The Commercial Builders’ Network (TCBN)

In this powerful episode of The Commercial Builders’ Network, host TaNeshia Reed sits down with general contractor and visionary leader Glinda Jackson—founder of Jackson Management Group and the nonprofit Build Her Legacy, Inc. From building MGM National Harbor to launching construction camps for girls, Glinda shares how she’s rewriting the rules of the industry.

➡️ Hear her plans to expand to the UAE and MENA region, what it takes to be a woman in construction, how to get full MBE credit on jobs by combining materials and labor, and her legacy mission to build futures for the next generation of young girls.

👷🏽‍♀️ It’s not just about the buildings. It’s about the women who build them.

🔗 Learn more at: https://buildherlegacy.org

📍 Follow Glinda: LinkedIn – Glinda Jackson

#BuildHerLegacy #WomenInConstruction #CommercialBuildersNetwork #BlackWomenInConstruction #GeneralContractor #UAEConstruction #JacksonManagementGroup #MinorityContractor #STEMforGirls #ConstructionLeadership #LegacyBuilding

If you’re a contractor, real estate investor, or entrepreneur trying to level up — this episode is your cheat code.

Tommy Lester is the Atlanta Market Lead for Capital Impact Partners (a national CDFI) and President of Swann Development Partners. With 25+ years in real estate lending, community development, and commercial investment, he breaks down everything from capital stacking and syndications to how minority contractors can become owners instead of staying stuck in job-to-job cycles.

💡 Learn:

• What is a CDFI and why it’s a game-changer
• Creative ways to fund your first deal
• What’s in the “capital stack” and how to build yours
• Mistakes to avoid when applying for loans
• How to find REAL mentorship — not internet hype

Tommy also shares the five C’s of credit, the one deal he’s most proud of, and why creating a collaborative ecosystem is the only way forward for Black and brown developers.

✨ Whether you're flipping homes, building affordable housing, or just dreaming big — this conversation is for you.

📍 Watch now and build something powerful.

🔗 Connect with Tommy Lester:

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommylester/

🌐 Founders & Funders Club: https://foundersandfundersclub.com

🌐 Capital Impact Partners: https://www.capitalimpact.org/

🎧 Audio drops every Tuesday:

Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music

🎥 Full video drops every Wednesday on YouTube

#TheCommercialBuildersNetwork #TCBNPodcast #CDFI #RealEstateFunding #CapitalStack #BlackDevelopers #BuildLegacy #CommercialRealEstate #SwannDevelopment #ContractorsToDevelopers #BlackInvestors #WealthBuilding #TommyLester #RealEstateMentor #ConstructionFunding

What does it take to lead with vision, rise from grief, and create opportunity for an entire community?

In this powerful and deeply personal episode of The Commercial Builders Network, host TaNeshia Reed sits down with cultural strategist and nonprofit leader Taneshia Nash Laird to talk about:

🔹 Carrying generational dreams

🔹 Building legacy after loss

🔹 Creating access in commercial real estate

🔹 How Project REAP is transforming the industry

🔹 Developing future leaders in sports and real estate

🔹 Being “the only one” in the room — and holding the door open for others

🔹 Rest, resilience, and what it really means to deserve the life you’re building

If you've ever questioned your place in the room, struggled to keep going, or felt the weight of purpose… this conversation is for you.

📍 Subscribe to the channel to support and stay updated.

#CommercialBuildersNetwork #TCBNPodcast #TaneshiaNashLaird #ProjectREAP #BlackWomenInRealEstate #LegacyBuilding #AccessMatters #WomenInLeadership #EntrepreneurshipJourney #CulturalLeadership

What does it really take to build wealth, access capital, and leave a legacy — without falling into debt traps?

In this powerful episode of The Commercial Builders Network (TCBN), host TaNeshia Reed sits down with Ivy Hall (Ivy The GREAT) — SBA lending expert, business funding strategist, and legacy-builder — for a no-fluff conversation about money, credit, succession planning, and how business owners can stop operating in survival mode.

