The CRE Project

In this episode, we sit down with John Black, which is a synonymous name with Commercial Real Estate in Albuquerque, NM. We discuss John's history with taking his 1,000 plus acre ranch and developing it into one of the largest retail trade areas in the State of New Mexico. We discuss what he learned and experienced throughout the years and also how he feels about today's market.

John F. Black has been in the real estate business for over 40 years. John specializes in vacant land entitlements, sales, and project development in the Albuquerque and Rio Rancho Metropolitan area.

John Riser started his commercial real estate career with Marcus & Millichap in 2001 and quickly achieved the status of Senior Director. In 2004, John earned his first membership into the Chairman’s Club and entrance into the firm’s Seven-Figure Club. He was the Top Multi-Tenant Retail agent (2004 & 2005). John left Marcus & Millichap in 2008 to start the independent boutique brokerage firm, Riser Retail Group. In his spare time he calls the TV time outs for the Indianapolis Colts games and passionately enjoys mountain and road biking, traveling, wine tasting, and golf.

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This is an awesome show! We sit down with Dan Lebensohn to talk about how he went from a high power real estate attorney in New York to becoming an active investor and developer of CRE. We talk about some of his war stories and lessons he has learned over the course of his career. 

With an expertise in complex distressed and workout scenarios, Mr. Lebensohn oversees the Deal Sourcing, Legal and Structuring components of BH3’s acquisitions. Prior to cofounding BH3, Mr. Lebensohn served as in-house counsel to a Manhattan owner, operator and developer for several years and has more than 20 years of investment and operational experience, including acquisitions and management of multifamily and commercial projects in NYC through his first company Wilder Realty LLC.

Mr. Lebensohn holds a juris doctorate from the prestigious New York Law School and practiced law in New York City for more than 12 years, during which he was actively acquiring and turning around assets in the Tri-State region.

Daniel also serves as Co-Portfolio Manager of the BH3 Debt Opportunity Fund I, L.P. where in that capacity he is jointly responsible for all major decisions including investment decisions, legal strategy and asset dispositions.

Mr. Lebensohn also serves as Co-CEO, Investment Committee Member and Board Member for Crixus BH3 Acquisition Company (Nasdaq: BHAC), a special purpose acquisition company focused on real estate, construction and infrastructure.

In this episode we sit down with Josh Simon of Simon CRE to discuss some of lessons he has learned over the course of his career. He describes what it is like to grow a team and take risks! 

Joshua began his career in commercial real estate in 2004, and it wasn’t long before his headstrong attitude allowed him to forge ahead and start SimonCRE in 2010, during some of the toughest of economic times. As Founder and CEO, Joshua leads the company’s growth strategy while directing the daily operations. He carries the torch for a team committed to developing projects that benefit clients and the communities they serve.

SimonCRE develops properties all across the country. To date, the company has completed over 230 projects across 22 states, equaling a total value of more than $530 million.

When Joshua isn’t in the office (which is rare), you’ll likely find him advocating for the CRE community. He applies his boundless energy toward supporting and giving back to the industry he loves. He’s served on a number of boards and routinely presents as an industry expert at conferences like ULI Deep Dive and ICSC Next Generation, as well as forums for AZRE and Bisnow, among others.

SimonCRE isn’t Joshua’s first foray into entrepreneurship either. He previously started a hosted VoIP company which he sold to a publicly-traded company four years later.

In this episode we sit down with real estate manager's for McDonalds and El Pollo loco to discuss corporate site selection. We talk about the correct way to present sites to corporate real estate managers and the process behind them reviewing sites. 

Lisa Walker has over 30 years of corporate restaurant real estate experience.  She joined the National real estate team at McDonald’s in 2019 and quickly became a top performer with the highest signing inventory in 2020. She has recently been elevated to a Real Estate Lead and oversees the deal makers in the southwest part of the country.

Prior to McDonald’s she led the real estate teams for El Pollo Loco and Wendy’s Hamburgers and has handled multiple markets across the nation for Corner Bakery Cafe and Which Wich Sandwiches during the critical growth years for those brands.

