Unlocking Value with Ozzie Nelson

Ozzie Nelson
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The Unlocking Value with Ozzie Nelson podcast provides listeners with a peek inside some of the brightest minds shaping the future of design, commercial real estate, and capital development. Hosted by John "Ozzie" Nelson Jr., a trailblazing entrepreneur and the driving force behind NELSON Worldwide's evolution into a design powerhouse, this podcast dives into how thoughtful and intentional design can unlock value for commercial and institutional real estate owners, developers, brands, and investors.

  1. Aug 24

    Before the Blueprint: How Early Clarity Shaped Trilith LIVE for Long-Term Value

    When mixed-use destinations bring multiple venues, operators, and audiences under one roof, the earliest design decisions determine how well the entire ecosystem can perform. In this Before the Blueprint conversation, NELSON leaders Nathan Scheidt, Teresa O’Leary, and Tonya Koerner explore the strategy behind Trilith LIVE, a 530,000-square-foot entertainment venue created without an existing model to follow. From mapping user journeys and monetizing flexible spaces to coordinating complex acoustics, a compressed timeline, and a fixed budget, the discussion reveals how the team designed each part of the building to support simultaneous uses and ongoing activation. For developers and owners, Trilith LIVE demonstrates the value of aligning vision, operations, and financial priorities early. When flexibility and performance inform design from the beginning, complex destinations can adapt to changing needs, create more opportunities for programming, and deliver long-term value. Topics discussed in this episode: Mixed-use development Entertainment venue design Experience-driven destinations Operational flexibility Revenue activation Multi-purpose venues Acoustic separation Speed to market View Mixed-Use | View all Podcasts Find out more about NELSON Worldwide: https://nelsonworldwide.com/ Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts: We hope you’re Unlocking Value in this podcast with Ozzie Nelson. Your feedback is important to us, and we’d love to hear from you. Here’s how you can help. Scroll to the bottom, rate our podcast with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Let us know what you found most helpful from this episode! And if you haven’t done so already, give the podcast a follow, and you’ll be notified when new episodes come out.

  2. Jun 25

    The Forces Reshaping Retail and the Built Environment

    Retail is changing faster than ever, but the value of physical space has not disappeared. It has evolved. As AI reshapes how customers discover, compare, and make decisions, stores are no longer just points of transaction. They are becoming places of confirmation, trust-building, brand differentiation, and real-time learning. In this episode of Unlocking Value with Ozzie Nelson, Ozzie is joined by Kate Ancketill, CEO and Founder of GDR Creative Intelligence, and Ray Ehscheid, NELSON Principal, Retail, for a conversation on the forces reshaping retail and the built environment. Drawing from global trend intelligence, design strategy, and business perspective, the discussion explores what recent industry shifts from NRF to EuroShop reveal about the future of customer experience. Together, they examine how physical retail must respond to pre-informed, AI-assisted customers, the rise of resale and recommerce, evolving workforce needs, and the increasing pressure for stores to perform beyond sales alone. The conversation reframes the store as a strategic environment that validates choice, accelerates confidence, and creates continuous feedback for brands investing in the future of retail. Topics discussed in this episode: Cold storage developmentIndustrial real estate strategyCold chain logisticsOperational facility designIndustrial asset optimizationFind out more about NELSON Worldwide: https://nelsonworldwide.com/ Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts: We hope you’re Unlocking Value in this podcast with Ozzie Nelson. Your feedback is important to us and we’d love to hear from you. Here’s how you can help. Scroll to the bottom, rate our podcast with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Let us know what you found most helpful from this episode! And if you haven’t done so already, give the podcast a follow, and you'll be notified when new episodes come out.

