Group of American islands in the Caribbean
POPULARITY
0:00 Watch Liberal Media Pivot To Trump, Say Biden Coverage Is ‘Double Standard'! Robby Soave | RISING 9:48 Trump Bashes Putin, Says He's Gone ‘Absolutely Crazy' | RISING 18:06 Trump Backs Japan's Nippon Steel MERGER With US Steel. Does This Betray American Workers? | RISING 25:27 Breaking: Trump will cancel all federal contracts with Harvard!| RISING 35:20 Jake Tapper Presses Mike Johnson Over $Trump Memecoin Dinner | RISING 41:28 Jeffrey Epstein bought influence over US Virgin Islands' elite; bombshelL Lee Fang Report 51:52 Tim Pool, Bill Maher Slam Dems For Losing Gen Z Men | RISING 1:02:23 Kristi Noem Celebrates Migrant Lawsuit Drop By Writing ‘Suck It' On X | RISING Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Caribbean nations are navigating complex challenges through innovative regional cooperation and international partnerships. Today's headlines showcase strategic approaches to sustainable development, from migration assistance programs to economic diversification initiatives.UN International Organization for Migration Helping Undocumented Caribbean Migrants Return Home Voluntarily Eastern Caribbean Currency Union Establishing Regional Regulation of Citizenship by Investment ProgramsDominican Republic Launches Commonwealth Countries Trade workshops focusing on UK, Canada, Jamaica, India, Guyana and AustraliaAfrican Export-Import Bank Partners with Bahamas to Establish First Afro-Caribbean Marketplace While Developing CARICOM Trade Center in BarbadosThese and other stories are on the Pulse of the Caribbean News Round Up, Episode 4, Week of May 12. Listen and subscribe to the Pulse of the Caribbean News Round Up for news you need to know. Send comments, news releases and information to news@pulseofthecaribbean.com.Register now for the Victory Run Walk 2025 in the US Virgin Islands! Early bird registration for the 5K, 10K, and half marathon is open at VictoryRunwalkVI.com with discounts ending June 1st.
Oral Arguments for the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
Et Al_Apex Construction v. US Virgin Islands
Catch up on the latest Caribbean news. Here's a look at what's making Caribbean Headlines: Antigua and Barbuda applaud US Judge's decision to stop subpoenas British and US Virgin Islands reach Charter Vessels Industry Agreement Sotheby's International Realty Develops New Luxury Property in NevisCaribbean Examinations Council explores adding AI in the region's educationThese and other stories are on the Caribbean News Round Up, Episode 4 for the week of April 14.Listen and subscribe to the Pulse of the Caribbean Caribbean News Round Up for news you need to know. Send news releases and information to news@pulseofthecaribbean.com.
Traditional approaches to closing care gaps in Medicare Advantage often fail to reach the members who need it most. This episode goes beyond conventional strategies to explore how innovative, remote, and community-driven solutions are transforming chronic care management—particularly for cardiometabolic conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. Learn how health plans are leveraging proactive outreach, virtual engagement, and data-driven interventions to improve HEDIS scores, boost Star Ratings, and drive better long-term outcomes. Through real-world case studies and expert insights, we'll uncover scalable, cost-effective approaches that enhance care access, reduce avoidable hospitalizations, and deliver measurable impact for both members and plans. Panelists: Michael Harris, CEO, HealPros Tejaswita Karve, Ph.D. - Healthcare Quality and Innovation Leader, Stars Leader, Mass General Brigham Health Plan Mike Rapach, SVP Government Programs, President & CEO, CareFirst Community Health Plan Maryland Daniel Weaver, SVP Stars and Quality, Zing Health Bios: https://www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com/podcast-episodes/ This episode is sponsored by HealPros: HealPros helps health plans find and address missed care opportunities in member's homes, at events in their communities, and remotely. Our team specializes in helping polychronic members access the care they need, from anywhere. HealPros' Care Access Pros completed over 70,000 in-home visits in 2024 and is committed to engaging even more members in 2025 - including those that are hard-to-reach – as we work towards our vision of transforming millions of live each year. Our Care Connection Specialists make over 4,000,000 calls to members each year. With a sophisticated logistics operation, national footprint, and national network of providers, HealPros is available to work in all 50 states and the US Virgin Islands. For more information, visit www.healpros.com. Bright Spots in Healthcare is produced by Bright Spots Ventures Bright Spots Ventures brings healthcare leaders together to share working solutions or "bright spots" to common challenges. We build valuable and meaningful relationships through our Bright Spots in Healthcare podcast, webinar series, leadership councils, customized peer events, and sales and go-to-market consulting. We believe that finding a bright spot and cloning it is the most effective strategy to improve healthcare in our lifetime. Visit our website at www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com
People traveling to warmer winter vacation spots and Spring breakers are being warned over afast-spread disease that could be life-threatening. In an emergency notice, the CDC raised thealarm — saying the US and Americas region is seeing high transmission of a dangerous illness withnearly 1,000 cases reported across 21 states already this year. Popular destinations are beinghard-hit like the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Mexico, are experiencing high transmission ofthe illness, with Mexico recording 20,000 cases already this year. Dr. Bob Martin & Dr. Adam Brockman answer listeners' health questions
In the March 2025 Opinion and Order for case Rodney Jones v. Sean Combs et al. (24-CV-1457), Judge J. Paul Oetken ruled on motions to dismiss brought by Sean Combs and several co-defendants. While five of Jones's seventeen claims were dismissed—including claims under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) and Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) against Combs Global and Love Records—multiple key allegations were allowed to proceed. These surviving claims include sexual assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and premises liability against Sean Combs, Kristina Khorram, Justin Combs, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Jane Doe 1 (allegedly “Yung Miami's cousin”). The court found that many of Jones's accusations, including being drugged, sexually assaulted, and trafficked across state and international lines, were sufficiently detailed to survive the defendants' efforts to have the case dismissed entirely.The ruling outlines severe and graphic allegations, including incidents where Jones claims he was sexually assaulted, manipulated, and trafficked while working closely with Sean Combs between 2022 and 2023. Jones alleges Combs used power and influence in the music industry to coerce him into unwanted sexual activity, promising professional success in return. The complaint details incidents in Los Angeles, Miami, New York, the US Virgin Islands, and Saint-Barthélemy, including claims of being drugged, groped, and assaulted by Combs and others in his circle. The court emphasized that while some claims lacked sufficient legal basis or specificity, the core allegations—particularly those describing direct physical and psychological abuse—were compelling enough to proceed to discovery and potentially trial.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:24cv1457 Jones v Combs MTD Opn.pdfBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.
In the March 2025 Opinion and Order for case Rodney Jones v. Sean Combs et al. (24-CV-1457), Judge J. Paul Oetken ruled on motions to dismiss brought by Sean Combs and several co-defendants. While five of Jones's seventeen claims were dismissed—including claims under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) and Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) against Combs Global and Love Records—multiple key allegations were allowed to proceed. These surviving claims include sexual assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and premises liability against Sean Combs, Kristina Khorram, Justin Combs, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Jane Doe 1 (allegedly “Yung Miami's cousin”). The court found that many of Jones's accusations, including being drugged, sexually assaulted, and trafficked across state and international lines, were sufficiently detailed to survive the defendants' efforts to have the case dismissed entirely.The ruling outlines severe and graphic allegations, including incidents where Jones claims he was sexually assaulted, manipulated, and trafficked while working closely with Sean Combs between 2022 and 2023. Jones alleges Combs used power and influence in the music industry to coerce him into unwanted sexual activity, promising professional success in return. The complaint details incidents in Los Angeles, Miami, New York, the US Virgin Islands, and Saint-Barthélemy, including claims of being drugged, groped, and assaulted by Combs and others in his circle. The court emphasized that while some claims lacked sufficient legal basis or specificity, the core allegations—particularly those describing direct physical and psychological abuse—were compelling enough to proceed to discovery and potentially trial.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:24cv1457 Jones v Combs MTD Opn.pdfBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.
Send us a textIn this episode of Cannabis Legalization News, hosts Tom Howard and MGI discuss the latest developments in cannabis legalization. Highlights include conflicting reports from Republicans, with an editorial by Matt Gaetz advocating for the rescheduling of cannabis, juxtaposed with a contradictory press release from the White House. Other key topics include Oklahoma's surplus cannabis production, Tennessee's failed 'Pot for Potholes' bill, and the increasing health diagnoses linked to marijuana use. Additionally, the show explores the merger consideration between the DEA and ATF and the continuing challenges faced by cannabis testing labs in Michigan.00:00 Introduction and Weekly Updates01:03 Main Story: Conflicting Republican Messages on Cannabis Legalization01:49 International Check-In and Travel Warnings03:02 Matt Gaetz's Op-Ed on Cannabis Rescheduling06:52 Trump Administration's Mixed Messaging on Cannabis11:06 Pro-Trump Ads Targeting Biden on Cannabis Policy17:52 Oklahoma's Cannabis Market Report31:34 Financial Manipulations and Market Comparisons32:30 US Virgin Islands and Global Expansion33:01 Challenges in the Cannabis Industry34:05 Regulatory Issues and Market Dynamics35:54 Community Concerns and Legalization Efforts43:53 Hemp vs. Marijuana Legal Battles49:31 Future of Cannabis LegislationSupport the show
In the March 2025 Opinion and Order for case Rodney Jones v. Sean Combs et al. (24-CV-1457), Judge J. Paul Oetken ruled on motions to dismiss brought by Sean Combs and several co-defendants. While five of Jones's seventeen claims were dismissed—including claims under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) and Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) against Combs Global and Love Records—multiple key allegations were allowed to proceed. These surviving claims include sexual assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and premises liability against Sean Combs, Kristina Khorram, Justin Combs, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Jane Doe 1 (allegedly “Yung Miami's cousin”). The court found that many of Jones's accusations, including being drugged, sexually assaulted, and trafficked across state and international lines, were sufficiently detailed to survive the defendants' efforts to have the case dismissed entirely.The ruling outlines severe and graphic allegations, including incidents where Jones claims he was sexually assaulted, manipulated, and trafficked while working closely with Sean Combs between 2022 and 2023. Jones alleges Combs used power and influence in the music industry to coerce him into unwanted sexual activity, promising professional success in return. The complaint details incidents in Los Angeles, Miami, New York, the US Virgin Islands, and Saint-Barthélemy, including claims of being drugged, groped, and assaulted by Combs and others in his circle. The court emphasized that while some claims lacked sufficient legal basis or specificity, the core allegations—particularly those describing direct physical and psychological abuse—were compelling enough to proceed to discovery and potentially trial.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:24cv1457 Jones v Combs MTD Opn.pdfBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.
In the March 2025 Opinion and Order for case Rodney Jones v. Sean Combs et al. (24-CV-1457), Judge J. Paul Oetken ruled on motions to dismiss brought by Sean Combs and several co-defendants. While five of Jones's seventeen claims were dismissed—including claims under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) and Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) against Combs Global and Love Records—multiple key allegations were allowed to proceed. These surviving claims include sexual assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and premises liability against Sean Combs, Kristina Khorram, Justin Combs, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Jane Doe 1 (allegedly “Yung Miami's cousin”). The court found that many of Jones's accusations, including being drugged, sexually assaulted, and trafficked across state and international lines, were sufficiently detailed to survive the defendants' efforts to have the case dismissed entirely.The ruling outlines severe and graphic allegations, including incidents where Jones claims he was sexually assaulted, manipulated, and trafficked while working closely with Sean Combs between 2022 and 2023. Jones alleges Combs used power and influence in the music industry to coerce him into unwanted sexual activity, promising professional success in return. The complaint details incidents in Los Angeles, Miami, New York, the US Virgin Islands, and Saint-Barthélemy, including claims of being drugged, groped, and assaulted by Combs and others in his circle. The court emphasized that while some claims lacked sufficient legal basis or specificity, the core allegations—particularly those describing direct physical and psychological abuse—were compelling enough to proceed to discovery and potentially trial.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:24cv1457 Jones v Combs MTD Opn.pdfBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.
In the March 2025 Opinion and Order for case Rodney Jones v. Sean Combs et al. (24-CV-1457), Judge J. Paul Oetken ruled on motions to dismiss brought by Sean Combs and several co-defendants. While five of Jones's seventeen claims were dismissed—including claims under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) and Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) against Combs Global and Love Records—multiple key allegations were allowed to proceed. These surviving claims include sexual assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and premises liability against Sean Combs, Kristina Khorram, Justin Combs, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Jane Doe 1 (allegedly “Yung Miami's cousin”). The court found that many of Jones's accusations, including being drugged, sexually assaulted, and trafficked across state and international lines, were sufficiently detailed to survive the defendants' efforts to have the case dismissed entirely.The ruling outlines severe and graphic allegations, including incidents where Jones claims he was sexually assaulted, manipulated, and trafficked while working closely with Sean Combs between 2022 and 2023. Jones alleges Combs used power and influence in the music industry to coerce him into unwanted sexual activity, promising professional success in return. The complaint details incidents in Los Angeles, Miami, New York, the US Virgin Islands, and Saint-Barthélemy, including claims of being drugged, groped, and assaulted by Combs and others in his circle. The court emphasized that while some claims lacked sufficient legal basis or specificity, the core allegations—particularly those describing direct physical and psychological abuse—were compelling enough to proceed to discovery and potentially trial.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:24cv1457 Jones v Combs MTD Opn.pdfBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.
