Icons of DC Area Real Estate Podcast By John Coe cover art

Icons of DC Area Real Estate

Icons of DC Area Real Estate

By: John Coe
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About this listen

An interview show with leading commercial and multifamily real estate participants in various disciplines. John Coe, a 41 year real estate finance professional, will interview many of his long time friends and past clients to learn about their backgrounds and what brought them into the income producing real estate business. He will probe into their career paths and what they have learned along the way, highlighting their successes, failures and lessons learned. Each episode will explore the interviewee's individual perspective and offer unique views of their particular expertise and where the trends are leading.© 2019 Coe Enterprises, LLC Career Success Economics World
Episodes
  • Evan Regan-Levine on Real Estate's Trifecta of Design, Data & Communication
    Jul 1 2025
    Bio

    Evan Regan-Levine is Chief Strategy Officer at JBG Smith, shaping investment approaches through data analytics, strategic initiatives, and investor relations. Key role in National Landing transformation and Amazon HQ2. Previously JLL research analyst and Monday Properties Associate. Georgetown Political Science graduate who pivoted from law school track to real estate after art professor suggested architecture.

    Key Discussion Points

    Strategic Priorities [3:06-8:35]

    • National Landing transformation beyond Amazon: residential, retail, infrastructure
    • Capital allocation focus: maximizing NAV per share for JBGS, targeted acquisitions
    • Leveraging permanent capital as public company vs. fund life cycles

    Career Journey [8:47-32:23]

    • Academic family: law professor father, first-grade teacher mother
    • Georgetown, planned law school until real estate internship in Pittsburgh
    • JLL research exposed him to all verticals: investment sales, leasing, development
    • In 2013, he joined JBG as research associate working for Matt Kelly
    • Investment committee exposure from day one with industry veterans

    Real Estate Philosophy [20:08-26:00] Success requires: communication, analytics, design

    • Design undervalued but critical - example: functional dryer vents vs. beautiful facades
    • Market research informs decisions - Amazon focus groups changed architecture
    • Multifamily as consumer product requiring research like cars/phones
    • Hospitality mindset essential across all property types

    Crystal Park One [$40M Repositioning] [43:19-52:53]

    • 300-person conference center ("hotel ballroom without hotel")
    • Ground floor activation with street engagement
    • JLL operates conference, Episcope handles Food & Beverage
    • Aviation theme: Constellation café, Altitude vinyl wine bar
    • Nooks Works partnership for classified meeting space

    National Landing Strategy [37:03-43:00] "Regional mall" approach with anchors: Pentagon, Amazon (8K today, up to 38K), Virginia Tech

    • Demolished excess office, tripled street retail, added multifamily
    Chapters
    • (00:00:09) - The Iconic Journey and CRE: Expanding Our Reach and Impact
    • (00:02:47) - Idols of D.C. Area Real Estate
    • (00:05:25) - Evan To The Iconic Journey In Real Estate
    • (00:06:23) - JBG Smith's Strategic Imperatives for National Landing
    • (00:08:36) - Your dad is a law professor and you grew up all over the country
    • (00:14:01) - Post-Graduation Advice from JLL's Research Group
    • (00:16:10) - Getting Out of The Real Estate Job
    • (00:19:54) - Real Estate: Communication, Design, and Analytics
    • (00:27:07) - Do Office Features Still Matter in Multifamily?
    • (00:30:39) - JLL's Matt Kelly on His Elevation
    • (00:34:00) - JBG Real Estate's Growth
    • (00:36:48) - JBG Smith's National Landing transformation
    • (00:39:19) - The battle for Crystal City's retail
    • (00:41:46) - JBG Smith's Crystal Park repositioning effort
    • (00:45:51) - The National Landing Office Complex
    • (00:51:05) - JBG Property Group on the Conference Facility
    • (00:56:21) - Is the Conference Facility Open to the Public?
    • (01:00:28) - National Landing: The Need for Anchors
    • (01:07:04) - Amazon's return to work policy
    • (01:11:23) - Amazon's Future of Work
    • (01:15:28) - JBG Smith's Approach to Office Demand
    • (01:17:09) - JBG Smith's Development Risk and Opportunity
    • (01:18:33) - Have You Changed Your Capital Allocation Mindset?
    • (01:19:30) - JBG Companies' Urban Propulsion
    • (01:23:00) - JBG Smith's Place Making Approach
    • (01:25:29) - How important is mentorship in real estate?
    • (01:30:19) - Build a cushion for your real estate investments
    • (01:33:58) - JBG Smith Philanthropy's Impact on the Community
    • (01:36:40) - Leo's Giving Back and Philanthropy
    • (01:39:33) - Working Parents' Work-Life Balance
    • (01:41:34) - Have You Turned Down Your Family?
    • (01:43:17) - Real Estate Investors: Evan's Passion for Cars
    • (01:44:49) - Likely Porsche or BMW Drivers?
    • (01:47:16) - BMW and the Detroit Air and Space Museum
    • (01:51:02) - J.B. Smith on the Future of the Firm
    • (01:53:58) - A message on National Landing
    • (01:55:18) - Evan Jones on His Story
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    1 hr and 56 mins
  • Catherine Buell- Designing Communities for Longevity and Connection (#134)
    Jun 9 2025

