The CRE Project

In this episode we sit down with an industry leader to discuss his rise and success in the brokerage business and his outlook on the retail real estate landscape. 

Stuart founded The Zall Company, LLC, in 2000. He has more than 35 years of retail-leasing

Under his guidance, The Zall Company has established itself as a premier retail brokerage

Prior to founding The Zall Company, Stuart served as vice president and director of Lord

Stuart Zall

2946 Larimer Street, Denver, CO 80205

In this episode we sit down with one of the most accomplished and forward thinking CEO's in the CRE industry, Terry Montesi. 

Terry is the founder and CEO of Trademark Property Company out of Ft. Worth. He is also the host of the podcast Leaning In. Leaning In is a podcast exploring the future of the retail and mixed-use real estate. Terry, and other executives of Trademark, speak with experts from various backgrounds and areas to discuss brick-and-mortar retail in an e-commerce world and what it looks like to lean into it while others are leaning out.

As founder and CEO, Terry Montesi has led Trademark Property Co. through 28 years of innovative, community-focused development. Under his leadership, Trademark has worked on more than $3.9B and 18M SF of some of the most stakeholder-centric retail and mixed-use properties in the United States.

Terry is the driving force behind Trademark’s collaborative, community-driven approach to development. Pulling from his 30-plus years of industry experience, he has cultivated a company philosophy that is defined by creating meaningful customer experiences, collaborating with communities, and unlocking potential. Terry’s commitment to constant evolution and long-time support of the core tenets of Conscious Capitalism led him to create Trademark’s own conscious development model, The Conscious Place, setting the tone for a continued focus on innovative and experiential retail and mixed-use places.

Terry sits on the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) Board of Trustees; is a member of the North Texas Commercial Association of Realtors Hall of Fame, the World Presidents’ Organization, and the Urban Land Institute (ULI); and has served on numerous committees and judging panels for ULI, ICSC and the Texas Exes.

As active participant in the Fort Worth community Terry holds, or has held, leadership positions with the Union Gospel Mission of Fort Worth, Christ Chapel Bible Church, the Trinity Habitat for Humanity, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, and Junior Achievement. In addition, he is an enthusiastic supporter of the Movember Foundation.

Before founding Trademark in 1992, Terry was a principal and co-founder of Huff, Brous, McDowell & Montesi, Inc., Fort Worth’s largest commercial brokerage and management firm. Earlier in his career, he worked for Lincoln Property Company. In 1986, he and his brother became Blockbuster Video’s fourth franchisee.

Terry earned his MBA from the University of Texas at Austin and BBA from the University of Mississippi. He and his wife live in Fort Worth, TX and are proud parents to three grown children.

In this episode we sit down with Bob Young of Weitzman Group. We discuss the character makeup of what it takes to make it in commercial brokerage and what the future of retail real estate looks like. 

Professional Background

Robert E. Young, Jr., is Executive Managing Director for Weitzman. Young utilizes his extensive brokerage and management experience on Weitzman business development and brand promotion. Young also directs the statewide initiative to grow all of the business lines of the Weitzman platform. Additionally, through active International Council of Shopping Centers involvement and national leadership in the Retail Brokers Network, Young works to extend the firm's reach and presence with clients, prospects and the overall industry at large.  Prior to joining Weitzman, Young was senior managing director for Kennedy-Wilson. His extensive commercial real estate career also includes service as executive vice president and managing director in charge of the Dallas operation for Grubb & Ellis and as executive vice president for BEI Management, Inc.

Professional Organizations

Young serves on the Board of Directors and was the 2009 President of the Retail Brokers Network, a nationwide retail networking group whose member companies specialize in retail real estate brokerage. RBN’s independent firms work together on a regional and national level in tenant representation, project leasing and investment sales. Young also is a member of the North Texas Commercial Association of Realtors (NTCAR) and is past president of its board of directors. In addition, he is active in The Real Estate Council, the International Council of Shopping Centers and, the Urban Land Institute.  Young co-authored a chapter in “Leasing for Non-leasing Professionals,” a book published by the International Council of Shopping Centers. He is a regular instructor for ICSC nationwide educational programs and was dean for the ICSC University at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business and is now a faculty member of ICSC's John T. Riordan School for Retail Real Estate Professionals.

