Leading Voices in Real Estate

Matt Kelly, CEO of JBG Smith and Current Chair of NAREIT, tells the story of his company’s winning Amazon HQ2 for their National Landing site and shares his wisdom on corporate ethos, placemaking, and winning deals.

Steve Wechsler, the President and CEO of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, shares insights into the evolution of REITs from a niche sector to a vital player in the global economy. He discusses the significance of transparency and governance in public real estate markets, as well as the bipartisan dynamics shaping investment strategies. Wechsler highlights how REITs enhance economic stability and accessibility, while stressing the urgent need for innovative housing solutions and mentorship for young professionals in the industry.

Andy Lubershane, Partner and Head of Research at Energy Impact Partners, breaks down how real estate and climate tech can work towards creating a clean energy future. 

Rohit Aggarwala, Chief Climate Officer of New York City, discusses the city’s approach to concurrent solutions towards sea level rise, storm water management, transportation, congestion pricing, city infrastructure, and other pressing climate-based issues and the real estate industry’s role in helping build a more sustainable future.

Jackie Brady, Head of Global Debt Solutions for PGIM Alternatives, discusses the state of the commercial real estate debt markets, with challenges, opportunities, and change coming out of the current market.

David Stanford, Founder of RealFoundations, talks about optimizing real estate business platforms for profitable decisions, smart operations, and value creation at both the property and business entity levels.

Kevin Marchetti, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of Lineage Logistics and Co-Founder of Bay Grove, shares how he built the world’s largest cold-storage portfolio.In this rebroadcast episode, we revisit Kevin’s interview from early 2023. Bay Grove is a real estate private equity firm that claims the world’s largest portfolio of cold-storage warehouses. Its operating company, Lineage Logistics, runs the business. Lineage Logistics employs over 25,000 people globally and moves beyond pure real estate into true partnership. This business model adds valuable services to the industry client base, including logistics, transportation, food prep, and information technology. Kevin shares how they built the portfolio through acquisitions of long-standing, local cold storage family businesses and the process of creating the Lineage operating platform. A story about strawberries encapsulates the lifecycle of the work, from picking to freezing, and using it as an energy source in the warehouse, to sending it to the stores for consumers.  The discussion also hits on Kevin’s commitment to carbon reduction and the work Lineage is doing to establish the future of renewable energy in the warehouse sectors. He talks about being the fifth largest adopter of solar panels in the United States and signing the Climate Pledge for zero net carbon emissions by 2040. ResourcesLineage Logistics | WebsiteBay Grove | WebsiteRelated EpisodesHamid Moghadam | Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of PrologisRoss Perot Jr. | Chairman of Hillwood, Real Estate DeveloperJoe Margolis | CEO of Extra Space StorageKen Woolley | Founder & Chairman of Extra Space StorageBill Stein | CEO of Digital Realty TrustPaul Smithers | CEO of Innovative Industrial PropertiesJohn McLaren | President & Chief Operating Officer Sun CommunitiesBill Bayless | Co-Founder & CEO of American Campus Communities

Jesse Stein, Global Head of Real Estate at Airbnb, brings us up to date on Airbnb generally and focuses on Airbnb’s partnerships with institutional owners of apartments to facilitate the option for their residents to “Airbnb” their units.

Hamid Moghadam, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of Prologis, discusses the evolution of logistics real estate, the successful merger during the financial crisis, and the profitability of a business platform beyond assets. He also shares insights on advocating for democracy in Iran and civic activities in San Francisco.

Sharon Wilson Géno, President of NMHC, discusses public policy challenges in the apartment industry, emphasizing the importance of multifamily housing, regulatory hurdles, and addressing housing shortages. The conversation delves into the dynamics of housing development, community representation, property upgrades for sustainability, rent setting processes, taxation impacts, and the warmth of the apartment industry in shaping vibrant communities.