Behar On The Block

Todd Stevens is the Director of Strategy for Cuningham, a full-service Architecture, Interior Design, Urban Design and Landscape Architecture firm.  Todd and I discuss many notable projects he and his firm worked on including turning the House of Blues into the Pendry Hotel and how they mesh  "stories" with design into their projects.  They have worked on all forms of commercial real estate and with some of the biggest entertainment companies in the world including Disney and Universal.

My guest this week is Lisa Anderson @LisaAndersonLMA.  She is one of the foremost experts on supply chain and logistics.  She gives us great insight into the supply chain world today.  She discusses how we got in this mess, how much further we have to go and what companies are doing to pivot today.  The supply chain is a complex web that affects all of us.  Lisa breaks it down in an easy way to understand.     Lisa is SAP ranked as a Top 46 Supply Chain Influencer, Arketi named her a Top 40 B2B Tech Influencer and Washington Frank recognized her as a Top 50 ERP Influencer.  Lisa has spoken at conferences such as the Global Supply Chain & Logistics Summit, the APICS International Conference, and the Drucker Supply Chain Forum, and she's been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, ABC News and CEO Magazine. Her book I've Been Thinking: Turning Everyday Interactions into Profitable Opportunities is a daily inspiration of new thinking to raise the bar and thrive in today's competitive, fast-paced, 24/7 marketplace.  

Christopher Rising is the Co-Founder and CEO of Rising Realty Partners, while also serving on its investment committee. Prior to that, Mr. Rising served as Senior Vice President, Asset Transactions at MPG Office Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPG) where he oversaw all acquisitions, dispositions and related transactions for the company. He joined the company in 2007 as Senior Vice President, Strategic Initiatives working directly with the CEO to formulate MPG's strategy for reducing leverage and restructuring the company. In 2003, Mr. Rising founded The Rising Real Estate Group (RREG), a real estate investment and brokerage company which through its partnership with Barker Pacific Group (BPG), a Los Angeles real estate operator and developer, raised an equity vehicle known as Hamilton Capital Partners (HCP). Mr. Rising currently sits on the investment committee for HCP, a co-invest vehicle which has acquired more than 25 real estate assets, and now includes 18 self storage facilities, retail, industrial, office and condominium projects. As an owner, Mr. Rising has overseen the restructuring of the self-storage operation, acquisitions, and leasing operations. Mr. Rising is also a principal along with BPG and Golden Boy enterprises, Oscar de la Hoya's firm, in 626 Wilshire Blvd., a 156,000 square foot office building located in downtown Los Angeles. Chris Rising is a graduate of Duke University and Loyola Law School. He began is professional career as an associate at Pillsbury Madison & Sutro (now known as Pillsbury Winthrop), spent several years in the Office of the President at Cushman Realty Corporation and was a Director at Cushman & Wakefield. He is President of the Board of Chandler School in Pasadena, a member of the Board of Regents of Loyola High School in Los Angeles, the Board of Overseers at Loyola Law School and the Duke Athletic Advisory Board.

Jenny Goldfarb, aka Mrs. Goldfarb, is the founder of Unreal Deli. She grew up on the Standard American Diet (SAD), and in her early 30s, learned about the plight of animals on factory farms, which led her to adopt a plant-based diet. After much trial and error she became a whiz in the plant-based kitchen and realized the thing she missed most after becoming vegan was premium NY-style deli meat. She sought to recreate a corned beef made from beets, chickpeas, tomatoes and high protein wheat. The recipe became such a hit that it encouraged her to produce her Corn'd Beef Reubens for Delis, Whole Foods, even Shark Tank, where she took on Mark Cuban as primary investor. The company then developed Unreal Roasted Turk'y followed by Unreal Steak Slices. With no experience in the food sector, let alone launching a company, she gave birth to this rapidly expanding business in her tiny kitchen while pregnant with her 3rd child. The Unreal Deli product line can now be found in thousands of restaurant and grocery locations nationwide with more to come.

Don Kellar, MS, REP, PG is the CEO and Founder of Fulcrum Resources Inc. is a full-service environmental and engineering consulting firm that specializes in real-estate due-diligence, surface and subsurface assessments, remediation, and property condition assessments.

Brett Dedeaux is the president and founder of Dedeaux Properties.  He is recognized by Globe St as one of the top influencers in Industrial Real Estate and that same year the Los Angeles Business Journal recognized Brett on the LABJ 500. Dedeaux Properties  is an industrial real estate investment & development firm. The company controls over 6,500,000 sq. ft. of industrial property in California along with a strategic presence in Chicago. Dedeaux Properties focuses on acquiring and developing distribution facilities, cold-storage buildings and transportation-related properties including truck terminals and trailer parking yards.

