Good Talks

#35: Get ready for a captivating and insightful podcast episode featuring David Duprey, an innovative artistic visionary and boundary-breaking entrepreneur leading The Narrow Group. Prepare yourself as David shares his extraordinary journey, bringing counterculture from California to Vancouver and sparking a wave of creativity that challenged the city's established norms. Dive into David's early ventures at the legendary Rickshaw and his ambitious acquisition of Vancouver's City Centre Motel. Gain exclusive access to the behind-the-scenes management of a diverse group of creatives and discover David's exciting upcoming projects that are sure to captivate. Join us for an enriching experience that celebrates the power of embracing the unconventional.

• 00:00:13 Start time

• 00:01:47 Time in San Francisco

• 00:04:34 Counter culture idea from the states come with David to Vancouver

• 00:07:30 Artist workshops out

• 00:09:03 Not operating the Rickshaw with a liquor license

• 00:11:36 Zero % vacancy in artist workshops

• 00:15:00 Trying to bring Vancouver island back by taking over emily carr university • 00:18:11 Great deal with Nicola Wealth at City center motel

• 00:21:29 Backing out of the mural fest

• 00:22:34 Rio getting heat from showing lude content - destroyed in media

• 00:26:47 Staff and ownership saw Burn Out in different views

• 00:27:58 LGBTQ art Cam bought

• 00:30:07 Getting canceled from a past employee for tokenism

• 00:31:46 Diversity hiring policy - want staff to be a mix of what the city is

• 00:32:56 Managing Music Artists is hard; visual artist not so much

• 00:36:06 Vancouver Farmers market

• 00:41:38 If action does not happen soon a plan will be released public in the hopes of support

• 00:43:02 Govt is about plans about a plan

• 00:47:53 Granville Island partnership?

• 00:49:32 How to reach David

• 00:53:22 “If you're waiting for the city your dead”

• 00:57:07 Weird is awesome

• 00:58:26 End Time

#34: In this captivating podcast episode, we dive into the entrepreneurial journey of Jeff Meyers, the CEO of Zonda. Jeff's tenacity shines as he started with a humble $50,000 seed investment from a past employer, eventually securing a remarkable $20 million investment from Private Equity. Notably, Jeff's acumen in the new home data market is unrivaled, making him a force to be reckoned with. If you're running a data company and receive a call from Jeff, be prepared to present your financials because there's a chance you might be acquired. Jeff's track record speaks for itself, as he even bought back his first business that he had sold along the way. Join us as we delve into the world of entrepreneurship and gain valuable insights from this seasoned business leader.

• 00:00:13 Start

• 00:00:56 First company out of University

• 00:01:09 Worked with a developer/land owner and got financial backing from

past employer

• 00:01:45 Started San Diego-based data company

• 00:02:40 Started first-hand collecting and publishing

• 00:02:59 Raised $20 mill in 1996 and started an acquisition spree

• 00:04:19 Andy Florence co-star - smartest in the data biz - always a step ahead

• 00:06:35 Las Vegas big downtown in stared consultants group

• 00:09:47 Older gen loved iPad so they went mobile-first

• 00:10:11 Appease the analyst and made a desktop platform

• 00:11:15 Buying urban analytics

• 00:12:22 Known for buying - 2 to3 buys a year

• 00:13:05 Sourced all deals in-house

• 00:16:07 PE brings in HR star

• 00:16:27 Bringing a culture leader

• 00:18:28 1000 employees at Zonda

• 00:24:21 Vancouver and Toronto are very sophisticated in pre-sale

• 00:25:37 Urban Analytics is expanding into 12 more markets this year

• 00:26:12 Tracking 30% of all new projects within 3 years

• 00:27:41 Implementing satellite imaging in Vancouver by Q3

• 00:31:16 Make rock stars from developers, marketing companies, and architects

• 00:32:38 Bough rendering company alpha vision

• 00:35:18 Not going to be the transaction marketplace

• 00:36:50 Not looking to consult on marketing only advisory

• 00:43:54 Change the consumer experience - new is better

• 00:44:22 Do you think Zillow would want to buy you? scale and ipo is the main goal

• 00:48:38 Entrepreneurship will save the world

• 00:48:53 End

#33: Oliver Webbe is part of Good Talks Sons of Anarchy Series.