In the March 2025 Opinion and Order for case Rodney Jones v. Sean Combs et al. (24-CV-1457), Judge J. Paul Oetken ruled on motions to dismiss brought by Sean Combs and several co-defendants. While five of Jones's seventeen claims were dismissed—including claims under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) and Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) against Combs Global and Love Records—multiple key allegations were allowed to proceed. These surviving claims include sexual assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and premises liability against Sean Combs, Kristina Khorram, Justin Combs, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Jane Doe 1 (allegedly “Yung Miami's cousin”). The court found that many of Jones's accusations, including being drugged, sexually assaulted, and trafficked across state and international lines, were sufficiently detailed to survive the defendants' efforts to have the case dismissed entirely.The ruling outlines severe and graphic allegations, including incidents where Jones claims he was sexually assaulted, manipulated, and trafficked while working closely with Sean Combs between 2022 and 2023. Jones alleges Combs used power and influence in the music industry to coerce him into unwanted sexual activity, promising professional success in return. The complaint details incidents in Los Angeles, Miami, New York, the US Virgin Islands, and Saint-Barthélemy, including claims of being drugged, groped, and assaulted by Combs and others in his circle. The court emphasized that while some claims lacked sufficient legal basis or specificity, the core allegations—particularly those describing direct physical and psychological abuse—were compelling enough to proceed to discovery and potentially trial.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:24cv1457 Jones v Combs MTD Opn.pdf
In the March 2025 Opinion and Order for case Rodney Jones v. Sean Combs et al. (24-CV-1457), Judge J. Paul Oetken ruled on motions to dismiss brought by Sean Combs and several co-defendants. While five of Jones's seventeen claims were dismissed—including claims under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) and Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) against Combs Global and Love Records—multiple key allegations were allowed to proceed. These surviving claims include sexual assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and premises liability against Sean Combs, Kristina Khorram, Justin Combs, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Jane Doe 1 (allegedly “Yung Miami's cousin”). The court found that many of Jones's accusations, including being drugged, sexually assaulted, and trafficked across state and international lines, were sufficiently detailed to survive the defendants' efforts to have the case dismissed entirely.The ruling outlines severe and graphic allegations, including incidents where Jones claims he was sexually assaulted, manipulated, and trafficked while working closely with Sean Combs between 2022 and 2023. Jones alleges Combs used power and influence in the music industry to coerce him into unwanted sexual activity, promising professional success in return. The complaint details incidents in Los Angeles, Miami, New York, the US Virgin Islands, and Saint-Barthélemy, including claims of being drugged, groped, and assaulted by Combs and others in his circle. The court emphasized that while some claims lacked sufficient legal basis or specificity, the core allegations—particularly those describing direct physical and psychological abuse—were compelling enough to proceed to discovery and potentially trial.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:24cv1457 Jones v Combs MTD Opn.pdf
In the March 2025 Opinion and Order for case Rodney Jones v. Sean Combs et al. (24-CV-1457), Judge J. Paul Oetken ruled on motions to dismiss brought by Sean Combs and several co-defendants. While five of Jones's seventeen claims were dismissed—including claims under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) and Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) against Combs Global and Love Records—multiple key allegations were allowed to proceed. These surviving claims include sexual assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and premises liability against Sean Combs, Kristina Khorram, Justin Combs, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Jane Doe 1 (allegedly “Yung Miami's cousin”). The court found that many of Jones's accusations, including being drugged, sexually assaulted, and trafficked across state and international lines, were sufficiently detailed to survive the defendants' efforts to have the case dismissed entirely.The ruling outlines severe and graphic allegations, including incidents where Jones claims he was sexually assaulted, manipulated, and trafficked while working closely with Sean Combs between 2022 and 2023. Jones alleges Combs used power and influence in the music industry to coerce him into unwanted sexual activity, promising professional success in return. The complaint details incidents in Los Angeles, Miami, New York, the US Virgin Islands, and Saint-Barthélemy, including claims of being drugged, groped, and assaulted by Combs and others in his circle. The court emphasized that while some claims lacked sufficient legal basis or specificity, the core allegations—particularly those describing direct physical and psychological abuse—were compelling enough to proceed to discovery and potentially trial.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:24cv1457 Jones v Combs MTD Opn.pdf
In the March 2025 Opinion and Order for case Rodney Jones v. Sean Combs et al. (24-CV-1457), Judge J. Paul Oetken ruled on motions to dismiss brought by Sean Combs and several co-defendants. While five of Jones's seventeen claims were dismissed—including claims under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) and Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) against Combs Global and Love Records—multiple key allegations were allowed to proceed. These surviving claims include sexual assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and premises liability against Sean Combs, Kristina Khorram, Justin Combs, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Jane Doe 1 (allegedly “Yung Miami's cousin”). The court found that many of Jones's accusations, including being drugged, sexually assaulted, and trafficked across state and international lines, were sufficiently detailed to survive the defendants' efforts to have the case dismissed entirely.The ruling outlines severe and graphic allegations, including incidents where Jones claims he was sexually assaulted, manipulated, and trafficked while working closely with Sean Combs between 2022 and 2023. Jones alleges Combs used power and influence in the music industry to coerce him into unwanted sexual activity, promising professional success in return. The complaint details incidents in Los Angeles, Miami, New York, the US Virgin Islands, and Saint-Barthélemy, including claims of being drugged, groped, and assaulted by Combs and others in his circle. The court emphasized that while some claims lacked sufficient legal basis or specificity, the core allegations—particularly those describing direct physical and psychological abuse—were compelling enough to proceed to discovery and potentially trial.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:24cv1457 Jones v Combs MTD Opn.pdf
In the March 2025 Opinion and Order for case Rodney Jones v. Sean Combs et al. (24-CV-1457), Judge J. Paul Oetken ruled on motions to dismiss brought by Sean Combs and several co-defendants. While five of Jones's seventeen claims were dismissed—including claims under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) and Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) against Combs Global and Love Records—multiple key allegations were allowed to proceed. These surviving claims include sexual assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and premises liability against Sean Combs, Kristina Khorram, Justin Combs, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Jane Doe 1 (allegedly “Yung Miami's cousin”). The court found that many of Jones's accusations, including being drugged, sexually assaulted, and trafficked across state and international lines, were sufficiently detailed to survive the defendants' efforts to have the case dismissed entirely.The ruling outlines severe and graphic allegations, including incidents where Jones claims he was sexually assaulted, manipulated, and trafficked while working closely with Sean Combs between 2022 and 2023. Jones alleges Combs used power and influence in the music industry to coerce him into unwanted sexual activity, promising professional success in return. The complaint details incidents in Los Angeles, Miami, New York, the US Virgin Islands, and Saint-Barthélemy, including claims of being drugged, groped, and assaulted by Combs and others in his circle. The court emphasized that while some claims lacked sufficient legal basis or specificity, the core allegations—particularly those describing direct physical and psychological abuse—were compelling enough to proceed to discovery and potentially trial.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:24cv1457 Jones v Combs MTD Opn.pdf
Hello world! I don't have to use my passport for this one, because we are exploring the US Territory US Virgin Islands. These beautiful islands are rich in history, rich in culture, and gorgeous. We explore The Luska! The half octopus and half shark cryptid of the Caribbean Sea. Thank you all for listening and if you have a moment, please follow the show on all the socials, it helps me grow as a content creator!Follow the show! Facebook: 50StatesofTerror Instagram: @50statesofterror Twitter: @50statesterror TikTok: @50sotpodcast YouTube: @50statesofterror Patreon: www.patreon.com/50StatesofTerror Write The Show: the50sot@gmail.com Donate and Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/50sotpodcast Listener Advisory: Language Support the show
10 Hours | Editor's Choice
In today's episode of the Clean Power Hour, Tim Montague speaks with Parker Schram, the founder of EnergyScape Renewables, a company aiming to revolutionize the solar industry by offering an all-in-one ecosystem for solar enterprises. Parker shares his journey from renewable engineering to building a company that handles everything from site surveys and sales proposals to engineering, design, and even permitting.EnergyScape's vision is to allow EPCs and solar installers to focus on sales and installations while they take care of all the behind-the-scenes business operations. Parker dives into the services they offer, including site surveys, CRM software, project management tools, plan sets, structural and electrical engineering, interconnection, permitting, and utility application processes. With a presence in all states, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands, EnergyScape is equipped to support solar projects nationwide.Parker discusses the benefits of outsourcing versus scaling in-house, highlighting the cost savings and access to specialized expertise that EnergyScape provides. He also addresses common issues EPCs face and how EnergyScape's solutions can help streamline operations and avoid bottlenecks. Whether you're a seasoned solar professional or new to the industry, this episode offers valuable insights into the future of solar project management and the potential of comprehensive service platforms.Tune in to learn how EnergyScape Renewables is transforming the solar landscape and how their innovative approach can benefit your solar business. Don't miss this opportunity to discover the power of an all-in-one ecosystem for solar enterprises!Social MediaParker SchramEnergyScape Renewables Support the showConnect with Tim Clean Power Hour Clean Power Hour on YouTubeTim on TwitterTim on LinkedIn Email tim@cleanpowerhour.com Review Clean Power Hour on Apple PodcastsThe Clean Power Hour is produced by the Clean Power Consulting Group and created by Tim Montague. Contact us by email: CleanPowerHour@gmail.com Corporate sponsors who share our mission to speed the energy transition are invited to check out https://www.cleanpowerhour.com/support/The Clean Power Hour is brought to you by CPS America, maker of North America's number one 3-phase string inverter, with over 6GW shipped in the US. With a focus on commercial and utility-scale solar and energy storage, the company partners with customers to provide unparalleled performance and service. The CPS America product lineup includes 3-phase string inverters from 25kW to 275kW, exceptional data communication and controls, and energy storage solutions designed for seamless integration with CPS America systems. Learn more at www.chintpowersystems.com
This original retelling of The Legend of the Moko Jumbie by storyteller Kesha Christie brings to life the spirit of Moko, the great African healer, and his transformation into a guardian of the Caribbean.Welcome to the season premiere of Walk Good: African and Caribbean Folktales! We are opening this season with a powerful legend—The Legend of the Moko Jumbie—a tale that spans oceans and generations, carrying the spirit of our ancestors on towering stilts.
Send us a textPart 1: Karen and Scott discuss the first 5 days of their cruise on the Disney Treasure, including stops in Tortola, British Virgin Islands and St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. We talk about food, Magician Jess!ca Jane, the show Disney Seas the Adventure, and more food. Including the Concierge Level (and Lounge)! Live from St Thomas, USVI. Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/946434275769168/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mickeyphile_podcast/Music: “Cân thema (Mickeyphile Podcast Theme)” copyright Scott Daves 2024
Part 2 - Journalist Laura Lucia Bach of the Danish Broadcasting Corporation speaks with Neville as they work on a documentary about Danish rule in the US Virgin Islands for the Danish Children's Show.
In this episode, Dr. Schmidt connects with Minal Sampat to go over the importance of utilizing a marketing strategy to build a strong practice. She explains the importance of utilizing a data-driven marketing strategy so that dentist can scale their practices accordingly. She shares practical and managable ideas that listeners can apply in their offices. Sampat is a speaker, marketing strategist, and entrepreneur. Raised in the US Virgin Islands, she is an alumnus of Rutgers University. As an RDH, her love for marketing found a powerful outlet as she created and refined new ways to connect with existing and potential patients. As a millennial she mined the riches of social media and technology until she found strategies that worked. She works closely with dentists to ensure they are utilizing a strong strategy to recruit and retain patients.
The US Virgin Islands are the topic of the fifth in this series, with Aughie and Nia discussing the rich history of the islands.
10 Hours | Fan Favorite ⭐️ | Listen to sound of foamy waves lap against the shore in the US Virgin Islands. The purple and orange glow of the sunset reflects off the clouds and into the water. A sailboat floats a couple hundred yards off shore. Imagine the stars beginning to peak out of the sky and count them as you drift asleep. - - - What's a Fan Favorite ⭐️? Fan Favorites are Sounds for Deep Sleep's most downloaded sleep sounds. Whenever you see this tag, you can trust that nothing about the sound itself has changed. We simply reposted the sound so it's easier to find. - - -
Welcome in for another edition of the Morning Espresso from the SDH Network, brought to you by Oglethorpe University, Atlanta's premier undergraduate learning experience and soccer powerhouse. The US U17's defeated the US Virgin Islands 22-0 yesterday in Concacaf qualifying for November's U17 World Cup in Qatar. Chase Adams had 10 goals in the win. The number of goals by the team and by Adams are both records for any US team in World Cup qualifying. Two more games to go, against St. Kitts & Nevis and against Cuba, if the US wins the group, they'll go to the World Cup.MLS moves and chatter of note: Ted Ku-DiPietro is now officially part of the Colorado Rapids after they paid cash to DC United for him. Not the headliner in the new Cash for Player trade options in MLS, but a move from Colorado that leans into their strategy of getting players from other teams in MLS and trying to make the pieces fit. It could be effective this year for the Rapids.Joseph Paintsil out for about a month due to a quad strain for the LA Galaxy.LAFC winger Cristian Olivera linked with a move to Gremio in Brazil, but Tom Bogert reports that the initial offer has been rejected.Luciano Acosta sweepstakes continues. Laurel Pfahler reports that he has a no-trade clause, Dallas and San Jose reportedly interested, Evander's reported move from Portland to Cincinnati hangs in the balance.Chloe Kelly dropped from the England squad for upcoming Nations League games, she's only played 117 minutes since the last England games in November. Moise Kean racially abused in Italy after Fiorentina's loss to Inter. Hopefully people are banned from attending games as a result, examples have to be made. Champions League playoff games today: Manchester City hosts Real Madrid in the Modern Clasico, Juventus hosting PSV, Sporting hosting Dortmund, and Brest hosting PSG. Tons of upcoming events on the SDH Network:February 20th: Third Thursday at the Moxy Midtown AtlantaFebruary 24th: Why Atlanta Is Soccer City USA at the Jones Room, Woodruff Library at Emory UniversityHS coverage starts tonight as Decatur hosts North Atlanta, listen at soccerdownhere.mixlr.com or by clicking the Listen button at soccerdownhere.net, the girls match kicks off at 6pm.More Espresso on Thursday on the SDH Network, presented by Oglethorpe University.
Part 1 - VITEMA's Executive Director, Daryl Jaschen, joins Neville James after a magnitude-7.6 earthquake shook the western Caribbean on Saturday night, triggering a tsunami warning for Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
About Sofia Rovirosa, Co-FounderSofia Rovirosa is the co-founder of Wanderlands. She grew up in New Mexico on her family's 4th generation pecan estate with a strong sense of connection to both food and land. This curiosity and love of the outdoors took her across the high deserts of Arizona and New Mexico closely followed by the US Virgin Islands, southeast Alaska, and eventually, Napa, where she immersed herself in viticulture as a cellar master at a winery in Napa, California. This hands-on experience working closely with the land inspired in her a love and respect for the concept of terroir — the idea that something could capture the essence of a place and season. Her passions led to her desire to replicate this with her family's pecans, creating Wanderlands to share this sense of “somewhereness” with others.About Jane Ko, Co-Founder and Head of Brand & MarketingJane Ko is the co-founder of Wanderlands. The head of brand and marketing, Jane Ko's experience spans 20 years across multiple industries at Kellogg (leading global brand strategy for brands Pringles and Special K), eos, L'Oreal, Nars Cosmetics & Multiple CPG/Beauty Startups. Jane earned her PhD in Neuroscience at Harvard University and champions the application of neuroscience and neurosensory techniques to develop stronger and more memorable brand products and experiences in CPG. IG visitwanderlands | wanderlands.com Find Me: IG + TikTok citrusdiaries.studio citrusdiaries.com | hello@citrusdiaries.com Create your podcast today! #madeonzencastr
Welcome to the first episode of Season 2 of The Career Flipper Podcast! Host Jenny Dempsey kicks things off with career flipper Matthew Smith.Matthew went from working in corporate advertising in New York City to bartending in the Caribbean. Yep, you read that right! After losing his job right before COVID, struggling to find a new one, and going through a tough breakup, Matthew ended up moving back home and living in his parents' basement. But then, a “temporary” job in St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, came up to help cover his NYC rent. Well, four years later, he's still in the Caribbean, finding happiness and community he never expected.In this episode, Matthew shares how he made that huge leap, what it was like to leave the city life behind, and how he found a community that helped him grow. He talks about the challenges, the surprises, and why taking risks—despite the fear—can lead to some pretty amazing opportunities.Takeaways:Life either throws you a curveball, or you make a decision to change.Big challenges can lead to big opportunities.Matthew realized he was becoming a version of himself he hadn't seen in a long time.Happiness matters more than just making money.Give yourself some grace—things don't always need to be perfect.Losing his job turned out to be a blessing in disguise.It's okay not to have everything figured out—sometimes you just have to go for it.A strong community can really help you grow and keep you going.Think about what you loved as a kid to help find your passion.Connect with MatthewInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/matthewhs7 This episode is all about taking a leap, embracing change, and finding unexpected happiness. It's a great listen if you're thinking about making your own career flip or just need a bit of inspiration to get started. Grab a drink, get comfy, and enjoy! Thanks for listening to The Career Flipper!If you enjoyed this episode, let's spread the word! Share it with a friend, subscribe, and leave a review—it helps other career flippers find the show.Let's Stay Connected:Join the community: thecareerflipper.comTikTok: @thecareerflipperInstagram: @thecareerflipperpodGot a career flip story? I'd love to hear it—and maybe even have you on the podcast! Whether you've completed your flip, are just starting, or are in the thick of it, drop me a line: hello@thecareerflipper.com.Want to support the show?Looking for a speaker? I'd love to talk about career changes at your next event.Collaborate through sponsorships or affiliates! Let's work together.Email me: hello@thecareerflipper.comCheck Out My Customer Service CoursesBefore my career flip, I led customer experience teams and created online courses that have helped over 12,000 students worldwide. Whether you're switching to customer service or sharpening your skills to run your own business, these courses are packed with practical tips. Learn more at thecareerflipper.com/courses.Other Ways to Get Involved:Buy me a coffee!Explore my furniture flipsMusic CreditsSeason 1: Intro and outro music by audionautix.com. Season 2: Intro and outro original music by Jenny Dempsey, recorded in a home studio.What's the flippin' best that could happen?
