In this episode of Distressed to Success, Brian speaks with Paul Poteet, founder of Surge Capital Group. Brian and Paul trace Paul’s journey from a business-management major fresh out of college to becoming a multifamily developer carving out a unique niche in tertiary markets. 

Rather than chasing high-profile zip codes, Paul explains his “zoning-first” strategy, targeting commercial zones that allow multifamily by right, snapping up overlooked parcels in places like Ogden, Utah, and secondary metros across the South, and then taking projects from land acquisition through entitlement, construction, lease-up, and sale over a 1–3-year cycle. 

Along the way, Paul shares hard-earned lessons on growth and efficiency: how doing fewer, high-quality deals and preserving cash reserves can safeguard a young business; why the mantra “hire slow, fire fast” is vital; and how standardizing building designs has become Surge Capital Group’s secret sauce for maximizing profits. He also opens up about personal growth, shifting his focus from purely financial goals to family, relationships, and the power of visualizing success before it happens. 

Timestamps

Get in touch with Paul

Website: http://surgeredev.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ppoteet/

Contact info: [email protected]

Get in touch with Brian

Last Best Partners' Website: https://www.lastbestpartners.com/

Brian's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-seidensticker-90117021

Podcast LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/distressed-to-success-podcast

Book Crucial Conversations: https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-Conversations-Talking-Stakes-Second/dp/0071771328

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In this episode of Distressed to Success, Brian speaks with Jill Ferrari, partner at Schenken Bruch and co-founder of Renovare Development. With more than three decades in the brownfield redevelopment industry, Jill walks us through her unusual journey, from environmental health consultant to real estate dealmaker, authoring creative financing solutions, and teaching real estate fundamentals at the University of Michigan Taubman College of Architecture and Engineering.

Along the way, she co-founded a Detroit nonprofit that supports emerging female developers and even launched a new podcast called Breaking Ceilings, Breaking Ground to spotlight women in commercial real estate from Vancouver to Mexico City.

Brian and Jill dive deep into the nuts and bolts of revitalizing contaminated or underutilized properties, describing how Michigan’s progressive toolbox of tax-increment financing, tax abatements, state and federal grants, Brownfield Redevelopment Authorities, EGLE programs, and EPA site-assessment funds can make seemingly impossible projects viable.

Jill illustrates the process with vivid case studies, from the haunted tunnels and asbestos-laden soils of the Northville Psychiatric Hospital site turned thriving medical and retail campus to a 40-year-vacant infill parcel in Ypsilanti transformed into income-qualified housing. She also shares her hands-on approach to scouting opportunity sites, forging local partnerships, navigating public perception, and tailoring the financing stack so every project “pencils.”

Alongside these technical insights, Jill offers candid career advice, reminding listeners to brace for the “euphoria of success and the gut-wrenching lows” that define a real estate entrepreneur’s path, and to embrace failures as part of the ride. She closes with a personal “carve-out” inspired by her love for the cult sci-fi series Firefly, reflecting on how passionate, engaged communities, whether built around a TV show or a revitalized neighborhood, are at the heart of every transformative project.

Timestamps

1. Jill Ferrari’s career journey and current roles – 00:59
2. Launching the Breaking Ceilings, Breaking Ground podcast – 02:55
3. Brownfield redevelopment overview and key challenges – 08:18
4. Major incentives and financial tools for Brownfield projects – 11:30
5. Advice on navigating the highs and lows of real‐estate development – 35:17

Connect with Jill!

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jill-ferrari-6729891/
- Website: https://www.sbdetroit.com/

Get in touch with Brian!
- Last Best Partners' Website: https://www.lastbestpartners.com/
- Brian's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-seidensticker-90117021
- Podcast LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/distressed-to-success-podcast
- Book 10x Is Easier Than 2x – Dan Sullivan & Dr. Benjamin Hardy: https://www.amazon.com/10x-Easier-Than-World-- Class-Entrepreneurs/dp/140196995X

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In this episode of Distressed to Success, Brian speaks with Jordan Blanchard, co-founder of Excalibur Rural Capital. Jordan, a 35-year banking veteran who spent the last decade focused on USDA Rural Development lending, walks us through how his firm partners with rural commercial developers and municipalities to bring affordable, long-term financing to communities of 50,000 people or fewer. 