Contact Information

On today's show we sit down with Scott Chopping with Urban Pacific. We discuss the dynamics within the workforce housing industry and what it takes to be successful in that asset class.

Scott K. Choppin is the Founder of the Urban Pacific Group of Cos.

Scott oversees all operations of the Urban Pacific family of companies, including business development, capital acquisition, and strategic planning.

Prior to forming Urban Pacific, Scott was Director of Land Acquisition for the Multi-Family Development Division of Irvine-based Sares-Regis Group. In that position, he was responsible for all land acquisition activities for the development of luxury, market rate and senior rental communities throughout California, Colorado, and Arizona.

Before joining Sares-Regis, Scott was with Kaufman and Broad Multi-Housing Group. As Senior Project Manager, he was responsible for all activities related to multifamily development, including the acquisition, entitlement, syndication and development of over 1,900 affordable multifamily units throughout the Western United States.

Prior to that, Scott was a project manager with Irvine-based Snyder Langston Real Estate and Construction Services.

Scott holds a degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Finance from California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), San Luis Obispo.

On this episode we sit down with Chris Powers, Founder and CEO of Fort Capital in Fort Worth, Texas. We discuss lessons learned when investing in projects and how to build a team and a culture for a development company. 

Chris is a serial entrepreneur with more than 14 years of real estate development and investment experience and has raised more than $110 million in equity financing through a multitude of high net worth and family office partners. To date, Fort has invested and developed over $494M in multifamily, student housing, commercial/industrial, and residential & land development projects throughout Fort Worth and the state of Texas. Chris is a visionary with a demonstrated talent in looking ahead at what could be and understanding what must be done today to get there. His ability to conceptualize, raise capital, and execute are only a small part of what Chris brings to the table.

Chris oversees the vision for the company, Fort’s largest deals, capital relationships, executive level recruiting, strategic partnerships, and chairs the investment committee. Creating meaningful relationships and building a team around a vision and Fort’s goals are the most important qualities that make Chris ready for the job. With a belief that investing time in people is the best investment that can be made, Chris has built a strong network throughout Texas that has helped catapult Fort to where it is today. “I want to build a culture that fosters creativity and creates leaders. Our goal is to be the absolute best place to work in Fort Worth, because when we have the best people who are encouraged to give their best – we are unstoppable.”

Powers graduated with a BBA in Finance & Marketing from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, TX. Innovative, ethics-driven, people-focused, community-minded and passionate about ideas that matter, Powers’ professional philosophy remains the same as his personal one: “Tell the truth and be nice to people.” Chris is a member of the Forbes Real Estate Council and Fort Worth YPO Chapter. He lives in Fort Worth, TX with his wife, Mikal, and their daughters, Palmer and Connor.

In this episode we have the opportunity to learn about potential legal liabilities one can run into when acquiring and developing commercial real estate. We sit down with an industry expert, Jeff Love. 

Jeff Love is a partner with the firm. His practice encompasses all facets of real estate transactions, including drafting and negotiating purchase, sale, syndication, and financing transactions in connection with commercial, industrial, and residential assets. He also regularly drafts and negotiates office, retail, and industrial leases for regional landlords and tenants throughout the West Coast. Mr. Love has extensive experience drafting, negotiating, and reviewing real estate loan documents, including originations, modifications, note purchase agreements and other finance-related transactions from structuring through loan closing. He is a licensed real estate broker in the State of California.

Mr. Love also has significant experience in representing clients in a wide range of corporate transactions, including private securities offerings of debt and equity, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance matters, federal and state securities laws, and asset-based lending and borrowing. He frequently serves as outside general counsel to a variety of businesses, advising on joint ventures, strategic alliances, partnership arrangements, entity formation, and general contract preparation.

Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Love served as general counsel in the private sector, providing him valuable insights into client needs and expectations. Such experience enables Mr. Love to advise his clients on relevant legal issues and balance business considerations to result in effective, but cost-efficient representation while also creating and maintaining positive working relationships with all parties.