Emily Clement, speaker and coach, is a soul-searching joy-creator with a raw passion for helping others to shine. She earned a teaching certificate and B.A. in psychology from Wheaton College, and a M.Ed in counseling from Plymouth State, as well as certificates from the University of New Hampshire, Life Mastery Institute, and Tony Robbins. Clement is a TEDx speaker. She has taught and traveled all over the planet - from Alaska to Istanbul, and the US Virgin Islands to the Czech Republic. As a coach, she has integrated her favorite elements from the best of her life experiences - teaching, counseling, speaking, meeting new people, building community and affecting positive change. With absolute certainty, she was called to do this work. www.EmilyClementLifeCoach.com BOOKS:
Denmark, as Danes like to tell you, is a little country. But it used to be a much bigger country, a bit of an empire. Norway was once part of Denmark. Iceland was once part of Denmark. The southern half of Sweden and a bit of northern Germany used to be part of Denmark. What is now called the US Virgin Islands used to be part of Denmark. And Denmark had colonies in Africa and India, which is why when you'll go into many Danish supermarkets – even online supermarkets – you'll see a section called Kolonial, or Colonial. It features long-life products, like spices and nuts, that used to come from trading posts in the faraway Danish colonies. Over time, through war losses and independence movements, the Danish Empire shrank…and today we're going to talk about how it might shrink further. The US has made clear that it wants Greenland to be part of its own territory. Are they serious about this? And what do the Danes think?
Part 1 - Neville James gets a New Years Eve outlook from the National Weather Service. Neville discusses possible candidates for the US Virgin Islands gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election in 2026.
The New York Times is suing the US Virgin Islands and the EDA CEO, Wayne Biggs for access to records pertaining to Epstein's activities on the Island.(commercial at 16:20)To contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comSource:https://stthomassource.com/content/2021/09/08/new-york-times-sues-eda-ceo-biggs-for-epstein-documents/Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.
Know what we call our group of calls of the game for Panther Women's Basketball? Claw Calls of course.The UNI Panthers went 1-2 in the Paradise Jam Tournament over Thanksgiving Week in the US Virgin Islands. Panthers lost the first two games by a combined four points before beating Pitt to close out the week. Panthers look ahead to a home matchup with Creighton on Saturday 12/7 at 2pm.This is the Panther Point of View, your source for all things Panthers. Listen on:Apple PodcastsSpotifyAnd MORE! Follow UNI Athletics onXFacebookInstagramYouTube Follow the Voice of Panther Volleyball and WBB Chris Kleinhans-Schulz:XSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Part 2 - Akeem McIntosh chats with Tina Beezer, Executive Director of the American Red Cross of the US Virgin Islands. It's Fire Prevention Month, so it's a good time to focus on safety measures, testing smoke alarms and practicing fire escape plans.
Part 1 - On the Candidate Speaks, Neville James speaks with Lisa Charles, a candidate for the United States Virgin Islands Senate representing St. Croix. Charles is on the ballot for the general election on November 5, 2024. Neville is joined by Yvette DeLaubanque for a Taste of Two Islands, WJTX's largest annual fundraiser in the US Virgin Islands. This much-anticipated festival honors the rich culinary traditions of the stunning islands of St. Thomas and St. John. Join us on November 14, 2024, at Harbor 360, Yacht Haven Grande for a memorable evening of food, cultural heritage, and music.
Timestamps (7:00) - Lost at Sea Data indicates that over 3,000 people are reported missing at sea, each year. In this episode of the True Crime Society Podcast, we discuss two separate disappearances where the people involved have vanished without a trace after allegedly boarding boats. Abigail Bernstein and her two young sons, Koa Kai and Kush, were last seen in October 2022 at the Ala Wai Yacht Harbor on Oahu, Hawaii. They were allegedly boarding a boat for a long voyage. The boat's captain would return one year later and say that Abigail and the children left the boat because they were seasick. No trace of the family has been found. Did something happen during the voyage or has Abigail taken the children and gone off the grid? British woman Sarm Heslop and her American boyfriend Ryan Bane lived on Ryan's boat ‘Siren Song' in the US Virgin Islands in 2021. Ryan has said that one night in March that year, he was awoken in the early morning hours by the anchor alarm. When he got up, Sarm was nowhere to be seen. Ryan waited 9 hours before calling police. He has reportedly refused to let authorities search ‘Siren Song' and he has since sold the vessel and returned to the United States. Read our blog for these cases - https://truecrimesocietyblog.com/2024/09/17/missing-at-sea-the-bernstein-family-sarm-heslop/ If you'd like to listen to this episode ad-free, please visit us on Patreon This episode is sponsored by Ibiana Ibiana is a free virtual treasure hunting platform where you can challenge your mind, solve riddles, and compete against others for a chance to win real cash prizes. Best of all, it's absolutely free to play. Unlock your inner wit today by downloading the ibiana app or get more information at ibiana.com. Join the hunt today (it's free).
Today on our episode #398 of All in the Industry®, Shari Bayer has a special “On the Road” show from the 2024 Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, which took place from June 13-16, 2024. This sold-out culinary weekend was the 41st annual event showcasing game-changing culinary leaders, innovative wine & spirits experts, and epicurean insiders. Shari's coverage includes exclusive interviews with Food & Wine's Editor-in-Chief Hunter Lewis; USHG's Founder Danny Meyer and team — celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Gramercy Tavern; several 2023 Best New Chefs (BNC); and more; reporting from the Grand Tasting Pavilion, Amex Trade program and events, plus, gondola ride to the top of Aspen Mountain! See full list below. It was a truly wonderful #FWCLASSIC full of delicious food and drink, and great conversations in a picturesque setting. Many thanks to the Classic team and everyone who joined us! All the best with the inaugural Food & Wine Classic in Charleston, taking place September 27-29, 2024. Today's show also features Shari's PR tip that it's better late than never, Speed Round, and Solo Dining experience at Plus de Vin, a new neighorhood natural wine bar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. 2024 Food & Wine Classic in Aspen interviews (in chronological order):Hunter Lewis, Editor-in-Chief, Food & Wine (EP 212)Steve Sintra, SVP, Americas, OpenTableIsabel “Chabela” Coss, 2023 BNC; Pastry Chef, Lutece and Pascual, Washington, DCClaudia Fleming, James Beard-Award Winning Pastry Chef; Culinary Director, Daily Provisions/USHG, NYC; CHEFWISE contributor (EP 207)Eunji Lee, 2023 BNC, Chef/Owner, Lysée, NYCEdgar Rico, 2023 BNC, Chef/Owner, Nixta Taqueria, Austin, TX Katy Kindred, Founder/CVO, Kindred Studio, Davidson, NC Caleb Silver, Editor-in-Chief, Investopedia; Alex Seidel, Chef/Owner, Fruition Restaurant, Mercantile Dining & Provision, Fudmill, and Chook Chicken, Denver, CO; and Alex Grenier, Executive Chef, Mercantile Dining & Provision, Denver, CO Danny Meyer, Founder, USHG (EP 100); Michael Anthony, Executuve Chef/Partner, Gramercy Tavern (EP 229); and Aretah Ettarh, Chef de Cuisine, Gramercy Tavern - celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Gramercy Tavern, NYCDigby Stridiron, Chef, Latha, Phoenix, AZ; Culinary Ambassador, US Virgin Islands; CHEFWISE contributor (EP 257)Young Chang, CEO, A-Sha Foods USAMichael Dwork, CEO, VerTerra DinnerwareCaroline Nabors, Director of Marketing and Development; and Catarina Bill, Chief Mission Officer, Southern Smoke Foundation, Houston, TX**Check out Shari's book, Chefwise: Life Lessons from Leading Chefs Around the World (Phaidon) #chefwisebook** Listen at Heritage Radio Network; subscribe/rate/review our show at iTunes, Stitcher or Spotify. Follow us @allindustry. Thanks for being a part of All in the Industry®. Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support All in the Industry by becoming a member!All in the Industry is Powered by Simplecast.
Watch This Interview Live: Click Here Event Preview: Same Difference & Friends 2 (US Virgin Islands) #stcroix #samedifference #liveevent How do you create a live event that brings people together and sparks real conversations about love and community? Marcus Norman and Karmea Wells chat with Jah and Neci about their journey in building "Same Difference & Friends" — a powerful event aimed at tackling everything from co-parenting and marriage to community challenges. This is a discussion you won't want to miss! SUBSCRIBE @GentlemanStylePodcast for more real conversations about love, life, and leadership! This is a discussion you won't want to miss! Join us as we go behind the curtain of organizing a dynamic event that brings local leaders and everyday people together to tackle tough topics. Learn how Jah and Neci started this initiative and what they hope to achieve as they create space for important discussions about relationships and community issues. Plus, get a preview of the event's standout panelists and what attendees can look forward to. Same Difference and Friends 2 Live Podcast Show (September 27, 2024) Get Tickets here! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/same-difference-and-friends-2-live-podcast-show-tickets-945561950247 Join us for a night of laughs, stories, and good vibes at our live podcast event in St. Croix - US Virgin Islands. Guest Speakers: Jah-Host/Founder of the Same Difference Podcast Tanisea-Host/Moderator of the Same Difference Podcast Karmea-Host/Unorthodox Southern Bell of Gentleman Style Podcast Marcus-Host/ Founder of the Gentleman Style Podcast Want more great ways to support the channel. Consider becoming a VIP Youtube Channel Sponsor and reap some really awesome perks....TODAY! Subscribe & Sponsor Here! Want to see this and many more interviews LIVE! Subscribe to our Youtube Channel: Click Here You can support the show via several different ways. You can support us on Youtube or on our newest platform "GLOW" just by clicking the link below: Support the Show
Kim Russell has started and coached lacrosse teams for girls and women at every level - youth through international. Her nickname, "The Hippie Love Coach" - was given to her by former players. She is currently the Head Women's Lacrosse Coach & Director of National Teams for the US Virgin Islands and an appointed member of The Women in Sport Commission for World Lacrosse. Kim was removed from her job as Head Women's Lacrosse Coach at Oberlin College last fall. She was, in her own words, "Burned at the Stake" after re-posting a post on her Instagram story in 2022 that congratulated Emma Weyant, the REAL WOMAN winner of the 500 Freestyle (When Leah Thomas, a male was given the gold medal in the 2022 NCAA 500 yd freestyle): https://www.iwf.org/female-athlete-stories/kim-russell/ Kim now spends most of her time traveling around the country advocating for girls and women as an ambassador for the Independent Women's Forum. Kim is also the mother of four adult children, Maddie (29), Sam (27), Anna (24) and Charlie (19).
A request for a summary judgment in court is a legal motion made by one party in a lawsuit, asking the court to decide the case in their favor without going through a full trial. This request is typically made when one party believes that there are no genuine disputes of material fact and that they are entitled to win the case based solely on the law and the facts presented in the pleadings, documents, and evidence that are part of the case.Here's how the process generally works:Motion for Summary Judgment: The party seeking a summary judgment will file a motion with the court, outlining the legal arguments and presenting evidence to support their claim that there are no material facts in dispute and that they should win the case as a matter of law.Response: The opposing party has the opportunity to respond to the motion, disputing the legal arguments and presenting evidence that suggests there are genuine disputes of material fact that require a trial.Reply (Optional): The party seeking the summary judgment may file a reply to respond to the points made by the opposing party in their response.Hearing: The court may hold a hearing to consider the motion for summary judgment. During the hearing, both parties may present their arguments and evidence orally.Judgment: After reviewing the motion, responses, and evidence, the court will decide whether there are genuine disputes of material fact. If the court finds that no such disputes exist, it may grant the summary judgment in favor of the moving party. If disputes do exist or if there are issues of law that need further consideration, the court will deny the motion, and the case will proceed to trial.Summary judgment can be a way to expedite the resolution of a case when there are no significant factual disputes and the legal issues are clear. However, it's up to the judge to decide whether to grant or deny the motion, and it's not always granted. The judge's decision is typically based on a careful examination of the evidence and legal arguments presented by both parties.After the USVI requested a summary Judgement, Judge Rakoff responsed that he will have an answer for them by the end of September. The trial is scheduled to kick off on October 2nd.(commercial at 12:39)to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:US Virgin Islands seeks judgment against JPMorgan for financing Epstein's sex trafficking | Courthouse News ServiceBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.
