Geoffrey Kasselman, the keynote speaker at the 2022 BizTimes Commercial Real Estate and Development Conference, joins BizTimes editor Andrew Weiland to answer audience questions from the event. Whether you attended or not, the episode is full of insights into how technology will shape commercial real estate going forward.

Kasselman and Weiland discuss how AI, new forms of transportation and microgrids could alter both buildings and consumer expectations. They discuss how blockchain could impact offices like the Register of Deeds and title companies. And they address how the Upper Midwest is positioned to navigate climate change.

To see more from the event, visit biztimes.com/creconference

Andrew Weiland and Arthur Thomas from BizTimes Media get together to discuss the news of the week, including a 29% year-over-year drop in home sales in metro Milwaukee. The address whether the decline is the result of a tough comparison, a lack of inventory, affordability issues or something else. 

Insider Story Spotlight

• Former manager of BMO Harris Bank’s Muskego branch pleads guilty to embezzling more than $200,000
• Wisconsin lost 1,600 private sector jobs in October, labor force participation continued to drop

Big Story

• Metro Milwaukee home sales dip 29% in October
• Milwaukee-area residential real estate development lags demand, experts say
• Foundation for the future: City, businesses confront Sheboygan area’s workforce housing challenges

Jonas Prising, chairman and CEO of Milwaukee-based ManpowerGroup joins Marquette University president Michael Lovell and BizTimes managing editor Arthur Thomas to talk about leading a global organization and where labor markets are headed on the latest episode of Leadership Lens. Their conversation touches on lessons Jonas takes from playing hockey, how the COVID-19 pandemic will shape the world of work, and the importance of empowering decision makers throughout an organization. 

Andrew Weiland and Arthur Thomas from BizTimes Media get together to discuss the news of the week, including the Wisconsin Department of Transportation announcing its preference for a $1.2 billion plan to widen a 3.5-mile stretch of I-94 East-West to eight lanes, a decision supported by business groups but opposed by environmental groups who wanted to keep the interstate at six lanes.

Insider Story Spotlight:

• Chicago firm buys Germantown industrial building for $21.3 million
• Another event space opening at former Pabst brewery complex

Big Story:

• WisDOT to pursue freeway expansion to 8 lanes along I-94 East-West corridor

Jeff Hoffman, co-chair of the industrial services practice at Cushman & Wakefield | Boerke, returns to the BizTimes MKE Podcast to talk about recent trends in the industrial real estate market and his new book "Industrial is What We Do." 

Jeff has more than two decades of experience as an industrial real estate broker and  joined the podcast in in the spring of 2021 to talk about the hot streak in industrial real estate. hH’s back to provide an update on how things have gone over the past 18 months. We touched on what rising interest rates mean for the industrial real estate market, why private equity-backed firms are leading the way in investing in new facilities and which areas in Wisconsin are poised for continued industrial growth. 

In his book, Jeff takes stock of the demographic trends shaping Wisconsin’s economy and makes the case for leaning into the state’s strength in industrial sectors to overcome looming and growing challenges for the state. 

Andrew Weiland and Arthur Thomas from BizTimes Media get together to discuss the news of the week, including Fiserv's decision to move its headquarters from Brookfield to Milwaukee and Harley's plans to repurpose and make investments in its headquarters on the city's near west side. Both pieces of news show how hybrid and remote work are changing the decisions companies make about how and where to invest in their offices. 

Insider Story Spotlight:

• Report: Kenosha casino approval would be ‘significantly less’ risky today for state than when Walker rejected it
• Northwestern Mutual to pay $6.8 billion in dividends in 2023

Big Story

• Fiserv will move its HQ to downtown Milwaukee
• Harley’s CEO says company will invest in its HQ and Milwaukee’s west side
  
  

Ascension Wisconsin ministry market executive Bernie Sherry joins Marquette University president Michael Lovell and BizTimes Media managing editor Arthur Thomas on the latest episode of Leadership Lens. Sherry discusses some of the challenges of leading a health system through the COVID-19 pandemic, both during the early shutdowns and the surges of cases this past winter. He also addresses how the current challenges in health care, including rising costs and workforce challenges, are facing executives to get more involved in the operational work of their teams. Sherry, who came to Ascension Wisconsin in 2016 to lead the integration of four health systems, also talked about how important communication is during a period of change management. 

Andrew Weiland and Arthur Thomas from BizTimes Media get together to discuss the news of the week, including a poll showing support for the proposed casino in Kenosha. The poll came from the Menominee tribe, who are also the ones proposing the casino, so it may be worth taking the results with a grain of salt, but it does show 60% in the region support the project. Andrew and Arthur discuss how the gambling landscape has changed since the casino proposal was last struck down in 2015 and whether it makes sense in 2022. 

Sharad Chadha, president and CEO of Sprecher Brewing, joins BizTimes Media's Arthur Thomas to talk about his journey since buying the company in early 2020. Chadha addresses how Sprecher has grown its presence nationally, telling the brand's story outside southeastern Wisconsin, balancing his background in the corporate world with running a smaller company, dealing with supply chain and inflation issues and plans for future growth. 

Andrew Weiland and Arthur Thomas from BizTimes Media get together to discuss the news of the week, including a judge lifting an injunction against a raze order for the former Northridge Mall. Andrew and Arthur discuss if this will finally lead to action on the demolition of the former mall, which closed in the early 2000s. 

Insider Spotlight Stories:

• Cudahy-based CR Industries acquired by former Lucas-Milhaupt leaders
• Gannett sells former Journal Sentinel printing plant in West Milwaukee for $26 million

Big Story:

• Judge lifts injunction against Northridge Mall raze order – says owner must demolish buildings