Sunbelt Developers

Tim Wright
  • 5.0 (7)
  • Investing

Interviews with commercial real estate developers.

  1. 12h ago

    #23 - Jason McCann on How Vari Built a $2 Billion Empire Starting from a Cardboard Box

    What does it take to turn a cardboard prototype into a $2 billion business movement?  In this episode of the Sunbelt Developers Podcast, hosts Tim Wright and Zach Bean, Executive Managing Director at Cushman & Wakefield, sit down with Jason McCann, Co-Founder and CEO of Vari.  Famous for creating the sit-stand VariDesk movement and growing into a full-scale workspace innovation leader serving 98% of Fortune 500 companies, Vari is fundamentally reshaping commercial real estate.   The conversation covers the evolution of workplace real estate: how flexible spaces, hospitality-first amenities, modular design, and AI-driven efficiency are redefining the modern office landscape. Jason breaks down his journey from consumer products like Big Mouth Billy Bass to scaling Vari into a multi-asset landlord. He reveals how VariSpace converted a 90% vacant 22-acre campus into an 80%+ occupied community hub, why 10- to 12-year office leases are making a comeback in DFW, and how AI visualization is helping tenants execute 45-day move-ins.   Whether you are a commercial developer, broker, investor, or business owner navigating the future of work, this masterclass offers actionable insights into capital efficiency, space-as-a-service models, and resilient leadership.   Key Highlights: • The cardboard box origin story and the flight that changed everything • How Vari scaled into a workspace solutions giant with 300+ products • The Space-as-a-Service model: turning distressed assets into vibrant communities • Why modern office tenants are locking in 7- to 12-year leases • How Vari uses Claude and AI tools to save time on financial modeling and sales test fits • The role of hospitality, biophilia, and energy in driving office occupancy • Leading through crisis, maintaining workplace culture, and giving back   #CommercialRealEstate #OfficeDevelopment #Vari #PropTech #SunbeltDevelopers More info: https://linktr.ee/timwright.cre

    #23 - Jason McCann on How Vari Built a $2 Billion Empire Starting from a Cardboard Box

  2. Jul 22

    #22 - Colin Connolly - Why Atlanta May Not Get a New Office Tower Until After 2030

    Colin Connolly has spent 15 years at Cousins Properties — 8 of them as CEO — steering one of the premier office REITs in the country through a merger, a pandemic, and what may be the most consequential reset in office real estate history. As the Sunbelt office market tightens and new supply seems frozen until at least 2030, Cousins is gearing up for offense. Inside the episode: • Leading Cousins through Covid — and why the first call was guaranteeing no layoffs before making any strategic decisions • Doubling down in the pandemic: selling $1.3B of lower-quality assets and reinvesting in trophy product at the bottom of the market • The Houston bet that went wrong — watching OPEC's Thanksgiving Day announcement blow up 40% of the company • Merging with Parkway Properties and spinning out the Houston portfolio into its own publicly traded company • Why there will be no new office supply of any size delivered in Atlanta until after 2030 — and what that means for rents • Dallas as the canary in the coal mine: net rents climbing from $50 to nearly $90 • Why companies relocating to the Sunbelt care far less about office rent than the cost of housing for their employees • Where Cousins sees opportunity today — and why the absence of competing capital has made trophy acquisitions unusually attractive Big thanks to our sponsors for supporting this series: • Songy Highroads – songyhighroads.com • Corporate Environments – corporateenvironments.com • USA Cabling – usacablingtech.com • Scott Contracting – scott-contracting.com • The Beck Group – beckgroup.com If you have a commercial real estate need, please reach out. My team and I have incredible resources through Cushman & Wakefield to help with any need you have. More info: https://linktr.ee/timwright.cre

    #22 - Colin Connolly - Why Atlanta May Not Get a New Office Tower Until After 2030

