Chip Conley started one of the country’s first boutique hotel chains, Joie de Vivre, when he was just 26 years old. After selling the company, he joined the startup Airbnb at age 52, despite the fact that the young founders were primed to disrupt his industry.Read more about Chip’s leadershipRead more about Chip’s role at AirbnbPre-order Chip’s newest book, Wisdom @ Work: The Making of a Modern ElderLearn more about Chip’s other books*This is a rebroadcast of our previous interview with Chip Conley.

Clara Brenner is the Co-founder and Managing Partner of the Urban Innovation Fund, a venture capital firm that provides seed capital and regulatory support to the tech startups addressing the challenges facing urban dwellers. Clara and I had a wide-ranging discussion about her career, business, and the startups and technologies in which her firm has invested.Real Estate and GovernmentGrowing up in Washington, D.C., Clara was surrounded by real estate and government, and found herself drawn to both. Her undergrad thesis explored the historic relationship between real estate developers and local government in Lower Manhattan.“Ultimately, I decided to go down the real estate development path because it seemed like you were equally influential and you got to have more fun, be more creative, and make more money.”After four years of working in real estate, Clara realized she wanted to be her own boss. She returned to school at MIT Sloan with a vision to start her own real estate development firm.Shaping the Future of CitiesClara and her friend Julie Lein crossed paths at MIT Sloan and realized they both had a fascination with companies that were tackling meaningful challenges in cities. After some in-depth research, they discovered that these companies were facing a lot of similar challenges, around issues such as fundraising challenges, physical space, and regulatory and political hurdles.This sparked the creation of their investment vehicle and accelerator Tumml.“I think real estate is a great career if you want to have an impact on the physical environment around you, which is I think is something so many people want now, they want to feel like and see the influence of their work every day.”Tumml paved the way for Clara and Julie to found the Urban Innovation Fund, a more sustainable, long-term investment vehicle that writes larger checks, is involved in multiple rounds of investing and takes board seats. This $24.5 million dollar fund has a diverse portfolio that Clara says aligns with their vision for creating scalable solutions that shape the future of cities. This looks like everything from Milk Stork, a breast milk shipping service for the traveling businesswoman, to Udelv, a driverless delivery service.Their set of investors are more traditional, financially motivated entities who they refer to as “impact curious.”Clara highlights the fact that today, people often look to technology as the changemaker; however, she points to politics and policy as the place where real, slow, painful change happens. Identifying transformative technology is very important, but you still need to vote and be politically engaged to create real change.

Karl Polen did not start out with his sights on real estate. He left his Midwest roots for Nashville at 19, eventually playing with the likes of Charlie Daniels and Johnny Cash.“One of the highlights of my life is that I actually met and chatted with Johnny Cash. He was an incredibly gracious guy.”Karl credits music for shaping his professional career by teaching him the type of discipline and focused effort it takes to become successful.Opening New DoorsWhen he needed a steadier paycheck, Karl went on to work in accounting and received his MBA at Vanderbilt. He was drawn to an entrepreneurial culture, worked with Ed Robson of Robson Communities in the 1980’s, and then joined Francis Najafi, Founder of Pivotal Group, as a partner in real estate investment. Working with these driven entrepreneurs was incredibly fulfilling, and Karl thrived in his role as he helped focus and implement the larger vision.Arizona State Retirement SystemKarl had long intended to work in public service after being inspired by his work on various boards over the years, and during the global financial crisis in 2010, he left Pivotal Group and transitioned from the board to staff with AZASRS.Here, he has transformed their approach to real estate by focusing on demand-driven investing.“We eliminated a middleman, we were able to have more control over our destiny in terms of selecting the type of deals we wanted to do, and then we also have more control to be able to exit an investment or increase an investment, depending on how things are going.”Because they are a small staff of nine, they work closely with their consultant RCLCO to identify the right markets and partners for success.Karl’s Advice:Follow your bliss. Experiment. Find out what means something to you, then dig as deep as possible, become the best you can be, and find a market for it.Don’t be afraid to take risk.Be prepared to reinvent yourself and be ready to adapt.Links from the EpisodeArizona State Retirement Systems InvestmentsArizona State Retirement Systems Strategic Asset Allocation (2018)Karl Polen’s GitHub page