She holds a BS in Organizational Communications from the University of Texas and is a former member of the origin dance drill team, the Kilgore College Rangerettes, where she recently served as president of the Rangerettes Forever alumni group. She is a former volunteer of the year for the Women’s Foodservice Forum and an active member of a professional DFW women’s real estate group called Deals in Heels.

When she’s not busy sourcing great real estate she can be found spending time with her son and daughter-in-law, reading classic and current books, country western dancing and planning international travel with her shopping buddies.

It is no secret that the Cannabis Industry is rapidly growing in the CRE space. In this episode we sit down with Ben Lewinger, the Executive Director of New Mexico Cannabis Chamber of Commerce. We talk about the impact Cannabis is having and will continue to have on the CRE Landscape. 

Ben Lewinger is a public affairs professional with a history of working on projects that have moved New Mexico forward. He is currently the executive director of the New Mexico Cannabis Chamber of Commerce, a membership organization representing producers, manufacturers, testing facilities, and cannabis-adjacent businesses across NM, dedicated to the responsible growth of the cannabis industry.

Contact Information

Ben J. Lewinger

Exective Director

(505) 886-2256

nmcannabischamber.org

In this episode we sit down with a true veteran in the CRE industry, Bob Mohr. We discuss how Bob has built his empire and how he has actually thrived during COVID when most have struggled. We dive into the retail, industrial and office segments separately and get his take on the current events and future of each segment! We hope you enjoy!

Here is additional information about our guest!

Two years after the Indiana native moved to Dallas to begin a promising career in commercial real estate, the market crashed. A less tenacious individual might have been disheartened by the downturn in 1986. Bob Mohr saw it as an opportunity to serve an underrepresented clientele—commercial real estate tenants who had no choice but to work with brokers and others representing both sides of a transaction.

As the Founder and CEO of Mohr Partners, he leveraged his long-term vision, savvy negotiating skills and commitment to looking out for his clients’ best interests into a unique business model that has made Mohr Partners the go-to representative for high-profile corporations around the globe. Today, the company provides a comprehensive suite of client-focused services that include web-based software, strategic planning, economic development, construction management, lease administration, financing, and brokerage services.

With 24 offices and more than 300 associates, Mohr is the largest exclusive corporate real estate services firm in North America—overseeing 500 million square feet of space in more than 20,000 locations.

In 2000, Bob’s entrepreneurial instincts were the catalyst behind the creation of Mohr Capital—an innovative real estate investment firm that improves and develops office, industrial and retail properties across the country while offering unrivaled lease rates and a unique share of profits to tenants. Under his leadership, Mohr Capital counts Verizon, Hertz, Baylor Scott & White, Goodyear, Cooper Tire & Rubber and Northrup Grumman among the prestigious tenants and corporate users occupying Mohr Capital properties throughout the United States.

Following Bob’s example of conscious capitalism and community service, the team at Mohr Capital are passionate advocates in their communities—actively helping organization such as Jonathan’s Place, a Dallas-based safe haven for abused and neglected children, teens and young adults.

Bob Mohr

Mohr Capital

214-273-8603

[email protected]

We are excited for this episode as we sit down with a very experience and seasoned Apparel Retailer and get his take on the evolution of the Apparel Industry and how it is going to impact CRE. 

Larry Meyer is an experienced Retail C-Suite Executive (UNIQLO, Forever 21, Gymboree, Toys R' Us, Pepsi Co.) and active independent board member (Forever 21, John Varvatos, Rue 21). 

With years of experience growing both private and public companies, Larry is a wealth of knowledge when is comes to the apparel industry and site selection. 

In this epsiode we sit down with a really compelling guest that educates us on the history, current state, and future of retail real estate evolution. 

Considered a leading expert on retail and the shopping center industry, Nick A. Egelanian pioneered the segmentation of retail into Commodity & Specialty sub-groups as the author of the retail chapter of the Urban Land Institute's Professional Real Estate Development: The ULI Guide to the Business, 3rd Edition in 2012.

We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did! 

In this episode we talk with Trent Gilley with Vaquero Ventures out of Ft. Worth. We discuss his extensive experience in Retail real estate development and how he has navigated building relationships throughout his career. 

Trent Gilley