Behar On The Block

If you work in Los Angeles there is a good chance you at some point picked up a copy of the Los Angeles Business Journal.  I for one have been a customer for many years.  Personally I find it very informative and helpful to learn about the business landscape in Los Angeles, covering all sectors, including real estate , media, fashion, health care, start ups, insurance, tech, and countless other industries,

 This week I sit down with Anna Magzanyan the CEO and Publisher of the Los Angeles Business Journal.

The LA Business Journal is an important source of media for anyone doing business in LA and I wanted to hear from the woman in charge.

Anna’s journey to become the Publisher and CEO was a bit untraditional.  She shares how her background in marketing and branding help lead her to new and bigger opportunities.

While working at the LA Times, she said. “I was an entrepreneur in a corporate environment.”   

But Before leaving Anna launched a few iconic pieces at the Times including; The Envelope, The Envelope Screening Series, Style, Taste and other profitable ideas.

Anna is an idea person that pushes new boundaries and knows how to create business opportunities.  She continues to do this with the LA Business Journal.

Keith Wasserman and his company Gelt Inc. are based in Los Angeles but are impacting many communities around the US.  What intrigued me about Keith, is how fast he scaled his real estate investment company at such a young age.  But, it is not only the impressive real estate holdings he amassed, he has also created new payments systems that are disrupting how tenants pay rent, and he also created a non profit to help tenants in need.

He started in 2008 with a single 4 plex in Bakersfield CA  during one of the worst economic times our country has ever witnessed.  Now, this portfolio is valued around $1.5 billion.

Keith shares how and why it all started.  This is fun interview with a really good guy who’s doing a lot more than just buying apartments.  Please enjoy my interview with Kieth.

Maria S. Salinas is the President and CEO of Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, the largest business association in LA County representing more than 1,600-member companies and serving the interest of more than 235,000 businesses across the LA region.  She is the first woman and first Latina to lead the Chamber in its 130 year history.  She shares her thoughts on the LA business community, she discusses how and why both local and International business is affecting the LA area and what the Chambers' key roles are to make LA a better place to do business.

Connect with Maria Salinas:

LinkedIn|https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariassalinas/

Twitter| https://twitter.com/LAChamberMaria

Instagram|https://www.instagram.com/laareachamber/

Dustin’s group, An Eastside Establishment (AEE), comprises some of the Eastside’s most beloved and acclaimed restaurants, bars and hotels. Founded on the belief that all good hospitality ventures are a result of great collaborations, Dustin has worked with a talented group of partners and staff to develop a variety of diverse projects. AEE’s portfolio includes wine bars, neighborhood restaurants, a live music venue, boutique hotels and more.

Dustin shares how he went from bartending to creating one of the most recognized boutique hospitality companies is Los Angeles today. His most recent project, the Firehouse Hotel in Downtown LA was originally a working fire station and now a 9 room boutique hotel with a bar, coffee shop and restaurant.  He faced many challenges and obstacles but, had a lot of determination to create a fun, creative and unique hotel experience for his guest.

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My guest is Charles "Uncle Chuck" Hershson, Founder and President of Fidelity Mortgage Lenders Inc. A "private money" lending company he started over 5 decades ago. Chuck shares with us what exactly private money or "hard" money is, why someone would need it and the process involved.  Chuck has had tremendous success in business and life and we learn how he did it and what it takes to sustain a company for over 5 decades.

Today my guest on the show has been a TED Talk speaker, been featured on Fox News, LA Times, New York Times, LA Weekly and became well know from his blog DTLA Rising.

Brigham Yen, the well known blogger and author of DTLA Rising is extremely passionate about the growth and urbanization of downtown Los Angeles.  He has followed the trends and changes and has a strong voice to help keep downtown Los Angeles moving in the right direction.

Brigham began his career in economic development at the Downtown Center Business Improvement District (DCBID) where he successfully attracted both prospective residents and business owners to invest in the exciting Downtown LA renaissance.

He shares his thoughts on modern day urbanization.  Please enjoy my interview with Brigham.

Jessica is the President and CEO of Central City Association where she represents the interest of over 400 business, trade associations and non profit organizations that employ more than 350,000 people in LA county.

She is a champion for downtown LA and understands the importance to our regions economy. 

Jessica is a true leader, a person certainly having an impact on Los Angeles today.  She had big shoes to fill in this role, taking over for Carol Schatz the former President and CEO who led the organization for 26 years.  

Jessica shares with us what it takes to be an effective leader today while representing a vastly diverse group of people and companies in our city.  She also shares what lies ahead and the challenges our city faces today.

My first guest this year is a legend in the real estate business.  His name is Sam Freshman.

Sam is the founder of Standard Management Company which he formed in 1962.  Through is company he has sponsored hundreds of Millions of dollars of investments in real estate throughout the USA.

Sam is also the author of many articles and books including Principles of Real Estate Syndication one of the best real estate books out there today - It is considered the Bible among many in the real estate field.  He has lectured extensively and has served as past Chairman for the Legal and Accounting Committee of the California Real Estate Association Syndication Division.

Deeply knowledgeable in all aspects of real estate, please enjoy this episode who many in Los Angeles consider the Godfather of Real Estate Syndication.

Simply put, Laura is, in my opinion the Mother Teresa of Business.

Laura is the co-founder and CEO of Gifts for Good— an e-commerce site that curates and customizes premium business gifts that support charitable causes in 19 states and 65 countries around the globe. Making thoughtfulness and philanthropy easier for all. 

If you are looking for unique, creative and functional holiday gifts for friends co-workers or for the corporate world and you are thinking about your charities or ways to give back as I always do this time of year then Laura and her company Gifts for Good is the perfect place to start. 

Laura has a diverse background in business, the non profit world, a masters Social Entrepreneurship from USC and extensive travel to 22 countries.    

She has taken this vast and mixed experience to create Gifts for For Good.  Please enjoy this interview and learn how a young woman is not only impacting the LA market place but literally impacting the world.

I had the pleasure to sit down with Christopher Bollenbach, Partner and CEO of Bottega Louie Restaurant, Gourmet Market & Patisserie @bottegalouie, www.bottegalouie.com.   

Chris and his brother Keat created found the restaurant in 2007 in downtown Los Angeles at the corner of 7th and Grand.  The restaurant was a success from day one.

Chris built the early part of his career in finance, first working at a saving bank in Utah at the age of 20 before moving onto Wall Street in 1990.  All told he spent 25 years in finance and banking at UBS, PaineWebber, Merrill Lynch and Citi Smith Barney.  Along with his financial services experience Chris has also served in a variety of executive management and directorship positions in agriculture, real estate development, tech and hospitality.

Chris opens up about the story behind Bottega Louie.  He talks about leadership in the work place, challenges running a restaurant, and why rock N roll and finance are a good mix.

This is a really fun interview, lots of good stuff. Please enjoy, and as always thank you for listening.