  3. Jul 14

    #21 - David Rubenstein - America 250 and The Carlyle Group

    Episode 21 is unlike anything we've done before. David Rubenstein — co-founder of The Carlyle Group, owner of the Baltimore Orioles, and one of the great interviewers of our time — joined us for a wide-ranging conversation about business, history, and a life spent asking better questions. The son of a Baltimore postal worker, David went from the Carter White House to founding Carlyle at 37 with just $5 million — and a simple insight: if you're stuck in Washington, make Washington your edge. Inside the episode: Building Carlyle from $5M to a global powerhousePassing on Facebook — a $30K stake now worth $53BSelling SpaceX too earlyHis take on data centers, AI, and secondariesRestoring the Jefferson and Lincoln MemorialsCollecting original copies of the Declaration of IndependenceHis interviewing playbook after 1,000+ conversationsTwo new books on the wayHis recent wedding at the Supreme Court, officiated by Chief Justice John RobertsWatch the full story on Sunbelt Developers Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. Big thanks to our sponsors for supporting this series: • Songy Highroads – songyhighroads.com • Corporate Environments – corporateenvironments.com • USA Cabling – usacablingtech.com • Scott Contracting – scott-contracting.com • The Beck Group – beckgroup.com If you have a commercial real estate need, please reach out. My team and I have incredible resources through Cushman & Wakefield to help with any need you have. More info: https://linktr.ee/timwright.cre

    #21 - David Rubenstein - America 250 and The Carlyle Group

  4. Jun 30

    #20 - Chris Eachus - Founding Partner of CP Group

    Chris Eachus has spent over two decades rising through the ranks at CP Group — from analyst to partner — and is now leading one of the most ambitious adaptive reuse projects in Atlanta's history: the transformation of CNN Center into The Center, a mixed-use destination anchored by an 11-concept food hall, the largest bar in Georgia, Michelin-starred chefs, World Cup activations, and a renewed vision for downtown Atlanta. In this episode we cover: Rising from analyst to equity partner at CP Group over 20+ yearsAcquiring CNN Center and reimagining it as The CenterBuilding a world-class food and beverage program with Michelin-starred chefsHosting FIFA's World Cup volunteer headquarters and the ATL Culture House Preserving Ted Turner's penthouse and honoring the building's media legacyChris's outlook on downtown Atlanta and the future of urban mixed-use developmentWatch the full story on Sunbelt Developers Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. Big thanks to our sponsors for supporting this series: • Songy Highroads – songyhighroads.com • Corporate Environments – corporateenvironments.com • USA Cabling – usacablingtech.com • Scott Contracting – scott-contracting.com • The Beck Group – beckgroup.com If you have a commercial real estate need, please reach out. My team and I have incredible resources through Cushman & Wakefield to help with any need you have. More info: https://linktr.ee/timwright.cre

    #20 - Chris Eachus - Founding Partner of CP Group

  5. Jun 18

    #19 - David Marvin - Founder of Legacy Ventures

    David Marvin has played a major role in shaping downtown Atlanta through projects like the Embassy Suites at Centennial Olympic Park, the Glenn Hotel, Ventanas, and Restaurant Row.  Along the way, he transformed a career that started in engineering and construction into one of the most influential hospitality and mixed-use development careers in Atlanta. In this episode we cover: • Building nuclear submarines before transitioning into real estate • Moving to Atlanta through the 1996 Olympic Games and investing around Centennial Olympic Park • Developing the Embassy Suites and helping catalyze downtown Atlanta’s revival • Transforming the historic Glenn Hotel into Atlanta’s first modern boutique hotel • Creating Ventanas, one of the city’s premier rooftop event venues • Building Restaurant Row and launching concepts like Stats and Twin Smokers BBQ • Lessons learned from hospitality, placemaking, and developing through multiple market cycles • David’s outlook on downtown Atlanta and the future of urban development Watch the full story on Sunbelt Developers Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. Big thanks to our sponsors for supporting this series: • Songy Highroads – songyhighroads.com • Corporate Environments – corporateenvironments.com • USA Cabling – usacablingtech.com • Scott Contracting – scott-contracting.com • The Beck Group – beckgroup.com If you have a commercial real estate need, please reach out. My team and I have incredible resources through Cushman & Wakefield to help with any need you have. More info: https://linktr.ee/timwright.cre