Darryl Dunn is the CEO and General Manager of the Rose Bowl Stadium.  The Rose Bowl Stadium opened in 1923 and is one of the most iconic sports and entertainment venues in the country today.  Prior to his current role, Darryl worked for the Los Angeles Lakers, Raiders, Clippers and was a member of the 1994 World Cup Committee. Darryl is also recognized by the Los Angeles Business Journal as one of LA's top 500 business and community leaders.

Kim Snyder is the President of the US Western Region for Prologis aka the sensei of Commercial Real Estate.  Prologis is a Global Industrial Real Estate Company. Kim oversees acquisition, development and operations for the company.  Currently managing over 200mm Sq FT of industrial real estate. He is one of the most sought after leaders on industrial real estate today. Kim shares changes in the industrial world, development and the new demands from industrial tenants.

Kim Snyder is the President of the US Western Region for Prologis aka the sensei of Commercial Real Estate.  Prologis is a Global Industrial Real Estate Company. Kim over sees acquisition, development and operations for the company.  Currently managing over 200mm Sq Ft. of industrial real estate. He is one of the most sought after leaders on industrial real estate today. Kim shares changes in the industrial world, development and the new demands from industrial tenants.

Mark Weinstein founded MJW Investments in 1983 following a brief career as an attorney. Since then, he has acquired over $1,000,000,000 of student housing, apartment, commercial, industrial, and self-storage buildings.  MJW was rated 7th largest Commercial Developer by LABJ and Mark was voted one of the 500 most influential people in LA for the 5th straight year. Mark has always been a visionary and risk taker with his multi family and student housing investments.  He shares stories from his first deal while still in law school to the more complex transactions including condo to apartment conversions, ground leases and CO-GP deals.  Mark was an early investor in Downtown LA when the city created the adaptive reuse ordinance and he shares why he was willing to take a on a  massive conversion of old industrial buildings to apartments.

Jackie is the Executive Director/CEO at Business Finance Capital.  Named one of the top women in banking by the Los Angeles Business Journal and one of the most influential leaders in Los Angeles. Jackie consults, advises and strategizes with her clients to help find the best small business loan available.  She works with many of the top distributors and manufactures on the west coast. Jackies shares why a small business should consider an SBA loan, what it means and how it works.

Chris King is a Peak-performance (flow) executive coach and motivational speaker. Chris facilitates the journey that leads to the discovery that creates the sustainable changes for professional organizations and individuals to exceed their professional and goals. Learn on how renegotiate your existence and make the impossible possible.  

Adolfo Suaya, is the founder and creator of the popular LA restaurant Gaucho Grill.   He went on to own and operate 15 bars and restaurants in LA and many others around the world.   Adolfo is developing an original hotel in LA called the Whiskey Hotel.  He shares his journey about creating restaurant concepts, owning, developing and investing in Los Angeles commercial real estate. Adolfo (@adolfosuaya) is a Restaurateur, TV host, Hotelier and  Home designer.  He is a true innovator in the hospitality world, cuisine world and more.  

Ken Kahan, Founder of California Landmark Group, a Los Angeles based multi family and commercial real estate developer. Ken discusses how he and his company choose an area to develop, why building a community is just as important as developing the building and what skills are needed to become a real estate developer.   Ken dives into the new trend and importance of Co-Living and what that means to multi-family development. Learn and listen from one of the best in the business.

Brian Shirken is the co-founder of Mountain Pacific Opportunity  Partners, and the founder of it's precursor, Mountain Capital Partners. Shirken, also co-founder of Columbus Pacific 25 years ago, has been involved in purchasing and redeveloping over five million square feet of retail, an 11,000 bed student housing portfolio, development of over 3,000 multifamily units, 5 assisted living projects and providing more than $200 million in mezzanine and equity capital, funding projects with an underlying value in excess of $1.4 billion. Brian shares how he made the switch from property investor to commercial real estate developer. Tips to  become a developer and how he made the change to live part time in Park City. 

John Jung, CMO of Brick Work. His company helps real estate owners, developers and agents acquire information about a property's development potential. Commercial real estate is a complicated process, John explains why he started this company and how they are helping have a positive impact in Los Angeles and Orange County with new CRE development.

