Real Perspectives Podcast

Our next guest is one of the Founding Principals of Relativity Architects, Tima Bell. His path to architecture, like everyone’s perhaps, is not a usual one, and it is rich in experience in art, creativity and an upbringing around Hollywood that has given him a unique perspective on the industry his firm serves today. Relativity is today very well known for its studio design, but as you’ll see from our conversation, Tima has taken great pride in helping build affordable housing and a very special hotel renovation in his hometown of Venice Beach.

Here is our conversation!

Today, I am speaking with Patricia Kammer, a Principal Researcher, Workspace Futures - Research for Steelcase. She leads the strategic foresight practice and is responsible for identifying disruptive forces of change impacting the world of work to drive decision-making for the company. For the past 24 years, she has focused on complex adaptive systems and how we might design solutions that can lead to impactful change to improve the human experience. Past research projects include looking at digital transformation, the complexities of distributed collaboration, diversity and its impact on innovation, and the implications of neuroscience for work, workers, and the workplace. Her current area of focus includes a deeper understanding of the structure of work post-Covid and the role of organizations in the 21st-century economy.

Here is our conversation.

Today’s conversation will take us into the field of retail commercial real estate, and we probably can’t find a better person to talk about it than Alanna Loeffler, a Managing Director with Cushman & Wakefield who has recently moved to the West Coast to help lead the Business Strategy group within the firm’s Americas Retail Services.

Alanna will go into detail about the industry, its drivers and influences, and how the new normal of our post-COVID world has been helping accelerate trends in retail and beyond.

Today, I have the pleasure of sitting with Joanna Frank, the President and CEO of The Center for Active Design, an organization that promotes architecture and urban planning solutions to improve public health, and also operates the Fitwel healthy building certification system. The Center for Active Design was launched by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2012 to transform New York City’s groundbreaking Active Design program into an international movement, which has expanded today to organizations across the country and the globe, and Joanna has been tasked with the role of leading this organization since that time.

Our conversation takes us through the early days of the organization, how it began and brings us to today and how the commercial real estate industry has been responding to this and other standards.

There’s a long road ahead, but the last two years have shown us that the need for these standards will only continue to be more relevant in the future.

Today’s conversation takes us into a deep dive in the construction industry across the Pacific Northwest with Brett Earnest, the Senior Vice President of the Western Region for Clark Construction.

Brett, who is based in Seattle, leads Clark Construction Group’s project development and delivery efforts in the Pacific Northwest. He is responsible for the company’s work in Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

Brett has worked on many notable projects in the region, including the Sea-Tac International Arrivals Facility, the Washington State Convention Center, the Department of Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Healthcare System Mental Health and Research Facility, the Washington State University Digital Classroom Building, and University of Washington Seismic Improvements.

He joins us from his Seattle office, where we talk about the early days of the company in the region and how his role and the size of the projects have evolved over time. We also talk about the challenges that the industry is facing today and what the years ahead hold in store.

Today’s episode is with Chris Nelson and Sam Sukut, both are partners in San Diego-based Inland Pacific, an industrial brokerage firm.

Chris and Sam talk to us about the state of the industry across Southern California, and especially how the life science sector has been influencing the market in the second half of 2022. Their insight is a valuable perspective on one of the most active markets in the country and how the current environment is going to shape the industry, as well as their firm, in the near term.

Welcome to the podcast, Chris and Sam.

Today, I have the privilege of speaking with Jimmy Silverwood, the President of San Diego-based affordable housing developer Affirmed Housing. 

Jimmy, as he’s known in the industry in order to be distinguished from his father, the founder the CEO James Silverwood, has grown up around real estate and from a very early age was exposed to the intricacies of the business.

Today, the company’s focus is on California and serving the communities around the major metropolitan centers. Our conversation will explore how this industry is faring today and how the new normal of our economy is impacting the business of affordable housing.

Welcome to the podcast, Jimmy.

Today’s podcast episode is a little different than usual. We recently held a Northern California Life Science Webinar, which I found to be interesting and informative about where the industry is today and how it’s shaping up in the near future. As you’ll see, our panel is comprised of investors, developers, brokers and construction companies whose daily work in this area gives them just the kind of exposure needed to really understand all the undercurrents impacting this very important sector of Northern California’s and the national economies.

Speakers include:

JAMES BENNETT
Vice Chairman
Life Science Practice 
CBRE

FRED KNAPP
Managing Partner 
TRANSWESTERN VENTURES

PAUL NOLAND
Executive Vice President 
L&B REALTY ADVISORS

STEVE SMITH
Senior Project Manager 
GIDEL & KOCAL CONSTRUCTION

GREGG WALKER
Senior Managing Director
Head of Business Development 
DIVCOWEST

Today, I have the privilege of speaking with Tiffany Wright, the president of and chief energy officer - the name I invented for Tiffany by myself - of a Pacific Northwest-based brokerage, CPX. 

Tiffany is somewhat unique in her role - a female leading a commercial brokerage firm - and also a keen strategist thinking of everything from motivating her team members to finding ways to grow the enterprise.

In our conversation, we’ll cover some of what the firm is doing, Tiffany’s perspective on the market and how CPX stands out from the rest of the crowd in this important industry.

Today, we have the honor of speaking with Virginia Maggiore, a principal at RDC. Since joining the firm in 2019, Virginia has built the firm’s practice focused on Retail Store Rollout and Planning, adding notable clients to the firm’s roster and garnering accolades for her work from colleagues and clients. Virginia is a licensed architect, responsible for developing the in-store experience and what the firm calls the customer journey. She’s focused on creative strategy, visual communication, and marketing integration for retail clients. One of her recent specialties, which we’ll cover in depth in this conversation, is with the cannabis industry.

Founded in 1979, RDC is a full-service architecture firm dedicated to making everyday places extraordinary. Headquartered in Long Beach, CA, the firm has a 160+ team with offices in Los Angeles, San Diego, Washington D.C., Arkansas and Shanghai.

Welcome to the podcast Virginia.