Episodes

Sean Dalfen is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Dalfen Industrial and leads the firm’s investment committees and management committees across its platforms. Under Sean’s leadership, Dalfen Industrial’s portfolio has grown to over 50 million square feet of industrial properties from coast to coast, making it one of the nation’s largest owners and developers of industrial real estate and a leader in the last-mile sector. Over his career, Sean has transacted on in excess of $10 billion ...

Alex Bridgeman is the host of Think Like an Owner, a podcast focused on how the most ambitious CEOs grow great companies. He started the podcast in 2018 while still in college, and the show has led to exciting opportunities like becoming Chief of Staff at HW Media in March 2022 which evolved into a Director of Data Strategy role at Altos Research, a data company acquired by HW Media in December 2022. Alex has a deep passion for content and data and how each can propel a creator into amazing opp...

Susan Miller Gruppi is the founder and co-president of M2G Ventures, a commercial real estate private equity and advisory development company based in Fort Worth, Texas. Guided by the leadership of Susan and her partner, Jessica Miller Essl, the fast-growing company carefully invests in mixed-use and industrial development projects located in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex and the Austin Central Texas region. On this episode, Chris & Susan discuss: - Fundraising in today's market - Trends in...

Isaac French designed and built Live Oak Lake, a breathtaking 7-unit nature-immersive retreat located just outside Waco, Texas. In its first year, the property grossed $1 million, with a net profit of $550,000. Thanks to his cultivation of the brand’s social media following of 150K, over 80% of all bookings are direct. Isaac thrives on continuously expanding his repertoire of skills and sharing candidly from his experiences. On this episode, Chris and Isaac discuss: The process of designing an...

Nick and Chris come together for an intimate conversation that goes beyond their normal public or online discussions. This is Nick's 9th appearance on The Fort. They discuss: Nick's upbringing & his relationship with his father A deep dive into the impact money has on people Chris reads an email his father sent him 3 days before passing Parenting & marriage philosophies The pressure on men in today's world and what it means to be influential We'd appreciate you filling out our audience su...

As the founder of Creek Development, Shiloe has completed 63 commercial redevelopment projects and 5 land entitlement plays in the San Francisco Bay Area. Leveraging her deep construction expertise, she challenges project assumptions and incorporates impactful design to achieve remarkable outcomes for her clients and investors. On this episode, Chris and Shiloe discuss: - How Shiloe built Creek as an outsourced developer - How Creek converts Industrial space for biotech labs - A deep dive in...

Ana Lorena Fábrega is an edupreneur, writer, and Chief Evangelist at Synthesis. Growing up, she attended ten schools in seven different countries. She then earned her BS in Childhood Education and Special Education from New York University and taught elementary school in New York, Boston, and Panama. Today, Ana Lorena writes online to over 200,000 readers about the promise of alternative education. On this episode, Chris and Ana discuss: The current state of education Teaching children in a d...

Eric is a trusted deal lawyer with extensive M&A and capital markets experience. Having worked for elite law firms such as Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, Eric has worked on high-stakes transactions for clients such as Amazon.com, Jerry Jones, Banc of America Securities LLC, Palantir and Greenlane Holdings. On this episode, Eric and Chris discuss: Starting the SMB Attorney Twitter account and launching the first Social Media-driven law firm A walkthrough of the process o...

Evan Baehr is the managing partner of Learn Capital, a venture capital fund that backs and builds companies that drive human flourishing. He’s Founder of Teneo, a national leadership organization, author of the best-selling book Get Backed from Harvard Business Press, and host of the Arena, a TV show celebrating bold founders. On this episode, Evan and Chris discuss: How Evan is advancing human flourishing The roles of government vs. community in human flourishing How to build and grow commu...

Joe Shelerud is Co-Founder and CEO of Ad Advance, a digital advertising agency and Amazon Advertising Advanced Partner. Joe’s career in business and engineering quickly pivoted into the Amazon space after he started selling on Amazon back in 2014. After scaling his own 7-figure brand, Joe and his business partner founded their agency Ad Advance in 2017. Together with his team, Joe has helped brands all over the globe scale their brands. Joe is also the host of The Ad Project podcast, a show that...

Chris is proud to be a 6th generation Utahn and a 3rd generation commercial real estate developer. His career has focused on helping people build their cash flow in commercial real estate and having fun while doing it. Chris has been involved in over 1,000 drive-thru deals throughout the mountain and desert states throughout his career. Chris joined the brokerage community in 2002. He spent tireless hours helping multiple national retailers such as Dollar Tree, Starbucks Coffee, Verizon, Wendy’s...

Growing up in Wichita Falls, Texas, Donald Zale watched his father, a Russian Jewish immigrant from an orthodox family, turn a small jewelry store into the Zale Corporation. Don worked alongside his father in the jewelry store and assumed the role of chairman of the board in 1980. In addition to being a successful businessman, Don and his wife, Barbara, became known as a philanthropist, using their wealth to help build hospitals, fund scholarships and aid the homeless. Don works chiefly on his ...