Note from the host- In this episode, you will actually hear me being interviewed, rather than me doing the interview. Jeff Large is the editor of Season 2 of Leading Voices. He interviewed me on his podcast, The Jeff Large Podcast, where he talks about tech, podcasting, and running a business. I get to discuss how this relates to real estate from both a recruiting and leadership standpoint. Enjoy!Terra Search PartnersI founded Terra Search Partners in 2006, a highly consultative executive search firm specializing in the real estate industry. Clients hire Terra as an advisor and consultant to help them understand and hire leaders for their firm.True LeadersCuriosity, humility, a deep understanding of others and their industry, and people who talk about mentors and teams are traits that I consistently see in true leaders. All of them come from some depth of knowledge in the industry that they grew up in.“They don’t just land on the moon and become a leader. They grow up in the industry and they grow up by being exceptional through the pathways that they grow.”People have built amazing companies in the real estate industry. In Leading Voices, I have had the opportunity to interview some amazing folks who have built great businesses. Indeed, I have gained inspiration and insights from most of the interviews. A few to call out are Fred Tuomi, Gadi Kaufman, Keith Oden, Mary Ann Tighe, Sam Zell, Jonathan Rose, John Rahaim, Jane Graf, Steve Wilson and many others.I’ve found that my own leadership strength lies in being a thought leader within the industry and an advisor who listens well and tries to continually add value for clients, candidates, and colleagues.Why Podcasting“My success and my happiness becomes not just about my own contribution, but actually about having a company around me that I can teach and work and mentor and have those that love it as much as I do… Teaching that is something that inspires me a lot.”When ULI asked if I wanted to be their “Terry Gross”, I didn’t realize the level of passion and desire I would have for hosting a podcast series. I find that the breadth of knowledge that I’ve gained over the 20 years I’ve spent in the industry is very useful as I interview the leading minds in real estate.For me, podcasting is a great way to grow a business through thought-leadership and credibility, but most importantly, I am passionate about showing the diverse value that real estate companies and leaders add to their cities. It’s inspiring both for leaders already in the business as well as young people thinking about careers in the industry.My AdviceFind a meaning and a purpose in the work you do. Come to your job with a passion and interest day in and day out, and you will bring things to the next level.

Joe Fraiman and Andrew Kitchell, the Co-Founders of Lyric, While it is tempting to compare their startup business to Airbnb, it is actually quite different. Lyric is a highly curated, highly designed, professionally-operated version of rentals where they have total control over the supply, design, and experience of their guests.The Connection:With a background in software and finance, Joe moved West and started Tastemaker, a company created to help people find the right interior designer. At this time, Andrew was managing Beyond Stays and reached out to Joe at Tastemaker to remodel their properties.They had lunch and quickly realized they shared a passion for the possibilities at the intersection of technology, data, and real estate. They saw that people want to live and travel in a more flexible, experience-driven way and they decided to learn: what does this transition look like, what are the challenges, and how can they solve them?Building Trust:Bridging the trust gap with apartments and short-term rentals was an immediate challenge. However, by identifying the underlying reasons for mistrust between apartments and short-term renters, Lyric was able to implement strategies that built trust, like background checks.As the relationships blossomed, Lyric secured the high-quality product they wanted while providing apartments with new revenue streams for their portfolios, valuable amenities for their residents, and an additional conversion funnel.“The most interesting thing is that we have the ability to serve all kinds of different types of customers and use cases… Everything from the two-day leisure trip, the five-day business trip, the 30-90 day relocation or home displacement, all the way to the much longer pattern,” said Andrew.Growing the Company:From the beginning, Joe and Andrew knew the importance of securing investors – which include NEA, Fifth Wall Ventures, Barry Sternlicht, and Signal Fire – who would help them scale, build up their real estate expertise, grow their brand, double down on data, and accelerate growth.“It’s about having the passion and the curiosity to say ‘Hey, I believe there is something behind that mountain and we’re going to hike in that direction, and we’re going to learn things along the way, and course correct,’ and I think that’s what investors are looking for,” said Joe.Andrew and Joe are quick to admit that it would be challenging to run a company of Lyric’s scope by themselves. They credit their complementary skill sets and ability to discuss things with the other as vehicles for helping them move quickly, test things, and solve problems.

