The AI Edge Podcast: CRE & AI

Most developers have it backwards.

They chase rooftops…

but the real game is jobs.

What if everything you’ve been told about real estate development is wrong?

In this episode, Paul breaks down the simple equation most investors miss:

👉 Every 1.8 jobs creates a household
👉 Households drive retail, healthcare, infrastructure
👉 Jobs are the real asset

From billion-dollar projects to AI-driven energy demand, this conversation exposes how real operators actually think.

No theory. No fluff. Just how things really get built.

Most real estate investors focus on land, location, and capital.

But the best developers in the world focus on something else entirely:

Jobs.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Paul McKee Jr., a seasoned developer and operator behind major mixed-use projects, to break down the real drivers of development.

You’ll learn:

• Why “jobs → households → everything else” is the only model that matters
• How billion-dollar developments actually get anchored
• The biggest mistakes developers make with timelines and capital
• Why energy is the real bottleneck in the AI race
• How microgrids and localized power will reshape development
• How AI is replacing consultants, analysts, and legal review in real time

This is a masterclass in thinking like an operator.

If you care about real estate, capital, AI, or building anything at scale…

this one hits different.

Paul McKee Jr.
Owner, Property Services

Real Estate Developer, Operator, Community Builder

• Led billion-dollar development projects
• Focused on economic development and job creation
• Expert in mixed-use development, infrastructure, and energy strategy

📩 Email: [email protected]

🎙️ Podcast: The AI Edge Podcast
🔗 Guest Contact: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-mckee-jr-52837412a/

Website

mpropertyservicespr.com (Company)

mps-stl.com (Company)

Most “AI agencies” have never run a real business.

This operator built one for 20+ years… and only THEN layered AI on top.

Most people talking about AI have never actually built anything real.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, I sit down with Burke Allen, COO of Squeegee Clean, a 20+ year service business that scaled from window cleaning routes into a full-scale residential and commercial operation with trucks, teams, systems, and now… AI.

We break down what actually happens behind the scenes when a business grows:

– What breaks first
– Where operators lose money
– Why consistency beats “growth hacks”
– How real companies are using AI (not just talking about it)

Burke walks through how they:

• Built a multi-truck operation from scratch
• Systemized customer experience from first call to repeat business
• Integrated AI into communication, operations, and decision-making
• Are now pushing into drone-based commercial cleaning

This is not theory.

This is what real operators are doing.

If you’re building, scaling, or trying to turn chaos into systems… this one will hit.

Burke Allen
COO, Squeegee Clean

Burke helped scale Squeegee Clean from a small window cleaning operation into a full-service exterior cleaning company serving residential and commercial clients for over two decades.

The company now operates multiple specialized trucks, handles large-scale jobs, and is pushing into drone-based commercial cleaning.

His focus:

• Systems & execution
• Customer experience
• Operational consistency
• Practical use of AI in a real-world service business

🌐 Website: https://www.squeegeecleansc.com
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/burke-allen-39364826/

There are 47 steps just to lease one apartment unit.

That’s why most operators are drowning in inefficiency.

Arleen Garza runs a $650M multifamily platform and is doing something different:

👉 replacing back-end operations with AI
👉 reducing reporting from 2 weeks to 2 hours
👉 and turning leasing teams into revenue drivers, not paperwork processors

If you think real estate is about buying deals…

You’re missing where the money is actually made.

Most operators focus on acquisitions.

The best ones focus on operations.

Arleen Garza, founder of REEP Equity and REEP Residential, oversees a vertically integrated multifamily platform with over $650M in assets and nearly 200 team members.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, we break down:

• why operations, not acquisitions, define performance today
• how AI is eliminating inefficiencies across leasing, reporting, and maintenance
• how one process went from 2 weeks to 2 hours
• why retention is the most important driver of NOI
• and how top operators are using data to make faster, smarter decisions

One insight stood out:

👉 There are 47 steps to lease a single unit today

And most of them don’t need to be done by humans anymore.

This is not theory.

This is how real operators scale without breaking their teams.

Arleen Garza
Founder, REEP Equity & REEP Residential

Arleen leads a vertically integrated multifamily investment and management platform across Texas, overseeing:

• $650M+ in assets
• 24 properties
• nearly 200 team members

Her focus is on operational excellence, data-driven decision making, and leveraging AI to reduce friction and improve performance at scale.

Connect with Arleen Garza:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arleen-garza/

Most people talk about real estate like it’s easy.

Ryan Nelson has seen the worst of it:

• family deals collapsing
• personal guarantees on the line
• navigating the 2008 crash from the inside

And still built a $115M platform.

In this episode, we break down:

• why deals aren’t closing right now
• how serious operators actually survive cycles
• and what it really takes to raise capital and scale

If you think real estate is just about buying deals…

You haven’t been through a cycle yet.

Most people only see real estate when it’s working.

Ryan Nelson has seen it when everything breaks.