    Catherine Buell is founder of Wellness Real Estate Innovations. Previously director of Amazon Housing Equity Fund, president/CEO of Atlanta Housing Authority, chair of DC Historic Preservation Review Board, and executive director of St. Elizabeth's East Campus Redevelopment. Harvard Kennedy School Loeb Fellow.

    (00:00) Introduction to second interview. Former Amazon Housing Equity Fund director, Atlanta Housing CEO, Harvard Kennedy School Loeb Fellow.

    (03:14) New company Wellness Real Estate Innovations - bringing wellness real estate solutions to diverse urban audiences at intersection of health and housing.

    (03:42) Personal motivation: mother's dementia/loneliness during COVID highlighted lack of aging options even in expensive continuum care facilities.

    (05:33) Philosophy: housing is healthcare and building with care. Traditional housing continuum has cracks - expensive senior housing, limited diverse options. Beautiful places impact how you feel through social connection, walkability, vibrancy.

    (09:05) Amazon lessons: Corporate investments influence markets but can't solve entire spectrum. Healthcare organizations increasingly investing in affordable housing targeting high-cost patients. Innovation gap for aging demographic - need co-housing, shared living, wellness communities.

    (15:23) Combat loneliness through intentional community design - new urbanist model plus different housing types, oversized green spaces, shared amenities for organic connection.

    (17:06) Alternative models: co-housing, shared living, ADUs. PadSplit's tech approach for $27K income essential workers - streamlined access to furnished shared rooms. Shared models add people without changing community character, help aging in place.

    (21:26) Key challenge: lack of documented data on wellness community benefits. Need to document outcomes from 1990s/2000s wellness communities.

    (23:37) Global Wellness Institute trends:

    • Wellness as Infrastructure (WAI) - Bhutan mindfulness city
    • Wellness as Service (WAAS) - integrated cleaning, nursing, caregiving
    • Wellness ROI (WROI) - significantly higher returns
    • Longevity Economy (WRELE) - aging population focus

    (27:38) Gap: middle-income households with $80-120K retirement income can't afford elite wellness solutions ($400K-$1M deposits), don't want to leave social networks.

    (32:48) Policy needs: data on health/housing intersection, true cost of "do nothing" strategy, economic benefits. Fastest growing DC population is 55+. Loneliness epidemic costs $6.7B annually to Medicaid.

    (37:20) Example: dementia village in Ward 7 - 13% of DC seniors have dementia (16% east of river). Netherlands-inspired model with store, pub, church, arts room for quality of life vs traditional memory care.

