NWA Investing

Brian Wagers, Zach Stanley, & Brandon Still
  • 4.9 (14)
  • Investing
  • Updated Weekly

Northwest Arkansas's go-to show for real estate agents, brokers, and investors looking to zoom in on the local market. Join us as we sit down with the leading voices in the area to hear how they're investing in NWA. Hosted by (in order from left to right) Brian Wagers, Zach Stanley, and Brandon Still.

  1. 5d ago

    Ep. 96 - How Selling Quesadillas Out His Back Door Led to a 200-Unit Development in Springdale with Omar Kasim of Plomo Quesadillas

    We sat down with Omar Kasim, founder of Plomo Quesadillas, inside his flagship location on Dickson Street in Fayetteville, a building he now owns. Omar graduated magna cum laude from the University of Arkansas in three years and has spent the decade since quietly building one of the most interesting business and real estate portfolios in Northwest Arkansas. → Protect your investment with TCS Property Management→ Keep the closing table stress-free with Advantage Title & Escrow In this episode, we dig into how Omar turned a $5,000 back-door quesadilla experiment into a three-location brand and how he bought a 100-year-old school building in downtown Springdale. We also cover why downtown Springdale is still producing deals that Bentonville and Fayetteville stopped offering years ago, and what he'd do with $20,000 and a fresh start in Northwest Arkansas today. 00:00 – Restaurant vs. real estate: the difference04:00 – The speakeasy origin of Plomo Quesadillas13:00 – Getting told no by investors21:00 – The $60,000 property: Omar's first real estate lesson26:00 – Bidding $635,000 on a 100-year-old school building30:00 – Why downtown Springdale still makes sense35:00 – How Omar bought this Dickon Street building43:00 – Fire round Follow us on LinkedIn NWA Investing Follow us on Instagram NWA Investing Watch us on YouTube NWA Investing

  2. Sep 16

    Ep. 95 - Bringing Alice Walton's Vision for Health and Wellness in Northwest Arkansas to Life with Scott Eccleston (Recorded at Heartland Whole Health Institute)

    We sat down with Scott Eccleston, President of Campus Planning and Facility Management for Art and Wellness Enterprises, inside the Heartland Whole Health Institute in Bentonville, the building he helped bring from sketch to reality. Scott is the person Alice Walton has trusted for nearly two decades to turn her vision for art, health, and wellness into one of the most ambitious campus developments in the country, and this conversation pulls back the curtain on all of it. → Protect your investment with TCS Property Management→ Keep the closing table stress-free with Advantage Title & Escrow In this episode, we walk through the origin story of Crystal Bridges, the Frank Lloyd Wright house shipped across the country in two JB Hunt trucks, and the moment Alice introduced a fifth pillar ~ wellness ~ that changed everything. We also dig into the Heartland Whole Health Institute, the Alice Walton School of Medicine, and the newly announced STEM University rising on the old Walmart Home Office site. 00:00 – How Scott began his career with Alice Walton04:00 – Crystal Bridges17:00 – The Momentary21:00 – Transporting the Frank Lloyd Wright house35:00 – The Heartland Whole Health Institute39:00 – Alice L. Walton's School of Medicine43:00 – The STEM University53:00 – Fire round Follow us on LinkedIn NWA Investing Follow us on Instagram NWA Investing Watch us on YouTube NWA Investing

  3. Sep 2

    Ep. 94 - The One Move that Took a Half-Empty NWA Office Building to 86% Occupied in 1 Year with T.J. Lefler (Recorded at Blume Bentonville)

    We sat down with TJ Lefler (founder of Lefler Capital and former principal at Sage Partners) inside Blume, a nine-story Class A office tower he acquired across from the original Walmart Home Office and transformed into one of Bentonville's most talked-about amenity-driven workplaces. TJ has built a portfolio of roughly 30 commercial properties worth more than $250 million across Arkansas, and this conversation is a masterclass in how he evaluates deals. → Protect your investment with TCS Property Management→ Keep the closing table stress-free with Advantage Title & Escrow In this episode, we dig into how TJ underwrites value-add commercial deals when a building is half empty, why cap rates are largely irrelevant until a property is stabilized, and the GP structure that allowed him to take a $4 million renovation from acquisition to 86% occupancy in just over a year. We also cover why NWA office is outperforming national trends, the warehouse asset class he can't stop buying, and the honest advice he gives every young investor starting with limited capital. 00:00 – TJ's gut-driven approach to value-add acquisitions in NWA04:00 – Why The Blume exists09:00 – How TJ structures deals with investors13:00 – Going from 50% to 86% occupied in a year17:00 – hat TJ learned from 16 years as a broker21:00 – Cap rates and leverage26:00 – Why NWA office is thriving (while the national market struggles)30:00 – Class A vs. Class B office in NWA35:00 – Advice for young investors39:00 – Fire round Follow us on LinkedIn NWA Investing Follow us on Instagram NWA Investing Watch us on YouTube NWA Investing