Susan Shelley, V.P. of Communications for the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, shares insights and the importance of the new Prop 15 which is set to hit the ballot in November.  This will impact all residents of CA. Susan is also a columnist and member of the editorial board of the Southern CA  News Group, 11 daily papers including the Orange County Register and the Los Angeles Daily News.

My guest this week is Jay Sanderson, President and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles. Jay is a true renaissance man, a visionary leader in the Jewish community, a man with culinary skills, and an award winning television producer who in my opinion has a great impact on the Los Angeles community. When not leading one of the largest and most prominent Federations in our country he is the host of his own podcast, Jay’s 4 Questions. Jay has been professionally active in the Jewish community for over 30 years and has been recognized on the Forward 50 list as one of America’s leading entrepreneurs. Formerly, he was the CEO and Executive Producer of JTN Productions, where he created, produced, wrote over 700 hours of award-winning television programming broadcast worldwide, and led its broadband initiative JewishTVNetwork.com. His producing credits include the landmark PBS series “The Jewish Americans,” “Worse Than War,” and the James Beard Award-nominated “New Jewish Cuisine.” Connect with Jay: Podcast | Jays 4 Questions Instagram | jaysanderson_la

Ellie Perlman, Founder and CEO of Blue Lake Capital shares her journey from growing up in Israel to now owning thousands of multi-family apartment units across the country with her company Blue Lake Capital.  Faced with many obstacles along the way, she was determined to break out on her own.  She scaled her business very rapidly.  From lawyer, to property manager to real estate syndicator; this is her story. This episode is brought to you by: OCB Accountants.  You can find them at www.ocbaccountants.com Connect with Ellie:  Podcast:   REady2Scale with Ellie Perlman. Find her on Itunes and other podcast media outlets.  Website:  https://www.ellieperlman.com/ LinkedIn:  linkedin.com/in/ellieperlman Website: bluelake-capital.com/ Twitter: @PerlmanEllie    

Greg Lyon and Patrick Winters, Principals of Nadel Architects. They share where the inspiration comes from, challenges they face with the city, trends in the industry and a lot more.  With 20 and 30 years respectfully in the business, both Greg and Patrick have designed some of the most iconic properties in Los Angeles and around the world.  It was a real treat to sit down with two amazing architects and get an insight into their world.

If you work in Los Angeles there is a good chance you at some point picked up a copy of the Los Angeles Business Journal.  I for one have been a customer for many years.  Personally I find it very informative and helpful to learn about the business landscape in Los Angeles, covering all sectors, including real estate , media, fashion, health care, start ups, insurance, tech, and countless other industries,  This week I sit down with Anna Magzanyan the CEO and Publisher of the Los Angeles Business Journal. The LA Business Journal is an important source of media for anyone doing business in LA and I wanted to hear from the woman in charge. Anna’s journey to become the Publisher and CEO was a bit untraditional.  She shares how her background in marketing and branding help lead her to new and bigger opportunities. While working at the LA Times, she said. “I was an entrepreneur in a corporate environment.”    But Before leaving Anna launched a few iconic pieces at the Times including; The Envelope, The Envelope Screening Series, Style, Taste and other profitable ideas. Anna is an idea person that pushes new boundaries and knows how to create business opportunities.  She continues to do this with the LA Business Journal.

Keith Wasserman and his company Gelt Inc. are based in Los Angeles but are impacting many communities around the US.  What intrigued me about Keith, is how fast he scaled his real estate investment company at such a young age.  But, it is not only the impressive real estate holdings he amassed, he has also created new payments systems that are disrupting how tenants pay rent, and he also created a non profit to help tenants in need. He started in 2008 with a single 4 plex in Bakersfield CA  during one of the worst economic times our country has ever witnessed.  Now, this portfolio is valued around $1.5 billion. Keith shares how and why it all started.  This is fun interview with a really good guy who’s doing a lot more than just buying apartments.  Please enjoy my interview with Kieth.