Ken grew up in Northern California’s Bay Area, eventually receiving his M.B.A. and Ph.D. from Stanford in Business. Simultaneously, he obtained a California Brokers License because he was drawn to real estate. He was aware of the self-storage industry in California, but when he moved out to Boston after college he saw that there was a gap in the market on the East Coast. This piqued his interest in the industry.After opening up the first Extra Space Storage in Billings, MT in 1977 in a partnership with his boss at the time, Ken went on to teach at Brigham Young University (BYU) in Utah. There, he continued growing Extra Space, until sky-high interest rates slowed down development in the early 1980s and again in the early 1990’s.“I didn’t think it through very well… but you know, sometimes when you’re an entrepreneur you don’t have a good long-term strategy. You’re just trying to survive.”The Modern Extra SpaceInspired by the corporate strategy class he was teaching, Ken realized in 1998 he was serious about growing Extra Space. He needed money, a good management team, and a partner to help him. Diane Olmstead of Arthur Anderson Real Estate Capital Markets Group helped Extra Space bring a financial partnership with Prudential Real Estate Investors. Spencer Kirk joined as a partner in order to put the team together, while Ken as CEO focused on acquisitions, development, and financing.“We spent a lot of time working with employees, employee benefits, and employee motivation, and I think that that has paid huge dividends for us. Second of all, we always had a philosophy of being fair in any business transaction… we really internalized the idea that when you have a contract or business relationship, you’re always fair to the other guy.”In the same way that you trust a Marriott Hotel, Ken recognizes that the secret sauce for success lies in the reputation of their business name.Because its tenants don’t talk to one another, Extra Space can leverage technology to offer different prices and promotions based off of certain customer’s characteristics and the self-storage product they want to purchase. He credits this sophistication and tailored-pricing to why they are outperforming others in their industry.Advice:Woolley is a serial entrepreneur and has a plethora of experience in industries including airlines, technology, mining, fast food, and more. But storage is the one thing he knows best and to be successful in real estate, he puts a lot of emphasis on having a good education and a lot of experience.“If you want to be in real estate, there are two ways to approach it. Number one is start from the ground up. And that means you start developing small things with small partners. The other way is to get a job with a real estate company, learn the ropes, and then go off on your own.”LinksExtra Space StorageEntrepreneur Leadership Video 01Entrepreneur Leadership Video 02Entrepreneur Leadership Video 03

Jane Graf is the President and CEO of Mercy Housing based in Denver and operating nationally, one of the country’s largest nonprofit affordable housing organizations.Jane’s work in affordable housing began early, as she founded the nonprofit Specialized Housing that built affordable housing for those with disabilities before she was 30. When her husband was relocated to San Francisco for his job, she began working for Catholic Charities, which eventually led to her joining Mercy Housing during a merger.Jane credits Mercy Housing’s resilient structure to the Sisters of Mercy’s entrepreneurial approach and understanding that to do good work, you need to put money behind it and take risks.25:40 “They built these institutional responses to need… They know how to not only start something but then really create an institution that can carry on the work way beyond their capability. And they’re really good at it… they’re completely fearless.”She likens Mercy Housing to NPR, a national organization with local branches that are integral to the community. The real change and transformation happens on the local level because every community has different needs and resources.Some of Jane’s important beliefs surrounding affordable housing include:Property management should be about people, not compliance.There is no single, one-size-fits-all model for delivering affordable housing.Stabilizing and supporting people and communities in need will help them get access to foundational necessities like education, healthcare, and good jobs.Jane’s career and life advice are:Celebrate your mistakes because you learn way more from your mistakes than from what you did right.Spend your time allowing yourself to be pulled towards your strengths.

