Experienced Businessman and Entrepreneur
The Small-Town Opportunity: Why Secondary Markets Are the Next Frontier for Retail Development
For decades, the retail development playbook has been relatively straightforward: build in major metropolitan areas where population density, median incomes, and traffic counts justify the investment. Developers have long pursued the same primary markets, creating...
Adaptive Reuse in California: Breathing New Life into Underutilized Commercial Spaces
California's commercial real estate landscape is undergoing a fundamental transformation. With office vacancy rates near historic highs and retail spaces struggling to remain relevant in an increasingly digital economy, property owners and developers are looking...
A Parent and an Entrepreneur: Why Teaching Teens About Money Matters
When people think of “entrepreneur,” they often imagine long hours, risk, strategic planning, and ongoing problem-solving. While all of that is true, my most crucial role isn’t as CEO, it's as a parent. Over time, I’ve discovered a vital insight: the lessons that have...
The Perfect Storm: Why 2021-2022 Retail and Hospitality Loans Are Facing Their Moment of Truth
The commercial real estate market is facing a reckoning. Loans originated during the historically low-interest-rate environment of 2021 and 2022 are now coming due, and borrowers across the retail and hospitality sectors are finding that refinancing in today's market...
Retail Real Estate 2026: Navigating Uncertainty with Strategic Clarity
In my previous article, I discussed where retail stood at the end of 2025—a market in transition that requires more innovative strategies from everyone involved. Now, as we look toward 2026, one word sums up the overall feeling: uncertainty. ...
The State of the Retail Market in 2025: A California Developer’s Reality Check
As we approach the end of 2025, the retail real estate market across California and the Western U.S. tells a complex story—one that requires us to look beyond the headlines to understand what's happening locally. At LRE & Co, we focus on creating...
Beyond the Rent vs. Buy Debate: Building Wealth on Your Terms
My previous article on renting versus buying sparked conversations that went deeper than I expected. People shared their own stories, questioned long-held assumptions, and asked a crucial follow-up question: "If I choose to rent, what does a real wealth-building...
Gas vs. Electric Vehicles in California: A Developer’s Perspective
As CEO of LRE & Co., I spend a lot of time thinking about infrastructure—not just the buildings we develop, but the systems that support how people live, work, and move through their communities. And right now, no infrastructure question is more urgent in...
Building Smarter, Not Just Cheaper: The Retail Value Engineering Advantage
When our team reviewed the construction documents for our latest retail development last quarter, we identified significant savings without compromising a single element that would impact tenant operations or customer experience. The QSR pad sites still have the same...
The Loneliness at the Top: Navigating Entrepreneurial Isolation
There's a conversation that doesn't happen enough in business circles, the one about how isolating leadership can be. We talk endlessly about strategy, growth, market trends, and scaling operations, but we rarely address the quiet reality many entrepreneurs and CEOs...