Commercial Property Executive

Commercial Property Executive
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Commercial Property Executive's podcast channel explores issues within the commercial real estate industry, including trends, legislation impacting the sector and insights from leading industry figures.

  1. Alternative Disruptors: The 'All of the Above' Approach for Data Centers

    FEB 26

    Alternative Disruptors: The 'All of the Above' Approach for Data Centers

    After the U.S.'s nearly 20-year stretch of little to no electricity load growth, we’re now shifting into an age where new investments are needed to sustain the pace of demand from AI and hyperscale data center users. Current U.S. data center market trends point to ever-increasing levels of development complexity, with gigawatt-scale campuses now a reality. Tom Traugott, SVP of emerging technologies at EdgeCore Digital Infrastructure joins us on this second episode of Alternative Disruptors to discuss this new paradigm, breaking down what the baseline will be from 2026 onward. “I think the industry has started to recognize that there's four dimensions that can slow down AI. Those are chips, data, networking throughput and power. Power is the lowest ceiling we’re encountering right now.” Unlocking new megawatts, or even stranded ones, will take a new approach to capex investment. From regulatory realignment to utilizing on-site generation and flexible loads, the data center sector is getting ready to solve these challenges from all angles possible, or, as Tom puts it, the “all of the above approach". Here’s a breakdown of the discussion: (00:00) Introduction(00:50) Meet Tom Traugott(01:17) EdgeCore’s strategy shift(05:11) The power wall & unlocking gigwatts(09:27) Grid flexibility playbook(11:32) What energy alternatives are viable?(14:03) Nat gas now, nuclear later(19:24) Speed economics pressure(20:58) New AI scaling laws(25:59) Bottlenecks: cooling, supply chains, labor shortage(30:56) Community relations(33:16) Liquid cooling reality check & heat risks, redundancy(39:21) Sustainability offsets & the grid(44:27) Three bold bets for 2026(50:05) Closing thanks & outro

    51 min
  2. Sustainability Street: Data Centers Reach a Crossroads

    FEB 26

    Sustainability Street: Data Centers Reach a Crossroads

    Welcome back to Sustainability Street, our podcast on the intersection of commercial real estate and the world we live in. For this episode, I am talking about data centers and sustainability with Suhail Tayeb, an investor, developer and the director of the Center for the Sustainable Built Environment at New York University's Shack's Institute of Real Estate within the School of Professional Studies. As data centers proliferate across the country, there's been backlash from communities and environmentalists about the speed at which they've consumed land, power and water.Some concerns are valid, Tayeb said, but the reality is much more layered. Well-planned projects digital infrastructure projects have gotten lumped in with poorly sited and poorly communicated ones.   "Talking to people, letting them know what's going to happen, what are the effects, what are the impacts," he said. "That's what determines whether these projects are responsible or disruptive." Tayeb explains how data centers differ from traditional real estate, and that, as data centers transition from their speed phase to their strategy phase, how they source their energy and justify their presence locally, will make the difference between success and failure. Here are the key topics our conversation covered: (1:24) Student and teacher of sustainable construction(4:23) Why data centers are not really real estate at all(9:26) Exit the speed phase; enter the strategy phase(10:55) Data centers and power generation(14:48) Innovations in sustainable construction(18:51) Recommendations for data center developers