We learn how the USDA’s one-RD loan programs work, from the online mapping tool that determines eligibility, to collateral requirements and loan advance rates, and why ground-up construction and public infrastructure projects, like water tanks and fire trucks, often benefit most from these flexible, fully amortizing structures. 

Brian and Jordan highlight real-world case studies, a metals recycling facility in Texas, a sand logistics hub in South Dakota, hotels and rural hospitals, even a horse-feed manufacturer in Florida, showing how Excalibur Rural Capital blends USDA guarantees with PACE loans, New Markets Tax Credits or HUD take-outs to fill financing gaps. 

With terms up to 30 years for for-profit ventures (40 years for municipalities) and spreads near 250-350 basis points over U.S. Treasuries, these deals illustrate a powerful tool for community revitalization. Jordan also shares how Excalibur’s sister affiliates handle multifamily and other “government-adjacent” funding programs, creating one-stop capital solutions for developers. 

Before signing off, Jordan offers candid advice he wishes he’d followed earlier: get up before dawn, build a solid workout routine, and embrace collaboration over competition, even with peers. His story underscores that it’s never too late to become an entrepreneur, especially when your mission is to transform distressed areas into thriving, sustainable communities.

Timestamps

Get in Touch with Jordan!

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/x-caliberruralcapital/

Website: xrcusda.com

Company’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/x-caliber-rural-capital/

Get in touch with Brian! 

Last Best Partners' Website: https://www.lastbestpartners.com/

Brian's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-seidensticker-90117021

Podcast LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/distressed-to-success-podcast

Subscribe to follow the show!

Books Mentioned: 

Building a Second Brain: https://www.buildingasecondbrain.com/book

The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: https://www.amazon.com/Almanack-Naval-Ravikant-Wealth-Happiness/dp/1544514212

The Four Agreements: https://www.amazon.com/Four-Agreements-Practical-Personal-Freedom/dp/1878424319

In this episode of Distressed to Success, Brian speaks with Scott Lurie, owner and founder of F Street. 

Scott walks us through his 20-plus-year real estate journey, from flipping and wholesaling homes as the first Wisconsin franchisee of Wee Buy Ugly Houses to launching F Street’s three verticals today: a national multifamily and industrial syndication network, ground-up Class A developments in southeastern Wisconsin, and the Evergreen Fund, a $130 million private credit vehicle that fuels their hard-money lending arm, The Hard Money Co. 

Brian and Scott then unpack some of F Street’s most innovative acquisition plays, including buying distressed apartment portfolios out of bankruptcy. Scott explains how the court-appointed receiver process creates a firm timeline, why zero-contingency, cash-ready offers close in just 90 days, and how value-add renovations revive hundreds of units in blighted buildings. 

They also explore how Tax Increment Financing (TIF) bridges the gap between construction costs and achievable market rents, turning projects that wouldn’t pencil into attractive, community-supporting housing. Finally, Scott shares how The Hard Money Co. partners with active borrowers, requiring just 10 percent down, funding 100 percent of repairs, and closing in ten days, and how F Street’s Evergreen Fund has paid investors a simple, unwavering 10 percent annual return for 17 years. 

He closes with a reminder that above all, integrity and follow-through are the cornerstones of success in real estate and in life.

Timestamps

Book Mentioned

The Coddling of the American Mind

Get in touch with Scott

Website: https://fstreet.com/
Website: https://thehardmoneyco.com/
Scott’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottjlurie/
Email: [email protected]

Get in touch with Brian

Last Best Partners' Website: https://www.lastbestpartners.com/
Brian's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-seidensticker-90117021
Podcast LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/distressed-to-success-podcast

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In this episode of Distressed to Success, Brian speaks with Philip Kafka, president of Prince Concepts. Kafka takes us from his early days studying philosophy in Chicago and launching a billboard business in New York to discovering a greater calling in Detroit’s Core City. 

He explains how he stopped viewing real estate as a mere asset and instead treats every building as a product to be improved, marketed, and loved. By deploying the money he saved on dirt into architecture, landscaping, and public parks, Philip has reshaped long-ignored blocks into a vibrant, walkable neighborhood where residents and business owners alike feel lucky to be. 

Brian and Philip dive deep into the firm’s signature projects, from award-winning brick storefront renovations and restaurants to a groundbreaking duplex community designed with Edwin Chan. These 24 units are sold as “brown boxes,” giving owner-occupants the freedom to finish high-design spaces to their taste while collecting rent from the second unit. 