  4. Aug 19

    Ep. 93 - How to Invest in the Innovation Economy Coming for Northwest Arkansas with Josh Saffran (Recorded at The Gent's Place on the Walmart Campus)

    We sat down with Josh Saffran, co-owner of The Gents Place in Bentonville, and Director of Plug and Play Northwest Arkansas, inside the brand-new speakeasy business lounge on the Walmart Home Office campus to talk about what it actually takes to build a business, scale it without losing its soul, and invest across multiple vehicles without chasing a quick buck. → Protect your investment with TCS Property Management→ Keep the closing table stress-free with Advantage Title & Escrow In this episode, we dig into Josh's journey from CPG executive to entrepreneur, the systems behind one of NWA's most experience-driven businesses, and what Plug and Play's Silicon Valley playbook reveals about where NWA is headed as a startup and innovation hub. We also cover why Josh thinks most investors are dangerously under-diversified, what it was like to be hand-selected by Walmart for their new campus, and why networking in this market isn't optional — it's the whole game! 00:00 – Josh's strategy for building long-term wealth04:00 – From CPG executive to entrepreneur09:00 – The early lessons of owning a labor-intensive business13:00 – What makes The Gents Place more than a barbershop22:00 – What to delegate and what to hold when scaling a business26:00 – Inside Plug and Play Northwest Arkansas30:00 – Is NWA the next Austin?34:00 – Being hand-selected by Walmart for their new campus39:00 – 25 years of investing wisdom44:00 – Fire round Follow us on LinkedIn NWA Investing Follow us on Instagram NWA Investing Watch us on YouTube NWA Investing

  5. Aug 5

    Ep. 92 - The NWA Investor Playbook: Pricing, Maintenance, & Tenant Retention with Joe Puggi & Kim Minnis of TCS Management

    We sat down with Joe Puggi and Kim Minnis of TCS Management (a Philadelphia-based property management company now operating across 16 states and nearly 5,500 doors) on-site at Parkside at Lowell in Northwest Arkansas to talk about what separates investors who build lasting portfolios from those who quietly bleed money on a property they thought was performing. → Protect your investment with TCS Property Management→ Keep the closing table stress-free with Advantage Title & Escrow In this episode, we dig into the questions every investor should be asking before hiring a property management company, why maintenance and vacancy are where most investors lose the most money, and what out-of-state investors consistently get wrong about NWA's sub-markets. We also cover TCS's unique agent-driven leasing model, the role of AI in modernizing operations, and why Joe says the minute you get off the plane in Northwest Arkansas, you can feel the difference from every other market they operate in. 00:00 – What separates investors who thrive from those who struggle04:00 – TCS: from Philadelphia to 16 states09:00 – Questions to ask when vetting a property management company13:00 – How TCS uses social media marketing to fill vacancies faster than competitors17:00 – Where investors lose the most money22:00 – What makes NWA tenants different from every other market26:00 – Breaking down NWA sub-markets30:00 – The agent-driven leasing model34:00 – Fire round: biggest investor mistakes37:00 – What excites TCS most about Northwest Arkansas Follow us on LinkedIn NWA Investing Follow us on Instagram NWA Investing Watch us on YouTube NWA Investing

  6. Jul 22

    Ep. 91 - The Most Expensive Landscaping Mistakes Property Owners Make with Eric Hill of Fay-Ark Lawn Co.

