The data center industry is losing the public narrative, and CENSAI has the survey numbers to prove it. In this Founder Series episode, Ryan Elazari sits down with Devin Boesen, Director of Population and Migration Products, and Jon Liggett, Head of Data and Partnerships at CENSAI, to dig into what population intelligence actually reveals about how Americans move, where they avoid, and why the stories being told about climate migration and data center opposition don't always match the data. CENSAI was built during COVID, when census data was stale, U-Haul surveys were passing as market intelligence, and nobody could answer basic questions about where people were actually going, at the income level, the building level, or the zip code level. Devin and Jon explain how individual-level address history going back to 2009 became the foundation of a platform now used for multifamily diligence, student housing underwriting, and Snowbird market analysis across South Florida. The conversation covers climate migration in detail: why the prediction of a great Midwest exodus isn't showing up in the data, what is actually happening along the Gulf Coast and in markets like Tampa and Orlando, and how insurance cycles interact with, but don't fully explain, where people move. They also address AI, specifically what has changed inside CENSAI in the last three months and why the real advantage isn't the chat layer everyone is bolting onto their products. And they share fresh survey data on data center sentiment: 44 percent of respondents oppose a data center near their home, a more negative reaction than they have to power plants, gas lines, battery storage facilities, or nuclear reactors. Show Notes: 00:10: Welcome to the Founders' Series 02:03: Window seat or aisle seat: travel icebreakers 04:25: Morning routines before the workday starts 06:09 How Devin and Jon met? 13:54: CENSAI's founding: the data gap COVID exposed 18:39: First sales call: proving a Bronx rehab added value 23:41: South Florida Snowbird analysis and the retail development decision 24:58: Insurance withdrawal, reinsurance cycles, and coastal markets 30:45: The Midwest climate haven myth: what the migration data actually shows 34:57: How AI has changed CENSAI's workflows in the last three months 43:06: Data center sentiment: why the industry is losing the public narrative 53:33 Has the data changed where you would raise your family? 56:51 Advice that stuck 1:00:34 Ryan's Postgame Recap ABOUT THE GUESTS Devin Boesen is Director of Population and Migration Products at CENSAI, where she leads the development of the platform's consumer and demographic intelligence. She holds a master's in Economics from George Mason University and completed a graduate fellowship at the Mercatus Center. Jon Liggett is Head of Data and Partnerships at CENSAI, with a background in macro trading, hedge fund allocation, and building proprietary data assets. He holds a BBA from UNC and previously founded a fintech compliance startup he sold during COVID. FOLLOW CRE UNPLUGGED creunplugged.com | LinkedIn | YouTube | Instagram Want to be featured on the Founders' Series? We're spotlighting bold leaders building the future of commercial real estate. Reach out at info@creunplugged.com. We’re always looking to spotlight bold leaders and founders who are building the future of commercial real estate. If you’re solving real problems, challenging outdated norms, or reshaping how this industry operates, we want to hear from you.