John Rahaim grew up in Detroit. His high school day of community service inspired him to understand the city more, and he went on to receive his B.S. in Architecture from the University of Michigan and a Masters in Architecture with an emphasis on Urban Design from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.The Urban Design program focused on man-environment systems which especially fascinated John."It’s all about the interaction of human behavior and the environment and how each one affects the other."Pittsburgh’s Second Renaissance:After graduating from Wisconsin, he headed to Pittsburgh in the early 80’s, at which point it had the third largest number of corporate headquarters in the country. However, over the 15 years that he was there, most of them left, along with the 27 steel mills.Despite this traumatic change to the city’s makeup, John credits Pittsburgh’s strong ethnic neighborhoods for maintaining their stability, low crime rates, and cohesion in a way that Detroit did not.As a young planner, working with instrumental mentors and a talented, interdisciplinary team in Pittsburgh, John learned what a broad realm of topics planning encompasses."We have to know a little about a lot of things. It’s not just about buildings and design and whatever. It’s about the economy of the city, it’s about public spaces, and it’s about transportation, and it’s about the price of housing, and all of those things. That is really the kind of mix of things we have to deal with. And that was an enormous lesson for me."From Urban Designer to Associate Director, he created strong relationships and rewrote Pittsburgh’s zoning review process. When he decided to move on, he spent some time in Rome to discern the new direction or his career, at which point a position for City Designer opened up in Seattle.Seattle:Halfway through his tenure at the Office of City Design during the late 90’s, the city started seeing significant growth. The Urban Growth boundary that the state had required of all counties since the 1990s had forced cities to think creatively on how to expand up rather than out.San Francisco:After Seattle, he was tapped to take the Planning Director position in San Francisco. He was honored to join the rich planning legacy that exists there, however, he knew it would be no simple task.He laughs that the most common greeting he received when he took the job was “Congratulations and my condolences.”Government Service:John notes that on the West coast, local government is bigger and more is expected from it, certainly when it comes to environmental sustainability.He adds that the population is very knowledgeable which gives leaders both support and push back, as seen with the NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard), anti-development movement.I’ll be honest, I think part of the aversion to change here is because this place is extraordinarily charming… It’s a beautiful city in a beautiful setting. And people are averse to change in a way that is stronger than the other settings I’ve been in.Challenges in San Francisco:John shares how the housing crisis in San Francisco is due to several factors, including:A consistent decrease in development and residential building.The extraordinary pace of change and turnaround after the recession.The Millennial and Baby Boomer interest in city living.The explosion of tech jobs.The good news is that now they are building more housing than they have in years, and are on pace to meet their six-year goal of building 30,000 housing units.In addition, he has begun diversifying the Planning Office’s responsibilities. This transformation spans duties from co-leading the city’s efforts on sea level rise to building a community development team focused on stabilizing vulnerable neighborhoods, to leading the city’s efforts on transportation planning.Planning Directors:John believes the profession has really matured over the last 30 years. While San Francisco certainly faces unique challenges, many cities are struggling with the same issues and concerns. For example, housing for the middle class is a huge issue everywhere, and transportation is a close second.Advice:John’s advice to those interested in entering the field is to get a broad range of experience in both the public and the private sector. Particularly, he says you need to try to understand the financial motivation in the real estate industry, and why developers and builders do what they do.Link:San Francisco Planning Department