    We sat down with Eric Hill, founder of Fay-Ark Lawn Co., at a property Eric's crew just finished (Zach's own home) to talk about what it actually takes to build one of the fastest-growing landscape companies in Northwest Arkansas from scratch. Eric started mowing lawns his junior year of high school in 2018, and today he's running 15 crews and 43 employees, nearly doubling year over year. → Protect your investment with TCS Property Management→ Keep the closing table stress-free with Advantage Title & Escrow We get into why cheap landscaping costs property owners far more in the long run, how Eric scaled a service business through delegation, software, and systems, and what developers and investors should be thinking about before they ever break ground. We also cover drainage mistakes that kill property values, the ROI of outdoor living space, and the branding move that made his company look twice its size overnight. 00:00 – How Eric won the job at Zach's house04:00 – Why cheap landscaping creates expensive problems down the road08:00 – Starting Fay-Ark Lawn Co. in high school13:00 – The software systems that gave Eric's team transparency and ownership17:00 – Scaling quality: sign-off sheets, crew leads, and communication21:00 – Vendors vs. true partners25:00 – Red flags to watch for when hiring landscapers31:00 – When to invest vs. maintain35:00 – Why developers should involve landscapers early39:00 – Landscaping ROI before a sale44:00 – Fire round Follow us on LinkedIn NWA Investing Follow us on Instagram NWA Investing Watch us on YouTube NWA Investing

  7. Jul 8

    Ep. 90 - How to Know When to Pass on a Real Estate Deal with Tom Allen (Recorded at The Visionaries Building)

    We sat down with Tom Allen, executive vice president at Cushman & Wakefield | Sage Partners (and the man overseeing Hunt Ventures' entire commercial real estate portfolio across Northwest Arkansas) inside the brand-new The Visionaries building in Rogers, a 400,000-square-foot development in the Pinnacle area. → Protect your investment with TCS Property Management→ Keep the closing table stress-free with Advantage Title & Escrow We dig into what out-of-state investors consistently get wrong about the NWA market, how Tom filters deals on character before he ever looks at the numbers, and the underwriting principles that have kept Hunt Ventures ahead of every market cycle. We also cover the triple-net lease shift reshaping Class A office rents, Tom's step-by-step roadmap for young investors starting with limited capital, and why he believes the single best financial decision of his career was one he chose not to make. HIGHLIGHTS 00:00 – Inside The Visionaries building04:00 – The "love where you work" design philosophy09:00 – Tenant profile: Nestle13:00 – What out-of-state investors get wrong about Northwest Arkansas17:00 – Why relationships with tenants matter more than lease language22:00 – Humility, abundance mindset, and what keeps Tom calm on big deals27:00 – Patience as a deal filter31:00 – Risk vs. uncertainty in NWA35:00 – Training young investors39:00 – Rapid fire43:00 – The best financial decision Tom ever made Follow us on LinkedIn NWA Investing Follow us on Instagram NWA Investing Watch us on YouTube NWA Investing

  8. Jun 24

    Ep. 89 - Why NASCAR Legend Mark Martin is Investing in Northwest Arkansas (Recorded at Marque Collection Suites)

    We sat down with NASCAR legend Mark Martin (40 Cup Series wins, nearly 100 top-three finishes) at the Marque Collection Suites in Rogers to talk about what actually separates high performers who burn out from those who enjoy the ride, and WHY he wishes he'd learned that lesson decades sooner. → Protect your investment with TCS Property Management→ Keep the closing table stress-free with Advantage Title & Escrow In this episode, we walk through Mark's rise from Arkansas dirt tracks to NASCAR, the brutal financial collapse that wiped him out in his early 20s, and the disciplined rebuild that followed — including the compound-interest investing strategy that set him and his wife up for life. We also dig into mentorship, why he moved to Northwest Arkansas, and what the Marquee Collection means for local investors and car enthusiasts. HIGHLIGHTS 00:00 – Mindset, discipline, and why winning isn't everything04:00 – Rediscovering joy in racing07:00 – Work ethic rooted in family12:00 – Rebuilding from scratch15:00 – Mentors and how they evolve as you grow20:00 – Life after NASCAR24:00 – Building wealth slowly31:00 – Why Mark moved to Northwest Arkansas33:00 – Inside the Marque Collection Suites36:00 – Fire round Follow us on LinkedIn NWA Investing Follow us on Instagram NWA Investing Watch us on YouTube NWA Investing

See All (96)

4.9
out of 5
14 Ratings

About

Northwest Arkansas's go-to show for real estate agents, brokers, and investors looking to zoom in on the local market. Join us as we sit down with the leading voices in the area to hear how they're investing in NWA. Hosted by (in order from left to right) Brian Wagers, Zach Stanley, and Brandon Still.

Information

  • Creator
    Brian Wagers, Zach Stanley, & Brandon Still
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    96
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 NWA Investing

You Might Also Like