We travel to the beautiful Pacific Northwest this week to talk with architect Cary Westerbeck. Cary lives and works in Bothell, Washington, a northern suburb of Seattle. He traces his path from being a bicycle mechanic to architect, developer and even Planning Commission member.One of the really cool things about this episode is hearing Cary take me step by step through his process to build the Fir Street Lofts. This size of project, 3 apartments and one retail space, is the kind of project that should be within reach of many aspiring developers. Cary talks about how he conceived it, designed it, financed it, and general contracted it as well. If I could construct a curriculum for architects, I'd have them all listen to this episode to learn how much more is possible than just being a hired gun for others.Find more content on The Messy City on Kevin's Substack page.Music notes: all songs by low standards, ca. 2010. Videos here. If you'd like a CD for low standards, message me and you can have one for only $5.Intro: “Why Be Friends”Outro: “Fairweather Friend”Transcript:Kevin K (00:01.132)Welcome back to the Messy City Podcast. This is Kevin Klinkenberg. This week we're off to the Pacific Northwest to talk with another small scale developer and urbanist kind of guy who's done some really cool work and who I haven't really had a chance to talk to a lot in person, but our paths cross all the time, including when this one drops, my most recent guest will have been Jim Hyde from the Small Scale Developer Forums andAnd my guest today, Kerry Westerbeck, has been very involved in the Small Scale Developer Forum. there's kind of a fun alignment there that I'm looking forward to talking about. But anyway, Kerry, welcome to the podcast. It's great to see you.Cary (00:43.968)Thank you, Kevin. Nice to be invited. Great to be here.Kevin K (00:46.786)Well, again, it's a situation where we just know so many overlapping people. It makes it feel like the world is really small.Cary (00:53.226)Indeed.It really does. There's so many connections, whether it's social media or blogs or podcasts. Like, hey, I know that person and they know that person and all these points begin to overlap. It's fun.Kevin K (01:08.952)Yeah, and I know there's more than like 20 people doing small scale development in the whole country, but for whatever reason that like circle we travel, and it of feels like there's like 20. So I don't know.Cary (01:17.162)Yeah.Cary (01:20.884)No, it's true. It's the same bunch of us kind of keep getting hit up. Maybe we're the ones who'll enjoy talking about it. Others are just doing it and being quiet. I don't know.Kevin K (01:29.816)Could be, could be. There's a whole lot of people who just, you know, proceed on in the background and do really cool stuff. So anyway, Carrie is in the Seattle Metro area and is doing some really neat stuff up there and has for a long time. And I wanted to talk obviously about some of the projects you've been doing, but you also have a really interesting background getting into this.Cary (01:36.212)That's right.Kevin K (01:56.236)that our mutual friend, John Anderson, kind of clued us into. And I wonder if you want to start by talking a little bit about like your own journey to being where you are now. I think we're probably around the same age, ballpark. so, yeah. And so, you know, by the time you hit our age, you've probably had two or three different lives, it feels like, or certainly professional lives. And there's lot of different paths that people take. So let's talk a bit about where you started out.Cary (02:03.541)Yeah.Cary (02:09.865)early 50s.Cary (02:17.214)Yes. Yes.Cary (02:25.974)Sure, no, I think that's a really good way putting it. I have a lot of friends who are five to 10 years older and some of them didn't know me when I was younger. I do joke, I've had many lives, I've lived many lives because I was a bicycle mechanic for much of the 90s before I finished my undergrad degree and then went later and got a master's in architecture and became an architect 20 years ago. So I...30 something years ago, I spent six months in the Virgin Islands working as a cook when I was just casting about traveling. So these newer friends, yeah, was great. Yeah, on St. John, US Virgin Islands at Eco Resort. And so yeah, I've had these interesting paths and I worked for Seattle Public Utilities after my undergrad degree before I got my architecture degree. This is in the late 90s and decidedKevin K (03:01.964)That's cool. That must have been a... I think we could do a whole podcast probably just on that experience.Cary (03:23.828)At the time, my policy wasn't too thrilling to me, but I did some policy work for a while around Seattle Public Utilities work. I was a project manager for a watershed action plan. anyway, my route to where I'm at today, yeah, I was doing that. I've been actively involved in the outdoors here in the Northwest, biking and hiking and backpacking and stuff. But I've always been intrigued with architecture.Even when I was younger, I thought I'd go be an architect when I was in high school. And then I kind of got into a little more carefree lifestyle in my late teens, early twenties, and really didn't apply myself very well when I was in community college and when my friends were off at the universities and stuff. So I had kind of a more circuitous route to getting married in my mid twenties and then deciding to finish my undergrad degree, doing that policy work, Seattle Public Utilities in the late nineties, and then deciding.hey, I've got kind of got my life together more. I'm better at studying and applying myself. I'm going to go pursue that architecture degree. So I did do that at the University of Washington from 2001 to 2004. And that's how I got my start as an architect in 2004. I've always been in the Seattle area. I was born in Tacoma, just south of Seattle. And I grew up actually one town over from where I am today in Bothell, Washington. I grew up in Woodinville, Washington next door.So I've stayed local, love the Northwest. So I became an architect and like many of us, became an intern at a good local firm in 2004. And we were just working as fast as we could as architects with that firm, which is still around today until many of us got, most of us got laid off one by one in 2008, 2009. And as we all who live through that, know that story, I think something like 40,Kevin K (05:19.468)Well, nope. Still have the scars.Cary (05:21.782)Yeah, you know, yeah, exactly. 40, 50 % of the architects, I think, in the country got laid off within a few months, something like something crazy like that. Yeah. So I'd only had five years experience at that point, but had done all kinds of work and been working a lot. So I had enough to then quickly get licensed within a year or so. And I was in the process of beginning my own firm because my wife's a librarian and a teacher. soKevin K (05:29.154)Yeah, it was brutal.Cary (05:51.03)firms didn't have work in 2009 or so, but these teachers are still employed. And so a couple of them, we want to do an addition, we want to do a deck, whatever. I started a small firm kind of out of necessity to make a living. And that actually worked pretty well. So I was actually doing okay during the recession, starting a small firm and learning how to do contracts and all kinds of things.But all along, we started owning houses. My wife and I bought our first house in 1997 prior to my becoming an architect. And my dad had always been kind of a frustrated engineer architect. we actually lived in a couple of architecturally significant houses growing up. So I was sort of steeped in design. so along with that, he was always remodeling our houses. So I kind of had this DIY spirit. And my brother was, at that time, aprofessional contractor and general contractor. He's now a professional architectural photographer. Interestingly enough, he shoots my work. So immediately we would remodel each house we own. We had a few houses through the year before the projects we have now that we own now. And so I wasn't afraid to put on the tool belt and learn how to do things. So I say that because we were starting to look at getting into design build when I was at the firm I worked at, Johnston Architects.And I actually built out the offices when we moved offices in 2007 or so. I was the lead on that and literally cutting the wood and building the desks and all kinds of things like that. Cause I had experienced doing that and brought remodeling houses. And about that time I learned about Jonathan Siegel down in San Diego. Most people know who he is these days and this line of work. And one of the guys in the office had gone to one of his in -person.seminars where we taught people how to be architect as developer. I thought, hey, I've always been interested in design build and building my own projects, self -initiated work, but I didn't really understand. You could just decide you're going to be your own client. This is an electrifying idea.Cary (07:58.932)So it was planted. didn't do anything about it for a while, but I thought, okay, well, I'll keep remodeling my houses and doing work for clients. And got a lot of on the ground construction administration, construction observation work, doing projects, not only when I was working at Johnston for that five years, but then later on my own being very hands -on, both designing the projects and walking clients through those projects. So that gave me a pretty good feel for working side -by -side with general contractors. And I could be comfortable with that.So I started getting this bug that I wanted to self -initiate projects and become the architect as developer, you know, idea person like Jonathan Siegel. And I was finding out about others at that time in New York and other places. And so I took the online course by, what was it, 2014 or so that Jonathan Siegel offered online. He decided it was too much work to do tours and keep speaking. So that...Kevin K (08:55.17)He was probably having too much fun in San Diego too.Cary (08:58.3)Exactly. know, by then he'd already had a lot of good projects under his belt. I think a lot of us saw his stuff winning awards and everything. So he would become pretty high profile. So that course was extremely empowering and convinced me that, I've got the skill set and he, you know, is very empowering in that way. You can go do this and you've got the skills and you've got the, you know, the intelligence and everything. And he was right. So that led to us.Buying an existing triplex in the downtown core. I'm actually in that triplex right now. And with some extra land on it. And that was 2014. So we learned how to be, had tenants already, so we remodeled some of the units over time. learned how to be landlords.We even sold our house nearby and moved into one of the units of our family of four, my wife, myself, our two daughters who were younger at the time. And we lived in the upper floor of that existing triplex that we bought in 2014 while I designed and planned a new building for the front yard.Kevin K (10:06.776)So how big, just describe the units in that triplex. How big a space were you looking at?Cary (10:12.95)Yeah. So the triplex was actually, its origin is, it was a barn built in 1913 by one of the early families, that kind of a founding family, the Erickson family of the city of Bothell. And it was a barn where they raised rabbits, a rabbit hutch. And it's 30 feet by 40 feet, two stories, with the gabled roof. Like literally just like the diagram of a gabled house, basically that children draw.And it had two units, has two units in the downstairs and one unit upstairs. And then I've carved out a little office out of a shared foyer on the upstairs that I remodeled into my office where I'm sitting now. And we will replace this eventually with a building I'm working on what it will be replaced with.Kevin K (11:02.552)So you were in basically 1 ,200 square feet with the four of you then. A couple of little kids.Cary (11:05.386)Yep, correct, actually. Including my office. what I'd carved out from my conference room, so just a separate door and a deadlock, deadbolt stuff that I use now. We didn't use it at the time when the family was living in the hall upstairs. My wife's in my bedroom was the small conference room, which I've never really used in conference room, but it worked out great.Kevin K (11:28.856)So did that, at the time, that feel like a bit of a sacrifice, kind of moving into that space? Yeah.Cary (11:33.29)Yes. Yeah. was, so we've remodeled it. was kind of nice and shiny and new and, know, certainly an old building, but we made it look pretty nice and permitted all the work. I moved a bunch of walls around and built new bathrooms and all kinds of stuff. And we were over here with, with friends kind of looking at it one day after we got the final sign off. And I thought we should move in here and save money so we can build the new building soon. And I thought my wife's, my wife's a gamer. She's pretty flexible.And I thought, well, I'll wait day or two and see what she thinks. So I proposed the idea a couple of days later, and we'd been living in a nearby town next door, Kenmore, for 11 years, had a quarter acre lot, and a mid -century house. I'd remodeled every square foot. It had pretty good equity in it, and it could help us with the future project. And so I proposed the idea, let's move in, let's save money. We will travel little more for a few years, and she loved it. So that's what we did six months later.And so yeah, we kind of made a sacrifice about three and a half years we lived in that little 1200 square feet. But the cool thing, you know, cause I'm an urbanist too, this is a small little downtown. We're right in the middle of downtown. City Hall is a block away. They're building multifamily all around us. Most of it's built now. There was more going up, but at the time there was only one out of about 10 buildings that had been built in that last 10 years. So,Kevin K (12:31.596)Fantastic.Cary (12:55.39)We really wanted to, I wanted to walk my talk and the family was into it too and be in a walkable place where we could drive less and we were in my transit and bicycling and stuff. So we've really been doing that. And we had that, you know, immediately overnight. So it was a, it was an adjustment, but it was really been fun.Kevin K (13:13.176)So by way of context, what was the local real estate market like when you bought this place in 2014?Cary (13:18.966)So at the time, know, it always seems expensive at the time, right? Never, it's so much worse than it used to be. Well, it seems downright quaint and affordable now looking back on 2014. It was a very hot market. We got a great price when we sold our house and we had a really good price on the Triplex because the family owned this old building kind of, it was one of many and it was very run down and they just wanted to get rid of it. So we got a great deal. It's more than double what we paid for it. So yay for us, right?but it all felt like a stretch at the time. I honestly don't know that we could get it today. not because of competition, but because of the cost of land and, and, properties down here now. a key factor there was, because of being an architect and into local planning issues. And, and, we lived in the town next door, Kenmore, which does some overlapping planning, at the county level and so forth with, with the city of Bothell where I'm at now.Bothell had a master plan and a new downtown code and zoning code and things like that. There was sort of a hybrid for the downtown, sort of a hybrid form based code that I was well aware of had been written and put in place. It was kind of a sleepy place. A lot of people didn't know. So I was well aware that this town was going to rapidly change and grow because they had set the table for it. So for once I got in at kind of at the right time, but it was a stretch.Kevin K (14:47.606)Yeah, right. So at some point you decided to take a closer look at that vacant lot next to you. And was that the next project you undertook or was there anything else after that?Cary (15:00.938)Yeah. So we actually, I guess we would call this the covered land play because with the triplex, the triplex lot here, the city had actually bought about four feet because right after we moved in, they rebuilt streets and sidewalks fringes and really made these beautiful deluxe streets, replaced all the infrastructure, daily at a creek across the street. did millions and millions of tens of millions of dollars worth of downtown improvements as part of this plan.But otherwise, the triplex came on a lot that was 6 ,750 square feet. And so we already had the land as part of the triplex property. So when I eventually designed and built the building that I'd become known for, I built it in the front yard. already had the land. I short -platted it as part of the building permit. And I short -platted.because otherwise the old building rides with the new building on the financing. And that would sort of drag it down. So I realized I needed to split the lot and create a brand new fresh lot that would give me some equity because there would be value given to that lot. And at the same time, have the finances completely separate from the old triplex that we owned on the lot. So I turned it from one lot into two. And I would do that over and over if I could.Kevin K (16:22.336)Interesting. Yeah, and IYeah, so why do you say that? was the advantage of that from your perspective?Cary (16:32.054)You basically, give yourself a free lot and in small development, as you and probably many know, the land basis or the cost of land or getting a chunk of land to build on is one of the most difficult hurdles for small operators. Bigger developers can often do a purchase and sale and wait until they entitle a project to pay their five or 10 or 15 million for their property. That's how all the bigger projects are done around here.But small mom and pop sellers for the size of lots, I'm usually looking at five, six, seven thousand feet, whatever. They just want cash upfront. so you kind of have to commit. So to get a property that already has a building that can sort of help offset the costs, in our case, the mortgage with renters, while you split the lot, you're effectively giving yourself a new tax lot.at very little cost. Just really the cost of splitting that lot is the cause of any taxes you eventually start paying on the property tax.Kevin K (17:39.669)So, what would a like that cost in Bothell by way of comparison, just if you found a vacant lot in a neighborhood?Cary (17:45.59)Yeah. So at the time, that lot, is only the building I built is on a lot that's just about 2 ,600 square feet, 2 ,625, very small. There's no minimum lot size in our downtown, fortunately, like there is other places. The valuation five years ago was 400 ,000. It's probably a little bit more than that now. So it's not inexpensive land down here. We're doing a project now that broke ground for a four unit just a few blocks away from here. So it's a good comparison.Kevin K (18:08.141)Yeah.Cary (18:14.358)I'm working on it with two other partners. doing four townhouses. We wanted it to be more, but that's another story I can talk about later. And that lot is 5 ,400 square feet, I believe it is. And it was $640 ,000. And lots have sold in the two years since become even more expensive per square foot. So, yeah.Kevin K (18:42.872)That's That's amazing. My Midwestern brain has a hard time getting around those numbers.Cary (18:47.772)yeah. When I look on the social media groups I'm part of, the Neighborhood Development Group that John Anderson started, and Income Mill Development Alliance and others, Kansas, where you are, and of course, Grand Ure