From:

• losing his father in the middle of active development deals
• navigating the 2008 financial crisis firsthand
• leaving a career at Credit Suisse and JPMorgan

To building Sweetwater Companies, a real estate platform with:

• $115M+ assets under management
• a $750M+ pipeline
• active deals across development and acquisitions

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, we go deep into:

• why deals are stuck in today’s market
• the real reason buyers and sellers can’t agree
• how institutional capital actually behaves
• what separates operators who survive vs disappear

This is not theory.

This is how real operators think when the market gets hard.

Ryan Nelson
Founder & CEO, Sweetwater Companies

Ryan is a multifamily operator with a background in:

• U.S. Air Force pilot
• Investment Banking at Credit Suisse
• Asset Management at JPMorgan

Today, he leads Sweetwater Companies, focused on multifamily development, acquisitions, and long-term asset management, with over $115M AUM and a growing national pipeline.

Connect with Ryan Nelson:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanjnelson1/

Most investors are chasing returns.

The best ones?

👉 They’re obsessed with NOT losing money.

In this episode, Fernando breaks down:

• how he scaled 50+ self-storage facilities
• why off-market deals are everything
• and the exact system behind raising capital from 1,000+ investors

If you think real estate is about finding deals…

You’re already behind.

Most real estate investors are focused on one thing: returns.

Fernando Angelucci built a completely different model.

Instead of chasing upside, he engineered a system around:

• downside protection
• tax advantages
• operational discipline

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, we break down how Fernando built a nationwide self-storage platform with:

• 50+ facilities
• 1,000+ investors
• a machine for sourcing off-market deals

We go deep into:

• how real operators actually find deals before they hit the market
• why most investors misunderstand risk
• the systems behind raising and managing capital at scale
• how AI and automation are quietly changing operations

This is not theory.

This is how real operators build durable wealth.

Fernando Angelucci
Founder of SSSE

Fernando leads a nationwide self-storage investment platform focused on capital preservation, tax-efficient structures, and long-term value creation.

With:

• 50+ facilities
• 1,000+ investors
• nearly a decade in self-storage

He has built a system designed to protect downside first and let upside follow.

Connect with Fernando:

• Website: https://www.SSSE.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fernandoangelucci/

Most investors lost money in cannabis.

Chris Reece did the opposite.

👉 While others chased operators and got burned…
👉 He focused on the one asset nobody talks about:

The real estate underneath it.

No banks.
No traditional financing.
Massive demand for capital.

That creates:

👉 12–15% returns
👉 Built-in downside protection
👉 Zero direct cannabis risk

This is what happens when you operate where capital doesn’t exist.

Chris Reece, Founder and CEO of MJ REIT, breaks down one of the most misunderstood opportunities in today’s market: cannabis real estate.

While most investors associate cannabis with volatility and failed operators, Chris takes a completely different approach.

Instead of betting on businesses, he focuses on the underlying real estate and structures senior debt deals that generate consistent double-digit returns.

In this conversation, we cover:

• Why cannabis remains one of the most capital-starved markets in the U.S.
• How regulatory constraints create massive inefficiencies
• Why traditional banks refuse to lend in this space
• The difference between high yield and high risk
• How to structure deals with real downside protection
• Why this opportunity won’t last forever

This is a masterclass in operating where capital is scarce and structure matters more than hype.

Chris Reece, CFA
Founder & CEO, MJ REIT

Chris is a seasoned institutional asset manager with nearly 30 years of experience across public and private markets.

He built MJ REIT to capitalize on one of the largest inefficiencies in the U.S. financial system, providing real estate-backed financing in the cannabis sector where traditional banks cannot operate.

His strategy focuses on:

• Senior debt lending
• Hard asset protection
• Consistent income generation
• Risk-adjusted returns in capital-constrained markets

🌐 MJ REIT:
https://www.mj-reit.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-r-reece/

Everyone is throwing AI at problems…

👉 without ever defining the problem first.

That’s how companies end up in what Billy Holder calls:

👉 “Digital purgatory”

Where tools pile up…
but nothing actually improves.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Billy Holder, Founder of Project AIDRA, to break down one of the most overlooked operational problems in business today:

👉 Manual documentation

While most companies are chasing AI hype, Billy exposes what’s actually happening on the ground:

• Teams spending 70–80% of their time documenting instead of doing real work
• Thousands of hours lost to inefficient systems
• Millions in hidden costs from poor data and missed maintenance
• And why most AI implementations fail before they even start

Billy introduces the concept of “digital purgatory”, where organizations cycle through tools without ever solving the real problem.

We also dive into:

• How AI actually creates leverage in operations (not hype)
• Why documentation hasn’t evolved in 3,400 years
• The hidden cost of unplanned downtime (11% of revenue)
• How facility teams are being pulled away from real work
• And how AI can give time, clarity, and control back to operators

This is not a tech conversation.

👉 It’s an operator conversation about execution, efficiency, and scale.