Oliver is a super dad and Northshore original leading the Darwin Construction and Development team, one of the city's most passionate community builders. This Son of Anarchy leans into the success of great partnerships, including his internal partnership with Jason Turcotte, Darwin's golden rule of "do unto others as you would have them do unto you," and how it translates to his personal life, family life, and work life.

This suit-loving, family-loving, and work-loving second-generation leader has learned much and is more than willing to share. Listen now!

• 00:00:13 Start

• 00:00:25 Jason Turcotte

• 00:03:05 Second-generation leaders, “the family” dynamic

• 00:04:35 What's coming for Darwin

• 00:05:18 Sons of Anarchy

• 00:06:28 Core values within the company and its leaders

• 00:07:08 Darwins start in the industry

• 00:08:37 Construction to developing

• 00:10:06 Polygon mindset

• 00:11:05 Being the best of the Northshore

• 00:12:18 Becoming creative with Land with only 200,000

• 00:14:28 Speed in land acquisitions

• 00:16:15 Psychology of developers

• 00:20:50 Is Darwin too heavy into the North Van Community

• 00:22:02 City of North Vancouver

• 00:24:19 Supply and demand

• 00:25:01 Senior care facilities (40,000 seniors in North Van)

• 00:26:44 Partnerships

• 00:28:57 What works in partnerships and what doesn't

• 00:30:21 Deep Cove

• 00:33:50 David Webbe

• 00:34:21 David's family office

• 00:35:04 How David landed his first few townhome projects (Building)

• 00:36:20 Bidding

• 00:37:43 Building for others

• 00:41:53 Core Values at Darwin

• 00:43:05 Development vs. Construction at Darwin

• 00:46:17 What advice would you give a new developer?

• 00:50:17 Building for the Future of better communities

• 00:52:17 Fabric of a community

• 00:53:46 How to solve some real estates problems

• 00:54:36 BC Housing

• 00:55:16 Family-oriented affordable housing

• 00:56:19 Partnerships with Indigenous communities

• 00:59:30 Listen and learn

• 01:02:03 Being a dad

• 01:03:50 University life

• 01:05:43 Favourite dinner-time conversations

• 01:08:48 Suits all day, every day!

• 01:10:10 End

#32: Today on the pod, Cam is joined by the man who co-founded the Tinder of co-buying, Brian Dracup. Brian's housing journey began the same way as many first-time buyers, through frustration and lack of funds, but it didn't take him long to find the missing middle in the housing market, leading to his first co-buy and the start of Pairadime. Hear Brian walk through the familiar story of individuals trying to buy, how he turned the situation to a positive and walked away with cash in his pocket, and now trying to help others with his new startup. Swipe right and listen today. You never know who/what might be a match!

• 00:00:13 Start

• 00:00:30 About Brian and Pairadime

• 00:01:45 Brian's first co-buy and its transition to Pairadime

• 00:02:45 Cam’s first go at co-buying at University

• 00:03:33 The common story of individuals trying to buy

• 00:03:58 Meeting Pairadimes, second co-founder

• 00:06:09 How did you make the co-buy deal work

• 00:08:42 Vancity co-mortgage programs (mixer mortgage)

• 00:10:47 Pairadime’s primary focus

• 00:12:23 The Tinder of co-buying

• 00:13:57 Investors or end users

• 00:16:26 Unmarried partners and co-buying programs

• 00:17:55 How does Pairadime make money?

• 00:18:47 Pairadimes current company volume

• 00:20:23 Personal co-buy concierge

• 00:20:54 What's the first step in the Pairadimes co-buying process

• 00:22:49 Fundraising

• 00:23:18 Example of a recent individual in Surrey, BC applying

• 00:24:50 Investors looking to use Pairadime

• 00:25:57 Pairadimes ownership calculator

• 00:29:23 Pairadimes international capabilities

• 00:30:54 Pete Flint (Prop tech specialist)

• 00:31:12 Ownership revolution

• 00:31:47 Fractional ownership: luxury vacation homes (ex Pacaso)

• 00:33:20 Fractional ownership: rental properties

• 00:35:25 Why not focus on presale

• 00:37:32 Key Toronto

• 00:39:24 Presale opportunities

• 00:45:22 Pete Flint's predictions

• 00:46:08 Fractional Listings

• 00:49:20 Single Family

• 00:50:05 Housecanary

• 00:54:56 Where did the name Pairadime come from

• 00:55:32 Two sectors of Pairadime

• 00:57:50 End

#31: Today on the pod, Cam connects with fellow Keyper and VP Sales, Richard Klein. With a career spanning four countries, Richard has worked on iconic global projects including the London 2012 Olympic Village and 1 Hyde Park Residences. He talks about his passion for real estate sales and the hallmarks of a good salesperson: being inquisitive, building relationships, and working hard. He and Cam discuss the lack of bold architecture in Vancouver and explore how the city can improve on a global scale.