Maria S. Salinas is the President and CEO of Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, the largest business association in LA County representing more than 1,600-member companies and serving the interest of more than 235,000 businesses across the LA region.  She is the first woman and first Latina to lead the Chamber in its 130 year history.  She shares her thoughts on the LA business community, she discusses how and why both local and International business is affecting the LA area and what the Chambers' key roles are to make LA a better place to do business. Connect with Maria Salinas: LinkedIn|https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariassalinas/ Twitter| https://twitter.com/LAChamberMaria Instagram|https://www.instagram.com/laareachamber/  

Dustin’s group, An Eastside Establishment (AEE), comprises some of the Eastside’s most beloved and acclaimed restaurants, bars and hotels. Founded on the belief that all good hospitality ventures are a result of great collaborations, Dustin has worked with a talented group of partners and staff to develop a variety of diverse projects. AEE’s portfolio includes wine bars, neighborhood restaurants, a live music venue, boutique hotels and more. Dustin shares how he went from bartending to creating one of the most recognized boutique hospitality companies is Los Angeles today. His most recent project, the Firehouse Hotel in Downtown LA was originally a working fire station and now a 9 room boutique hotel with a bar, coffee shop and restaurant.  He faced many challenges and obstacles but, had a lot of determination to create a fun, creative and unique hotel experience for his guest. If you like the show please subscribe and comment on Itunes.  Follow me on social media for updates on Commercial Real Estate. 

My guest is Charles "Uncle Chuck" Hershson, Founder and President of Fidelity Mortgage Lenders Inc. A "private money" lending company he started over 5 decades ago. Chuck shares with us what exactly private money or "hard" money is, why someone would need it and the process involved.  Chuck has had tremendous success in business and life and we learn how he did it and what it takes to sustain a company for over 5 decades.

Today my guest on the show has been a TED Talk speaker, been featured on Fox News, LA Times, New York Times, LA Weekly and became well know from his blog DTLA Rising. Brigham Yen, the well known blogger and author of DTLA Rising is extremely passionate about the growth and urbanization of downtown Los Angeles.  He has followed the trends and changes and has a strong voice to help keep downtown Los Angeles moving in the right direction. Brigham began his career in economic development at the Downtown Center Business Improvement District (DCBID) where he successfully attracted both prospective residents and business owners to invest in the exciting Downtown LA renaissance. He shares his thoughts on modern day urbanization.  Please enjoy my interview with Brigham.

Jessica is the President and CEO of Central City Association where she represents the interest of over 400 business, trade associations and non profit organizations that employ more than 350,000 people in LA county. She is a champion for downtown LA and understands the importance to our regions economy.  Jessica is a true leader, a person certainly having an impact on Los Angeles today.  She had big shoes to fill in this role, taking over for Carol Schatz the former President and CEO who led the organization for 26 years.   Jessica shares with us what it takes to be an effective leader today while representing a vastly diverse group of people and companies in our city.  She also shares what lies ahead and the challenges our city faces today.

  My first guest this year is a legend in the real estate business.  His name is Sam Freshman. Sam is the founder of Standard Management Company which he formed in 1962.  Through is company he has sponsored hundreds of Millions of dollars of investments in real estate throughout the USA. Sam is also the author of many articles and books including Principles of Real Estate Syndication one of the best real estate books out there today - It is considered the Bible among many in the real estate field.  He has lectured extensively and has served as past Chairman for the Legal and Accounting Committee of the California Real Estate Association Syndication Division. Deeply knowledgeable in all aspects of real estate, please enjoy this episode who many in Los Angeles consider the Godfather of Real Estate Syndication.

Simply put, Laura is, in my opinion the Mother Teresa of Business. Laura is the co-founder and CEO of Gifts for Good— an e-commerce site that curates and customizes premium business gifts that support charitable causes in 19 states and 65 countries around the globe. Making thoughtfulness and philanthropy easier for all.  If you are looking for unique, creative and functional holiday gifts for friends co-workers or for the corporate world and you are thinking about your charities or ways to give back as I always do this time of year then Laura and her company Gifts for Good is the perfect place to start.  Laura has a diverse background in business, the non profit world, a masters Social Entrepreneurship from USC and extensive travel to 22 countries.     She has taken this vast and mixed experience to create Gifts for For Good.  Please enjoy this interview and learn how a young woman is not only impacting the LA market place but literally impacting the world.

I had the pleasure to sit down with Christopher Bollenbach, Partner and CEO of Bottega Louie Restaurant, Gourmet Market & Patisserie @bottegalouie, www.bottegalouie.com.    Chris and his brother Keat created found the restaurant in 2007 in downtown Los Angeles at the corner of 7th and Grand.  The restaurant was a success from day one. Chris built the early part of his career in finance, first working at a saving bank in Utah at the age of 20 before moving onto Wall Street in 1990.  All told he spent 25 years in finance and banking at UBS, PaineWebber, Merrill Lynch and Citi Smith Barney.  Along with his financial services experience Chris has also served in a variety of executive management and directorship positions in agriculture, real estate development, tech and hospitality. Chris opens up about the story behind Bottega Louie.  He talks about leadership in the work place, challenges running a restaurant, and why rock N roll and finance are a good mix. This is a really fun interview, lots of good stuff. Please enjoy, and as always thank you for listening.