Emily Holdman is Managing Director of Permanent Equity - a firm using 30-year funds to invest with no intention of selling in small and medium-sized private businesses. In her role, Emily is principally responsible for leading the firm's origination and investment process, and its marketing. On this episode, Chris and Emily discuss: How to know when a seller is ready, and when to move forward on a business Underwriting businesses Buying an Amusement Park Ride Manufacturer How to ask great q...

Chris is joined by his business partner and Fort Capital CEO Jason Baxter to celebrate the 300th episode of the Podcast. On this episode, Chris and Jason answer listener-submitted questions regarding: How to build a successful partnership How Fort Capital is navigating the real estate economy Implementing technology and artificial intelligence in a business We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. https...

Born in Siberia, Artem immigrated to the United States at the age of nine. In 2009 he formed SCHON | TEPLER Partners to capitalize on the unprecedented opportunities in distressed residential real estate during the GFC and has evolved into a full-service, vertically integrated, multi-family real estate development firm. Since his first purchase of a single-family house as an investment for $300k at the age of 23, Artem has been involved as a principal in the development/redevelopment of more tha...

Chris Hutchins is the host of the award-winning All the Hacks podcast, where he helps listeners upgrade their life, money and travel. Previously, he was the founder/CEO of Grove (acquired by Wealthfront), an investor at Google Ventures, and a co-founder of Milk (acquired by Google). On this episode, Chris & Chris Hutchins discuss: ➡️ Chris' filter for finding hacks in life ➡️ the business of credit card points ➡️ travel hacking ➡️ the business of Podcasting We'd appreciate you filling out ...

Mark Brooks is Chief Operating Officer and Co-President of Permanent Equity - a firm that invests with no intention of selling in small and medium-sized private businesses. In his role, Mark and his team are responsible for the operations of PE's 13 (and counting) portfolio companies spanning multiple industries including aerospace, construction, manufacturing, ad tech, and professional services. On this episode, Mark & Chris discuss: ➡️ what makes a great and a terrible manager ➡️ how Mark m...

Sean Burton is CEO of Cityview, a vertically integrated real estate investment management and development firm that specializes in developing, acquiring and operating opportunistic and value-add multifamily projects in gateway markets across the Western U.S. Cityview has invested in more than 130 projects and was named the decade’s largest multifamily developer in LA by Los Angeles Business Journal. On this episode, Sean and Chris discuss: ➡️ land entitling ➡️ an overview of the Los Angeles m...

Jim O'Shaughnessy serves as Executive Chair of the Board of Directors of Stability.ai. He is the Founder and CEO of O'Shaughnessy Ventures, LLC (OSV). O'Shaughnessy Ventures focuses on his deeply rooted interest in art, science, investing, and tech, marrying them with his long-held desire to establish positive sum scenarios through partnerships and investments. OSV focuses on 4 specific areas: Infinite Adventures (venture capital), Infinite Films, Infinite Media, and the O'Shaughnessy Fellowship...

Sahil Bloom is an inspirational writer and content creator, captivating millions of people every week through his social insights and bi-weekly newsletter, The Curiosity Chronicle. Sahil is also a successful entrepreneur and owner of SRB Holdings, a personal holding company currently comprised of seven cash-flowing businesses, and the Managing Partner of SRB Ventures, a $10 million venture investment firm committed to investing in and accelerating the most compelling startups in the world. Prio...

Chris is joined by Fort Capital CEO Jason Baxter and Executive Vice President Steve Bailey to discuss how the company has executed on its mission to establish a world-class Property Management arm of the organization. On this episode, they discuss: ➡️ how and why FC got into property management ➡️ cost savings & economies of scale ➡️ how the team utilizes data ➡️ incentivizing folks to think like owners We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on pro...

Ryan is a trust and estates attorney. He represents entrepreneurs, families, and financial institutions with a primary focus on shouldering his clients’ problems and helping them achieve their objectives. On this episode, Ryan and Chris discuss: ➡️ the 6 Basic Estate Planning Documents ➡️ how parents can set up plans for their children ➡️ succession planning for family businesses ➡️ using trusts in PE investments We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously w...

Dupree Scovell is the managing partner and chief investment officer at Woodbine Development Corporation, a full-service real estate company that specializes in hospitality. He got his start in the hotel business at the age of 16, working as a dishwasher at Hyatt Regency Dallas. In 2011, Dupree joined Woodbine and expanded its footprint with the opening of a West Coast office in Los Angeles before returning to Dallas in 2019. Currently, he and his brother, King, work together as managing partners...

Bob is Head of the NY Private Capital Group within JLL Capital Markets in New York City. Bob was Chairman and Founding Partner of Massey Knakal Realty Services, New York’s #1 building sales firm. In 2014, Cushman & Wakefield acquired Massey Knakal. At Cushman & Wakefield, Bob served as Chairman of New York Investment Sales. He was ranked the top originating investment sales broker at Cushman & Wakefield, globally, in 2014, 2015 and 2016. Bob joined JLL in September of 2018 as Chairman – NY Inve...