  3. Jun 5

    Reducing Costs and Raising Efficiency in Cold Storage Facilities

    Profitable cold storage development starts long before a shovel hits the dirt; it begins with understanding that temperature-controlled facilities are highly complex operational ecosystems, not just standard industrial boxes. Dave Aschenbrand, Strategic Services Advisory Lead for the Cold Chain Practice at Newmark, shares how developers can navigate shifting market vacancies and avoid the costly trap of building speculative "vanilla" facilities. Drawing on over 25 years of logistics experience, he explains the danger of selecting sites strictly through a financial spreadsheet lens, emphasizing that a failure to analyze specific regional population pockets and infrastructure limits will drive supply chain costs sky-high. The discussion highlights the unforgiving nature of cold chain infrastructure, where tight construction tolerances, vapor barriers, and specialized slab design leave zero margin for error. Together with Adam Bortz, they explore how minor site constraints, like narrow dock doors that disrupt USDA inspections or inadequate turning radii, create domino-effect bottlenecks that quietly erode tenant profitability and asset value. The conversation also looks ahead to how early collaboration with subject matter experts can balance flexible building adaptation with specialized automation to stop the bleeding of inefficient vacancy and unlock true real estate value. Topics discussed in this episode: Cold storage developmentIndustrial real estate strategyCold chain logisticsOperational facility designIndustrial asset optimizationFind out more about NELSON Worldwide: https://nelsonworldwide.com/ Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts: We hope you’re Unlocking Value in this podcast with Ozzie Nelson. Your feedback is important to us and we’d love to hear from you. Here’s how you can help. Scroll to the bottom, rate our podcast with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Let us know what you found most helpful from this episode! And if you haven’t done so already, give the podcast a follow, and you'll be notified when new episodes come out.

  4. Feb 24

    Designing Spaces Where Children Heal with KIDZ Medical Services’ Wayne Brackin

    Great pediatric care starts long before a clinician enters the room; it begins with the environment families walk into during some of their most stressful moments. Wayne Brackin, President and CEO of Kidz Medical Services, shares how thoughtful design can calm anxious parents and support clinicians by moving beyond clinical appearances to create warmer, home-like spaces. Drawing on decades of experience, he explains the danger of over-stimulating environments that mimic amusement centers, emphasizing that children in serious situations need a sense of calm rather than a "Disney" type of experience. The discussion also highlights the critical need for infrastructure redundancy and emergency power in outpatient facilities to ensure that life-altering storms do not interrupt essential pediatric treatments. Together with Rolando Essa, they explore how strategic choices in wayfinding, natural light, and floor-plate efficiency quietly improve medical outcomes and reduce stress for everyone in the building. The conversation also looks ahead to mixed-use healthcare developments, workforce housing, and how early design decisions create long-term value for communities, care teams, and the children they serve. Topics discussed in this episode: pediatric healthcare designhealthcare facility designhealthcare resilience planningmixed-use healthcare developmentpediatric patient experience Find out more about NELSON Worldwide: https://nelsonworldwide.com/ Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts:  We hope you’re Unlocking Value in this podcast with Ozzie Nelson.  Your feedback is important to us and we’d love to hear from you. Here’s how you can help.  Scroll to the bottom, rate our podcast with five stars, and select “Write a Review.”  Let us know what you found most helpful from this episode!   And if you haven’t done so already, give the podcast a follow, and you'll be notified when new episodes come out.

  5. Feb 5

    Building Communities Where People Want to Stay, with Mark Toro

    Mixed-use communities thrive when people want to stay, wander, and return without needing a destination. This conversation explores how intentional mixed-use development creates long-term value by prioritizing walkability, public realm experience, and community alignment. Drawing from real-world examples like Avalon and Colony Square, the discussion highlights how experiential retail, activated plazas, and pedestrian-first design shape not only real estate performance but how people choose to live, work, and gather. When friction is removed from daily life, and places are designed for connection rather than convenience alone, mixed-use districts become living ecosystems that evolve, adapt, and endure. Topics discussed in this episode: Mixed-use developmentExperiential retailReal estate strategyLive-work-playCommunity engagementAvalon developmentPublic-private partnershipOffice leasingWalkable communities Find out more about NELSON Worldwide: https://nelsonworldwide.com/ Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts: We hope you’re Unlocking Value in this podcast with Ozzie Nelson.  Your feedback is important to us and we’d love to hear from you. Here’s how you can help.  Scroll to the bottom, rate our podcast with five stars, and select “Write a Review.”  Let us know what you found most helpful from this episode!  And if you haven’t done so already, give the podcast a follow, and you'll be notified when new episodes come out.