This episode covers:

• Why cash flow matters more than revenue
• When to apply for loans (and when NOT to)
• SBA 7(a) vs. SBA 504 explained clearly
• DSCR & global cash flow made simple
• Why MCAs destroy businesses
• How tax write-offs can block millions in funding
• Why legacy requires documentation, not just intention
• Life insurance, real estate, and business ownership as wealth tools
• What lenders and underwriters actually look for
• Why access — not ambition — is the real barrier

This conversation is mandatory viewing for:

✔ Business owners

✔ Real estate investors & developers

✔ Contractors & government vendors

✔ Founders thinking about succession & exit

✔ Anyone serious about generational wealth

🎙 Watch, learn, and share this episode.

Legacy isn’t accidental — it’s structured.

📌 Subscribe to TCBN for more conversations at the intersection of business, capital, and community.

Too many “community” projects check the box on hiring and never change anyone’s life.

Dr. Gina Merritt does it differently.

She’s a 30-year real estate veteran, principal of Northern Real Estate Urban Ventures, and founder of Project Community Capital® and WFL Collective—an ecosystem that connects underestimated residents to real jobs on real projects, with 94–98% retention on construction sites that once churned through local hires in days.

In this episode of The Commercial Builders’ Network (TCBN), Dr. Merritt shares how she:

• Went from growing up in affordable housing to structuring $5B+ in real estate deals
• Built large-scale projects from day one (288 units as her first deal)
• Created Project Community Capital® to fix the “we tried to hire locally” problem
• Uses social capital to plug residents into jobs and careers—not just temp work
• Works with CDFIs and institutions like Goldman Sachs & Morgan Stanley to fund community-rooted deals
• Bridges the gap between trauma, mental health, and job readiness
• Pushes back on stereotypes about “people from the projects” and missed potential
• Shows up as her full, authentic self in boardrooms, government meetings, and community rooms—no more code-switching to be accepted

If you’re a:

• 🏗️ New or emerging real estate developer
• 🧱 Contractor or GC trying to meet local hiring / CBA / Section 3 goals
• 🏘️ Affordable housing or community development professional
• 💼 Black/Brown builder who’s tired of being “invisible” in the system

…this episode will change how you think about access, social capital, and truly inclusive development.

🔗 Connect with Dr. Gina Merritt

• Project Community Capital® → projectcommunitycapital.net
• WFL Collective → wflcollective.org
• Dr. Gina Merritt → drginamerritt.net
• LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-gina-merritt-mba-7617ba6/

🔔 Subscribe for more conversations with minority developers, lenders, brokers, and builders who are changing the face of commercial real estate and construction.

#CommercialBuildersNetwork #DrGinaMerritt #ProjectCommunityCapital #AffordableHousing #CommunityDevelopment #SocialCapital #BlackWomenInRealEstate #RealEstateDevelopment #EconomicEmpowerment #CommunityWealthBuilding #CDFI #WorkforceDevelopment #CommercialRealEstate #LegacyBuilding #TCBNPodcast

Too many small developers and business owners lose money in commercial real estate — not because the deal was bad, but because the paperwork, zoning, and financing weren’t protected.

In this episode of The Commercial Builders’ Network, I sit down with Aisha J. Thomas — a Commercial Real Estate Broker and Real Estate Attorney (Thomas Agency & AJT Law) — to break down the legal mistakes that cost people their buildings, their businesses, and their peace.

Aisha has 20+ years in the game, has sat in every seat at the table, and is licensed in Michigan, Georgia, and California. She’s seen it all — from zoning disasters and bad leases to financing clauses that let banks call loans even when payments are current.

We talk about:

🔹 Why REOs (real estate owned / foreclosures) still matter — and how to approach them

🔹 The zoning mistakes that can shut your business down after you’ve built out

🔹 Why “commercial” isn’t specific enough (and how to really check use & parking requirements)

🔹 The truth about using agents vs “going straight to the bank”

🔹 How to build the right team: attorney, CPA, contractors, mentors, partners

🔹 Structuring partnerships & protecting yourself when things go wrong

🔹 Key red flags in leases and loan documents most small owners never catch

🔹 Fear after being scammed & how to move forward without letting fear guide you

🔹 Building legacy, not just doing deals — especially for Black owners and minority-led businesses

If you’re a:

🏗️ Small developer

🏢 First-time commercial buyer

🧱 Minority-owned business owner signing your first lease

🏦 Nonprofit or community developer

…this episode might save you thousands of dollars and years of stress.