Billy Holder, CFM
Founder & CEO, Project AIDRA

Billy brings 28+ years of experience across construction, maintenance, and facility management. His company, Project AIDRA, is redefining how inspections, documentation, and asset management are done using AI-powered visual intelligence.

🌐 Project AIDRA: https://www.linkedin.com/company/project-aidra-llc/
🔗 Connect with Billy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billy-holder-project-aidra/

Everyone thinks raising money is the goal.

It’s not.

👉 Most companies should NEVER take venture capital
👉 Most founders don’t understand what investors actually expect
👉 And AI is making bad businesses easier to build… and faster to fail

This is what real investors are actually looking for.

Raising venture capital is not the goal… and for most founders, it’s actually the wrong move.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, I sit down with Matt Ober, Managing Partner at Social Leverage, to break down what actually matters at the seed stage in today’s AI-driven market.

This is not a hype conversation. This is a fundamentals conversation.

We cover:

• Why most startups should NOT raise venture capital
• What investors are really looking for (and what kills deals instantly)
• Why distribution and sales matter more than product today
• The biggest mistake founders make with AI
• What makes a company actually investable in 2026
• Why simple software is dying and what replaces it

Matt shares real, operator-level insights from investing in hundreds of companies and working inside hedge funds and data-driven environments.

If you’re building, raising, or scaling…

This episode will reset how you think about growth, capital, and execution.

🎥 Watch now and build something that actually works.

Matt Ober
Managing Partner, Social Leverage

Matt is a seed-stage investor focused on FinTech, data, and AI-driven businesses. He has a background across hedge funds, data strategy, and financial markets, with experience at firms like Bloomberg and Third Point.

Today, he invests in early-stage companies and writes The Roll Up, a newsletter on investment tech and data.

🌐 Social Leverage: https://www.socialleverage.com
📰 The Roll Up: https://www.mattober.co
🔗 Connect with Matt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/obermattj/

AI is already underwriting deals…

But there’s one problem nobody is talking about:

👉 It can’t give you the same answer twice.

In an industry built on precision, legality, and trust…

That’s a massive flaw.

Until now.

AI is transforming commercial real estate… but not in the way most people think.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, I sit down with Raymond Dozier, MAI, founder of Valuexpose Software, to break down one of the biggest hidden problems in the industry:

👉 AI is probabilistic, not deterministic

Which means:

• The same input can produce different outputs
• It can’t be used in court
• It can’t be trusted for true valuation

That’s a problem.

Raymond shares how his system is solving this by creating what may be the first deterministic AI underwriter, bringing consistency, transparency, and real-world application to valuation.

We also dive into:

• Why appraisal workflows are fundamentally broken
• The real bottleneck in CRE valuation (it’s not what you think)
• Why most AI underwriting tools are misleading
• How separating development from reporting changes everything
• The future of appraisers, and why they’re not going away

If you’re an operator, investor, or decision-maker in real estate…

This episode will change how you think about AI, underwriting, and risk.

🎥 Watch now and see where the industry is actually going.

Raymond Dozier, MAI
Founder, Valuexpose Software

Raymond brings over 50 years of experience in commercial real estate, appraisal, development, and expert witness work.

He has worked through multiple market cycles and is now building technology designed to fundamentally change how valuation is developed, analyzed, and reported.

🌐 Learn more about Valuexpose: https://www.valuexpose.com
🔗 Connect with Raymond: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raymond-dozier-mai/

Everyone says they want passive income…

But almost nobody understands what actually creates it.

In this episode, we break down:

→ Why most people stay stuck in W-2 thinking
→ How high-income professionals build real cash flow
→ And what “leverage” actually means when done right

Most people think real estate investing means flipping houses or owning properties themselves.

That’s where they get it wrong.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Chutima Barrios, Founder of RentRoll Capital, to break down how busy professionals and working parents can build real passive cash flow without taking on another full-time job.

Chutima shares how her journey from corporate finance to multifamily investing was driven by one thing:

👉 The need for freedom, flexibility, and financial security

We go deep on:

• Why most investors misunderstand passive income
• How to think about leverage beyond just debt
• Conservative underwriting in today’s market
• Where operators are overreaching (and getting burned)
• How to protect downside while still creating cash flow
• And where AI actually fits into real estate operations

This is not hype.
This is disciplined, operator-level thinking.

If you’re serious about building income that doesn’t depend on your time, this episode will change how you think.

Guest: Chutima Barrios
Title: Founder, RentRoll Capital

Chutima Barrios is a multifamily investor and capital partner with over 15 years of experience in finance, private equity, and corporate development.

She specializes in helping busy professionals and working parents build passive income through conservative, cash-flow-focused real estate investing, with a strong emphasis on downside protection and disciplined underwriting.

Her approach is rooted in one principle:

👉 Leverage through assets, teams, and systems, not speculation.

Connect with Chutima:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chutima-barrios/
Website: rentrollcapital.com