Mark Vitner is the Founder & Chief Economist of Piedmont Crescent Capital, a boutique economic consulting firm providing strategic insight on U.S. and regional economic conditions, financial markets, and geopolitics—with a focus on how these forces impact consumers, local economies, housing, and commercial real estate.

With more than 30 years of experience in economic analysis and forecasting, Mark previously served as Senior Economist at Wells Fargo and Wachovia, where he became one of the most respected voices on the Southeast and National economy. Today, through Piedmont Crescent Capital, he acts as a fractional economist for several companies, produces regular publications on real estate, consumer behavior, and small business trends, and speaks widely at corporate events and industry forums on topics ranging from inflation and monetary policy to regional growth and economic development.

Episode Topics:

Building a 30-year career across Barnett Bank, First Union, Wachovia, and Wells Fargo

Inside the Wachovia acquisition by Wells Fargo during the 2008 financial crisis

Breaking down the Global Financial Crisis from an economist’s perspective

Launching Piedmont Crescent Capital to assist companies as their fraction economist

Current outlook on real estate, consumer spending, and regional growth

Connect with Matt & The Deal Ranch Podcast:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewrlutz/ 

Connect with Mark & Piedmont Crescent Capital 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-vitner/

https://piedmontcrescentcapital.com/ 

Doug Lebda is the CEO & Founder of Lending Tree. LendingTree (NASDAQ: TREE) is the nation's leading online marketplace that connects consumers with the choices they need to be confident in their financial decisions. LendingTree empowers consumers to shop for financial services the same way they would shop for airline tickets or hotel stays, by comparing multiple offers from a nationwide network of over 500 partners in one simple search and choosing the option that best fits their financial needs.

After experiencing the frustrations and complexities of getting his first mortgage, Doug envisioned a way to simplify the loan shopping process. Instead of physically going to multiple banks, customers could go to a website where the banks would compete for their business. That was 1996, and the website would become the one you’re reading right now.

After launching nationally in July 1998, Doug led LendingTree through a successful IPO in 2000, the dot-com meltdown of 2001 and a successful sale to IAC/InterActiveCorp in 2003. From 2005 to 2008, Doug served as IAC’s President and Chief Operating Officer, and in 2008, joined the newly formed Tree.com (rebranded as LendingTree) as it spun out from IAC as a separate public company.

- This episode of The Deal Ranch Podcast is presented by https://huckscurryadvisors.com/

Episode Topics

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewrlutz/ 

Connect with Lending Tree: 

https://www.lendingtree.com/

https://investors.lendingtree.com/ 

Matt Bronfman is a Principal and the Chief Executive Officer of Jamestown. Matt joined the company as General Counsel in 1998 before becoming Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer in 2002. He became CEO in 2012 and is responsible for managing Jamestown’s global operations and overseeing corporate strategy and execution. During his tenure, Jamestown has executed more than $40 billion in transactions, grown its portfolio of assets in the U.S., and expanded into Latin America and Europe. As of December 31, 2024, Jamestown has assets under management of $14.2 billion.

Matt has more than 30 years of experience in real estate and has led the acquisition and repositioning of many large scale-mixed use projects, including Chelsea Market and Industry City in New York City, Ponce City Market and Buckhead Village in Atlanta, Raleigh Iron Works in Raleigh, the Innovation and Design Building in Boston, and Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco.

- This episode of The Deal Ranch Podcast is presented by https://huckscurryadvisors.com/

Episode Topics

The origin story of Ponce City Market and how Jamestown turned an abandoned Sears warehouse into Atlanta’s cultural hub.

Connect with Jamestown

https://www.jamestownlp.com/

Connect with Matt & The Deal Ranch Podcast:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewrlutz/ 

David Hartzell is the Steven D. Bell and Leonard W. Wood Distinguished Professor of Finance & Real Estate as well as the Director of the Leonard W. Wood Center for Real Estate Studies at University of North Carolina.

He also serves on the board of the UNC Real Estate Investment Fund, the real estate private equity fund that is managed by students in the real estate concentration at UNC Kenan-Flagler. 

He has worked with numerous companies on a consulting basis, notably Heitman Capital Management in Chicago, Citigroup, CB Richard Ellis, Weil Gottschall, Cornerstone Research, Henderson Asset Management (U.K.), PRA Securities, Heitman/JMB Advisory Corp., JMB Institutional Realty Corp., Salomon Brothers Inc., Prudential Real Estate Investors, American Council of Life Insurance, Travelers Realty Investment Corporation, GE Capital, Metropolitan Life and ABP (Dutch Public Employees Pension Fund).

