In this episode of *Beyond The Deal*, hosts Lacey Labs and Laura Martin sit down with Brad Jones, President of Harristown Development Corporation, to explore the real work behind urban revitalization, community-driven development, and the future of downtown Harrisburg.Brad shares his unexpected career journey—from a Penn State forestry graduate to congressional work in Washington, D.C., and ultimately into leadership in economic development—along with the pivotal moments that shaped his passion for cities and community building.Together, they discuss:• The mission and structure of Harristown as a nonprofit, mission-driven developer• Signature projects like Strawberry Square, the Hilton, and adaptive reuse initiatives across downtown• How post-pandemic office vacancies are reshaping real estate strategy• The growing importance of residential development and “15-minute city” thinking• Current revitalization projects, including apartment conversions, public gathering spaces, and mixed-use redevelopment• Lessons for emerging leaders pursuing careers in urban development and economic impactThis conversation offers a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it truly takes to move a city forward—block by block, partnership by partnership, and day by day.🎧 Subscribe for more conversations on business, entrepreneurship, and commercial real estate.👍 Like, comment, and share if you believe in the power of thoughtful development and strong communities.

In this episode of Beyond the Deal, hosts Lacey Labs and Laura Martin sit down with Joelle (Jolie) Hodge, President of Classical Academic Press, to explore the growing movement of classical education and why more families, schools, and educators are embracing it.Joelle shares her unique journey — from growing up in Saudi Arabia and experiencing an early form of classical education, to co-founding Classical Academic Press and helping shape curriculum used across the country. She explains what classical education really is (and what it’s not), why it’s often perceived as more rigorous, and how it focuses on forming wise, virtuous, well-rounded human beings — not just test takers.The conversation also dives into:• How COVID reshaped education and accelerated homeschooling• Why parents are rethinking traditional schooling models• The difference between classical education and modern approaches• How Classical Academic Press supports schools, teachers, and homeschool families nationwide• What the future holds for classical education in the U.S.Whether you’re a parent, educator, school leader, or simply curious about alternative education models, this episode offers a thoughtful, grounded look at why classical education is gaining momentum.🔔 Subscribe for more conversations at the intersection of business, leadership, education, and real-world impact.

In this episode of Beyond The Deal, hosts Lacey Labs and Laura Martin sit down with Lukas Krause, President of SVN International, to discuss leadership, growth mindset, and the future of commercial real estate.Lukas shares his unique career journey — from professional baseball with the New York Mets, to franchising leadership, to overseeing one of the largest commercial real estate networks in the country. He explains how discipline, failure, and continuous learning shaped his leadership style and why culture and collaboration are central to SVN’s success.This conversation explores what makes the SVN commercial real estate model different, including its franchise structure, employee ownership, and public benefit corporation mission. Lukas also breaks down key commercial real estate trends, the real impact of AI in brokerage, and the traits that separate top-performing agents and offices from the rest.Whether you’re a commercial real estate broker, office owner, entrepreneur, or industry leader, this episode offers practical insight into scaling a business, leading people well, and navigating change in today’s CRE market.

In this episode of Beyond The Deal, Lacey and Laura sit down with Devon Heisler, Research & Marketing Specialist and licensed commercial real estate agent at SVN Latus. Devin shares his unique path into CRE—from his military background and logistics internships to discovering the industry through a LinkedIn posting—and how he grew into an indispensable analytical resource for the brokerage.He offers a behind-the-scenes look at what research really means in commercial real estate: zoning analysis, tax data, comps, market trends, analytics platforms, and how strong research empowers agents to price accurately and win listings. Devin also talks about expanding into property management, navigating medical tenants, and why responsiveness and relationship-building matter as much as numbers.The episode dives deep into current market conditions in Central Pennsylvania, including inventory challenges, more stable deal flow in 2025, election-year dynamics, and why land deals take so long. Devin also shares what investors and consumers care most about in the team’s quarterly Metro Report—comps, pricing trends, interest rates, and asset-class activity.Finally, Devin offers thoughtful advice for new agents: start with research, learn from seasoned brokers, choose a brokerage whose values match yours, and understand the financing environment early. His “do-over” would be gaining a deeper knowledge of commercial lending to better guide clients through the realities of financing and timing.A grounded, insightful conversation with practical takeaways for both new and experienced CRE professionals.

In this episode, we’re joined by Tomeka Sebeh, a first-year agent at SVN Latus. Tomeka is a rookie agent who has a drive for success that has landed her 5 closed deals in her first 7 months in commercial real estate. She is a cold calling queen, rocks every networking event that she can find, and has set big goals for herself. Hear about her experiences and what she credits her success to, as well as what advice she would give to her fellow agents just starting out in CRE.

In this episode of Beyond The Deal, hosts Lacey Labs and Laura Martin sit down with Greg Lowe, President of Capstone Consultants, whose career spans entrepreneurship, corporate leadership, and nonprofit impact. Greg shares how early lessons fixing up minibikes in his front yard led to founding and selling a technology company, helping build a classical education publishing house, and leading complex business operations across industries.He opens up about the importance of doing hard things, staying grounded in core values, and finding balance between visionaries and integrators in business. Plus, Greg reflects on his 25-year journey hiking the entire Appalachian Trail—and how perseverance on the trail mirrors persistence in leadership and life.Tune in for a conversation that blends business insight, personal growth, and timeless wisdom about leadership, purpose, and endurance.

Today we’re joined by Joel Landon of Heritage IRA, trusted administrator for self-directed retirement accounts, including IRAs, Solo 401(k)s, ROBS. Joel helps business owners and various types of investors have more control over their investments, often helping them to invest in passive real estate syndications as a primary option. In this episode, you’ll hear how Joel got into self-directed retirement investing, information on the what and how of operating, and what advice he would give to people looking to get started in self-directed investing.

Today, we’re joined by Marc Kurowski, owner of K & W Associates – a civil engineering company in Harrisburg. He is also the man behind the renovation and vision for King's Mansion, a beautiful historic 1920s mansion turned mixed-use event venue on Front Street in Harrisburg. Marc has also served on various community and non-profit boards over the years. He is a doer, connector, and community builder in Harrisburg City. 

In this episode, you’ll hear how he built K & W Associates from the ground up, what they’ve learned about running a small business in a shifting landscape, and the advice he would give to young engineers looking to get started in their careers. 

In this episode, we interview Larry Binda and Lauren Maurer of The Burg. The Burg is a community magazine and daily online news site that covers the area in and around Harrisburg, Pa. The print issues are published monthly, typically a day or two before the beginning of the month, and are distributed to more than 500 locations. Current circulation for the print magazine is 20,000+ readers! Tune in to this episode to hear more about Larry and Lauren’s journey, the small business and independent publishing experience they share, and what advice they would give to younger business owners and publishers.

Season 4 Debut is an interview with Zane Schartz, Founder and President of Freedom Commercial Real Estate, a private equity firm. Zane began Freedom Commercial with a vision of creating truly passive income for investors. He does so with a strategic approach to investing in specific types of properties with certain qualified tenants. His mission in life is to create passive income through a non-profit private equity firm focused on funding Christian world missions. Tune in to this episode to hear more about Zane’s journey, the commercial real estate and investment experience that he shares, and what advice he would give to investors looking to start investing through private equity.