On this episode of CRE Unplugged, we sit down with Mead Rusert, VP and GM of Building Technologies at Carrier. With over 30 years of experience under his (tool)belt, Mead’s the man behind the controls at Carrier’s Automated Logic, where he’s basically the maestro of everything that isn’t HVAC. Why should you listen? Because smarter buildings equal smarter people—or at least more productive ones. From hiking treks in New Mexico with a bunch of teenage boys (seriously, the guy’s brave) to leading cutting-edge innovations at Carrier, Mead walks us through his career and why building technology isn’t just about wires and sensors—it’s about making life better for the people inside those buildings. We also ask the million-dollar questions: Have property owners finally wised up since COVID about better building environments? Is indoor air quality the secret sauce for worker productivity? And how is AI shaking things up in the building world? Mead shares some killer advice for those wanting to break into the industry, reveals what he wishes his younger self knew, and tells us how he manages to “unplug”—because even the king of smart buildings needs downtime. Oh, and he gives us a sneak peek at what he’ll be discussing at Blueprint (spoiler alert: it’s going to be good). Show Notes: 1:01: Intro banter / Ryan’s love of Gipsy Kings and Nadine crowd surfs 5:30: Why listening to Mead matters today 7:03: Intro to Mead and his New Mexico hiking trek with teenage boys 8:58: Mead walks us through his career journey 12:34: “Making Buildings Better Through Building Technology” 16:52: Have property owners' mindsets shifted since COVID on better building environments? 18:58: Deep dive into the different building technology Carrier offers 26:30: Mead highlights a key benefit of using the right building technology 29:37: Does indoor air quality impact worker productivity? 32:57: AI’s impact on building technology 35:18: Mead offers advice for entering the building technology industry. 38:07: What advice would Mead give his younger self? 39:04: How does Mead “unplug”? 40:24: What will Mead be discussing at Blueprint? 44:06: Nadine and Ryan wrap it all up! If you love what you hear, please take a moment to rate and review us. Your feedback helps us grow and improve! Have thoughts or suggestions? We'd love to hear from you! Drop us a line at info@creunplugged.com. Subscribe to our YouTube channel at @CREUnplugged1 and be sure to follow CRE Unplugged on LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and X!

In this episode, we sit down with none other than Spencer Levy, Global Client Strategist and Senior Economic Advisor for CBRE, the largest commercial real estate services firm in the world. In this role, he focuses on client engagement and public-facing activities, including thought leadership work performed in conjunction with CBRE Research. He also serves as Co-Chair of the Real Estate Roundtable’s Research Committee. Spencer has 27 years of experience in commercial real estate, including the past 15 at CBRE. In this time, he has served as a lawyer, investment banker, capital markets and senior research leader. Spencer is frequently quoted in major business publications and appears on business television, including CNBC, CNN, Bloomberg, PBS and Fox Business. Spencer is also the host of CBRE’s podcast “The Weekly Take.” He is considered one of the most insightful commentators on issues of importance to commercial real estate. Throughout our conversation, Spencer shares his deep insights on several pressing topics in the industry, from the role of innovative solutions for affordable housing and the improvement of public schools to how he sees AI transforming institutional grade real estate and everything in between. Spencer also dives into the importance of how mastering both the technical and communication aspects of real estate are the keys to having a stellar career (he would know!) He gives an inside look to his hobbies and how they relate to real estate investing. People like Spencer don’t come along often and the real estate industry is truly lucky to have him, making this episode a must-listen for anyone. Show Notes: 0:30: Nadine enjoys cheap Midwest summers / Ryan reveals his criminal record to this family 4:00: Why we invited today’s guest 5:25: Into to Spencer Levy 6:55: Why Spencer is known as the “Johnny Cash of Real Estate” 11:00: How affordable housing and public schools go hand-in-hand 15:35: Keys to converting office buildings to multi-family housing 18:00: Impact of China’s decreasing population on the industrial sector 22:50: Making cities as “attractive” as possible for investment and growth 26:38: Risk of reliance on technology and the future of predictive analytics 35:09: Potential implications for the future of data storage and processing 37:12: Why communicating persuasively is critical in CRE 44:48: Spencer shares his hobbies 52:51: Postgame Recap If you love what you hear, please take a moment to rate and review us. Your feedback helps us grow and improve! Have thoughts or suggestions? We'd love to hear from you! Drop us a line at info@creunplugged.com. Subscribe to our YouTube channel at @CREUnplugged1 and be sure to follow CREUnplugged on LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and X!

In this much anticipated episode, we sit down with industry visionary Lisa Picard, a commercial real estate pioneer with a resume longer than a CVS receipt. With two MIT degrees, Lisa curated an incomparable career path from EVP at Skanska to CEO of EQ Office, to now emerging out of stealth mode with her next venture (which she reveals exclusively with us!). Lisa shares how cycling is her metaphor for life, inspiring her to stay the course one step at a time. Lisa is widely known and revered for her incredible ability to design office spaces that inspire the people that occupy them. We go deep into how innovation will enable smaller companies to take on the goliaths of the industry and tips on how to effectively deploy technology (hint: don’t pull the plug on your existing ways too fast!) If you don’t think value lies in coming into the office, you might want to think again after Lisa walks us through the learning that can happen when you stay close to leadership. We wrap it up with Lisa’s advice she would give to younger Lisa. Tune in for wisdom and laughs from one of the industry’s greatest!

Show Notes:

0:10: Ryan and Nadine’s summer adventures / Proptech Competition recap

10:35: Introducing Lisa Picard

11:00: The impact of cycling on Lisa's life

20:01: Lisa's career journey

31:08: How innovation can level the playing field / reveal of her next venture, Oxygen

33:53: Lisa’s perspective on the office market / the payoff for staying close to leadership

44:48: Creating future spaces for work that inspire collaboration / constant learning

47:30: Skills needed by workers in today's world

1:00:52: How innovation creates new asset classes

1:19:45: Lisa's advice to her younger self

1:25:16: Postgame recap

If you love what you hear, please take a moment to rate and review us. Your feedback helps us grow and improve!

Have thoughts or suggestions? We'd love to hear from you! Drop us a line at info@creunplugged.com.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel at @CREUnplugged1 and be sure to follow CREUnplugged on LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and X!