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in London. In fact, the indicators tracking lending conditions posted the most positive reading since 2015, but this doesn’t mean there aren’t any elements that could derail global business activity. “We n…

Change is in the air this fall for commercial real estate investment. The Fed’s announcement of a 50-basis-point interest rate cut in late September, and the expectation that more cuts are ahead, signals a reopening of the spigot for real estate finance. But there’s plenty more in the mix these days.In this conversation, CPE Executive Editor Theres…

Welcome back to Sustainability Street, our podcast on the intersection of commercial real estate and the world we live in. For this episode, I'm tackling carbon credits with my guest Mahesh Ramanujam, CEO of Global Network for Zero and formerly the president & CEO of USGBC. For Ramanujam, carbon credits are a necessary bridge to achieving net zero …

With property valuations at historic lows, buying office or retail space instead of leasing it might make a lot of sense today. But there are lots of caveats to it. Shifting from owner to occupier has many implications and requires a different skillset than managing a portfolio of leased real estate. However, a long-term commitment to a specific lo…

As the president of Colliers International’s Real Estate Management Services division, Karen Whitt leads a team of almost 2,000 people. Recently, she noticed that talent availability is loosening up at both the executive and the entry level, but finding qualified, experienced candidates is still a challenge. So retaining current employees is critic…

The demand for traditional office environments is shifting, leading to significant impacts on vacancy rates, lease structures and development activity. As companies are looking for ways to right-size their portfolios and office spaces, the market's current outlook is showing some improvement. Office attendance is now closer to ⁠pre-pandemic levels⁠…

Commercial real estate is often a family business, and some family-run firms have uncommon origin stories. Take BEB Capital. Headquartered in Port Washington, New York, a suburb on Long Island, the company reflects the entrepreneurial energy of the Brodsky family, led by its patriarch, Bert Brodsky. Decades of success in the health care and technol…

Welcome back to Sustainability Street, our podcast on the intersection of commercial real estate and the world we live in. For this episode, my guest is CRE Finance Council Managing Director Saraih Burki, head of regulatory affairs and sustainability for the organization. Burki and I discuss how CREFC's Sustainability Initiative is helping members …

More than a decade ago, CPE profiled Mesa West Capital, then an up-and-coming alternative commercial real estate lender, and its co-founders, Jeff Friedman and Mark Zytko. In the years since, the firm has continued to build its platform as an institutional capital source. As Mesa West marks its 20th anniversary, this episode of Investment Matters c…

Investor and occupier sentiment across the globe is still recovering, with no major changes from the first quarter of the year. This is the main trend stemming from the most recent Global Commercial Property Monitor survey released by the Royal Institution of Royal Surveyors in London. A growing number of CRE players sense that the market has reach…

Welcome back to Sustainability Street, our podcast on the intersection of commercial real estate and the world we live. For this episode, I am chatting with Jessica Long, NAREIT's senior vice president of Environmental Stewardship & Sustainability, following the release of the sixth annual REIT Industry Sustainability Report. The report tracks ESG …

EV charging has become a must-have amenity for apartment dwellers as well as commercial tenants. But the planning and placing of EV chargers is no small task for property managers. Welcome back to Sustainability Street, our podcast on the intersection of commercial real estate and the world we live in. My guest for this episode is FirstService Resi…

Wendy Mann came into the workforce in the late '80s, and until the early 2000s, roughly 98 percent of the CEOs she worked for were men. As they began retiring, an increasing number of women took their places. Additionally, more women have now become leaders of the organizations that represent the real estate industry. Why did that happen? Women are…

The commercial real estate retail market has been quite a roller-coaster over the past decades. And Annie Malo, a specialized attorney at Holland & Knight, has witnessed all the disruptions the industry has had to adapt to. With an extensive retail leasing and development practice, Malo has been representing national retailers and developers for ye…

When you’re developing a high-profile, high-stakes project, how do you balance all the complex priorities? That’s the challenge that MCB Real Estate is taking on with Baltimore’s Harborplace, one of the nation’s most prominent current redevelopments of an urban waterfront. In this episode of "Investment Matters," you’ll meet MCB’s president, Gina B…

The total value of offices that were in danger of defaults, foreclosures or other forms of distress rose to more than $38 billion at the end of the first quarter of the year, according to data from MSCI Real Estate. In this context, no wonder many office landlords are considering handing back the keys of their properties to the lenders. But is that…

In today's energy-driven economy, microgrids play an increasingly critical role. These local self-contained electrical systems supplement the power supply from the main grid while providing resiliency and the opportunity to incorporate alternative sources of energy.Welcome back to Sustainability Street, our podcast on the intersection of commercial…