in the city, where property probably costs a little bit more. And then in the South and the Midwest, my jaw drops when I see what you guys can get land for and lots for.Kevin K (19:13.196)Yeah, yeah. Well, it's a different market in lot of ways. So let's talk about the project you built there, which I've seen pictures of. I haven't seen it in person, but it's a really cool project. It's kind of in many ways like the classic example of a small mixed use project that we talk about in a hundred different seminars that you were actually able to execute. So I'm curious about like why you chose that particular kind of project and some of the pros and cons of doing that.Cary (19:15.583)It is. It is.Cary (19:42.26)Yeah, no, I love to talk about that. learned so many lessons, but really fundamental to this was meeting John Anderson after I did the Jonathan Siegel course. I really had a lot more I needed to learn about sort of scrappy on the ground, get things done, part of the small development. And John Anderson, I met just at the perfect time.and incremental development alliance was young then. I actually went down to Texas and took one of their boot camps in 2016. But he taught me about the, for a first project, don't get too crazy. Do three stories you can do with like a single stair. I already knew about that. Single stair is hot now, but at the time it was okay. We'll keep it three stories or less, single stair. International building code allows that. And design it around what can be allowed with an FHA 203B loan.B or C, can't remember. The ones that are renovation loan. But this is the vanilla FHA home loan that millions of Americans have gotten to buy anything one to four units. So if you're going to buy your first house, this is that loan. The unique thing is, unlike most mortgages, you can do one to four units. So that's not unusual. But they allow up to 49 % commercial. There's no other.vanilla mortgage that allows that. And I was really interested in doing mixed use because I had a corner lot in downtown. And I just felt as an urbanist who wanted to place make and create places for people that this should be a corner shop, commercial shop. So I had my sort of template then. All right, I'm gonna do four units. Originally I was gonna redevelop the entire lot all at once. And I realized that was.biting off more than I wanted to chew and I didn't really want to get rid of a cash flowing triplex because this is my first project. So I thought, well, this is perfect. I'll split the lot. I'll do a single stair FHA compliant building that's not going to get me out of my ski tips. This won't be built much differently than a single family home, which I had a lot of experience with, like commercial. And I'll general contract it myself.Cary (22:05.242)And I don't get too fancy, it's a simple shape. And that was kind of the premise. And what I call it is a well -detailed simple box. But that was the groundwork for the project. To do that, and I was allowed to work on it for a few years, kind of refining and working on it. But during my spare time.Kevin K (22:28.504)Let's talk about a couple aspects of it, the FHA 203B thing, know, not everybody knows about all that. Did you have a hard time like finding a banker or bankers who understood, you know, financing it this way?Cary (22:33.833)MmCary (22:41.686)Yes and no. So most mortgage folks I talked to knew about it. Many of them were unwilling to originate them. I don't know if there just wasn't as much fat in it for them or what. The original, when I was finishing the project in late 2019, just prior to the pandemic, the mortgage broker I was working with at the time had done a great job for me doing a refi and a home equity loan or asorry, HELOC on the Triplex so I could use the Triplex as a sort of cash machine, which is another small developer ploy. He'd been really spectacular for me, really experienced. But he was very reluctant and quite frankly unwilling to originate an FHA loan because I suspect he wasn't going to get paid as well. So he brought me a commercial loan just as the pandemic was beginning and it was reallyawful terms and we had to bring a lot of money to the table. And so I quickly had to go find another experienced mortgage person. a lot of them will say they're interested and then you get into it and they try and deter you from doing one, the FHA. So that's information that I should share.Kevin K (23:56.418)So you really have to kind of push through. I think John has talked about this before. It's almost like you have to know more about some of these programs, or know as much as your banker does, or your lender.Cary (23:58.571)Yes.Cary (24:04.032)Yes.Yeah, John makes that point. I completely agree. I downloaded the 600 page, whatever it was, manual on HUD lending that he recommended. Granted, just not to scare everyone, you're not going to read the whole thing. You're going to skim it for certain sections. so, yeah, I would quite literally call these mortgage brokers up, or lenders, and have to tell them they were allowed to make this loan. And this is why. And here's the terms. And so it's so true.I got a little disgusted at certain points that I was extricating with people on their own business. Yeah, but I did find this guy who was incredible. He was basically ready to retire, but he was just having fun, still doing things. And he found the pandemic loaning to be really tough, but also a challenge. So lucky for me. And I paid a lot of extra interest. That was the only thing in my project that went.Rye as it were the the designing the permitting the construction. I want really smoothly it was throughout 2019 Getting the final loan mortgage that FHA mortgage to take out the construction loan Which was high interest because I was a new developer was the only really challenging and expensive part of the whole projectKevin K (25:21.194)Interesting. what would that product, I guess talk us through if you did the construction loan, like what sort of percentage equity did you have to have to do that? Or how did you finance it? then when you do the permanent financing, how did that convert?Cary (25:29.813)Yeah.Cary (25:37.206)Yeah, so I was a little unusual in that I did talk to multiple banks. I'll cut to the chase. I got a hard money loan from a small two -person LLC that I was put in touch with from my mortgage guy at the time. And they loved me, these lenders. It was 12%. Doesn't sound quite as bad today, but at the time it was twice what banks were lending for construction loans, so it was expensive. But it was easy and it was fast and draws werewere painless and they trusted me. They visited the site once and completely believed in me and the money was, you know, we did all the paperwork. They had a first position and all the normal stuff a mortgage company would do paperwork wise. was just not fly by night. But because it took extra five or so months at the end to get the takeout mortgage, the final mortgage, that FHA mortgage, I paid something like $125 ,000 in extra interest. So that was painful.I did that but I had talked to two different kinds of banks and this is the kind of information I love to share with people. I did have banks that were interested in loaning on the building. One type of bank was the one type of loan I should say is banks who are wanted to loan to myself and my wife as a husband and wife entity building basically a house. One to four units they just kind of saw it as a home loan basically. They don't care if you do four units.And though they were wary of the commercial part, for fair warning, they were like, we don't really loan on commercial. So we hadn't really sort of do that because we weren't offered the loan in the end. so they actually they did offer us a loan. was much it was several hundred thousand less than we needed. Ironically, it was because I had spent a fair amount of time of my own office time working on my project. I didn't make as much money for the prior tax year. So I kind ofwas stung by the fact that I was putting my energies into my own building, doing the construction drawings and managing the design. I looked much better on paper for the prior tax year and they were like, well, what happened here? You you you dropped like, well, I was, you know, giving myself as sweat equity as it were, as an architect. And there's value in those drawings, but they don't care about that. They want your tax return. we couldn't borrow enough money.Cary (28:01.742)to with a bank that wanted to loan us the money as a private home project. So they're out of the picture. We would have had to bring too much money to the table ourselves. I also talked to a commercial lender. They liked it. They wanted to loan the full amount, but they wanted a guarantor. Not unusual. I did not have a guarantor. So we probably could have used a family member, but we didn't want them to havepower or decision -making power on the project. Because they're the person I'm thinking of, they're in real estate as well. And we thought, well, we want to do our own thing. So we eschewed that and went hard money. So I didn't go a traditional route there. But I also learned that it's not unusual for those of us doing it for the first time to seek out private money or hard money like this. Yeah.Kevin K (28:55.638)Interesting. What was the total size of the project? What cost?Cary (29:01.11)Yeah, like the stats. Okay, yeah, the the total cost we borrowed 1 .3 million. It cost about 1 .5 in hard cost construction costs total 1 .5 million with with soft costs. No, excuse me. I apologize.trying to recall here, hard cost for closer to, I think it was closer to the original 1 .3 million. And with soft costs, we were at about 1 .5 million. And the total value of the project in the end at the lower end was about 1 .8 million, putting a lower kind of lower end price on the value of the land. So yeah, was a, you know, so all in, you know, if you're around about a $1 .5 million project.Kevin K (29:52.672)Interesting. And then were you as the architect able to pay yourself a fee for that and for the construction management?Cary (29:59.99)Yes, I love to talk about that. So I didn't pay myself for construction management per se, but what I did was this project took a lot of planning. And this is the kind of thing I love to share with other architects doing this. I had learned from Jared Devalle back in 2011. He was one of the other people I learned about the architect as developer model when I went to an architecture conference in 2011. And I was intrigued with hisI think his company was called Alloy working in like Dumbo and New York City. And he had expressed how you have these different companies, you own them all, but they're arms length transactions. So you have your development. And in my case, the development, the building is called Fur Street Flats, because the 183rd street out in front of my building was originally called Fur Street, like the tree, Douglas Fur. So it's called Fur Street Flats. And that was one LLC.And then I had my established architecture firm, Westerberg Architecture. And then I also became a licensed general contractor. And that was my firm for that, Shelter Lab. And so they had arms length transactions with each other. So First Street Flats had a written agreement to provide architectural services. Westerberg Architecture would provide architectural services to First Street Flats.Now granted, that money is just being shuffled between my different business accounts. And I had to have business accounts and you go to the bank and you get a business account and you have to show them your LLC agreement and your state certificate and all that. But yes, so that's a long -winded way of saying, Westerbrook Architecture got paid by First Street Flats a fee to design the project. What happened then was I made sure that I continued to give myself a paycheck as I acted as the journal contractor for a year building the building.My architecture firm was giving me a regular salary, even though I was not doing architecture work. This was so that I paycheck consistency that the mortgagers want to see when you're done with the project. So you don't have a, they want two years. So I just had continuity there. So I used that fee. Once I got my loan, First Street Flats paid Westerbrack architecture for the design. And I used that money to live on just basically as my paycheck that I would have been earning as an architect. I just.Cary (32:22.358)prepaid it and drew on it as I built the project. So that essentially covered me to work as a general contractor and I did not pay myself a general contractor fee or a developer fee. I considered it all basically I get to keep the building because I'm not selling the building. I get to keep the building and that's my that's my equity stake and my payment. So it's a little unusual but I learned all that from these various people I studied.Kevin K (32:45.496)Interesting. Yeah.Kevin K (32:52.536)Well, I mean, it's interesting because obviously for any architects in the audience to think about getting into development, that's just an aspect of it, which is paying yourself, covering your overhead during that process, the design process and construction process. I mean, it's pretty cool that you also did the construction management. There's probably a lot of architects who wouldn't do that.Cary (33:02.838)key.Cary (33:14.474)Yeah. Yeah, that's really a critical thing to understand going in. Are you comfortable being your own general contractor or not? And then if you're not, and you're going to have someone do it, which is not uncommon, you're going to pay a little more. It's smart for lot of people though, because there's so many pitfalls in construction if you're not skilled at it. I had my snafus here and there, but I handled them.they're going to happen whether you're building it or not yourself or not.Kevin K (33:48.024)So when you get this project complete from the construction standpoint, how did it go from a leasing standpoint?Cary (33:54.55)so I'll add one more thing that I hadn't shared is, my family designed the entire third floor, top floor for our family to live in. we designed it custom for ourselves. It's not like super fancy, but it's each floor has 10 foot ceilings. There's a lot of glazing. there's a couple of exposed steel beams. It's got the top floor has three bedrooms, two baths, a nice kind of big great room.People really like the space. It's nicely proportioned. So we were building a home for ourselves as well. So we are living. And that's another thing FHA loan requires. It requires the owner, owner occupancy for the FHA 203B. And that was one of the things I hadn't mentioned. And that's very different from my commercial investment property, where you were actually not allowed to live in the building. It's completely different. They literally disallow it. So that's another reason that FHA loan is unique. But anyway, lease up wasKevin K (34:31.063)Interesting.Cary (34:49.078)almost effortless. That's not the right word, but we really only had a couple units. So my mom lives in the one bedroom. We have a one bedroom, a two bedroom, and we live in a three bedroom. And then we have the commercial space on the ground floor. October, two months before we got our certificate of occupancy, October of 2019, I started to kind of just.getting word of mouth out that I had this small commercial space about 650 square feet on the corner available. People saw it too, and it's a very visible corner. So there was already a lot of buzz. And I had a ton of interest. So right away, a broker actually, a very busy broker in town brought me a barbershop. And I actually had gotten my haircut from one of the two owners that wanted to start this barbershop. And I thought, well, they're a good tenant. It's idea was better than the other offers that I'd had.And so we quickly worked out a you know, broker -ridden lease a couple months prior. I helped them do their, few drawings they needed to submit to the city for a small TI build out. And so that went very quickly. And I always say this, and I say this to my friends in city council, and I'm on planning commission as well. This is really important to know. There aren't enough small spaces in my town and around here, especially these newer...These younger West Coast cities, they don't have the plethora of old buildings with small affordable spaces. People are always looking for small spaces. I could have leased that 650 square feet out a dozen times over. Whereas when they're building these bigger buildings, these five over ones in town, which we have a lot of, they're sort of a lost leader where they've got the retail that's hard to fill. It gets filled here because we're a busy place on the edge of Seattle, but they're 3 ,000, 4 ,000, 5 ,000 square feet. They take a big...you know, national or at least a very successful local business to fill those. So there aren't nearly enough of these small ones. So leasing that commercial space was really easy. It went very quickly. And I had mom for the apartment. And then we were advertising on Craigslist at apartments .com, maybe one of the two other places for the two bedroom, which again was filled within a week or two, probably a couple of weeks. I showed it three or four times and it was snapped up. And then we were done.Kevin K (37:04.728)Yeah, that's great.Cary (37:08.406)And we had to fill our unit because we were moving out of the old triplex, but it also found a newly married couple who started a family right away and they were there for the first few years throughout the pandemic. So we had everything filled in no time.Kevin K (37:09.218)Yeah.Kevin K (37:26.488)That's ideal in many respects.Cary (37:30.452)It is, I mean, I really feel like I should knock on wood or something that went so well. And we've stayed full ever since. I've had a lot of people who've asked me, because the building is popular, the new building's popular, people, get compliments on it still all the time. And people are always asking if there are units available. So I'm flattered, but I, there's been no turnover.Kevin K (37:50.104)Well, it's also nice from a small scale standpoint that you just have a handful you have to deal with. That's kind of a real advantage.Cary (37:57.778)It is. It's plenty. I've said, so we've got seven units, including the commercial unit and our own personal unit between the two buildings, the old building and the new building. It's about as much as I want to manage because I've got a full, very full life in other ways and volunteer things and run my business and some development. So it's about as much as I want to deal with. If it gets much, if I get more units that I get to, you know, that we get to keep, I will have to go, I will decide to hire a management company.One of my clients actually runs a good firm doing that, I'll hire her.Kevin K (38:32.396)Well, there you go. So what happens after that, after first street's up and leased and then kind of where do you go from there?Cary (38:41.194)Yeah. Well, interestingly, so I had been reading about this pattern from John and others who successfully have done this in the past, John Anderson and many other small developers. You get your building stabilized and then you borrow against it to build the next project. And I was all prepared to do that, but the pandemic hit. So I was just happy to get the thing mortgaged and keep it. Because there was a couple of months when we couldn't get the mortgage in line.very quickly that we were worried we were gonna have to sell the building because the plan was always to hold it. So I was gonna go do another project. So it's been years until I've got a couple years ago another property that I partnered with two other people because I couldn't