A Technology FoundationFred Tuomi was born in Minnesota, and went on to attend high school and college in Georgia, receiving a B.A. in Business Information Systems and a Masters in Business Administration from Georgia State University. While working for the Computer Sciences Corporation doing consulting, Fred connected with John Lie-Nelsen of Consolidated Capital and Johnstown Properties. This opportunity led to Fred creating the very first automated, apartment management system.“The idea was, let’s use these things called computers that make everything more efficient and increase productivity… Let’s put it where we have most of our people. To really get the benefits of productivity enhancement, you have to make as many employees as possible productive, not just a few back at the home office.”When the Tax Reform Act of 1986 killed the real estate limited partnership business, Fred connected with John Williams and John Glover of Post Properties, and then eventually was invited to join Equity Residential by Doug Crocker.Equity ResidentialFred and his family moved from Atlanta to Chicago, where he became President of Property Management at Equity Residential.“We were trying to build two things. One was a uniform platform that was highly efficient… Second thing was to build a company culture.”Fred shares how Sam Zell, Founder, and Chairman of Equity Residential (see our interview with Zell in Season One of Leading Voices), influenced and shaped its culture. Under Zell’s vision for acquiring irreplaceable assets, the company’s goal evolved from a gross asset accumulation model to a highly refined portfolio and operational platform. Technology also played a critical role throughout the business, including in revenue management, allowing them to study the relationship of supply and demand in a way that hadn’t been possible before.Entering and Exiting RetirementIt wasn’t long after Tuomi retired to spend more time with his grandkids and family, that he was approached by Tom Barrack and Justin Chang of Colony Capital. They wanted his advice on translating his apartment management strategy to the single-family rental business. While many doubted that a long-term ownership and management platform for the single-family market was possible, Fred was able to bring his experience from rolling up assets in the multifamily business and over time saw the business coming together with efficiencies and metrics comparable to the apartment industry. Each asset was bought with an eye on the long-term growth of stabilized income streams which meant that with the various mergers of the Waypoint, Starwood, Colony and Blackstone Invitation Homes portfolios, the footprint didn’t just get wider, it got more deep and dense, improving efficiency. Technology in the hands of the consumer and the front line employee also made these efficiencies possible.“We are now running 2,200+ homes from one centralized property management team similar to an apartment property office. In terms of headcount to assets, we are much more efficient than the apartment business. But we have to employ a lot more technology to bridge that gap.”The Future of the MarketFred sees Millennials entering the housing market society’s increased longevity as signposts for long-term market growth, and emphasizes the importance of developers stimulating the housing supply if we don’t want pricing to increase.

Gerald Hines founded his business in 1957 as a developer of office properties. His namesake company now has a presence in 201 cities and 24 countries, and manages over $110 billion in property. Hines is renowned for not only creating the highest quality buildings in the market, but for partnering with the world’s best architects.The Beginning:Born in Gary, IN in 1925, Hines was the child of parents who came on a boat from Nova Scotia. Growing up, he ran cross country and track and is proud to share that his team won the city championships. He entered college at Purdue early, completing 3 semesters of studies before joining the Army at 18.While in the service, he was part of the Army Corps of Engineers, and his travels introduced him to the inspiring architecture in Seattle and Tacoma.After the Army, Hines returned to school to complete his Mechanical Engineering degree and spent some time selling engineering equipment.He made the leap to development when his neighbor needed a building for 5,000 square feet and Hines said, “let me build it.” This catapulted his career and he began working with larger companies and properties.Growth:“We just evolved… the brokers seemed to get the fact that we had a very high hit rate and so that attracted the better brokers to us with their projects, and quality and good value sustained our entry into that.”The timing was perfect, as Texas was expanding and companies were moving there, so there was a lot of new construction. Hines’ reputation for quality and straight shooting helped them grow.Hines recalls his first big project for Shell, building their new headquarters in Texas. He worked with architect Bruce Graham of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill on it, and for the pitch, they used a fancy German lock set to denote the quality of the project they were going to create – and they won. He went on to work with architects like Phillip Johnson on Pennzoil, and create iconic buildings like New York City’s Lipstick building, The Galleria in Houston, and the Marche St. Germain in France.Business Culture:Hines emphasizes the importance of a strong business culture, rooted in integrity.“I think our (team) all realize what integrity means and we stand by our word. We treat people fairly and that’s very important to all of us.”Episode LinksThe Hines WebsiteRaising the Bar: The Life and Work of Gerald D. Hines