  6. 08/15/2025

    How Industrious is Redefining Workplace Strategy with Design and Speed

    The team at Industrious threw out the traditional design playbook and built something better from scratch. Host Ozzie Nelson from NELSON Worldwide sits down with Michael Garcia and Rebecca Dale from Industrious, along with Sarah Gates, Associate Principal at NELSON Worldwide, to explore how they abandoned conventional delivery phases like schematic design and design development in favor of a collaborative approach that brings construction, engineering, and design teams together from day one.  Their revolutionary process treats space types as products, uses iterative pricing to avoid costly redesigns, and prioritizes member experience while maintaining brand consistency across markets. By focusing on speed, quality, and cost as their guiding principles, they've created a delivery model that gets spaces to market faster and generates revenue sooner. This strategic shift demonstrates how throwing out outdated processes can lead to breakthrough innovation. The result is a more responsive, efficient approach that's transforming how flexible workspace development works. Topics discussed in this episode: workplace strategyflexible office designspace typesdesign and deliveryspeed to marketiterative pricingmember experiencestakeholder collaborationscaling designacoustic qualitydaylight in officesreal estate optimizationteam alignmentpost-pandemic workplace trends Find out more about NELSON Worldwide: https://nelsonworldwide.com/ Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts:  We hope you’re Unlocking Value in this podcast with Ozzie Nelson.  Your feedback is important to us and we’d love to hear from you. Here’s how you can help.  Scroll to the bottom, rate our podcast with five stars, and select “Write a Review.”  Let us know what you found most helpful from this episode!   And if you haven’t done so already, give the podcast a follow, and you'll be notified when new episodes come out.

  7. 07/10/2025

    Future Proofing Industrial Real Estate with Reshoring and Power Strategy featuring Tim Elam

    Reshoring, rising power demands, and sustainable design are transforming the industrial real estate. Tim Elam, Managing Director of Scannell Properties, joins Host Ozzie Nelson and Practice Strategy leader, Adam Bortz, to explore how developers are staying competitive through future-proofing, site versatility, and energy strategies. From shifting regulations and power availability to the rise of cold storage and manufacturing tenants, this conversation unpacks how to design adaptable buildings that meet evolving market needs. Tim explains how developments like obtaining land approvals, utilizing new types of energy, and constructing data centers are transforming industrial buildings and how to prepare for the future. Topics discussed in this episode: Industrial real estatefuture proofingspeculative developmentmanufacturing facilitieson-site power generationcold storagereshoringentitlement strategydata centersForeign trade zonesbonded warehousesadaptive reusesustainability Find out more about NELSON Worldwide: https://nelsonworldwide.com/ Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts:  We hope you’re Unlocking Value in this podcast with Ozzie Nelson.  Your feedback is important to us and we’d love to hear from you.   Here’s how you can help.  Scroll to the bottom, rate our podcast with five stars, and select “Write a Review.”  Let us know what you found most helpful from this episode!   And if you haven’t done so already, give the podcast a follow, and you'll be notified when new episodes come out.

  8. 06/12/2025

    The Smart Way To Convert Rentals With RXR's Eric Schlameuss

    Success comes from making smart moves, forming tight collaborations, and keeping tenants front and center. In today’s episode, Eric Schlameuss and Joseph Schirripa join Ozzie Nelson to talk about how top office spaces can transition toward hotel-style vibes and flexible design. They unpack the hurdles of office-to-housing conversions and the hidden potential in underused “zombie buildings.” Tune in to find out how you can decide whether to upgrade, repurpose, or walk away from aging office properties. Topics discussed in this episode: office conversionsaging propertiesresidential transformationzombie buildingstenant experiencemarket demandportfolio diversificationmarketing strategyamenity-rich assetsbuilding compliancetenant demandhospitality-style amenities Find out more about Nelson Worldwide: https://nelsonworldwide.com/ Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts:  We hope you’re Unlocking Value in this podcast with Ozzie Nelson.  Your feedback is important to us and we’d love to hear from you. Here’s how you can help.  Scroll to the bottom, rate our podcast with five stars, and select “Write a Review.”  Let us know what you found most helpful from this episode!   And if you haven’t done so already, give the podcast a follow, and you'll be notified when new episodes come out.

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The Unlocking Value with Ozzie Nelson podcast provides listeners with a peek inside some of the brightest minds shaping the future of design, commercial real estate, and capital development. Hosted by John "Ozzie" Nelson Jr., a trailblazing entrepreneur and the driving force behind NELSON Worldwide's evolution into a design powerhouse, this podcast dives into how thoughtful and intentional design can unlock value for commercial and institutional real estate owners, developers, brands, and investors.

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