• 00:00:13 Start time

• 00:02:04 London

• 00:03:14 Childhood in London

• 00:03:37 Sports

• 00:04:46 Grand Papi

• 00:05:35 Grand Papi the tailor

• 00:06:26 Traditional Jewish family dinners

• 00:06:54 Starting in Real Estate

• 00:08:24 Olympic Village

• 00:08:55 Selling multi-million dollar homes/developments in London

• 00:12:05 Living in under 500 sqft

• 00:14:25 Who is Liz

• 00:16:39 Long distance & proposing

• 00:18:04 Meeting Liz

• 00:23:07 Different sales team structures

• 00:25:09 Kids?

• 00:25:56 Richards vegan!

• 00:26:58 Being disciplined

• 00:28:20 Liz and her athletic background

• 00:30:19 Working in Dubai

• 00:32:12 Dubai Waterfront

• 00:34:19 Dubai government re real estate

• 00:37:06 Selling armed vehicles

• 00:38:17 Getting back to London

• 00:40:15 Working smaller is nimbler

• 00:40:33 Massive projects vs. the typical

• 00:42:34 Selling real estate in prime cities in prime markets

• 00:46:11 What makes a great salesperson in the long run

• 00:49:03 What can salespeople do better

• 00:50:43 Customer care• 00:55:35 Why Vancouver?

• 00:57:31 Work-life balance

• 01:00:20 Architecture

• 01:03:54 Legacy buildings

• 01:07:05 Designing from the inside out. Is this the right way?

• 01:09:08 Tokyo

• 01:10:52 Lab Tech

• 01:11:17 End time

#30: Today on the Pod, Cam connects with Jeff Duncan, CEO of talent management firm Ingenuity Live. Jeff explores a career that’s been nothing short of monumental - how he started his first franchise at 17, breaking bread with Richard Branson on Necker Island, and celebrating his 40th birthday in style at the Kim Dotcom mansion in New Zealand with his business partner David Ebert. And he discusses how the early days of COVID lockdown encouraged his impromptu career shift into the wild world of talent management.

• 00:00:13 Start

• 00:00:50 Jeff's journey

• 00:01:42 Entry into business journey (clown suit start)

• 00:07:13 Going to business depot for business cards for, Jiffy the Clown

• 00:11:35 Getting into the big leagues

• 00:13:15 Uniglobe travel meeting

• 00:15:26 Cold calling

• 00:17:39 Becoming a broker

• 00:19:37 Travel industry plummeting

• 00:20:04 Meeting Max

• 00:21:27 Online reservation system conning

• 00:26:08 COVIDs impact

• 00:26:32 Facebook 2019 conference

• 00:28:31 Thinking about another business

• 00:31:24 Richard Branson Mansion

• 00:33:42 Kim Dotcom, mansion

• 00:37:12 Heartbreak Island

• 00:37:49 Meeting Harry Jowsey

• 00:41:11 Tiger king

• 00:42:15 Tiger King's husband

• 00:44:00 Cam watching Too Hot Too Handle

• 00:45:33 Manager vs. Agent

• 00:48:10 Pressure in the world of social

• 00:49:01 How do you get the right clients

• 00:51:05 Personal Brand

• 00:53:05 Hustling

• 00:53:35 Harry's success

• 00:55:04 Scarcity vs. abundance

• 00:55:19 Twitch

• 00:59:43 Danny Duncan, Virginity Rocks

• 01:00:22 Where does someone need to be to Call

• 01:04:42 Ingenuity Live, 1+1=3 sum is greater than the value of the parts

• 01:07:32 OnlyFans

• 01:10:56 OnlyFans, Bella Thorne

• 01:12:32 How to be successful on OnlyFans

• 01:14:13 Comicon

• 01:16:29 Furries & freedom of expression

• 01:19:24 Cameo

• 01:24:22 Making your business decisions

• 01:27:46 Are you involved in quality of life?

