Sean Dalfen, president of Dalfen Industrial, reveals the keys to success in real estate, but warns that they have nothing to do with instant gratification. He tells host Aaron Strauss how three generations of Dalfens have steered the business’ strategy for nearly a century, and how the firm currently manages its portfolio of last-mile industrial real estate acquisitions and developments.

Learn how Dalfen leverages both its cutting-edge, proprietary technology and knowledgeable boots-on-ground local teams to drive its steady upward trajectory through the cyclical nature of the real estate industry. The duo also discuss the importance of staying true to fundamentals, the value of longevity, and how commitment and focus actually are determining factors in the real estate industry.

Other topics include:

• What Dalfen looks for in a potential acquisition deal, including his initial evaluation questions; 
• How a carefully honed corporate governance structure makes all the difference in a company’s success;
• Why Dalfen stays away from converting vacant shopping malls into industrial buildings;
• How finding problems you love to solve can result in finding the work you were meant to do.

Enjoy the show? Have a guest in mind?  Email us at [email protected] to let us know your feedback and who you want to hear on the next episode. 

Connect with Aaron and the A.Y. Strauss team:

• Our website (www.AYStrauss.com)  
• Aaron's website bio page  (Aaron's bio page) 
• Aaron's LinkedIn account (LinkedIn) 
• Our Twitter account (@AYStrauss)

Inspired by the bustling, ever-changing neighborhoods of his youth, featured guest Adam Altman believes that the most profitable real estate investment portfolio is fueled by a clear understanding of the people – merchants, employers, employees, government officials, etc. – behind the community.

Altman and host Aaron Strauss discuss how that demographic understanding has always been part of The KABR Group’s approach to acquisitions and how the funds' savvy purchases (100+ assets), sales (50+ assets), ongoing operations (45 assets), and impressive investments (thousands of apartments, millions of square feet of office space, and nearly a billion dollars in construction) may have even sparked Jersey City’s development renaissance. 

Additional highlights include: 

• Altman's take on the best way to become part of the commercial real estate industry; 
• The essential factors he considers when buying assets and which assets he believes give the best returns;
• How to handle setbacks, mistakes, investments that don’t align as anticipated; and
• The importance of having great mentors and eventually becoming one yourself.  

Enjoy the show? Have a guest in mind?  Email us at [email protected] to let us know your feedback and who you want to hear on the next episode. 

Connect with Aaron and the A.Y. Strauss team:

• Our website (www.AYStrauss.com)  
• Aaron's website bio page  (Aaron's bio page) 
• Aaron's LinkedIn account (LinkedIn) 
• Our Twitter account (@AYStrauss)

Passion. Alignment. Ambition. Hard Work. Featured guest Inna Khidekel tells host Aaron Strauss that these elements – along with a heart of service, a head for business, and an entrepreneurial spirit – are at the core of her own impressive career and the incredible success of her firm, Bridge Investment Group.

Learn how Bridge, under Inna’s leadership, became the revolutionary ambassador for integrating environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) factors into profitable investment strategies. Discover how identifying the disconnect between potential tenants, the real estate industry, and government subsidies inspired the investment firm to prioritize the advancement of true social and economic mobility, and, ultimately, became the basis of the firm’s record for transformative investing. 

Other topics include:

• The emergence, impact, and continued relevance of ESG investment strategies and the variety of metrics Bridge uses to measure success;
• How being an owner-operator offers an edge in today’s efficient real estate market and which niches Inna believes remain untapped;
• Why Inna thinks current capital flows are supporting the real estate market despite the compression of a variety of non-property asset classes;
• How demographic-driven sectors – affordable housing, multifamily, senior housing –  are capturing the interest of savvy investors; and
• Why Inna advises new grads to join a fast-growing firm in a fast-growing industry and to embrace the opportunity to learn anything.

Enjoy the show? Have a guest in mind?  Email us at [email protected] to let us know your feedback and who you want to hear on the next episode. 

Connect with Aaron and the A.Y. Strauss team:

• Our website (www.AYStrauss.com)  
• Aaron's website bio page  (Aaron's bio page) 
• Aaron's LinkedIn account (LinkedIn) 
• Our Twitter account (@AYStrauss)

Mindset. Teachability. Mentorship. Culture. These concepts may seem like secondary business principles, but featured guest Ross Cooper tells host Aaron Strauss he believes they are Kimco Realty’s edge in becoming North America’s largest publicly traded owner and operator of open-air, grocery-anchored shopping centers and mixed used assets - and key reasons both the company and its people have successfully weathered multiple market downturns and the recent global crisis.
 
Learn how Kimco executives embraced the lessons of the Great Recession, adjusted their portfolio and purpose in preparation for the next downturn, and ultimately put the company in a strong enough position to not only survive the pandemic, but be able to assist those retailers who found themselves struggling. 

Other topics include evaluating the volatility of a post-pandemic retail real estate market; what to expect for the near future of the real estate acquisition market; how Kimco’s redevelopment capabilities will further diversify its existing properties; the importance of collaboration, communication, mentorship, and trusted teamwork in driving Kimco’s efforts forward, Ross’ advice to those looking to enter the owner-investor world, and so much more.

Enjoy the show? Have a guest in mind?  Email us at [email protected] to let us know your feedback and who you want to hear on the next episode. 

Connect with Aaron and the A.Y. Strauss team:

• Our website (www.AYStrauss.com)  
• Aaron's website bio page  (Aaron's bio page) 
• Aaron's LinkedIn account (LinkedIn) 
• Our Twitter account (@AYStrauss)

Innovation. Inspiration. Profitability. Resiliency. Host Aaron Strauss and featured guest Justin Ehrlich dig into these themes and more in this episode of The Dealmaker's Edge. Learn how the founding partner of Churchill pivoted from financial crisis to commercial success during the Great Recession, how his early adoption of technology continues to fuel Churchill’s accuracy in risk management and valuation, what he thinks the future holds for the U.S. residential real estate market, why he believes new grads should consider commercial real estate as a viable career option even (or especially) post-pandemic and what they should look for in a hiring company, and more. 

Enjoy the show? Have a guest in mind?  Email us at [email protected] to let us know your feedback and who you want to hear on the next episode. 

Connect with Aaron and the A.Y. Strauss team:

• Our website (www.AYStrauss.com)  
• Aaron's website bio page  (Aaron's bio page) 
• Aaron's LinkedIn account (LinkedIn) 
• Our Twitter account (@AYStrauss)

In episode one, Aaron Strauss of A.Y. Strauss speaks with Adir Levitas of Faropoint about Adir's background, career evolution, industrial real estate, pushing through struggles, the importance of being open-minded, technology's role in commercial real estate, and more.

Enjoy the show? Have a guest in mind?  Email us at [email protected] to let us know your feedback and who you want to hear on the next episode. 

Connect with Aaron and the A.Y. Strauss team:

• Our website (www.AYStrauss.com)  
• Aaron's website bio page  (Aaron's bio page) 
• Aaron's LinkedIn account (LinkedIn) 
• Our Twitter account (@AYStrauss)