Memorial Day reminds us of sacrifice, future possibility and reflections on the lives of so many American heroes who often times beat seemingly insurmountable "odds." Just before the holiday, I spoke at the iConnections SALT conference about the "Death of commercial real estate being greatly exaggerated," alongside Leah Dillon, Margaret Anadu, and Anar Chudgar. It was refreshing to discuss the reality that our industry was down, but not out!
Yes, immense challenges exist within commercial real estate, but even GREATER opportunities that underscore these challenges are approaching. CBRE reports a 10% year-over-year increase in Q1 2024 investment volume, signaling a thaw in the U.S. market.
My life journey reflects this paradigm. With great partners (Derrick Barker and Charles Cole), we built a single-family investment business in the 2008 -09 downturn. And with another set of great partners, we built Cadre, a proptech company when many scoffed at tech's role in real estate. My motto: "I don't let proclamations define my reality." Commercial real estate is transforming, not dying.
At Cadre, we're targeting sectors positioned for growth: e-commerce, cloud computing, data centers, and the widening rent-to-own gap. The key, as partners Mike Fascitelli and Dan R. remind me, is to find micro-opportunities in a complex macro environment.
Personally, I'm a testament to defying limitations. Born in Baton Rouge without industry connections, I built a successful career. The first in my family to attend Harvard, I launched a real estate platform at Harvard University during a so-called "dying real estate market." Cadre, now proud partners and members of the Yieldstreet family too has navigated challenges, but our strength is our focus on the good and opportunities ahead.
After all, "resilience is seeing the sunshine after the storm." Today, we stand stronger, ready for the unprecedented opportunities coming.
To my fellow investors: Don't always believe the headlines. Commercial real estate is a survivor, and the future is bright with potential. I will continue to choose to embrace innovation and focus on surrounding myself with partners who also pledge to turn challenges into triumphs.
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