easily borrow against my building. So it's taken me more years than I planned to try and get to the next project.So that was kind of what was next as far as the last five years. And it continues to be challenging to really try and find land and investors. And then right now, even if you could find that to make projects pencil out is tough because of interest rates and the cost of land in our area and the cost of construction.Kevin K (40:00.46)Yeah, yeah. Have you thought about, I'm sure you've thought about it, but like what types of projects, if you imagine that you would want to do next, if you could find the right site and everything else, what are you looking to do?Cary (40:02.08)So it's been hard that way.Cary (40:10.09)Mm -hmm. Yeah.I'm still really intrigued with infill and small scale, urban or close in suburban work. I've looked at and I was pretty serious about a cottage project because I'm on planning commission and we just passed middle housing, missing middle housing code for our city that I helped write.I was actually the nerd six, seven years ago who would bring articles about middle housing, missing middle, the Opticos had written to council meetings and planning commission meetings to hand them out. So it's really exciting to be that annoying guy and finally get our way. I wasn't on planning commission then. so I've, really been interested in bungalow courts and cottages and stuff. And I say that because it's not necessarily my, to me, that's not like the pinnacle of what I want to do, but I like that it's sort of the,Kevin K (40:53.944)Yeah.Hahaha.Cary (41:09.867)the gateway drug for some people who are used to single house on single lot. They seem more open -minded to, we'll put four small homes that are more affordable. They're still expensive, but they're more affordable for our area. And they're gonna be a little closer to schools and shops and services. So it's sort of this entry. And so we're starting to see some proposals in the city that. So I'm interested in that and have had a...of stops and starts on a couple of those. Doing some townhouses right now with the two partners that I mentioned earlier. We actually wanted that to be about a 10 unit, because of parking, which we're working on eliminating those parking mandates, but because of parking requirements and then interest rates, we couldn't do the build and hold model that we had hoped. we're doing four townhouses, but I remain interested in, you know, if I could have my way, I'd still keep doing mixed use. Very similar to my first First Street Flats project.but probably more units. I'd love to do 10, 20, 30, ideally over. I'd love to create some sort of a community space that I program, that I could hold and keep. Even if I had to sell condos or something like that and only keep like condo -wise commercial space at the bottom, I'd love to have sort of like a community space I could rent out for events and artists and things like that. It'd be great sort of as my equity piece.So and I may be to do that in my replacement for this triplex so what I've designed for this this lot to replace the triplex right now that I'm excited about is We had local state legislation here in Washington State legalized co -housing which is also essentially micro units and Because we're right near transit frequent transit in downtown here There is no parking required and we're also about a mileKevin K (42:55.234)MmCary (43:05.078)from University of Washington Bothell campus. It's a satellite campus. It's about a half an hour to the main campus, but it's a very busy branch of the University of Washington. And they're really close. There's students all around. They don't necessarily have cars. So that need for parking space is not strong. There's a co -located community college there on the same campus. So they're growing all the time.And there's a lot of people in tech here who ride e -bikes around and walk. And so a lot of people don't necessarily put high priority on car ownership. So suddenly, the project I've been trying to figure out how to make work on this around 4 ,000 square foot site, which is the old Triplex I've been talking about that we own here that I'm sitting in. Suddenly, it works. 20 to 22 units, 350, 400 square feet each, the kitchenette, the bathroom.The key is you have to have a community space with a shared kitchen and so forth, which is fine. It's fun idea anyway. And a bunch of them have been successfully built in Seattle. So I'm not really excited about that right now because I'm trying to make that happen.Kevin K (44:09.386)Interesting. So are there like code, zoning code challenges or anything associated with that building type?Cary (44:15.538)Fortunately, nothing special. We have to codify it because there's now a ticking clock. All these cities in Washington have to allow them. So we will be, enough, tackling that in planning commission, I'm sure, in the next year because we'll have to. the similar buildings have already been built, like I mentioned, in Seattle and elsewhere. So it's really going to be a standard, like in my case, five -story, IBC compliant.building that we've got to put an elevator in, a couple of stairs and so forth. So that would be tight, but it works. But otherwise the zoning here is pretty generous. I'm in the second most dense zoning for the city of Bothell. And so we can go five stories, 65 feet taller bottom story, zero lot line except the back, there's a five foot setback. And then like I said, I get out of those parking requirements, which allows me to really use maximumMaximum use out of the site.Kevin K (45:14.826)That's really cool. And it seems like the student angle really makes a lot of sense for that type.Cary (45:20.468)Yeah, yeah, because the students rent apartments around here all the time. And so probably a great option because most of the apartments around here are a little more expensive and a more nicer. Not nice finishes, but I mean, they're larger or more expensive than maybe a freshman or sophomore would want to pay for.Kevin K (45:41.964)Yeah, for sure, for sure. Well, and it's nice, you know, as a student to be able to get your own place, you know, even if it's really small, it doesn't matter. Like when you're that age, it's just cool to have your own space.Cary (45:46.816)Yes.Cary (45:50.57)Yeah. Yeah, I make that point like in planning commission meetings and elsewhere, people say, because there are certain folks who think it's really inhumane to live in a micro unit. And I do not. I don't think they should be making decisions about how other people want to live, make choices about they want to live. But I lived on Capitol Hill in Seattle, a very dense, walkable, urban neighborhood, very popular neighborhood in Seattle when I was younger.I had a space that was actually the first year about 120 square feet. was like 10 by 12. Bathroom is down the hall, so it's more like a boarding house. I absolutely loved it because it was super cheap and I was just gone a lot anyway. So it was great. And then I had, I felt like I really arrived because the next year I had one that was about 300 square feet. That seemed huge. So it's all relative.Kevin K (46:27.746)MmKevin K (46:38.04)Well, and it's, you know, it's sort of that like what's old is new again. Because that type, you know, back 100 years ago, there were all manner of types like this, not just boarding houses, but there was the classic building called the apartment hotel, which was really this type. And people rented a room in the apartment hotel and it had some shared amenities. And we had dozens of them. Most older cities had them.Cary (46:44.074)Yes.Cary (47:04.476)yeah. Yeah, Seattle had a ton, like you said, we were all tracking this these days, but most cities had a lot of them. They outlawed them the seventies, eighties, nineties. The building I was in that I mentioned that I lived in with the bathroom down the hall with both units, bathrooms down the hall. It was a similar building. It was like a single room occupancy type, but they were all different unit sizes. There were some full size apartments, small, medium, large. It's still there. In fact, it just sold a couple of years ago.Kevin K (47:31.872)Interesting. Yeah. So one thing, you know, obviously in the Pacific Northwest, Seattle, that area has been one of the leaders for quite a few years in the whole single stair building type deal. I wonder if you could talk a little bit about your experience with that and understanding of like how important of a change was that to allow that to happen in Seattle?Cary (47:44.544)Yeah.Yeah.Cary (47:57.078)Yeah, Seattle's had it for 50, 60 years, something like that. So we've had it for a long time. And there are lot of sort of sleeper buildings that have utilized that single stair for my entire life. And they make a small site work. In fact, I'm friends with Mike Eliason, an architect who helped put the single stair idea on the map and gets a lot of deserved notoriety for it. And Mike spent many years in Germany.working and so he was really familiar with that type of building, which so common around the world. Yeah, it's for folks who don't know, and I know Kevin probably knows a lot of this, but it makes a small site much more viable because you can create a lot less hallway and circulation space by doing a single stair. Usually the building will be sprinklered so it's safer than you would think. And it allows each unit, usually you can...total is usually only four per floor. So you usually have at least a corner and two aspects for light and air and cross ventilation. Sometimes like our building, we've got three. So it makes it much more humane to live in. And most people really respond to a building that it's not, for example, folks listening, we've all been in hotels with a single hallway and then that's a double loaded corridor and they've got apartments or rooms off of each side.Most apartments in the United States built today are that double loaded. So you might have a long deep unit if it's two or three bedrooms. It's uncommon, but let's say two bedrooms or even one bedroom. And there aren't a lot of windows. So all the windows are on the outside edge and you can't get cross ventilation and you don't have light from more than one side. So a single stair makes a much more livable, desirable unit. Most people, again, walk in one and they respond differently.than they might to one of these double loaded corridor units. what you see in a lot of countries say they want to do a really big building. They build multiple side by side. every, you you might have one every 50 feet or something like that. each stairway serves a slice. So you might end up with five of them in a row and they each have their own stairway, but then they have like a firewall betweenCary (50:19.272)each of these individual buildings might look like one big building. So there are different ways to put them together. And they actually have, as Mike Eliason and others have been riding on for some time now, very good safety ratings. In fact, fewer fire incidents that we do in the United States with our two -stair buildings. So there's a lot to recommend them and there's momentum behind making them more legal. Washington State, in fact,passed a law this last year, one my friends, a representative here at Bothell helped push the legislation that the city, excuse me, the state of Washington has to have a up to six story single stair building code amendment essentially or ordinance that any city can adopt. They're not forced to, but they can adopt it and ready to go in about a year. I think it was a year, year and a half.I think other states are starting to do it too. California might have it on theirs. But the key thing is that it allows buildings like my three story, but you could do four, five, six, and it makes a small lot instantly more developable. The reason we see a lot of these big block size, half block size buildings, we call them podium buildings, five over ones, whatever, with 100, 200, 300 units is because they have to aggregate land into these huge.plots so they could do a big enough project to merit two stairs, multiple elevators, and make them viable. Whereas once you can just do a single stair, maybe a single elevator if it's needed for accessibility, you can make almost any little slice of a lot work. So it opens up enormous amounts of our building, our zoning, the fabric, the land in America that we maybe have looked at and not been able to utilize.Kevin K (52:13.645)with them.Kevin K (52:17.976)Yeah, I kind of think of it myself if I were to go back to thinking about how I lived like when I was in college and the standard college dormitory that I lived in, and I think a lot of people lived in, was a double -loaded corridor, little shoebox rooms that two people stayed in together with one window. And they weren't particularly pleasant. You're 18 or 19 years old, that's not a big priority, but it's not like,Cary (52:46.025)Okay.Kevin K (52:47.244)They weren't like the most pleasant places to live. And then when I remember, you know, especially at a college and I started having some friends that rented some of these more historic, like four and sixplex apartments that had exactly what you described. So they had a single entry and a stair in the middle of the building. And then they were flanked by usually one bedroom apartments, sometimes two bedrooms, going up two or three stories. And what was so cool was you would walk in, you walk in those places.and it's windows on three sides. And it just immediately felt, even for like some of these places that at the time were like really old and hadn't been renovated and God knows how long, they just felt so much better because of the presence of the windows and the light and the cross ventilation. And that's a huge benefit of this approach.Cary (53:33.173)So true.Cary (53:39.798)It's true. I don't even know if I felt completely as strongly about it as I do when I was working on my building and taking advantage of this aspect. I mean, I knew as an architect, because I'm always trying to get bedrooms with two sources of natural light. are pattern language kind of things we reflect on as architects, right? But until you, I think, like you said, walk into one and experience it and kind of know you're comparing it to something with that single window.aspect type of apartment, it really kind of smacks you up in the head. Like you said, it doesn't matter how old it is, whatever. It's just, it's so much more humane. with us as a culture, as a society, as a country, waking up to how, we could have that and it would be good for us. And a lot of people would enjoy it. And we just kind of have to legalize it as a, it's a pretty powerful thought that, we could have, we could have nice things as the meme guy.Kevin K (54:33.846)Right, and it's not like we're giving something up in order to get it. It's really just kind of a silly adaptation of how the building codes have grown and changed over the years.Cary (54:36.672)No.Cary (54:43.702)Precisely. Yeah, we could just decide to do things differently and have these nice things and hey, we might even be safer for it.Kevin K (54:51.384)Yeah, yeah, no doubt. So, you know, one of the things, Kerry, is like we joke about here in the middle of the country is that like all the trends, of course, start on the coasts and then eventually, you know, like 10 or 20 years later, they find themselves here in the Midwest. what other obviously you all, especially a lot of West Coast states have really been leading the charge because of your your housing crisis is much more intense thanCary (55:02.238)HahahaKevin K (55:20.118)what we are having, so there's a lot more reform happening. What else is going on that you're seeing that we might be hearing more about as time goes on?Cary (55:26.794)MmCary (55:31.286)One of the hot ones right now that I think is going to happen and this is gonna fit right into the whole Midwest and Heartland because you guys have to tell me the corner store idea We're starting to warm up in the state here and various cities and and the people like just your average citizen Really responds well to this like why don't we have corner stores anymore? Well, let's set aside the fact that they're hard to necessarily operate and run and make work. Let's you know, that's maybegoing to have to be tackled, but it doesn't have to be a store per se. It could be a wine bar. could be a cafe, whatever. So we're starting to see a trickle of bills and ideas and cities experimenting with the idea of re -legalizing corner stores. Granted that West Coast is covered with these dendritic cul -de -sac laid out neighborhoods that are not grids.And they do not lend themselves well necessarily like a grid does to having corner stores and walkability and everything. So we're going to have, we have some challenges, but that's one of the things we're seeing people really wake up to is how do we allow low impact mix use in our residential neighborhoods again? And Spokane has a program that goes back, I think to 2017, because Spokane is an older city in Washington.It's not old compared to Midwest and back East, but for us, it's, you know, they were going gangbusters in late 19th century. They had a lot more corner stores that were turned residential, kind of turned into homes because they outwalled them. Well, they had sort of an amnesty program beginning, I think it was 2017, with some success where you could take anything that was clearly on record as being a commercial store or commercial use.could be turned back into a commercial use. They have a whole program for it. And Volkan's really been on the forefront of programs like that, Missing Middle and other things as well. So that's one I see coming that gets talked about a lot.Kevin K (57:36.768)Interesting.Kevin K (57:41.248)Mm -hmm, interesting. Well, if I could marry two things that I just personally really love. One, as an architect, I love small buildings and small spaces. And the second is I love the, especially what you see in Japan, the Japanese approach to really, really small businesses that are run by one person, but are fanatic and excellent at what they do. And to have more of that in our communities would be.Cary (57:50.656)Yeah.Cary (57:56.842)Yes.Kevin K (58:10.319)would be pretty cool.Cary (58:12.18)You and me both, I'm fanatic about having those. really, yeah, I'm so envious when I see those cute little, beautiful little Japanese stores serving just specialty teas or donuts or whatever. Yeah, it's amazing.Kevin K (58:25.25)Yeah. Yeah. Or like, it's a, it's like the best restaurant you've ever eaten at in a head and it seats like six people, you know, so yeah.Cary (58:31.958)Yeah, exactly. back in 10 minutes. Yeah, it's gorgeous. Yeah, exactly. We've got to open the doors just to have people be able to sit on the stools, right? Yeah, it's great. Yeah. And so we're seeing people get more comfortable with that. And like I said, it's actually a popular idea with lot of people who aren't necessarily into policy and planning and design, the people who live in neighborhoods frequently.Kevin K (58:41.036)Yeah, no doubt. No doubt.Kevin K (58:56.13)So one last thing I wanted to ask you about, Kerry, was obviously you've been on the planning commission for some time and wanted if you could talk a little bit about why you got involved in that way. And maybe as somebody who's not just a designer, but a developer, and you have a foot in all these different worlds, what were some of the advantages for you to get involved in that response?Cary (59:11.115)andCary (59:15.254)Yeah. And a little bit of background on that. know we don't have much time. Something I didn't talk about here, but I've been a member of Strong Towns for, gosh, probably 