    #19 - David Marvin - Founder of Legacy Ventures

  6. Jun 2

    #18 - Egbert Perry - Chairman and CEO of Integral Group

    Egbert Perry is the Chairman and CEO of Integral Group. He’s behind some of the most consequential urban developments in the Southeast — from Centennial Place to Assembly Atlanta to the redevelopment of Five Points and Atlanta Medical Center. He also pioneered the model for affordable housing. In this episode we cover: Growing up in AntiguaComing to America at 15Becoming VP at HJ Russel & Co. at 24.Pioneering mixed-income housing with Centennial Place — and why most cities couldn't replicate itTransforming a shuttered 165-acre GM plant into Assembly AtlantaThe truth about affordable housingChairing the Fannie Mae board through conservatorship after the 2008 financial crisisThe Five Points / Two Peachtree project and why bringing it back is inseparable from saving downtown AtlantaWhere Egbert sees opportunity in today's marketWatch the full story on Sunbelt Developers Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple podcasts. Big thanks to our sponsors for supporting this series: • Songy Highroads – songyhighroads.com • Corporate Environments – corporateenvironments.com • USA Cabling – usacablingtech.com • Scott Contracting - Scott-contracting.com • The Beck Group – beckgroup.com If you have a commercial real estate need, please reach out. My team and I have incredible resources through Cushman & Wakefield to help with any need you have. More info: https://linktr.ee/timwright.cre

    #18 - Egbert Perry - Chairman and CEO of Integral Group

  7. May 19

    #17 - Kevin Duvall - CEO of the Georgia World Congress Center Authority

    Kevin Duvall has spent over two decades shaping one of the most important campuses in the Southeast. As CEO of the Georgia World Congress Center Authority, he oversees 200+ acres, 4.3 million square feet, and a pipeline of projects that are redefining downtown Atlanta. We cover: • Building the $550M Signia hotel from a state-owned parking plaza • The Georgia Dome demolition and Mercedes-Benz Stadium negotiations • Competing with Chicago, Orlando, Nashville, and Dallas for convention business • Expanding the Savannah Convention Center and its new headquarters hotel • The vision for International Plaza — downtown Atlanta's next entertainment district • Preparing the campus for FIFA World Cup 2026 • Kevin's 24-year journey from the Alamodome in San Antonio to leading the GWCCA Watch the full story on Sunbelt Developers Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple podcasts. Big thanks to our sponsors for supporting this series: • Songy Highroads – songyhighroads.com • Corporate Environments – corporateenvironments.com • USA Cabling – usacablingtech.com • Scott Contracting - Scott-contracting.com • The Beck Group – beckgroup.com If you have a commercial real estate need, please reach out. My team and I have incredible resources through Cushman & Wakefield to help with any need you have. More info: https://linktr.ee/timwright.cre

    #17 - Kevin Duvall - CEO of the Georgia World Congress Center Authority

  8. May 6

    #16 - Mason Zimmerman - Pope & Land - Truist Park, Cumberland, and Placemaking

    Pope & Land has been transformational in the Cumberland submarket of Atlanta. From office to mixed-use to transforming a dead coliseum into City Park, Mason shares the story behind some of the most consequential development projects in Georgia. We cover: • Partnering with the Atlanta Braves on the Battery • Converting the Charlotte Coliseum into a mixed-use community • Navigating the Great Recession with Dutch capital partners • The vision for downtown Atlanta's entertainment district • Mason's 40-year journey from Texas to leading Pope & Land Watch the full story on Sunbelt Developers Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple podcasts. Big thanks to our sponsors for supporting this series: • Songy Highroads – songyhighroads.com • Corporate Environments – corporateenvironments.com • USA Cabling – usacablingtech.com • Scott Contracting - Scott-contracting.com • The Beck Group – beckgroup.com If you have a commercial real estate need, please reach out. My team and I have incredible resources through Cushman & Wakefield to help with any need you have. More info: https://linktr.ee/timwright.cre

    #16 - Mason Zimmerman - Pope & Land - Truist Park, Cumberland, and Placemaking
See All (23)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Interviews with commercial real estate developers.

Information

  • Creator
    Tim Wright
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    23
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Durand Media, LLC
  • Show Website
    Sunbelt Developers