Community BuildingMusic was everywhere. We played music, we were encouraged to play music, we sang in the car. But that was also the 70’s.Dar grew up in Chappaqua, NY during the 70’s. It was developing and becoming more progressive as a commuter city to New York City. Her parents were involved in city politics but also enjoyed art, gardening, and music.Through volunteering and fundraising, her parents exemplified community building, her father specifically holding an instrumental role in bringing their local library to life. Dar emphasizes the importance and beauty of libraries as community gathering spaces.Growing up, she has a clear memory of listening to Judy Collins and connecting with the seriousness and poetry of the songwriting. She pursued playwriting and theater until she moved to Boston where she began doing open mics and writing songs in its supportive, vibrant music community.Taking OffAs Dar began traveling and performing, she shares how she fell in love with watching the small towns evolve with each performance, time and time again. She credits this cultivation of culture to the people and the community builders who bring the artists into the town.I watched towns grow up as the venues grew up.Understanding Positive ProximityPositive proximity is the experience of living side by side with people and knowing that your life is better because there are other people, not despite the fact that there are other people.Dar shares a personal example of this from her life of a man who tilled the herb garden while sharing differing political views. Although she disagreed with his politics, she was grateful to spend time with someone who was so different from her but shared a common vision for their community.Some of the Towns That Dar Loves:1. Her hometown, Beacon, NY.2. Phoenixville, PA.3. Gainesville, FL.4. Moab, UT.Based on her 25 years of touring the country, Dar wrote the book “What I Found in A Thousand Towns,” which highlights her unique perspective on how communities evolve. As a bonus, Dar plays her song, “February.” You can find more of her work on her website.

Jim was born and raised in the Detroit suburbs. He has positive memories of the dynamic neighborhood full of families raising their kids and a strong public school environment. Also clear in his memory is a downtown visited on special occasions or to shop at Hudson’s, once America’s largest department store.Transit:Jim attributes Detroit’s early lack of public transportation to the fact that it was the hub for automotive companies, making car ownership king. He wonders how different things might have been, had public transportation been implemented.Many companies have maintained their presence in downtown Detroit through thick and thin, however, during this time of new investment, attracting and retaining top talent is the priority. Bedrock’s success has sparked competition and investment by others in downtown Detroit, helping bring young people and new businesses to the Central Business District.Roots:Jim went to Michigan State College of Law and laughs about how many of his work colleagues now, were old neighbors and classmates of his when he was younger. Specifically, his friend Dan Gilbert, Founder and Chairman of Quicken Loans.As Quicken Loans grew, Jim and Dan deepened discussions about moving the mortgage lender’s headquarters downtown from its suburban location in Livonia, MI. From there, they began to lay the foundation for major change.Transition:Although Jim shares that he was not quite sure what the future held, he also wasn’t afraid of failure. He believed that as long as they never had a plan B and only focused on plan A, this was something that could be successful.By the end of 2010, Jim and Dan had formed their company, and by January 2011, they had their first acquisition.Just seven years later, Bedrock’s portfolio includes more than 100 properties, mostly concentrated within Detroit’s Central Business District and downtown Cleveland.Now, downtown Detroit is home to tenants like Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Microsoft. Jim shares proudly that the residential, retail, restaurant, transportation, and arts scene have all been growing steadily.If a developer calls me up and says I’m interested in Detroit, I’m like ‘Great, let me tour you through everything we’ve done, let me teach you what we know, and let me help you to acquire something and compete with me.’ …The more you help people, the better it is.Advice:Jim’s parting advice is that it’s okay to fail because that’s how we all learn and get better.