10 years now, of earlier days, not super early. And so I've been on their podcast a couple of times and I've been a fan and been part of some of their classroom, know, their classes and things like that. Anyway, so I've got aProgram background and then I had a very successful now kind of quieter group called Bopop Botha lights for people oriented places Our town is Bothal, which is one of the early local conversations That strong towns now fosters really strongly anyway that led me to going to lots of planning commission and and built a city council meetings and then as friends and I were doing that We'veended up taking over many of us who were in BoPOP or were peripherally related to BoPOP. City Council, five people now, and most of Planning Commission, and some have cycled from Planning Commission. So anyway, my pitch to getting on Planning Commission was at the time, four years ago, I'll be up for another four years this next winter, there were no people on Planning Commission who were...architects, developers, builders, engineers, anything like that. And I feel like they usually, she should have at least one or two who actually work in the codes and build and develop or plan or whatever. So that was actually my pitch. And some of my detractors since then have said, he's this, you know, developer, shell, architect, blah, blah. And I very, very, you know, I'm very out.Kevin K (01:00:55.44)Ha ha ha.Cary (01:01:01.086)out about that. Like, yeah, that was literally my pitch is we should have people who are doing this work who were reading and using the code who are the ones helping to modify it and build it and change it. I'm very unabashed about that. So that is why I wanted to be in there. And that's what we've been doing. And sometimes it's a bit boring and tedious to put it mildly. ButIt's important work and I encourage people to seek that out if you have any interest in it. Most people are still somewhat lay people, but we have a couple of people who are civil engineers, planners, lawyers. So there are people who do work related to making code and law who are fit right in. But we like to have people who are not necessarily related to, because we like diverse perspectives on planning commission. As long as they're willing to bone up and learn about how to.Kevin K (01:01:51.212)Yeah.Cary (01:01:53.972)how to operate and read the code and ordinances and things.Kevin K (01:01:59.798)Yeah, it just seems, you know, honestly, logical to me that if you have a commission or anything that is heavily involved in regulating one industry that there ought to be some people from there who interact with those regulations every day and who are involved. Just like, like if you had a commission to regulate barber shops, you would expect like there'd be a few barbers, you know, on the commission.Cary (01:02:18.72)Yeah. Yeah. That's why I kind of chuckle when people think there's this conflict of interest. And I say, no, I was, that was literally my pitch was you need people who do this work, who are helping to shape these, these policies. And, it's been, it's been good for me. And then I think, I've helped, helped get a lot done. I believe that it's useful for pushing us forward and streamlining and, and, know, helping to housing is just a major, major issue.How can we sort of stay safe and compliant, but grease the skids for more housing? It's been a big, focus.Kevin K (01:02:57.014)No doubt. Well, Kerry, it's been a real pleasure. It's been a lot of fun. feel like we could easily go on for another hour or two, but I think we'll call it right there. And I really value having your experience and sharing that with everybody. And hopefully we get a chance to talk about this again at a future date.Cary (01:03:04.874)down.Cary (01:03:16.446)Agreed, my pleasure. Like I said, I can keep, keep put a quarter in me and I keep going, I hope, hopefully some of this is useful.Kevin K (01:03:23.2)and how if somebody wants to try to find you either, you know, internet or social media or whatever, what's the best way.Cary (01:03:30.068)Yeah, I can be found. Well, my website is westerbeckarchitecture .com. And you can always drop me a note there. But the easiest way, I'm still on Twitter under my own name. We'll see how long that lasts. I've jumped onto Threads social media, which I've been spending more time. And I can be found under my name there. So those are both good ways to find me. And then I have a business page on Facebook.I don't go on there very often, but if anybody tries to message me there or finds me there, I will see that. So I can be found pretty easily on those platforms or my website certainly. And there's a number for my firm on the website, so people could feel free to call or text me if they want to. And many people have. I've been contacted dozens and dozens and dozens of times since finishing my building five years ago. And I'm always happy to help.Kevin K (01:04:26.459)that's fantastic. All right, Kerry, well, really appreciate the time and look forward to talking again. All right, take care.Cary (01:04:32.736)Thank you, Kevin. Get full access to The Messy City at kevinklinkenberg.substack.com/subscribe
Welcome to the #ShareYourHotness Podcast episode 137! Jeri Mae Rowley, Speaker ~Trainer~ Saddle Maker's Daughter, shares precious life and leadership lessons from her family's world-famous saddle shop. She has been invited to present keynotes and concurrent sessions in 39 states, Canada, and the US Virgin Islands. Provide leadership, communications, and customer service training for businesses and organizations. Jeri Mae's clientele covers an intriguing variety of industries and organizations: from the Federal Reserve to National Wildlife Preserves; municipalities to multi-media; semiconductor to pet cemeteries; drill bit manufacturing to tropical island resorts. Her resume includes successful experience as a manager, salesperson, state-wide training program administrator, college workforce training director, and college instructor. Jeri Mae has been president of “almost every organization I've belonged to since Lively Livestock 4-H.” She is a past president of the National Speaker's Association's Mountain West Chapter, serving professional speakers in Idaho, Utah, Montana, and Wyoming. She has also served as president of her local Chamber of Commerce, Faculty Senate, Convention and Visitor Bureau, Society of Human Resource Managers, and National Speakers Association. She served on the Boards of the National Speakers Association DC Chapter and the DC Metro Association for Talent Development. Jeri Mae taught Small Business Entrepreneurship, Human Resource Management, and Hospitality Management for sixteen years at Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell, Montana. She is a Certified Instructor for the Montana Department of Commerce NxLeveL Entrepreneurship Course, Travel Montana Superhost Customer Service Training, and the American Hotel and Lodging Association in Management and Marketing. In addition to her teaching duties at Flathead Valley Community College, she served as the college's Workforce Training Director and Statewide Coordinator for Travel Montana's Superhost Customer Service Seminar program. Jeri Mae has received regional, state, and national recognition for her success as a leader and educator, including Montana's Glacier Country Person of the Year, Montana State SHRM “Above and Beyond Award,” and the prestigious “Visiting Scholar Award” from the National Tourism Foundation. Support The #ShareYourHotness Podcast by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-syh-podcast Find out more at https://the-syh-podcast.pinecast.co
The New York Times is suing the US Virgin Islands and the EDA CEO, Wayne Biggs for access to records pertaining to Epstein's activities on the Island.(commercial at 16:20)To contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comSource:https://stthomassource.com/content/2021/09/08/new-york-times-sues-eda-ceo-biggs-for-epstein-documents/Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.
Take to Google, type in “US Virgin Islands” and you'll be met with photos of turquoise waters and smiling faces sipping on drinks atop sparkling white sand. This destination is among the most popular in the Caribbean for vacationers, but it was once at the core of the transatlantic slave trade. Today we discuss what has gone down in history as the 1733 Akwamu Insurrection, an event in which thousands of enslaved Africans took fate into their own hands as they rose up against their oppressors - an event which was among the first, longest running and bloodiest rebellions in North American history. We love our National Parks and we know you do too but when you're out there, remember to enjoy the view but watch your back. Please take a moment to rate and subscribe from wherever you're listening to NPAD! Become part of our Outsider family on Patreon or Apple Subscriptions to gain access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, and more. Follow our socials Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. To share a Trail Tale, suggest a story, access merch, and browse our book recommendations - head over to our website. Thank you so much to our partners, check them out! Acorns: Use our link or download the app to start saving and investing in your future. Lume Deodorant: Control Body Odor ANYWHERE with @lumedeodorant and get 15% off with promo code NPAD at LumeDeodorant.com! #lumepod Prose: Use our link for a free in-depth hair consultation and 50% off your first subscription order. IQBAR: Text PARK to 64000 to get 20% off all IQBAR products and free shipping. Sources NPS, Libcom, NPS History, VINOW, Caribbean Beat, Virgin Islands History, NPCA, NPS 2, The Guardian, Peoples of the Historical Slave Trade, US Department of State, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, WTJX, Virgin Islands Daily News
Dr. Ryan Smolarz is a surgeon based in the US Virgin Islands where he specializes in storage assets across the US. On today's show we are talking about managing the emotional side of investing. To connect with Ryan, visit Stor Partners or text them directly at 602-641-4109. --------------- Our development firm, Y Street Capital is hosting a webinar this coming Tuesday June 25 to discuss a 134 unit mid-rise apartment development project. To register for the webinar, use the following webinar link. ---------------- **Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
Shaun Brian Sells started life in a two-person tent surrounded by plantation ruins in the flats of Coral Bay, St. John, US Virgin Islands. It was in that environment where his love for cooking began– by roaming and foraging through the valley, fishing off his dad's sailboat and cooking for up to eight siblings at a time. Those challenges became the source of his inspiration. At Cudaco on James Island, SC, he brings that inspiration full circle, celebrating sustainable seafood practices and the creativity of the kitchen. Cudaco is part seafood market, part wine shop, part catering, and part casual restaurant with my favorite fried fish sandwich in town and also caviar in the cooler. Shaun's passion is educating guests about lesser known seafood species and how to make them delicious, and since he also serves the wholesale community, his seafood shows up on some of the best Charleston tables too. Shaun was named one of Zagat's 30 Under 30, he's an alumnus of the James Beard Foundation's Boot Camp for policy and change, and a former Senior Chef on the US Virgin Islands Culinary Team.
OWNERS SPEAK TO OWNERS WITH ANDERSON HERBERT (EPL SEASON 6 PODCAST
Today's guest is Ryan Smolarz. Dr. Joseph Ryan Smolarz is the founder of STOR, leveraging his experience as an entrepreneur and Otolaryngology practitioner to guide people toward financial sovereignty. Show summary: In this podcast episode, Dr. Joseph Ryan, a former otolaryngologist and founder of Store Partners, shares his transition from medicine to commercial real estate, focusing on self-storage facilities. He highlights the importance of team building, relationship-driven negotiations, and ethical business practices. Dr. Ryan also discusses his podcast, "Medicine and Money Show," and invites listeners to connect with him for educational discussions on investing. -------------------------------------------------------------- Building Successful Teams (00:00:00) Introduction to the Show (00:00:31) Dr. Joseph Ryan's Background (00:00:44) Transition to Real Estate (00:01:10) MBA and Transition to Real Estate (00:02:08) Challenges and Enlightenment from Higher Education (00:04:27) Transition to Self-Storage Focus (00:09:42) Staying in Self-Storage Lane (00:11:41) Decision-Making and Deal Selection (00:11:47) Managing Capital and Acquisitions (00:13:57) Challenges in Business Growth (00:15:51) Remote Operations and Team Building (00:19:51) Finding Deals and Relationship Building (00:20:59) Building Rapport and Deal Cycles (00:23:26) Conversation with Potential Investors (00:25:03) Conclusion and Call to Action (00:26:19) -------------------------------------------------------------- Connect with Ryan: Web: https://storpartners.com/#/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-ryan-smolarz-4803a81/ Connect with Sam: I love helping others place money outside of traditional investments that both diversify a strategy and provide solid predictable returns. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HowtoscaleCRE/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samwilsonhowtoscalecre/ Email me → sam@brickeninvestmentgroup.com SUBSCRIBE and LEAVE A RATING. Listen to How To Scale Commercial Real Estate Investing with Sam Wilson Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-scale-commercial-real-estate/id1539979234 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4m0NWYzSvznEIjRBFtCgEL?si=e10d8e039b99475f -------------------------------------------------------------- Want to read the full show notes of the episode? Check it out below: *Ryan Smolarz * (00:00:00) - Where I think the, you know, the Alpha lies in building the teams. we have a big focus on that. And, trying to find people who were who were all rowing in the same direction with. I find that super important. you know, the when you know, you have a good team, when one person on the team doesn't like the decision, but everybody else does, and they are rowing even faster in the same direction that everybody else is. Intro (00:00:31) - Welcome to the how to Scale Commercial real Estate show. Whether you are an active or passive investor, we'll teach you how to scale your real estate investing business into something big. Sam Wilson (00:00:44) - Doctor Joseph Ryan is the founder of store. That's. That's spelled excuse me store. He leverages his experience as an entrepreneur and otolaryngology practitioner to guide people toward financial sovereignty. Ryan, welcome to the show. *Ryan Smolarz * (00:00:59) - Hey, thanks for having me. Sam, this is going to be great. Sam Wilson (00:01:02) - Absolutely. The pleasure's mine. Ryan. There are three questions I ask every guest who comes on the show in 90s or less. Sam Wilson (00:01:07) - Can you tell me where did you start? Where are you now? And how did you get there? *Ryan Smolarz * (00:01:10) - I started in 2017. I realized that, going from room to room as a doctor wasn't going to allow me to retire. And, once I decided that I ended up in a month, I was sitting at a desk in the in an MBA program in Miami. And, so we decided to get into commercial real estate. We, built a assisted living home and started an e-commerce company. Like a lot of people kind of, diversified out. And now we're sort of the diverse offering, if that's a word I'm not even sure, down into more of a focus. And, self storage is certainly one of those. And, where we're going, we want to do right by our investors, raise capital and buy, self storage facilities and, you know, do the best we can for, for our people, our investors, the people who believe in us and treat us well. Sam Wilson (00:02:07) - Got it. Sam Wilson (00:02:08) - Now, you're you're an EMT and you decide that you want to do. You said going room to room as a doctor isn't really going to lead us to where we want. So you went to get your MBA? Yeah. It sounds like more education. I mean, you're already super highly educated. So what what was the kind of thinking there or thought process there? And how did you get how did getting an MBA lead you to real estate? *Ryan Smolarz * (00:02:29) - Yeah. So, when I was what happened was, I woke up one morning and decided I wanted to go on a surf trip, and I had no idea how to get into my bank account to see if I had enough money. I didn't even know what bank we banked at. So my wife took care of all of that. and so I realized that, you know what? Maybe, money is not fun tickets. And I should probably take it a little more seriously. Right? So doing the things that I do, I sort of take it to the extreme. *Ryan Smolarz * (00:03:06) - And I was like, well, if I'm going to do this, I'm going to go all the way. So let's learn how to do business and the whole bit. And so, yeah, the next month I was in that MBA program and, kind of spiraled from there. you know, I realized that I really liked it. And in that moment, I became, an investor instead of a consumer. And I can tell you that that was one of the most powerful things that's ever happened to me. or, you know, my children's birth and and raising them and my wife and the relationships, but just the outlook on life. my thought process sort of switch from thinking about, you know, watches or cars or whatever it was to solving the world's problems and, capitalism. And, you know, how can we take those thoughts and, you know, do something with them and change the world for better? And, man, it was life changing. Sam Wilson (00:04:05) - Did you do you feel like you. Sam Wilson (00:04:07) - And I'm going to. I guess when I say this, I don't think of higher education as a place where people typically get enlightened to go be an entrepreneur. Even in the MBA program, how did was just the right school, the right timing? Was that the right people? Like what was the confluence of things that occurred to really inspire this in you? *Ryan Smolarz * (00:04:27) - Yeah. So, you know, I was starting from absolute zero. I didn't know, you know, how a bank worked. I didn't know what an interest rate was, really. I mean, we had a mortgage on our house, but, you know, I was like, oh, it could have been 12, 15, 100. It wasn't. You know, I don't want to change anything for me. I didn't really grasp the concept of, you know what that meant. And, once I figured out that, you know, if you do understand business and you can, you can put these ideas into fruition. that there was always a place that there was, like, this itch I was trying to scratch, and I never could figure out what what it was that was off. *Ryan Smolarz * (00:05:12) - and almost instantaneously, when I made that, that jump, it was completely different. Like, I didn't have that feeling anymore. And so, yes, the MBA, the MBA program was really meant for people who are in that, you know, business, corporate ladder. But I just use the information in a totally different way. Right? I just took what they were telling me and applied it to where I wanted to apply it. and it really worked out perfectly. Sam Wilson (00:05:44) - That's awesome. So you've gone from a guy that doesn't even know where he banks to now running funds, buying self-storage, raising capital. I mean, being very, very in the weeds in the finances. *Ryan Smolarz * (00:05:58) - Absolutely. Yeah. We did it, man. Sam Wilson (00:06:00) - That is that's awesome. So what, outside of the MBA program, how did you