Today we discuss all aspects of retail real estate with El Paso's largest and most successful retail developer and Landlord. River Oaks Properties is solely based and focused on the El Paso market and currently owns over 350 retail assets equating to over 6,000,000 square feet. They are also responsible for managing over 1,000 tenants in their portfolio. Adam Frank is the President of River Oaks Properties and is responsible for the daily operations of the business, including the development and management of the portfolio. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Mr. Frank serves as Chairman of the Board of WestStar Title Company. Previously, he served as president of the El Paso Jewish Academy and was a member of the Sun Bowl Football Selection Committee.

Show Notes: 

River Oaks Website Link: https://ropelpaso.com/

West Towne Marketplace Website: https://www.westtownemarketplace.com/ 

Today we speak with two heavy hitters in the STNL space about the performance of Investments through COVID 19 and how to structure deals. 

Mark:

Mark Ruble is the co-founder of the Net Lease Advisory Group and a top producing Agent with Marcus & Millichap. Mark has been with the Phoenix office of Marcus & Millichap for 16 years (2004) and has received numerous accolades for his superior service and outstanding performance. Mark has successfully closed over 1,100 properties totaling in excess of $3.5 Billion in transaction volume across 46 states. The key to Mark’s success has been his dedication to providing clients with market leading information and advisory services.

Zack:

Zack House specializes in advising the Net Lease Advisory Group’s clients in the acquisition and disposition of net-leased investment properties nationally. Since Zack’s involvement with the Net Lease Advisory Group, the team has been involved in over 750 transactions and $2.5 Billion in sales volume. Zack is solely committed to transacting single-tenant and multi-tenant net leased assets as well as structuring sale/leasebacks and portfolio sales throughout the United States. Zack has been with Marcus & Millichap since 2015 and his experience includes working with a variety of development, institutional, franchisee, and private clients throughout the country. Zack prides himself on providing his clients with high quality market information and staying involved throughout the transaction process.

Jillian Sidoti, Esq. is one of the country’s leading experts on Regulation A+. Since 2008, Jillian has submitted multiple Regulation A Offering Circulars to the Securities Exchange Commission for approval making her one of the few attorneys familiar with the law prior to the changes under the JOBS Act. Since the JOBS Act, Jillian has assisted multiple companies and entrepreneurs realize their fundraising goals through Crowdfunding, 506©, and Regulation A. Jillian also continues to specialize in transactional legal matters such as private placement memorandums, S-1′s/S-11’s, and Regulation D filings. Jillian also spends her time speaking at seminars educating real estate investors on how to legally raise capital for their real estate investment projects. Jillian is the author of the highly rated book, The Crowdfunding Myth which debunks the multiple myths surrounding crowdfunding and teaches the reader how to effectively crowdfund their securities offering.

Prior to her legal career, Jillian owned and operated a record label enabling her to tour worldwide with artists, including visiting South Africa, Canada, Europe, and the United States. Using that experience, Jillian has been commissioned to write articles and contracts for many music industry entities.

For several years, Jillian taught Finance and Accounting for the BS and MBA programs at the University of Redlands, drawing on her experience as Financial Analyst, Controller, and CFO for many companies from manufacturing to real estate development. Jillian also teaches a Small Business Management class where students are taught the anatomy of a business plan.

To buy Jillian’s book use this link. or click on the image below.

Resources: 

Jillian Sidoti

P: (323) 799-1342

Link to Private Money Rockstars

https://www.privatemoneyrockstar.com/ 

Ever wanted to learn how to negotiate a commercial real estate deal more effectively? 

Today we sit down with Mark Raffan, a negotiation expert, to discuss best practices when it comes to tactical and strategic negotiation. 

Mark Raffan is an entrepreneur, procurement veteran, podcast host, speaker and a recognized negotiation expert. Mark has led c-suite negotiations for many years for a variety of companies and industries. Now running his own practice, Mark utilizes his extensive speaking experience to deliver engaging, usable, and market relevant training to an underserved market.

We thoroughly enjoyed this show and we know you will too!

Resources: 

Negotiation Podcast Link: http://www.negotiations.ninja/podcast/

Mark Raffan Email: [email protected]