Kafka lays out how accessible architecture, delivered at price points within reach of teachers, city workers, and entrepreneurs, can drive both social impact and profit. Listeners will come away with fresh strategies for using product-first thinking, generous land use, and adaptive reuse to turn distressed blocks into sustainable, profitable places people can’t wait to call home.

Timestamps

Get in Touch with Philip:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-kafka-644a0b23/
Website: https://www.princeconcepts.com/

Last Best Partners' Website: https://www.lastbestpartners.com/
Brian's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-seidensticker-90117021
Podcast LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/distressed-to-success-podcast

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Join Brian Seidensticker as he sits down with Jason Hull, CEO at DoorGrow – a growth and marketing agency that helps residential property management companies scale, systematize operations, and build healthier businesses. In this episode of Distressed to Success, Jason shares his entrepreneurial journey, from leaving a corporate role at HP to founding a company that has rebranded over 300 property management businesses and coached hundreds of owners through growth and operational challenges.

The conversation explores the realities of entrepreneurship, servant leadership, and why CEOs carry ultimate responsibility when things break down. Jason also explains DoorGrow’s work with long-term residential property managers, how scaling challenges show up at different stages, and why setting “impossible goals” can unlock faster, more creative growth than realistic targets.

Books

Website: https://doorgrow.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kingjasonhull/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kingjasonhull/?hl=en

Get in touch with Brian
Last Best Partners’ Website: https://www.lastbestpartners.com/
Brian’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-seidensticker-90117021
Podcast LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/distressed-to-success-podcast

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Join Brian Seidensticker as he sits down with Jeremy Beland, Founder of REI Freedom – a real estate investing company focused on helping distressed homeowners while revitalizing communities. In this episode of Distressed to Success, Jeremy shares his journey from nearly losing everything during the Great Recession to becoming a successful real estate investor approaching his 500th off-market acquisition across multiple markets.

Jeremy breaks down what “distress” really means in real estate, why many sellers simply need a reset button, and how creative acquisition strategies can provide ethical, win-win outcomes for both investors and homeowners. The conversation dives deep into wholesaling, buy-and-hold strategies, working with inherited and tenant-occupied properties, and the importance of leading with education and empathy.

Last Best Partners' Website: https://www.lastbestpartners.com/
Brian's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-seidensticker-90117021
Podcast LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/distressed-to-success-podcast/

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Join Brian for an inspiring conversation with Jermaine Brooks, co-founder of WRJ Developers and pioneer of shipping container construction in Ohio. From his early real estate investing mistakes in 1999-2000 to developing what may be Ohio's first multi-family shipping container project, Jermaine shares his journey of transforming Cleveland's distressed East Side through innovative development strategies and a community-focused approach.

What You'll Learn:

Key Timestamps:

Get in touch with Jermaine:

Jermaine Brooks, Co-Founder, WRJ Developers 

Phone: (216) 224-4326 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jermainenbrooks/

Website: https://www.wrjdevelopers.com/

Email: [email protected]

Get in touch with Brian

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Join Brian for an inspiring conversation with Kathy Makino-Leipsitz, a pioneering affordable housing developer who has spent over 30 years transforming distressed communities through the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program. From buying her first duplex at 19 with $2,500 down to completing 22 tax credit developments, Kathy shares her remarkable journey and the lessons learned along the way.

What You'll Learn:

Key Timestamps:

Get in touch with Kathy

Kathy Makino-Leipsitz

Website: https://www.shelbornedevelopment.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathy-makino-leipsitz-13bb796/

Email: [email protected]

Resources Mentioned

Get in touch with Brian

Join Brian as he sits down with longtime industry colleague Brad Westover, Executive Director of the National Tax Lien Association (NTLA) - the only nonprofit organization working to improve the tax sale space. In this episode of Distressed to Success, Brad shares his remarkable 30-year journey from college graduate to industry leader, including his role in passing California tax lien legislation and managing $1.5 billion in investments across 22 states.

What You'll Learn:

Key Timestamps:

Get in touch with Brad

Executive Director, National Tax Lien Association 

(NTLA) Email: [email protected] 

Website: NTLA.org

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-westover-realtor/

Get in touch with Brian

Last Best Partners' Website: https://www.lastbestpartners.com/

Brian's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-seidensticker-90117021

Podcast LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-seidensticker-90117021/ 

Subscribe to follow the show!