• 01:29:18 First steps to being a content creator

• 01:38:44 The impact of social on young people

• 01:40:24 Potential ban of TikTok

• 01:41:33 Trends

• 01:44:13 No option to have a bad day

• 01:45:09 BeReal

• 01:50:18 How much work is being a celeb?

• 01:51:53 AI IG

• 01:56:41 New York Times conversation with Chat GBT

• 02:00:49 Feeling on AI & evolving tech

• 02:07:20 CG reading untethered soul

• 02:12:59 Jeff’s coming out story

#29: Arnie Malham is an advertising expert passionate about creating effective work cultures. On today's episode, he talks to Cam about the ideas captured in his book “Worth Doing Wrong: the Quest to Build a Culture That Rocks,” demonstrating that an effective work culture has never been more important. He explains how he transformed a wayward insult into the symbol for his ad agency, CJ Advertising, and how his focus on culture and leadership transformed CJ into the No. 1 legal advertising agency in North America.

• 00:00:13 Start

• 00:00:33 Arnie Malham’s book on Culture

• 00:02:13 Culture is what you’ve built

• 00:04:05 Can culture/operations be shifted off the president's shoulders?

• 00:06:36 Why is culture so important these days

• 00:08:03 The look back

• 00:11:38 Easier being the hero

• 00:12:31 Do for one that you want to do for many

• 00:13:17 Your better book club

• 00:18:42 Cam’s reading process

• 00:23:39 Readings a habit

• 00:24:50 Arnies start

• 00:29:05 Communicate, measure, and repeat

• 00:31:25 Where did Arnies' cultural obsession come from?

• 00:32:56 Look good on people's resume

• 00:34:14 KPIs & bottom lines• 00:34:53 Call centre

• 00:37:27 Cheaper than turnover

• 00:38:01 EO, legacy chair

• 00:40:19 Culture survey

• 00:41:22 Champions

• 00:42:58 Witch hunt

• 00:44:48 Publishing feedback

• 00:46:49 Camel culture

• 00:47:03 Culture importance is cheaper in the long run

• 00:49:05 Bad hires

• 00:50:12 “We pay people to leave”

• 00:52:00 Physiological appeal

• 00:53:09 The 60-day checklist

• 00:57:09 “Camel jockey” story

• 00:59:50 CJ advertising

• 01:01:53 Real estate developers that saved the world

• 01:02:55 Did working through your company culture activities ever feel silly?

• 01:04:03 Repition

• 01:06:45 Camel culture list

• 01:07:05 Transparency

• 01:10:30 CJ conference

• 01:12:10 15/5

• 01:12:59 Camels with a cause

• 01:14:37 Peer recognition

• 01:15:10 “Busting your hump”

• 01:16:15 Anniversary SWAG

• 01:18:37 Vacation days

• 01:20:09 Peer performance reviews

• 01:21:06 10 AM meetings

• 01:25:30 End

#28: Gary Pooni is CEO of Pooni Group and one of Vancouver’s most reputable planning experts. In today’s episode, he schools Cam on the powerful, and often biased history of planning and zoning. He explores how the pandemic conditions of 1918 can help predict contemporary cultural, financial and economic trends. And he shares how a heart attack and subsequent cardiac arrest in 2019 transformed his way of thinking on both a personal and professional level.

• 00:00:12 Start time

• 00:03:35 Rezoning

• 00:06:42 Political blips

• 00:07:01 Administrators vs. policy creators vs. regulators

• 00:09:54 Political arena

• 00:10:59 Pandemic history and what we learned and the tech we got out of it

• 00:15:55 Culture tensions

• 00:19:34 Leaving cities

• 00:23:10 Planning cities for yesterday (rearview mirror approach)

• 00:25:17 What is Gary Pooni known for? Most powerful people in real estate

• 00:25:42 What does Gary Pooni do

• 00:29:28 Working with NDP

• 00:32:24 Getting into real estate consulting

• 00:40:31 Mr. Pooni passing in 2015

• 00:44:21 Is Pooni a lobbyist?