Commercial real estate sentiment across the globe is gradually recovering, according the most recent Global Commercial Property Monitor survey released by the Royal Institution of Royal Surveyors in London. Senior Economist Tarrant Parsons told Commercial Property Executive Senior Editor Laura Calugar that the first quarter of 2024 was the second s…

Construction financing carries a higher risk profile than most other loan categories. But even in today’s uncertain climate, some lenders are not only keeping a hand in this category but embracing it. One example is Kennedy Wilson. In a blockbuster $4.1 billion deal last year, the L.A.-based investment company bought Pacific Western Bank's construc…

Today is the 55th Earth Day! How will you be marking the occasion? Welcome back to Sustainability Street, our podcast on the intersection of commercial real estate and the world we live in. For this special Earth Day episode, I interviewed Marta Shantz of the Urban Land Institute. Marta is co-executive director of ULI's Randall Lewis Center for Sus…

Climate regulation is sweeping the nation, and commercial real estate is often the focal point of environmentalists, legislators, and regulators. Welcome back to Sustainability Street, our podcast on the intersection of commercial real estate and the world we live in. For this episode, I am joined by Anca Gagiuc, CPE's climate and energy editor, an…

Professors of Architecture Ellen Dunham-Jones and June Williamson have been tracking changes in suburban areas since the early 1990s. They put their observations in a series of books about retrofitting suburbia, hoping that they will serve both young architects and city planners who are looking for models to replicate in their own suburban areas. T…

Brick and mortar retail is on a roll again, and that’s no surprise to Josh Poag. The pendulum, he points out, always swings back. And he’s in a good position to know. As the CEO of Poag Development Group—and with more than a quarter century in the business—Poag leads a firm whose predecessor developed the first purpose-built lifestyle center in the…

Welcome back to Sustainability Street, our podcast on the intersection of commercial real estate and the world we live. For this episode, I invited Breanna Wheeler, director of Operations for BREEAM USA, back on the program to discuss the certification organization's impressive recent growth. She also previewed BREEAM's much-anticipated Version 7, …

Nearly 60 percent of women cited interest rates as their primary concern when it comes to escalating costs for commercial real estate projects and deals. This was one of the main findings of CREW Network’s latest survey that covered global economic sentiment and a range of industry topics, including barriers to career advancement. Almost 1,000 prof…

Office is on a slow recovery path, and it is said that 2024 will be a transitional phase that will ultimately bring the sector closer to a post-pandemic norm. Several structural trends are bifurcating the market, so we asked industry veteran Glenn Brill, who serves as managing director with FTI Consulting, to share his views in the first episode th…

Camille Renshaw has closed upward of $30 billion in deals, but she got her start in commercial real estate after an earlier life as a technology entrepreneur. She became an owner when she sold a successful startup and invested some of the proceeds in commercial real estate assets. At first her goal was to become a better owner, but she soon caught …

There's no sign of a meaningful improvement in momentum across commercial real estate markets, but there are a few reasons to be somewhat more optimistic about the outlook for 2024, according to the fourth quarter Global Commercial Real Estate Monitor released by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in London. Tune in to hear what RICS Seni…

For CRE investors, an understanding of environmental, social and governance considerations has quickly gone from a nice-to-have to a must-have, according to Uma Moriarity, global ESG lead for CenterSquare Investment Management. And that will only intensify given mounting regulation and the increasing frequency of extreme weather events. Welcome bac…

During Shlomo Chopp’s two decades in commercial real estate, his experience has touched on investment management, finance, securitization, brokerageand technology. These days he’s got a full plate as managing partner of Terra Strategies, a diversified investment management, finance and advisory firm. But when he does allow himself a breather, there…

In the sustainable community, there is no bigger annual event than Conference of the Parties or "COP." The two-week U.N Climate Change Conference draws delegates from around the globe to assess progress and commitments. The built environment, of course, is a key topic for discussion and resolutions. Welcome Back to Sustainability Street, our podcas…

In January, the Biden administration will release its definition for zero emissions buildings. At last, the Federal government will provide much-needed clarity when it comes to green commitments and the growing collection of state and local regulations and standards. Welcome Back to Sustainability Street, our podcast on the intersection of commerci…

Commercial real estate sentiment across the globe has remained largely unchanged, according to the third quarter Global Commercial Property Monitor survey released by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in London. The general tone of the results in most parts of the world—for both occupiers and investors—remains quite downbeat, which is no…