    20 min
  3. Investment Matters: CRE Finance Maven

    FEB 20

    Investment Matters: CRE Finance Maven

    Lisa Pendergast leads one of the industry’s most influential organizations and is a top capital markets analyst to boot, but she discovered her professional passion almost by accident. An English major with her eye on law school, she was hired as a writer by a major institutional investor. The opportunity to learn the finance business from brilliant minds proved to be, as she puts it, “the cheapest MBA anybody ever got.” Fast forward a few decades, and Pendergast serves as president & CEO of Commercial Real Estate Finance Council. Before taking on her current role, she was a member of the organization’s Board of Governors and served as its 2010-2011 president. She’s held senior positions at Jeffries LLC, an affiliate of Leucadia National Corporation, as well as the Royal Bank of Scotland. In this conversation, she shares takeaways from the organization’s recent national conference in Miami, describing the event’s upbeat mood. She reveals insights from CREFC’s latest national sentiment survey, and discusses why this ellwether indicator is approaching its record high. Also during this podcast, Pendergast discusses today’s key policy issues and how CREFC is informing regulators about the issues that hamper the industry. As one of the top securitization experts in the business, she gives us her take on the state of CMBS and CLOs. In this conversation, she shares takeaways from the organization’s recent national conference in Miami, describing the event’s upbeat mood. She reveals insights from CREFC’s latest national sentiment survey, and discusses why this bellwether indicator is approaching its record high. Also during this podcast, Pendergast discusses today’s key policy issues and how CREFC is informing regulators about the issues that hamper the industry. As one of the top securitization experts in the business, she gives us her take on the state of CMBS and CLOs. Take a listen! Episode highlights: (1:05) Top takeaways from Miami(3:27) Asset performance insights(5:51) Maturities and the Fed’s next moves(8:09) Taking the pulse of CRE finance(11:38) Economic indicators to watch(13:04) Office-to-resi conversions: NYC and beyond(17:17) “The cheapest MBA anybody ever got”(22:09) CLOS on the rise(24:51) CMBS and federal policy(29:45) Navigating regulator relations(34:03) New path for the GSEs?(36:55) How the GSEs can address affordability(38:10) Executive off the clock: the garden and the links

    44 min
  4. RICS Monitor: Why 2026 Is a Market of Specific Opportunities

    FEB 16

    RICS Monitor: Why 2026 Is a Market of Specific Opportunities

    Commercial real estate sentiment is improving globally, but the recovery is far from uniform, according to the results of the latest surveys released by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in London. The Americas, led by the U.S., are seeing clearer signs of momentum, while parts of Europe remain cautious and Asia Pacific presents a mixed picture. Geopolitical risks, policy shifts and sector-specific headwinds remain very real, so focusing on specific cities and property types where fundamentals genuinely support growth will be key going forward as broad regional bets may no longer work.

    24 min
  5. Sustainability Street: Why Heat Is a Business Risk

    JAN 22

    Sustainability Street: Why Heat Is a Business Risk

    Welcome back to Sustainability Street, our podcast on the intersection of commercial real estate and the world we live in. My guest for this episode is Savills Vice Chair Katrina Kostic Samen, who heads the company's Workplace Studio. She and I discuss "Heat and Humanity: Protecting People and Building a Resilient Future," a white paper that she co-wrote with Jose Ramirez, co-lead of Savills Human Capital Solutions group. The white paper examines the impacts of the global warming crisis on workplaces, particularly office buildings, and on occupant behavior. And it highlights examples of buildings whose owners are facing the crisis head-on with adaption strategies.  "It's not just a comfort issue," Samen said. "It's a critical business risk if our people are not performing, and if they're making mistakes. And so that's really, ultimately, what I want to make sure that we bring back to the table." Samen has a global view of workplace design trends, and her insights are unique and thought-provoking. Here are the key topics our conversation covered: (1:24) Workplace design guru(3:16) The post-COVID workplace(4:26) Why air conditioning is a band-aid(7:34) The mental impacts of heat(9:40) Aligning with sustainability goals(12:44) What can employers, owners do(18:28) What the U.S. can learn from the world(25:10) Samen's call to action

    27 min
  6. Investment Matters: Inside Mapletree's Growth Spurt

    JAN 6

    Investment Matters: Inside Mapletree's Growth Spurt

    Over the past five years, it’s been a real rocket ship ride in the U.S. for Mapletree Investments. That’s the apt description of Rich Prokup, who leads US operations for the Singapore-based firm and is the guest on this episode. Under Prokup’s leadership, Mapletree has become one of the industrial sector’s fastest-growing, most prolific investors and developers. In just a few short years, the company has created a U.S. footprint that now encompasses five offices, 150 team members and half a billion dollars of product in development. In this conversation, Prokup tells why the company is focusing on development in 2026, and what will be driving leasing demand. He outlines the biggest challenges that owners and their clients will face. Prokup is also an accomplished musician, and that seems to reveal what appeals to him most about his profession. As he puts it: “Real estate is a very creative business. You’re not spending time focusing on how to save a half a penny on 10 million widgets.” Take a listen.