then take the next steps to figure out? I know you mentioned the e-commerce business. You mentioned some other things along the way, but kind of give us the, the maybe the modified version of what happened over the last six years to get you where you are now. *Ryan Smolarz * (00:06:18) - Yeah. So I you know, I always had these ideas in my head about things that I wanted the bucket list. Right. What are the things in life that I want to accomplish? And, I had these ideas for some patents. And so, you know, one day I just said, you know what? We're going to write these patents and we're going to push it through the system and see what happens. And so we did, got a patent attorney and, started having the conversations and, wrote two patents. One of them is supposed to launch the product here in a couple of weeks. It's been, you know, almost five, six years of in production. Wow. yeah. So, you know, once I figured out that Wall Street sort of has this language that they don't want retail to know what it means and that, you know, I've been through medical school, got the anatomy under my belt and learn Latin and, you know, all the things that were really difficult to learn. *Ryan Smolarz * (00:07:17) - I said, you know what? I think that, you know, the stereotype of doctors not being able to learn this stuff is just garbage. it was the same thing in flying a plane. You know, people told me that I couldn't be a pilot. I said, that's just garbage. so I'm going to go learn how to do it. And, you know, being a contrarian and it's just sort of the way I think and the, you know, you tell me I can't do something. Okay, well, that means that I'm going to do it. If I want to write, I want to. Sam Wilson (00:07:49) - I would I'm sorry. Go ahead. *Ryan Smolarz * (00:07:51) - No. That's it. Sam Wilson (00:07:52) - I would imagine then that being a contrarian again, in a field where everybody kind of has to play by the rule book has been helpful for you because you stand out. No. *Ryan Smolarz * (00:08:03) - yes and no. there have been certain times where that has certainly worked. not in my favor. but from making that switch from, you know, this ultra conservative, profession to quite the opposite, you know, where the world is, your oyster, kind of scenario. *Ryan Smolarz * (00:08:24) - it was an easy transition for me because it was hard for me to sort of fit into that box and just never, never been that kind of guy. And so, you know, I would come in and say, why don't why don't we do this in surgery? Think of the work a lot better. Oh, that's not what the books say. Right. And so I pushed it a little too far on occasion. with those, you know, mentors and things like that. But I think that, you know, hard work, dedication that's never been a problem. They knew they knew I was working hard. But, you know, it just kind of it was it fit my mentality so well, to make that sort of jump. Sam Wilson (00:09:03) - That's cool. Tell me, how did you get to today your you are through store, which again is store. What is the store partners you said was the website. Is that right? *Ryan Smolarz * (00:09:12) - There's dot com. Yes. Store partners. Com store. Sam Wilson (00:09:16) - Partners.com. Sam Wilson (00:09:17) - You have to go check that out. How how did you get into what you're doing now. Because even that even being in real estate this is yet another. And it sounds like you love to learn. That's one thing I've picked up from our conversation is that I think, calling you a lifelong learner is probably an understatement, but, you know, what you're doing now is even a unique subset of commercial real estate. how did you get into what you're doing now? *Ryan Smolarz * (00:09:42) - Yeah. So, interestingly enough, I remember where I was. I was driving to the airport, and there happened to be a podcast on and I was getting done with my training through the MBA, and I really didn't want that to fall to the wayside. I was pushing hard, to try to use that, if, if nothing else, the mindset. And so there was a guy on there talking about self storage and, I thought, you know, my life is so complicated that what, what I want to do is to find an asset class that is the the most that I can find. *Ryan Smolarz * (00:10:24) - That's not complicated. And, you know, people say that you can look at your set of keys and figure out how complicated your life was. I looked down at my seat and there was like 300 keys on my passenger seat. And I said, man, my life is super complicated. So here's what we're going to do. We're going to go buy a concrete slab with a metal box. And we're going to do that. And, so I went online, try to find the best, person to learn from that that I could in the world. And that's kind of how I do things like, you know, I, I love mentor programs. I love coaching programs. you know, I want to learn from the best. And I always feel like if I don't, then what did I miss? so I ended up in this group, and I've been there since 2000 and really 2018. We started in 17 because I got an a limited partner deal to, to try to learn. And, it's just grown over the time and, you know, got to know and, respect the, the guys in the group. *Ryan Smolarz * (00:11:26) - And so it's almost a lot of, you know, it's as much fun as learning going on a quarterly basis up there to see them. Sam Wilson (00:11:32) - Right? I bet it is. So you've stayed in the self-storage lane the entire time? Yeah. *Ryan Smolarz * (00:11:40) - Yeah. Intro (00:11:41) - Absolutely impressive. Sam Wilson (00:11:42) - Hats literally. Hats off to you. That's impressive. Sam Wilson (00:11:46) - I. Sam Wilson (00:11:47) - I mean, there's temptation. I only speak from personal failure on this front, but I'm sure over the years you've had some really great deals come across your desk and unique opportunities that were outside of the slab in a box methodology that you've, been employing. How have you said no to those? *Ryan Smolarz * (00:12:06) - Well, there's been some times where I have and, you know, it was basically friends and family flipping homes and said, okay, well, here's some capital. Go for it. Right. but I'm just not interested. I don't know it. I, you know, I could probably underwrite it, maybe, but it's a headache, right? I mean, it's just like, it's it's much easier for me to take a self-storage deal, look at the number of, you know, what they're selling it for, for square feet. *Ryan Smolarz * (00:12:34) - I know the the ins and outs. It's kind of like Warren Buffett. You know, he's got you call him up in five minutes later. He knows if he wants to do the due diligence and put it under contract. you know, it's just it's the experience. It's the knowledge. It's knowing who's in the business know, knowing who to call. I mean, it makes me want to vomit, to try to learn, relearn all that. Right? It took me a lot of time to figure that out. Sam Wilson (00:12:58) - No doubt on on that front and that and that kind of learning that, those soft skills to where you can have a deal sent to you and within just a few quick, you know, glances, you're like, yes, no or maybe investigate further. I mean, that's a, that's a, that's a hard earned skill set. And even even yesterday I had somebody had a broker send me a deal and I just called her back and said, hey, you know what? If I offer on this, it's going to be one less than one half of what the list price is. Sam Wilson (00:13:28) - And here's three key reasons why you want to draw it up. Knock yourself out. But that's about where I'm going to be. Yeah. She you know she understood it. But having that innate kind of, you know, built an understanding of what what it takes to make those sorts of deals go around is, is really, really powerful. So you are a full time EMT. You work really hard during the week. You are running your and tell me what is the structure or current structure of what it is that you do, or you guys running a fund or you doing a deal by deal syndication? What what is that? *Ryan Smolarz * (00:13:57) - Yeah. So it's a series LLC. so there are barriers between each deal. so if you invest in one deal, you're not invest is not a blind pool. it's basically a syndication under a holding company is really what it is. So syndication on syndication on syndication. and so going through that process, my main focus these days is the fund manager role of a fund. *Ryan Smolarz * (00:14:25) - That's sort of where my, passion lies. And to be able to, you know, to, to do all of those components, which is super fascinating to me and super boring to everybody else. I absolutely love it. and so to be able to do that in self storage, which I have a fair knowledge base on and bring in the right people, it's it's just been it's been fabulous and, almost. Well, it is life changing for me, right. Sam Wilson (00:14:56) - Does that, what was I going to ask you on that it was or are you guys allocating capital? Are you guys actually buying the deals yourself and running them? *Ryan Smolarz * (00:15:05) - Yeah. So it started off as allocating capital. we were almost like a debt fund for equity. that's how I can describe it. but now we've moved into our own space. we have a acquisition team that we're building, and, we're going to do it all in all in house, under the under our roof. And, you know, if there's a development deal and we decide to JV with, with another sponsor, or firm, then so be it. *Ryan Smolarz * (00:15:34) - But right now we're, we're focused on acquisition and, that's, that's sort of where the bread and butter lies for us. Sam Wilson (00:15:41) - What has been probably the, number one lesson or maybe the hardest thing that you've had to solve in growing a business like what you're doing right now. *Ryan Smolarz * (00:15:51) - Oh, it's certainly. Well, one thing is timing. Like when the capital comes in versus when the the deal closes and, and trying to make all that work is, sometimes just torture. but the other thing that I think is more kind of, you know, the 30,000 foot view where where I think the, you know, the Alpha lies in building the teams. we have a big focus on that. And, trying to find people who were who were all rowing in the same direction with. I find that super important. you know, the when you know, you have a good team, when one person on the team doesn't like the decision, but everybody else does, and they are rowing even faster in the same direction that everybody else is. Sam Wilson (00:16:43) - What do you when you. Can you explain that a little bit further? If what I heard was you saying that you may have a team member that doesn't necessarily agree? With the decision, but yet is still meaningfully participating in and helping everybody push in that direction. Is that. Sam Wilson (00:16:59) - Right? *Ryan Smolarz * (00:16:59) - Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. And it may be me that disagrees in the other part. People on the team want to push forward. It really depends on the scenario. But if you're out in the middle of the ocean, everybody thinks that, you know, North America is to the left and Asia is on the right, and you got to get to the, the, the place that's closest. If everybody wants to go to the right and you want to go to the left in the decisions made, you paddle as hard as you can and, and to the right and, you know, you're you're all in. So this is, you know, a team sport. It's not an individual sport, and it's full contact. *Ryan Smolarz * (00:17:38) - there is no doubt about it. Commercial real estate is full contact sport. Sam Wilson (00:17:42) - It is indeed. You're based in the US Virgin Islands. Where do you guys buy? And I'm imagining that you're not buying. All right. There in the Virgin Islands. No. So how do you do that? *Ryan Smolarz * (00:17:56) - Yeah. So we spend hours and hours talking about our buy box, and it's constantly changing. Right. What do we buy? Right now? It's over 20,000ft². It's in the Sunbelt states and only states that we feel are good for business. as you you can just take property taxes, right? We have and we look across our portfolio and you can just look at that line item on the due diligence on the, on the PNL. And you can almost tell right looking looking back, one place will be three times more than the other one. Right? with the market rates being fairly similar and just with that data point alone. Hey, you know what? We're going to the one that's more business friendly. Sam Wilson (00:18:47) - Yeah. There's no doubt behind, behind your principal and interest payments, property taxes, are probably going to be your second greatest, expense, unfortunately. Generally, you can do nothing about you can contest, but, you know, good luck if you just bought it and they, reassess at your latest sale price depending on what the state is. So that's, What's that now? *Ryan Smolarz * (00:19:12) - Oh, we look a ton at, dividing up the goodwill, you know, for those purposes. so we don't get hit with that extra income. That's just for goodwill. It's not on the property. we have a person. We're going to have a on the podcast. I think it's next Wednesday. Who not only does cost eggs, but he fights property taxes on the increases, like that's his job. And so we keep him very busy, and, it's awesome. And, you know, I hope he never retires. Sam Wilson (00:19:42) - Tell me about building team. I guess, you know, again, building it remotely. You guys, I'm sure you still have staff, at the front desk at these facilities. Sam Wilson (00:19:51) - Maybe you don't. I don't know, you could maybe if you can break down a little bit of your kind of operations and how you guys run that from so far away. *Ryan Smolarz * (00:20:00) - Yeah. So a lot of it. And self-storage. I mean, these are, C plus B minus facilities. there are, there's a few of them that have, management on site, but not many of them. A lot of it's done remotely. We have, the coined the term, chief petty officer. So, there is someone that at least goes by once or twice a week to make sure that the, you know, there's no garbage on the ground that the the lawn, people who are coming by to keep everything up. you know, there are instances where, you know, we get calls and say, hey, we we need a locker. Like, okay, the keys are in the back, right corner. Right. and, move your stuff in. And, you know, here's the way you pay. *Ryan Smolarz * (00:20:46) - So there is there's components of it that are, you know, offsite, onsite. It really just depends on the facility and what works for the community and all the all the things. Sam Wilson (00:20:59) - Yeah. Self storage has been a hot asset class for a number of years. How are you guys finding deals that pencil in today's interest rate and also competitive you know buying environment. *Ryan Smolarz * (00:21:13) - Yeah. So our last deal was bought on seller financing at a cumulative rate of about 2.8%. yeah. So we. Yeah, that definitely helps it. Pencil. There's no doubt about it. We love Utah. you know, a lot of it's this marketing engine that I talk about ad nauseum over and over. It's, you know, having dialers and bringing deals to the table where really our focus is, to close that deal where everybody wins. Right? Because what we don't want is our name to get out there as sort of a, you know, a a firm that's trying to squeeze. So there's certainly times we leave some on the table, to, you know, keep that reputation intact. *Ryan Smolarz * (00:22:12) - we love to keep up with our sellers, you know, to see what they're doing. And, you know, when I'm in the town of a previous owner, then, you know, maybe we'll go to dinner or something like that. you know, we're really not in the commercial real estate business as far as I'm concerned. We're in the relationship building. sort of. That's what we do, is build relationships. And, I think that goes a long way. And with you, if you go into, you know, a negotiation with that in mind is how can we all win walking away from the table? I think that's powerful. And I think that that brings, you know, sort of a little bit of a competitive advantage to our group. Sam Wilson (00:23:00) - It takes time. Sam Wilson (00:23:02) - To. Sam Wilson (00:23:02) - Time and effort to build those types of relationships. What would you say your average from the first day you look at a deal and say, I'm interested in that to when you finally get a deal closed. Do you think that, do you think your number of days in kind of transaction, or considering a transaction to getting it closed is longer than other people's cycles? Maybe. *Ryan Smolarz * (00:23:26) - Maybe, it's tough for me to say. I mean, I I'm in contact with quite a few firms that are doing the same thing. I would assume that we're a little bit, outside the norm. just on the the real front end of building that rapport. but with our, you know, standard operating procedures in place, I think we'd catch up on that a little bit as we go through the deal. Sam Wilson (00:23:55) - Right. No, that makes sense. And I'm not suggesting that's a that's a bad thing. I was just thinking that, you know, if you're thinking about employing this, which it sounds like an incredibly sound strategy, but that you just need to know that you need to put the time in. I guess at the short, short summary there is that this takes time to build those relationships, but it does pay off there in the in the long haul. So that's very, very cool. Ryan, we've talked about a lot of things, everything from kind of your story as an EMT, going to school, how you got involved in commercial real estate. Sam Wilson (00:24:27) - I love the singular focus that you've had over the last six, 7 to 7 years now. and just kind of how you've built out your company, the way you guys are finding opportunity right now. So much here to learn. one thing we didn't talk about was that you have your own podcast. So if you're listening to this, check out Ryan's Medicine and Money show. if I had the pleasure of being on that show at one point. So check that out. That's, that's also another way that you can connect with Ryan. if our listeners want to get in touch with you and learn more about you, what are some other ways they could do that? *Ryan Smolarz * (00:25:03) - Yeah. So on our website, store, store partners.com, there's a button you can click. and that will take you directly to our calendar, Lee or Calendly. And, you can have a conversation with us. a lot of our focus on these calls is about, if we can provide value and some sort of education, you know, not necessarily pushing to, you know, come into one of our deals to me, if a person's not comfortable, with the investment, it really may not be the right time or place for to place that capital. *Ryan Smolarz * (00:25:42) - And so we really focus a lot on that. we love talking to, you know, the, the potential investors, CPAs or financial advisors or whoever the case may be. So, you know, bring it and, you know, we will do our best to answer every question that that comes up. I'm on LinkedIn, Joseph Ryan, small hours. You can check me out. and, Yeah, that's probably the two best places. Sam Wilson (00:26:11) - Sounds like a winner. Ryan, thank you again for coming on the show today. I certainly appreciate it. *Ryan Smolarz * (00:26:16) - Absolutely. And I appreciate you having me. Sam Wilson (00:26:19) - Hey, thanks for listening to the How to Scale Commercial Real Estate podcast. If you can do me a favor and subscribe and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, whatever platform it is you use to listen. If you can do that for us, that would be a fantastic help to the show. It helps us both attract new listeners as well as rank higher on those directories. So appreciate you listening. Sam Wilson (00:26:41) - Thanks so much and hope to catch you on the next episode.