Many investors today view the office sector mostly as a problem child in the throes of a difficult generational change. But since Brandon Huffman and his partners started Tourmaline Capital partners two years ago, they have consistently uncovered opportunity. So far they have assembled a 4.5 million-square-foot portfolio and closed transactions val…

"I strongly believe within five years not only are we going to be back in office five days a week, but we’re going to be business attire. I'm talking suit and tie, Monday through Thursday, and it’s going to be business casual on Fridays," FTI Consulting Senior Managing Director Mark Dunec told Commercial Property Executive Senior Editor Laura Calug…

In July, CREW Network surveyed 1,028 commercial real estate professionals to gather data and gain insight into the sentiments and adoption of ESG efforts in the industry. CREW’s survey found that even though three-quarters of industry professionals consider ESG to be important in their companies, there is still much work to be done in executing an …

Industrial real estate will be the hardest property type to decarbonize, experts say, since tenants pay their utility bills directly. Link Logistics is determined to change that. Welcome back to Sustainability Street, CPE’s podcast on the intersection of commercial real estate and the world we live in. For this episode, I interviewed Sam Stockdale,…

If commercial real estate and the world are going to meet their 2030 decarbonization goals, property owners and tenants will need to work together. So, now that more corporations are setting targets and reporting their emissions, the sustainability community is hoping that green leasing will now scale to where it needs to be. Welcome back to Sustai…

Patrick Luther has been on our radar for most of the past decade. Back in 2015, he was named a CPE Star to Watch, one of the young professionals representing the rising generation of industry leaders. The following year, he joined SRS, where he and his longtime business partner, Matthew Mousavi, co-founded the firm’s Net Lease Retail Advisory Group…

Having helped Microsoft on its sustainability journey, CBRE's Rob Bernard knows how data and sophisticated computing can address big environmental questions. Welcome back to Sustainability Street, CPE’s podcast on the intersection of commercial real estate and the world we live in. During this episode, Executive Editor Therese Fitzgerald and Bernar…

Although there are no dramatic changes in commercial property sentiment from the previous quarter, persistent inflation and deteriorating credit conditions are slowing economic activity across the world. In this episode of RICS Monitor, Commercial Property Executive Senior Editor Laura Calugar and RICS Senior Economist Tarrant Parsons talk about th…

Women in commercial real estate expressed a moderate level of concern and held a shared belief that a short or mild recession may be on the horizon, according to a recent survey among CREW Network members. Alyssa Dangler, CREW Network President and Williams Mullen shareholder, told Commercial Property Executive Senior Editor Laura Calugar all about…

The office sector as we knew it before 2020 is dead—this perception is very common in commercial real estate, although there still are some voices that believe it is just a myth. For Rob Raymond, managing director at FTI Consulting, the myth is more of a reality than we think. In a podcast interview with Commercial Property Executive Senior Editor …

In this episode of Investment Matters, Williams Equities Managing Principal Michael Cohen shares not only insights into the nation's largest office market, but also a colorful company history that predates the Great Depression. Since its co-founding in 1926 by Victor Cohen, our guest's grandfather, the firm has journeyed from up-and-coming brokerag…

Welcome back to Sustainability Street, CPE’s podcast on the intersection of commercial real estate and the world we live in. For this episode, Executive Editor Therese Fitzgerald interviews Manikka Brown, executive director of Project REAP (Real Estate Associate Program). This year, Project REAP has been working to diversify the CRE talent pipeline…

Investing for social and environmental change is not a new concept, but there has been a recent boost in demand for investments centered on equity and inclusion, the affordable housing shortage, and the climate crisis. Allocations to impact investments surpassed $1 trillion in assets under management in 2021, according to a study by the Global Impa…

Worldwide, commercial real estate activity is still struggling for momentum, but the first signs of a turnaround can be seen in select areas. According to the first quarter Global Commercial Property Monitor released by The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in London, only 54 percent of the survey respondents globally view their real estate …

Welcome back to Sustainability Street, CPE's podcast on the intersection of commercial real estate and the world we live in, and Happy Earth Day! To mark the occasion, Executive Editor Therese Fitzgerald interviewed Marta Schantz, co-executive director of the ULI’s Randall Lewis Center for Sustainability, regarding CRE's progress on environmental s…

Andrew Joblon, founder & managing partner of Turnbridge Equities, makes it a goal to look ahead of the competition. Among his company's signature development projects is New York City's largest current logistics developments, which features a multilevel design that is still uncommon in the sector. In this episode, he also comments on a key market w…