Black professionals belong in commercial real estate — but nobody shows us the real blueprint.

In this episode, KB Yabuku, Vice President at Colliers and 20-year CRE veteran, breaks down the truth about entering the industry, surviving downturns, building real relationships, and creating generational opportunity through commercial real estate.

KB has worked across brokerage, investment sales, underwriting, retail, industrial, tenant representation, and corporate strategy — making him one of the most versatile voices in the field. He opens up about:

• How he got into CRE with no connections
• Navigating the 2008 market crash
• The power of relationships (and how to build them the right way)
• How to vet partners & avoid scammers
• Why mentorship, networking & humility matter
• What minorities overlook in CRE
• Self-storage, flex, and emerging opportunities
• Building a legacy with intention — not survival
• Why representation matters in appraisal, lending, and brokerage
• Why CRE is not a get-rich-quick industry and how to build a career that lasts

Whether you’re considering CRE as a career, want to invest in commercial deals, or need to understand how the game truly works — this episode gives you clarity, strategy, and truth.

https://bit.ly/4l6GTRq

LinkedIn: KB Yabuku

Instagram: @CRE_Chronicles

Black women are building, leading, and reshaping commercial construction — and today, we sit down with one of the women doing it powerfully.

In this episode, I interview Amber Lawson, Founder & Principal of Aspire Construction & Design in Atlanta, GA — a boutique commercial design-build firm delivering excellence from concept to permit to reality.

Amber breaks down:

✨ What it means to create a company without limits

✨ Building a space where your talent, not your identity, determines your ceiling

✨ Design-build vs. traditional GC process

✨ How due diligence protects your money & vision

✨ Budgeting for soil testing, environmental studies & conceptual design

✨ Vetting contractors through licensing, quality and values

✨ Turning one project into multi-million dollar community impact

✨ Why trust, education, and exposure change everything

✨ Protecting your reputation, money, and relationships in the field

✨ Saying “no” to the wrong clients — even when the money looks good

✨ Scaling through systems, values, and disciplined leadership

If you’re a contractor, developer, architect, or entrepreneur stepping into commercial real estate… this conversation is a masterclass.

Guest: Amber Lawson

Aspire Construction & Design

Atlanta, GA

Follow Amber:

LinkedIn: Aspire Construction & Design

Instagram: @aspire_construction_design

📌 YouTube: The Commercial Builders' Network

📌 Free Contractor Business Health Checklist (build & protect your construction company)

📌 Instagram: @thelegacybuilder

📌 LinkedIn: The Commercial Builders' Network

New episodes every Tuesday.

We’re building legacy, structure, and opportunity — one contractor at a time.

In this episode of The Commercial Builders’ Network, I’m joined by CPA Merrewilned Nichols of Desired Advisors — and she’s giving straight financial game to construction business owners.

From mixing personal and business money, to running payroll the right way, to setting up systems that build wealth (not stress), this conversation is full of real, actionable nuggets you don’t want to miss.

Whether you're swiping your personal card for materials or scrambling to manage project costs, this is your financial wake-up call.

📓 Bring a notebook. Merrewilned is THAT CPA.

🎧 Stream it NOW

In this episode of The Commercial Builders’ Network, I sit down with serial entrepreneur Chiko Abengowe — the visionary behind Perfect Office, Perfect Staffing, and Perfect Property.

We get into the real side of commercial real estate—the discrimination, the pushback, and the wins that come with refusing to fold.

Chiko shares:

• What it was like being rejected by landlords for being a single Black man
• Why rejection fueled his empire
• How he created opportunities not just for himself, but for others

His story is powerful, practical, and personal—and it’s a roadmap for any entrepreneur building in spaces not made for us.

🎙️ Episode is LIVE

Tap in and take notes.