• 00:45:43 What does it look like bringing on Pooni Group

• 00:47:19 Negotiation, the secret skill

• 00:52:21 Nimbieism, shrinking and why

• 00:54:27 Millenials and their likes in real estate

• 00:56:27 Public announcement

• 00:56:45 Gary Pooni’s cardiac arrest

• 01:02:58 Being in the fight

• 01:04:39 Working in a public-facing industry

• 01:07:53 Cams chat about invincible entrepreneurs

• 01:08:42 Leadership updates

• 01:17:54 Looking into the future

#27: Today on the pod, Cam connects with a Vancouver real estate legend: Jon Stovell, President & CEO of Reliance Properties. Widely recognized for growing Reliance from a small holding company into an industry titan, Jon offers words of wisdom for today's up-and-coming developers. He delves into his passion for advocacy, policy and the continued revitalization of Gastown, and explores frustrations regarding the housing crisis and current market inequities.

• 00:00:13 Start

• 00:00:59 Post covid fun events, UDI, ICSC, U40

• 00:02:01 Jon, the legend!

• 00:03:29 Getting back to basics and values

• 00:06:03 Jon’s start

• 00:06:51 Starting in accounting

• 00:09:02 Gastown

• 00:10:16 The Broken system, downtown Eastside plan

• 00:12:33 Hastings St, the new tourist attraction

• 00:16:21 Reliance is the largest property owner in Gastown

• 00:17:39 Advocacy Jon likes

• 00:18:43 The government is turning on the real estate industry like a pack of wolves

• 00:21:15 David Ebby & ABC Party

• 00:23:38 Government won't become the main source of housing

• 00:25:54 CMHC Report

• 00:28:04 How do we make rental work? (Stars aligned)

• 00:32:57 China dividends

• 00:35:48 China vs. India re factories

• 00:38:49 Downside of inflation

• 00:43:39 Presale buyers

• 00:48:05 Jons #1 wish: upzone everything around transit

• 00:50:17 Why under zone?

• 00:53:20 Partnerships in development w/ first nations

• 00:54:15 What is in the provincial government's hands

• 00:57:07 Why advocacy?

• 01:01:14 Developers moving elsewhere

• 01:03:14 If you were just starting, where would you start?

• 01:04:19 The missing middle & Sourcing capital

• 01:07:48 Multigenerational developers

• 01:12:47 Marketing budgets and delivery

• 01:19:06 The emotional component in real estate

• 01:22:01 Bleeding Edge tech

• 01:24:24 What is technology?

• 01:26:32 Presale mechanism

• 01:30:57 Construction costs, sharing the burden

• 01:32:57 Profit in real estate

• 01:36:34 Realtor commissions

• 01:38:27 End

#26: On today's episode of Good Talks, Cam connects with one of Western Canada’s most influential female real estate leaders, Ameet Johal. Ameet explores Vancouver’s reputation as the “no fun city,” and demonstrates the importance of creating vibrant, connected, and diverse places through city activations. She discusses how understanding the importance of personal branding was instrumental in her early career, and talks about her continued dedication to leading with authenticity. Listen today to learn more about Ameet Johal and her global placemaking consultancy, Junction Co.

• 00:00:12 Start time

• 00:01:33 Ameets start in the industry

• 00:04:17 Pursuit of knowledge

• 00:05:50 Consulting

• 00:06:49 Introducing Junction Co

• 00:09:09 Most ideal client

• 00:11:28 Working with project marketing companies

• 00:12:08 Taking over for Diana McMeekin

• 00:12:52 How do you get paid

• 00:15:39 What do you think about the industry

• 00:17:19 Opportunities in real estate today

• 00:19:06 Vancouver vs Toronto

• 00:22:04 Retail spaces

• 00:23:51 New York & Toronto

• 00:25:12 Quiet Thursday nights in Vancouver

• 00:27:00 Vancouver vs Calgary

• 00:27:40 Vancouvers stuck in the middle

• 00:33:45 Westbank

• 00:37:43 Whos responsibility is community lively building

• 00:40:33 Haberdasher

• 00:43:24 Bodega

• 00:44:52 Tribe Properties

• 00:47:49 A woman developing

• 00:49:50 Women in leadership roles

• 00:51:17 Diversity

• 00:53:17 Own your own root

• 00:56:28 Building to charter

• 00:57:43 Signs of respect

• 01:02:25 Second generations

• 01:03:38 One of Ameets biggest mistakes, April 2022

• 01:09:22 “Be yourself, authentically in every way” by Jay-Z

• 01:10:42 Who do you admire in real estate

• 01:12:43 Men in marketing, even it out!• 01:15:21 Why do creative ideas die on the vine (boldness needs to be owned by the developer)

• 01:21:46 End