    Chapters
    • (00:00:09) - Interviewing Icons of D.C. Real Estate
    • (00:00:45) - The Iconic Journey and CRE: Expanding Our Reach and Impact
    • (00:02:47) - In the Elevator With Katherine Buell and Kathryn Bue
    • (00:05:15) - Catherine Polley on Wellness Real Estate
    • (00:08:22) - Seniors' Housing: Health Care
    • (00:11:33) - Alex Jones on Wellbeing and Housing Innovation
    • (00:17:50) - How Co-Housing and Shared Living Can Help Reduce Social Eng
    • (00:24:00) - What's the Wellness Real Estate?
    • (00:26:02) - Will Wellness Real Estate Impact?
    • (00:31:58) - Sip and Solve: Wellbeing and Housing
    • (00:35:24) - Washington DC Mayor on Wellbeing and Intergenerational Communities
    • (00:39:34) - Real Estate News: Wellbeing and Intergenerational Housing
    • (00:47:39) - Wellness Real Estate Innovation
    • (00:50:21) - Wellness initiatives in real estate
    • (00:53:01) - The Need for More Data on Aging and Housing
    • (00:57:07) - Amazon's $2 Billion Housing Fund
    • (01:00:31) - Jeff Bezos on Large-Scale Housing Investments
    • (01:03:47) - The Harvard Loeb Fellowship
    • (01:06:17) - Teaching at Harvard: Health and Housing Innovation
    • (01:07:29) - Will Wellness Real Estate Be an Investment?
    • (01:12:48) - Is Wellbeing a Driving Factor in Hotel Branding?
    • (01:15:44) - Office and Retail: Wellbeing in the Office
    • (01:17:44) - Have We Seen Innovation in Retail for Wellness?
    • (01:20:20) - Wellness in the Real Estate Market
    • (01:23:16) - Top Real Estate Book recommendations for the Wellness Industry
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    1 hr and 26 mins
  • James Barlia- Reshaping DC Real Estate with Tech Innovation (#133)
    May 27 2025
    Bio:

    James Barlia is Executive Director of Station DC, a private members club for Frontier Tech innovators, investors, and policy makers advancing American national interest. Previously VP at Revolution's Rise of the Rest Seed Fund (Steve Case) investing in startups outside traditional tech hubs. Earlier worked at Greenspring Associates in fund of funds/impact VC. DC native, Tulane graduate.

    Key Discussion Points

    Station DC Overview [1:11-3:00]

    • Private members club for frontier tech in DC
    • 13,000 sq ft space in Union Market for work, meetings, events
    • Mission: Ensure American tech leadership endures with DC at forefront
    • Focus on economic development, business attraction, diversification from federal government

    Background & Journey [3:49-10:07]

    • Influenced by entrepreneur father's renewable energy work
    • Failed toothpaste startup in high school led to meeting angel investor
    • Internship at 1776 DC tech incubator exposed him to impactful founders
    • Learned "Rise of the Rest" thesis at Greenspring before joining Revolution

    Venture Insights [11:02-17:00]

    • Innovation exists everywhere, not just traditional hubs
    • Place creates competitive advantage through network effects
    • Key founder qualities: intrinsic motivation, unique insights, relentless effort
    • Evaluation requires time, multiple meetings, references

    Market Observations

    • SVB Collapse [21:05-25:02]: Created resilience, highlighted treasury management importance
    • Amazon HQ2 [26:10-27:00]: Real impact on talent/real estate but job numbers lower than marketed
    • DC Commercial Real Estate [29:10-34:00]: Tech startups need flexible office space; landlords should offer flexibility and engage directly with founders

    DC Tech Ecosystem [40:08-43:00]

    • Influx driven by critical sectors: space, energy, synthetic biology, AI, defense
    • Tech companies view DC as ally, not adversary
    • Has required talent, customers (federal gov't, Fortune 500), knowledge, capital
    • Major VC firms establishing DC satellite offices

    Emerging Trends [63:00-67:00] Beyond AI: data centers, space economy, robotics, autonomy, defense systems. Frontier tech companies need dollars, talent, customers, capital - often found in DC.

    Advice for Young Professionals [69:00-95:00]

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    1 hr and 25 mins
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