Cory is the Assistant General Manager of the Los Angeles Athletic Club. It is the first private club in Los Angeles, founded in 1880. The Hathaway family has been running the LAAC for 5 generations. Cory shares the family history of how it all started, going back to his great, great, great grandfather. The LAAC was one of the city’s first mixed-use buildings and created the city’s first indoor pool. The Los Angles Athletic Club was the training ground for former Olympic Athletes, and a social gathering spot for the city’s politicians, poets, businessmen and Hollywood elite. Learn how a club that is 138 years old stays relevant to the city while maintaining and preserving the history. Cory plays an integral part in this today. The original mission statement still holds true today and Cory explains why: “LAAC is dedicated to the lifelong pursuit of healthy giving amusements.”

Episode 6 is an interview with Jan Perry, General Manager of the Los Angeles Economic & Workforce development Department (EWDD), leading an agency of 180 employees. Mayor Garrcetti selected Jan to run the EWDD shortly after his election in July 2013. Jan is the former 9th District City Councilmember representing Downtown, Little Tokyo and South Los Angeles.  Jan led catalytic projects such as LA Live, Our Lady of Angeles Cathedral and the new Police Administration building. Jan's leadership over a decade brought in $15 million in investment, $40 million in new tax revenue for the City of Los Angeles, and 90,000 new full-time jobs.  DTLA is becoming one of the most desiriable and sought-after residential and commercial destinations in the nation.  Jan shares critical issues facing the city of LA today; how an Ohio native became an influencer in LA politics; and what it takes to work in local politics. As always, thank you for listening.

From music to real estate to restaurants, Terry Heller has succeed in multiple industries.  Terry shares his rise from working in the early days with Eazy- E and other rap artist to his transition to real estate and finally to restaurants. With no formal training in the restaurant business Terry goes on to create a restaurant called Plan Check Kitchen & Bar.  Today Plan Check has four locations across Los Angeles.  The success of his brand of Plan Check restaurants supports the philosophy he carries through all of his ventures: surrounding himself with the finest possible talent in order to thrive. Says Terry "You can have all the experience in the world, unlimited capital, and the smartest business plan-but none of that makes a bit of difference if you don't have the right people around you, I'll take attitude over aptitude any day of the week." Enjoy these stories and a lot more in this episode. Contact: beharontheblock@gmail.com Connect on Socials: @anthonysbehar (instagram, twitter) @asbehar (facebook)

In this episode I interview Tom Gilmore, a pioneer-developer of residential, commercial and retail properties in Los Angeles. Originally from New York, Tom moved to Los Angeles in 1996 and founded Gilmore Associates, a real estate development firm committed to urban revitalization and renewing the city's long neglected historic core. Tom first purchased an entire city block of vacant office buildings in an area which had some of the highest unemployment and crime rates. Within a few years he converted the abandoned buildings to loft-style residence with retail stores and restaurants on the ground floor.  Know as "The Old Bank District," the area is now home to thousands of residents and numerous commercial tenants. On the brink of demolition from the Northridge earthquake Tom purchased the city's first cathedral, St. Vibiana. The former cathedral is now home to a thriving performance venue, event space and the award winning restaurant Redbird. Tom shares his vision, passion and drive for taking an urban waste-land and making it a place to live, work and play. Please enjoy this episode.

Carol gives incredible perspective and insight about downtown Los Angeles from the early 1990's to present time.  She shares the stories about the hard work that went into changing downtown Los Angeles.  Learn what it takes to truly take a city from 9-5 to a world class 24/7 destination.  Carol was at the forefront of it all.  She served as the first female President and CEO of the Central City Association (CCA) of Los Angeles for more than 20 years and currently is president of the Downtown Center Business Improvement District, a coalition of 1700 property owners in the center of Downtown Los Angeles that she formed in 1998 to foster the renaissance. Enjoy the show!

Michael Koss has done it all; he owns one of the most iconic pieces of real estate in Los Angeles; he owns a successful restaurant; distributes a food product and is one of the most charitable people I ever met. In the episode Michael discusses all this and more.

In this episode I interview Brad Luster, president of Major Properties real estate.  Brad has been president of the firm since 1992 and has been practicing real estate for over 30 years.  Brad shares his insight on the Los Angeles brokerage business and how his company has survived and still thrives in the LA area after 54 years.  Brad also gives great life and real estate advice.