- This episode of The Deal Ranch Podcast is presented by https://huckscurryadvisors.com/

- For Vacation Rental & Brokerage needs in Oak Island, Ocean Isle, and Holden Beach connect with Proactive Vacations!

https://www.proactivevacations.com/(910) 842 1550

Episode Topics

Connect with Dave

- https://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/leonard-w-wood-center-for-real-estate-studies/

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Richard Byrne is President of Benefit Street Partners, as well as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Franklin BSP Capital Corp, Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc (NYSE: FBRT), and Benefit Street Partners Multifamily Trust.

Benefit Street Partners is a global alternative credit manager with ~$76 billion under management. The BSP team invests across the credit spectrum – from senior secured debt to subordinated debt, as well as both liquid and illiquid credit and seeks to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns.

- This episode of The Deal Ranch Podcast is presented by https://huckscurryadvisors.com/

Topics

Benefit Street Partners & Richard Byrne: 

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Francis J. Greenburger is the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Time Equities Inc. Founded in 1966, Time Equities, Inc. (“TEI”) is a diversified investment, development, asset and property management, licensed real estate brokerage, and alternative energy company. The TEI portfolio includes approximately 43.2 million square feet of residential, industrial, office and retail property including about 5,000 multi-family apartment units, approximately 635,000 square feet in pending acquisitions, and 2.8 million square feet of various property types in stages of pre-development and development. 

With 342 properties across 36 states, five Canadian provinces, Anguilla, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Scotland, the TEI portfolio benefits from a diversity of asset types including non-performing loans, B-notes, and alternative energy investments. 

- This episode of The Deal Ranch Podcast is presented by https://huckscurryadvisors.com/

Topics

Connect with Time Equities

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Ben Weinberg is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Castle Peak Holdings and Trailborn. 

Castle Peak is an investment and operating platform with a singular focus on hotels and resorts in supply-constrained outdoor destination markets across North America: National Park gateway towns, beach towns, lake towns, ski resorts, and wine country.

Trailborn is their market leading hospitality brand that operates all 7 properties and 559 rooms of the Castle Peak portfolio which recently entered into a long term agreement with the Marriott platform. 

- This episode of The Deal Ranch Podcast is presented by https://huckscurryadvisors.com/

Conversation Topics

Connect with Ben, Castle Peak Holdings, and Trailborn

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Michael Smith is the President & CEO of Charlotte Center City Partners.  Charlotte Center City Partners is a 501(c)4 not-for-profit corporation that manages the City’s municipal service districts (MSDs) 1, 2, 3, and 4. The organization boldly envisions actions that will assure Charlotte Center City is a welcoming, economically vibrant, culturally rich and beloved place for all.

Conversation Topics

- Origination of CCCP

- Priorities of Charlotte Center City Partners

- Partnering with Developers in Charlotte

- North Tryon Tech Hub

- The impact of office conversions on the local market

- This episode of The Deal Ranch Podcast is presented by https://huckscurryadvisors.com/

Learn More About Charlotte Center City Partners:

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Mark Durliat is CEO and Co-Founder of Grace Bay Resorts. Durliat has been a driving force in the growth of luxury travel and residential development in the Turks and Caicos (TCI). He began developing in TCI when he led the acquisition of the 22 room boutique Grace Bay Club in 2001 and redeveloped this property into a five star condominium resort. Their team has gone on to develop some of the most iconic projects on the Island such as Rock House & The Point. 

Grace Bay Resorts is a boutique owner, developer, and operator of some of the finest, luxury resorts and residences in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands. Grace Bay Resorts brand includes 4 luxury resorts and a growing collection of private villas throughout the island, as well as several development projects in the pipeline.

Their most recent development, The Point, is a collection of 54 luxury residences, 38 of which are oceanfront condominiums and 16 private casitas.

Topics

- This episode of The Deal Ranch Podcast is presented by https://huckscurryadvisors.com/

Learn More About Grace Bay Resorts:

Rock House https://rockhouse.gracebayresorts.com/

The Point https://pointgrace.gracebayresorts.com/

Grace Bay Club https://gracebayclub.gracebayresorts.com/ 

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Tony Davidow, is a Senior Alternative Investment Strategist at Franklin Templeton, Host of Alternative Allocations podcast, and Author of the recently released book: Private Markets.

Order HERE: https://www.amazon.com/Private-Markets-Building-Better-Portfolios/dp/139431308X

In his role at Franklin, Tony provides independent research and analysis designed to help advisors make better informed decisions about allocating to alternative investments via white papers, blogs, webinars, and conferences. 

Tony has 30+ years of experience working with advisors, high-net-worth investors, family offices, and institutional investors in allocating to alternatives.

Topics:

- This episode of The Deal Ranch Podcast is presented by https://huckscurryadvisors.com/

Connect with Tony

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