POWERS

By Chris PowersBusiness Entrepreneurship News Investing Business News

Favorites
75
Followers
Typical duration
78 min
per episode

Based on Podcast App listening data

POWERS episodes

March 26, 2024#344 - Rusty Reid - CEO @ Higginbotham - Building An Insurance Business That Has Compounded 20% YoY for 35+ years
Rusty Reid was named president and CEO of Higginbotham in 1989 at the age of 27. At that time, he implemented the firm’s defining “single source” service model whereby customers can obtain all their insurance and financial services under one roof. He also had the foresight to establish Higginbotham’s employee ownership structure, aligning all employees’ interests in the success of the firm. Under Rusty’s leadership, Higginbotham has grown to become the nation’s 21st-largest independent insurance brokerage firm and Texas’s largest—one with full property/casualty, financial, and HR service capabilities through offices coast to coast.

We discuss:
How to recruit well and build a culture
Successfully integrating acquired companies
Philosophy of generosity

We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.
https://www.thefortpod.com/survey

Links
Higginbotham

Topics
(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:01:56) - Infectious energy
(00:04:38) - Rusty’s early life and career
(00:22:34) - Company growth strategies
(00:31:30) - How to recruit well
(00:37:35) - Building culture
(00:42:15) - Rusty on ‘buying themselves’
(00:56:18) - Going on offense and acquiring companies
(01:01:27) - The value in staying busy
(01:05:52) - How to value an insurance business
(01:11:16) - How do you integrate an acquisition?
(01:17:10) - StonePoint partnership
(01:20:45) - Thoughts on AI
(01:26:51) - Philosophy on generosity

Support our Sponsors
Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital
Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Chris on Social Media:
X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX
Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys
Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0
Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO

The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts
1 hr 36 min
March 19, 2024#343 - Yossi Levi - Founder @ CarDealershipGuy - Taking the Auto Industry By Storm
Car Dealership Guy is currently the fastest-growing automotive media brand in the U.S and has captivated audiences with its top-rated podcast, weekly newsletter, and viral social channels, boasting a combined 80+ million impressions per month.
On this episode, Chris and Yossi discuss:
Yossi’s early career that lead to CDG
How he grew the brand into a full-time business
What it takes to drive meaningful growth on social media
The state of the car industry in 2024

We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.
https://www.thefortpod.com/survey

Links
Car Dealership Guy
The CDG Podcast
Car Dealership Guy on X
Yossi on X
Who The F*ck is Car Dealership Guy - Reveal Video

Topics
(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:03:32) - Yossi’s early career and car industry insights
(00:12:39) - Buiding Gettacar
(00:26:51) - Building Car Dealership Guy
(00:32:24) - Content & growth inflection points
(00:41:07) - Deciding to make CDG a full-time business
(00:47:07) - The content flywheel
(00:51:54) - The value of Podcasts
(00:56:12) - What channels matter to you?
(01:03:46) - Yossi’s decision to make himself public
(01:10:47) - What is the big vision for CDG?
(01:15:51) - What does Apple dropping their vehicle project mean?
(01:19:57) - What’s captivating you right now in the industry?

Support our Sponsors
Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital
Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Chris on Social Media:
X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX
Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys
Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0
Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO

The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts
1 hr 25 min
March 12, 2024#342 - Dean Macfarlan - Founding Partner @ Macfarlan Capital Partners - 10 Life Lessons
Dean Macfarlan is the founder of Macfarlan Capital Partners, a real estate investment sponsor based in Dallas, TX. He has 40 years of industry experience in the development, acquisition, repositioning, and sale of investment properties exceeding the $1.5 billion mark.

On this episode, Chris and Dean discuss:
Marriage philosophy
Life over living
Dean’s 10 Life Lessons

We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.
https://www.thefortpod.com/survey

Links
Dean's 10 Life Lessons
Macfarlan Capital Partners

Topics
(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:03:19) - Who is Dean?
(00:12:01) - Coming to Christ
(00:18:06) - Marriage
(00:29:54) - Life over Living
(00:38:19) - 10 Life Lessons

Support our Sponsors
Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I
Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital
Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Chris on Social Media:
X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX
Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys
Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0
Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO

The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts
1 hr 21 min
March 05, 2024#341 - George Young - CEO @ Pegasus Resources - Stories From an Oil Legend
George Young is the CEO of Pegasus Resources, a mineral and royalty company based in Fort Worth, Texas, focused on the acquisition and management of properties primarily located in the Permian Basin. Pegasus is financially backed by a $600 million equity commitment from EnCap Investments L.P.