Creating and Building:Born in McComb, MS, Keith says he could have written the book “Hillbilly Elegy,” about his own life. Since his parents weren’t really in the picture, his grandmother raised him from a young age in Pasadena, TX. He went on to graduate from the University of Texas, receiving his MBA with a concentration in real estate shortly thereafter.“I was just intrigued always with the idea of creating and building things.”After working as a management consultant at Deloitte, he interviewed at Century Development and joined the team. This is where he met Ric Campo, who became his long-time business partner.During that time, they realized that considering Houston’s economic recovery status, short-term leases were going to do the best, so they focused their business on apartments.From there, Keith and Ric began buying apartments in Houston and working with investors, until the RTC came along and the one-off asset game didn’t work anymore. They struck a deal with investor Louis Ranieri, which allowed them to play the RTC game, and their portfolio grew to 7,000 apartments. When Ranieri wanted to sell, Ric and Keith didn’t want to give up this company they had created. They crafted a plan and kept the business, taking the company public in 1993.Camden MilestonesKeith has several highlights that he says were “Watershed” moments for Camden’s trajectory.When they went from private to public, this became a huge watershed moment because they weren’t spending time raising capital. Keith says that raising capital is now less than 5% of his time.They went through three public-to-public mergers, which grew the geography of their company beyond Texas.They created the first revenue management system for the multi-family business with the software firm, RealPage. This solved the problem of pricing apartment rents in real time.The first year they made it on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For was in 2007, and they’ve been on it for 11 consecutive years now. He says it’s the benchmark, not just for Camden, but of how far the apartment industry has come.Keith and Ric, as President and CEO respectively, continue as partners and collaborators to this day, essentially as co-heads of the business. This type of collaboration is unique in the REIT industry.Creating Company CultureDuring a facilitator meeting where they discussed the importance of taking a stand, everyone in the meeting had to stand up and pitch their goal for the company. Keith stood up and said that in five years, Camden Property Trust will be recognized as one of the best companies to work for in this country. Two years later, they made Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For.This company culture wasn’t born in that meeting however, it was there from the beginning.“It’s just setting up an environment where people can do their best work, where they’re rewarded for it both financially and emotionally… and then just being unyielding in terms of good and bad behavior.”IndustryKeith says Camden’s company culture is not a spectator sport, but an inclusive, respectful, integrity-driven environment.Keith’s Advice:Make it your mission to improve people’s lives, and you measure your success by that.Videos:Camden’s Gotta Feeling!Website:Camden Living

Sam Zell, one of the most storied names in real estate, describes his riveting journey from his parents’ escape from Poland in 1939 as Hitler invaded to how he built his real estate empire at Equity International, created the modern REIT, and lead the industry public.More about Equity Group InvestmentsForbes Magazine on Sam Zell’s successAm I Being Too Subtle?: Straight Talk From a Business Rebel

A-P Hurd was not planning on going into the real estate industry. After working in journalism and on the trading floor, she then landed a leadership role at Touchstone. Her unique perspective on business encourages people to use their skillsets to allow them to do their best work.Executive Q+A: A-P Hurd’s Urban ExpressionRead more about AP’s book The Carbon Efficient City

After growing up in Israel and serving in the army, Gadi Kaufmann came to the U.S. on a scholarship to Brigham Young University. His drive led him to an interview with RCLCO during college; and now, after 38 years and four careers at RCLCO, he has transitioned to the current managing director and CEO.Read Gadi’s biography

Ellen Winkler became an accidental developer when she moved her video production firm to Denver and failed to find a fun, yet collaborative work environment. Now she is creating coworking spaces all around the city.Read more about Ellen’s backgroundRead more about Drumbeat

Jonathan Rose left his family’s multigenerational real estate company to start his own for-profit mission-driven development firm. His passion for creating communities of opportunity is strengthened through the belief that we all share a compassion that makes the world a better place.More information on the Rose CompaniesMore information on the Well Tempered City

