
The Fort
Here, we uncover the proven strategies, insights, and inspiring stories of today’s greatest leaders in the worlds of business, real estate, entrepreneurship, and investing. Each episode’s mission is to help you to level up your entrepreneurial game by hearing directly from the men and women in the arena. Chris is able to uniquely uncover things not commonly discussed because he is an entrepreneur himself. We not only cover business, but we also cover the personal side of entrepreneurship.The Fort began in 2018 as a way for Chris to publicly explore the fascinating world of entrepreneurship. Since he was a child, he’s been characterized as obsessively curious about the world around him. The Fort has now been downloaded over 2M times, across more than 50,000 unique listeners.Each week features conversations with entrepreneurs, Founders, CEOs, and Executives from some of the leading companies in America. Past guests have represented companies such as JLL, Hillwood, S2 Capital, Chick Fil A, Morning Brew, Founders Podcast, Tiny Capital, Permanent Equity, Fort Capital, Matthews REIS, Bonobos, and ConvertKit.🐦 Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris💡 Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/📹 Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FORTpod
Latest episodes

Jan 9, 2024 • 1h 2min
#329 - Marc Ganzi - CEO @ DigitalBridge ($DBRG) - $70B Company Investing Globally in Digital Infrastructure
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.

26 snips
Jan 2, 2024 • 1h 23min
#328 - Herb Weitzman - Executive Chairman @ Weitzman -The King of Texas Retail
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.

Dec 26, 2023 • 1h 27min
#327 - Micah Lacher - Founder @ Anchor Investments - On A Mission To Be The Most Generous Real Estate Company in the World
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.

Dec 21, 2023 • 1h 22min
#326 - Ed Pitoniak - CEO @ VICI Properties ($VICI) - From the Slopes to Leading a $50B Gaming, Hospitality, and Entertainment REIT
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.

Dec 19, 2023 • 1h 22min
#325 - Craig Fuller - CEO @ FreightWaves - State of Global Freight, China's Impact, Onshoring, Strategy for Buying Media Companies
Craig Fuller, CEO of FreightWaves, discusses the current state of the freight industry, the economic situation in China, the reshoring renaissance, his media strategy, and the acquisition of Flying Magazine. He also shares insights on doubling the size of an established niche media company.

22 snips
Dec 12, 2023 • 1h 14min
#324 - Kaes Van't Hof - President/CFO @ Diamondback Energy ($FANG) - Lessons & Stories From Inside a $30B Oil Company
Kaes Van't Hof, President/CFO @ Diamondback Energy, discusses learning the Oil & Gas business, the timeline of Diamondback Energy, how to get people to love Oil & Gas again, and thoughts on the Permian Basin. They also cover high yield vs. investment grade businesses, Diamondback's merger with Energen Resources, experiences during Covid, sourcing deals, hedging, being a low-cost producer, learning to manage people, and the $60b Pioneer acquisition.

9 snips
Dec 5, 2023 • 1h 1min
#323 - Nancy Lashine - Founder @ Park Madison Partners - Cycles, Crises, and Capital: Navigating The New Normal in Real Estate
In this episode, Nancy Lashine, founder of Park Madison Partners, discusses various topics including capital markets, capital allocation, development valuations, fundraising structures, and wisdom for first-time fund pursuers.

Nov 28, 2023 • 1h 17min
#322 - Reg Zeller - CEO @ CaneKast - Rolling Up Foundries & Making Manufacturing in America Great Again
Reg Zeller, CEO of CaneKast, discusses revolutionizing small manufacturing in the US, the challenges of onshoring, due diligence in acquiring businesses, training employees, and the role of equipment in the industry's future.

11 snips
Nov 21, 2023 • 1h 13min
#321 - Casey Mericle - The Art of the Deal: Unconventional Deal Structuring in Real Estate
Casey Mericle, a real estate investor specializing in deal structuring, discusses unconventional negotiating, note structures, walkable debt, and creative ways to finalize deals. He also shares insights on finding out what a seller wants, the benefits of seller-financing, and creating debt to make money off the debt rather than the deal.

8 snips
Nov 14, 2023 • 1h 14min
#320 - Real Estate Real Talk: Personal Guarantees, Foreclosures, Bankruptcy, and Bouncing Back with Andrew Kirsh and Zack Streit
Real estate experts Andrew Kirsh and Zack Streit discuss personal guarantees, different types of loans and guarantees in real estate, negotiating loan and legal document origination, understanding covenants in commercial loans, strategies for dealing with financial trouble in real estate, and when to file for bankruptcy.