On this episode, Chris and George discuss:
George’s career in Oil and Minerals
The history of the Texas Oil Fields
Leadership stories and philosophies

We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.
https://www.thefortpod.com/survey

Links
Pegasus Resources

Topics
(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:03:23) - The Cook Ranch
(00:12:45) - The Young family’s entrance into the oil business
(00:18:40) - George’s early life & career
(00:40:24) - 10% Ted
(00:59:06) - Career stories
(01:22:52) - Getting into the mineral world

Support our Sponsors:
Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I
Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital
Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Chris on Social Media:
X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX
Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys
Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0
Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO

The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts
1 hr 41 min
February 27, 2024#340 - Chris Hellgeth aka Gas Biz Guy - Owner @ Vi-Mac - Building a $100M Gasoline Empire
Chris, aka @Gas_biz, is the owner of Vi-Mac, Atlanta’s hometown gasoline transportation company, which services approximately 1000+ gas stations throughout the State of Georgia.
We discuss:
The economics of the gas station business
Chris’ career: the rise, the fall, and the comeback
How to flip gas stations
Where gas stations stand in an EV world

We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.
https://www.thefortpod.com/survey

Links:
Chris on X
'Fuel for Thought' Newsletter

Topics:
(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:01:54) - The family gas business and Chris’ early life
(00:08:41) - How is money made in gas stations?
(00:12:00) - The perfect site for a gas station
(00:14:13) - What is ‘great service’ in gas stations?
(00:17:13) - What are the anchor products in the shop?
(00:22:34) - Buying 25% of the family business
(00:24:33) - The economics of check cashing
(00:27:12) - Growing the business
(00:30:32) - Making mistakes
(00:41:13) - The light at the end of the tunnel
(00:50:20) - How do you flip a gas station?
(00:52:58) - Selling the business
(01:01:14) - Gas station crime
(01:03:51) - The trucking business
(01:05:48) - Management philosophies
(01:06:51) - Running a great trucking company
(01:09:14) - The gasoline supply chain
(01:10:09) - What do you see as disruptive to the gas station industry?
(01:15:15) - Environmental processes
(01:17:19) - The video poker industry

Support our Sponsors
Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital
Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Chris on Social Media:
X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX
Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys
Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0
Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO

The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts
1 hr 21 min
February 22, 2024#339 - Simon Wagner - Founder @ Granite Oak - Compounding $1M to $250M in 10 years
Simon Wagner is the Founder and Managing Partner of Granite Oak, a private investment firm with over $250mm of assets across Real Estate and Venture Capital. His career spans more than 20 years of investing and entrepreneurship in financial markets and alternative investments.

On this episode, Chris and Simon discuss:
Working in mortgage-backed securities at Morgan Stanley in 2006
Developing his commercial mortgage thesis
The Irish real estate market
Planning & Entitlements

We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.
https://www.thefortpod.com/survey

Links
Granite Oak
Simon on X

Topics
(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:04:51) - Meeting Simon and his journey to the United States
(00:10:44) - Working in mortgaged-backed securities at Morgan Stanley in ’06
(00:24:35) - Forming the commercial mortgage thesis
(00:39:54) - Lending Lessons learned
(00:42:26) - Entering the Ireland market
(00:45:24) - Simon’s first deal
(00:56:25) - Irish vs. American loans
(00:57:13) - Simon’s portfolio today
(00:59:37) - Ireland’s influx of foreign capital and housing shortages
(01:07:21) - Fundraising
(01:13:53) - Planning and entitlements

Support our Sponsors:
RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY
Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I
Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital
Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Chris on Social Media:
X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX
Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys
Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0
Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO

The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts
1 hr 23 min
February 20, 2024#338 - Jamie Winship - Living Fearless
Jamie Winship has decades of experience bringing peaceful solutions to some of the world’s highest conflict areas.
After a distinguished career in law enforcement in the metro Washington D.C. area, Jamie earned an M.A. in English and developed a unique process of resolving inner conflict that results in the ability to lead and innovate from a position of authenticity and freedom. His unconventional efforts to bring about societal and racial reconciliation led him to Indonesia, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Israel, and back to the U.S.

We discuss:
How to discover your true identity
Separation and Connection world views
Jamie’s experiences working in the Middle East
Bringing terrorists to the US and converting them to Christianity

We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.
https://www.thefortpod.com/survey

Links
Jamie's website
Living Fearless by Jamie Winship
Identity Exchange
Finding Hope in Depression

Topics
(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:01:55) - Jamie’s background and upbringing
(00:05:49) - Being recruited into the CIA
(00:11:43) - What is identity?
(00:15:32) - How can I discover my true identity?
(00:27:32) - Separation vs. connection world views
(00:35:41) - Jamie’s experiences working in the Middle East
(00:52:55) - How to change the mentality of another person
(01:06:30) - Bringing Palestinian terrorists to a Christian men’s retreat

Support our Sponsors
Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital
Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Chris on Social Media:
X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX
Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys
Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0
Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO

The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts
1 hr 20 min
February 15, 2024#337 - Ian Cassel - Founder @ Intelligent Fanatics Capital Mgmt - The Art of Microcap Investing
Ian is the founder of MicroCapClub.com, a global community of microcap investors. He is also the founder of Intelligent Fanatics Capital Management LLC, where his team works with private wealth clients to help give them exposure to the smallest public companies in the world.
We discuss:
The world of microcap investing
Why the greatest investors started in microcap
Building MicroCap Club
Ian’s process for investing in a company

We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.
https://www.thefortpod.com/survey

Links
Ian on X
MicroCapClub.com

Topics
(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:02:06) - Growing up near the Amish
(00:06:31) - Getting into Microcap investing
(00:13:42) - Why most microcaps lose money
(00:16:02) - The cost of being a public company
(00:17:57) - Why the greatest investors started in microcap
(00:21:22) - Experiences during the GFC
(00:26:29) - Starting MicroCapClub
(00:32:20) - Ian’s process
(00:49:30) - Do you expect stock movement when you buy into a company?
(00:54:40) - Due diligence
(01:02:01) - Finding undervalue
(01:03:32) - Emotion in Investing
(01:07:05) - Thoughts on the market
(01:12:02) - What size does a microcap end?
(01:14:06) - What are the best sources of information for mIcrocap?

Support our Sponsors
Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital
Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Chris on Social Media:
X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX
Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys
Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0
Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO

The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts
1 hr 18 min
February 13, 2024#336 - Bill Cawley - CEO @ Cawley Partners
Bill Cawley is the brand and vision behind Cawley Partners, a full-service, Dallas-based real estate company historically focused on commercial office product. Over the course of his career, Bill has owned all classes of commercial real estate in multiple markets across the country. He is continually recognized as one of the most influential business leaders in Dallas-Fort Worth.
Cawley Partners has been the premier office developer along the Dallas North Tollway, developing more than $500 million of Class A office space and totaling more than 1.5 million square feet within the last 5 years.

On this episode, Bill and Chris discuss:
Bill's near-death experience and coming to Christ
Experiencing the 80's crisis in Dallas
The state of the Office market
Advice for folks entering RE

We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners.
https://www.thefortpod.com/survey

Links
Cawley Partners
Avery Capital
Topics
(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:04:23) - Bill’s near-death experience and coming to Christ
(00:19:10) - Rebuilding burned bridges
(00:25:19) - Legacy
(00:28:36) - Bill’s mission trip to Cuba
(00:31:52) - Bill’s career in real estate
(00:40:50) - Being in Dallas during the 80’s crisis
(00:44:13) - How the DFW tollway has evolved
(00:52:06) - The state of the Office market
(01:02:28) - The buyer market
(01:04:33) - Construction
(01:06:11) - Reflecting on Bill’s career
(01:16:05) - Building Multifamily
(01:19:24) - Advice to RE folks

Support our Sponsors
Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I
Juniper Square: https://bit.ly/45yiYUq
Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital
Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Chris on Social Media:

X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX
Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys
Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0
Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO

The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts
1 hr 23 min
February 06, 2024 #335 - Barry Sternlicht - Chairman & CEO @ Starwood Capital Group
Barry Sternlicht is Chairman & CEO of Starwood Capital Group, the private alternative investment firm he formed in 1991 that is focused on global real estate. He also serves as Chairman & CEO of Starwood Property Trust (NYSE: STWD), a leading diversified finance company.
For the past 32 years, Barry has structured investments with an asset value of $240B+. Starwood Capital’s investment vehicles have invested in approximately 290,000 residential units, 4,000 hotels, 103M SF of office properties, 75M SF of industrial, 56M SF of retail and 70,000 lots of land in residential subdivisions.

On this episode, Chris and Barry discuss:
- Stories of scaling the business to 120k employees in 6 years
- The value of “A Shared Pair” REIT
- How to take a company from $1B in AUM to $10B
- Selling Caesars Palace
- Thoughts on the 2024 market

Links:
Starwood Capital

Support our Sponsors
Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I
RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY
CRE Daily: https://bit.ly/4bteOQw
Fort Capital: https://bit.ly/FortCapital
Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Topics:
(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:02:07) - AI & Hotels
(00:08:48) - The Midas touch
(00:10:46) - Scaling to 120k employees in 6 years
(00:15:48) - Shared Pair REITs
(00:28:41) - Thoughts on Blackstone
(00:36:26) - How to buy a REIT
(00:40:39) - Taking a company from $1B in AUM to $10B
(00:49:57) - How did you keep Starwood Capital moving while you stepped away?
(00:58:42) - Selling Caesars Palace
(01:08:01) - Thoughts on the market in 2024

Chris on Social Media:
X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd

Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX
Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys
Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0
Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO

The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts
1 hr 23 min