In Part I of this two-part conversation, Leading Voices in Real Estate host Matt Slepin sits down with legendary Eastdil Secured CEO Roy March, joined by ZRG colleague Alan Walker, for a wide-ranging discussion on the evolution and institutionalization of the real estate industry. Recorded in Santa Monica, the episode traces Eastdil’s origin story and the broader transformation of real estate from the early 1980s through the Global Financial Crisis, offering essential context for understanding today’s global capital markets. March shares granular, firsthand stories from landmark transactions, including the sale of Equity Office Properties from Sam Zell to Blackstone, providing rare oral history from someone who was truly “in the room where it happened.” The conversation also explores what distinguishes great, value-add advisors, highlighting the role of wisdom, judgment, and storytelling in transactional businesses. Part II will dive deeper into Eastdil’s platform and what has made it one of the most dominant players in the global transactions marketplace.