Leaving a legacy is easy for Phil Freelon, who founded one of the largest African American–owned architecture firms. With numerous cultural institutions under his belt, including the newest Smithsonian museum, he is motivated to design places where the public can convene.Phil Freelon’s bioRead more about the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and CultureRead more about Phil Freelon

Mary Ann Tighe didn’t know what commercial real estate was until she was 36 years old. With a successful career in the Carter/Mondale White House before launching the A&E network, she recognized her knack for deal-making and is now one of the country’s most prolific brokers.Read Mary Ann Tighe’s bioRead more about Mary Ann’s career

Chip Conley started one of the country’s first boutique hotel chains, Joie de Vivre, when he was just 26 years old. After selling the company, he joined the startup Airbnb at age 52, despite the fact that the young founders were primed to disrupt his industry.Read more about Chip’s leadershipRead more about Chip’s role at AirbnbPre-order Chip’s newest book, Wisdom @ Work: The Making of a Modern ElderLearn more about Chip’s other books*This is a rebroadcast of our previous interview with Chip Conley.

A chance meeting on a playground led Kevin Plank, Under Armour’s founder, to ask Tom Geddes to oversee his private investments. Tom’s leadership is enhancing Baltimore’s waterfront and how the public experiences the city.Learn more about Plank IndustriesLearn more about Tom Geddes

Janet Marie Smith had a homerun vision for Camden Yards, the first baseball stadium in 70 years that was built within the existing urban fabric of any U.S. city. With stadium work in Boston and Atlanta also under her belt, she is now enhancing 55-year-old Dodger Stadium.Learn more about Janet Marie SmithRead more about Janet Marie Smith’s involvement with Camden Yards

Following the advice of his grandfather, Andrés Duany knows he can either be popular or indispensable, and he’s chosen the latter. Made famous by his traditional neighborhood design of Seaside, Florida, Duany has led the charge in creating new urbanist communities.Learn more about Andrés Duany and DPZRead more about New Urbanism

How does one prepare for an unexpected crisis? Scott Cowen managed to lead Tulane University through Hurricane Katrina, strengthening the student body and city of New Orleans in the process by strategically integrating the two.

MaryAnne Gilmartin defies many conventions in the real estate world. She wears high heels to construction sites of major New York City projects and has achieved the top leadership position in a family business where she has no relation.

Growing up, Toby Bozzuto did not want to work in the family business—yet now he is the CEO. Toby began his career in the music industry but was drawn into the real estate world because of the foundational values his father set for the Bozzuto Group.

Kimber Lanning has operated an independent record store in downtown Phoenix for 30 years. Her experience as a small business owner led her to start Local First Arizona, advocating for self-reliant, unique downtowns that can support the little guy.Learn more about Kimber Lanning and Local First Arizona

Teens using power tools? That’s the foundation for Alex Gilliam’s two nonprofits. He brings together youth to physically build amenities in their struggling neighborhoods. These students learn how to engage civically while changing the urban landscape.Learn more about Alex Gilliam and Public WorkshopWatch Alex Gilliam’s TED Talk

Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood was one of the most blighted in the country, impeding on the city’s economic development. Leveraging creative financing as well as civic and corporate partnerships, Steve Leeper has led 3CDC in the transformation of this historic neighborhood.Learn more about Steve Leeper and 3CDCLearn more about the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood

A lifelong New Yorker, Alicia Glen serves as the city’s deputy mayor for housing and economic development. Why did she leave the private sector for public service, and what are the challenges for New York given one of its own is entering the White House?Read Alicia Glen’s bio

Egbert Perry of the Integral Group developed the national model for mixed-income housing. He has since been changing the notion of which industry sectors people of color are accepted, and successfully forging into market-rate commercial projects.Read more about Egbert Perry and the Integral GroupRead a 1998 article on the creation of Centennial Place