The Fort

Barry Sternlicht, Chairman & CEO of Starwood Capital Group, discusses scaling the business to 120k employees in 6 years, the value of 'A Shared Pair' REIT, taking a company from $1B in AUM to $10B, and selling Caesars Palace.

Chris Powers and Jason Baxter reflect on Fort Capital's 2023 achievements, fundraising goals, custom AI development, deal pipelines, profitability, team growth, and the outlook for 2024. They discuss the successful implementation of document AI in improving the invoice process, the renewal rockstar initiative to boost tenant renewals, and the adoption of company-wide AI challenge. They also cover their acquisition pipeline in 2023, expansion of the team and opening new offices, and the challenges in finding affordable land and meeting construction costs.

Devon Eriksen, a retired software engineer and science fiction writer, joins Chris to discuss topics such as culture's influence on law, pushing back on bad ideas, property rights, artificial intelligence, and rent-seeking. They also explore gatekeeping institutions in fiction and the profitability of green energy.

Chris Hoffmann, CEO of Hoffmann Brothers, shares his experience in the Marine Corps, taking over the family business, scaling the business, retaining and training labor, and the future of the trades. He also discusses purpose-driven ownership vs. PE, scaling acquired businesses, call centers, the future of marketing, and the importance of Google reviews.

David Moore, Founder and Managing Partner at Knightvest, discusses making key hires to grow the company, the explosion of the Class B multifamily market, a walkthrough of a typical deal, the American renter in 2024, construction and labor cost hikes, and a state of the market update 2022-2024.

Billy Quinn, Founder of Pearl Energy Investments, discusses running due diligence on a fund and operator, predicting the potential success of a company, being a great capital partner, changes in the oil and gas industry, and the future for PE-backed oil and gas companies.

The podcast features Marc Ganzi, CEO at DigitalBridge, discussing the evolution of the digital infrastructure industry, AI's impact, different verticals of data centers, value add digital, lease structures, cybersecurity, and digital real estate.

Herb Weitzman, Executive Chairman of Weitzman, shares his real estate career, timeless lessons for success in real estate, what makes a great retail deal, leadership philosophies, the future of DFW, and innovation in retail.

Micah Lacher, Founder of Anchor Investments, shares his mission to build America's most generous real estate company. The topics discussed include growing up in urban Memphis, the importance of good schools, the state of retail real estate, developing a trait of generosity, buying churches and converting them to hotels, and how to give away money. They also discuss supporting inner city communities, choosing between giving locally or internationally, and finding purpose and impact in the second half of life.

Ed Pitoniak, CEO of VICI Properties, discusses maximizing the hospitality experience in Vegas, the story of building VICI, investing in Canyon Ranch, and the inevitable gaming future in Texas. They also explore the history of the ski industry and the significance of risk-taking.