    33 min
  7. Step Into My Office: Friedman Properties’ Reposition, Reimagine, Rebuild Take

    12/22/2025

    Step Into My Office: Friedman Properties’ Reposition, Reimagine, Rebuild Take

    After several years of hybrid experimentation, the office market is still in reset mode. Vacancy remains elevated, sublease space is reshaping availabilities, whereas tenants are rethinking every square foot. There’s a clear divide emerging between buildings that deliver a commute-worthy experience and those that don’t, with flex options, spec suites and hospitality-style amenities increasingly setting the tone. In this episode of Step Into My Office, CPE’s Olivia Bunescu talked with Friedman Properties’ Vice President of Leasing and Acquisitions Brian Chernett about the current market fundamentals and how those are unfolding, specifically across the company’s portfolio. Drawing on Friedman’s concentrated mixed-use footprint in Chicago, Chernett explained how a tightly defined portfolio can weather market volatility and why curated experiences have become central to their strategy. He also touched on how tenants are using office space today: from small and mid-sized users driving leasing velocity to companies testing flexible layouts before committing to a space long-term. The reality of today’s office is a “tale of two markets,” dividing amenity-rich trophy and Class A assets from older commodity buildings that struggle to keep up. Here’s what they discussed about: Vacancy, sublease space and momentum (01:17)A “tale of two” office markets emerges (02:42)How RTO policies are reshaping demand (04:32)Which tenants are expanding—and which are waiting (06:23)How workplace design and decision-making are evolving (07:09)Inside Friedman Properties’ River North ecosystem strategy (11:37)Historic buildings, modern systems and tenant experience (16:06)Acquisition red flags and “highest and best use” (17:39)Two flavors of flex and what tenants really want (19:27)Office sector outlook and why 2026 could be pivotal (24:05)

    26 min
  8. Sustainability Street: COP30 Recap With Liz Beardsley

    12/17/2025

    Sustainability Street: COP30 Recap With Liz Beardsley

    Welcome back to Sustainability Street, our podcast on the intersection of commercial real estate and the world we live in. My guest for this episode is Liz Beardsley, senior policy counsel for the U.S. Green Building Council. I spoke to Beardsley shortly after her return from COP30, the United Nations Climate Change Conference held last month in Belém, Brazil. Each year, nearly 200 countries participate in COP, or Conference of the Parties, to negotiate international treaties, assess progress on previous treaties, especially the Paris agreement, and develop strategies for reducing emissions and strengthening resilience. The U.S. did not send a negotiating delegate this year, and there was no U.S. pavilion. But subnational representatives and the private sector made a strong showing, according to Beardsley. Resilience was a key focus at the conference along with emissions reduction, Beardsley said. While there has been a significant downcurve in emissions globally, the world is already at 1.2 or 1.3 degrees Celsius, and current Nationally Determined Contributions are not enough to maintain global warming to the Paris agreement's 1.5 degree Celsius target. "We understand that we need to do more faster," Beardsley said. "That was the focus. It was really on scaling and doing more, not doing less." Here are some of the topics our conversation covered: (1:34) What is COP?(6:15) The U.S. presence at COP(12:38) Buildings on the global stage(18:49) Near-zero buildings defined(21:54) The emphasis on resilience(27:19) Why fossil fuels are hard to eliminate(28:46) Big takeaways

    32 min
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About

Commercial Property Executive's podcast channel explores issues within the commercial real estate industry, including trends, legislation impacting the sector and insights from leading industry figures.

Information

  • Creator
    Commercial Property Executive
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    166
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Commercial Property Executive
  • Show Website
    Commercial Property Executive

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