The Real Finds Podcast connects global trends to real estate decisions across Chicago and the Midwest. Hosted by Gordon Lamphere, a fourth-generation commercial real estate broker at Van Vlissingen & Co., each weekly episode explores how macroeconomic shifts in supply chains, interest rates, automation, public policy, and culture drive commercial real estate outcomes. Moreover, Gordon and his guests take high-level insights and apply them to better understand high-transaction markets, including:
Chicago (downtown office, adaptive reuse), Elk Grove and O’Hare (industrial/logistics), Kenosha (SE Wisconsin distribution), Oak Brook and Schaumburg (suburban office), Naperville and the I-88 Corridor (flex and R&D), Bolingbrook and the I-55 Corridor (warehouse/fulfillment), and the collar counties: Lake, DuPage, Will, Kane, and McHenry.
Guests include developers, investors, operators, and public-sector leaders shaping the built environment across the Greater Chicagoland Area and the Globe.
🎧 New episodes every Wednesday at 3 PM CT.
Zoning, Permits, and Politics: Why Illinois Housing Costs Keep Rising With Joshua Bandoch – RFP 73
Illinois Housing Crisis: Why the Nation’s Worst Housing Shortage Starts Here Illinois has long been home to world-class universities, two major international airports, and one of the most diversified economies in the country. But behind that strength lies one of the state’s greatest vulnerabilities: housing. The Illinois housing crisis has become...
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Cold Storage, Industrial Growth & The Future Of Value-Add Real Estate With Clifford Booth – RFP 72
When most investors think about commercial real estate, their minds go to familiar asset classes: office towers, multifamily apartments, or sprawling retail centers. Yet one of the fastest-growing, most misunderstood, and most lucrative sectors in the industry is hiding in plain sight: cold storage. https://youtu.be/gQxrAkThLMY On a recent episode of The...
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Avoiding AI Traps: Supply Chain Tech That Works With Rob Kress – RFP 71
In today’s volatile trade environment, supply chain resilience has become a boardroom priority. Tariff fluctuations, geopolitical uncertainty, labor shortages, and rising transportation costs have put unprecedented pressure on manufacturers and distributors, especially mid-market companies operating under $1 billion in revenue. To unpack how these companies can adapt, The Real Finds Podcast...
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What Real Estate Investors Get Wrong About Robotics With A.K. Schultz – RFP 70
The Hidden Complexity of Warehouse Automation and What Real Estate Investors Are Getting Wrong? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZdAalY1QfA In the latest episode of The Real Finds Podcast, Gordon Lamphere sits down with AK Schultz, the co-founder of SVT Robotics, to break down the gritty reality of warehouse automation, beyond the hype, and into the...
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Building A Team That Performs With Megan Gluth – RFP 69
What happens when a small-town kid from Iowa becomes a corporate attorney, transforms into a CEO, and then buys the company she once served? You get Megan Gluth, the unapologetic capitalist behind Catalynt, a global chemical supply and manufacturing company with a mission as bold as its leader. https://youtu.be/8bGwSfxfpsU On a...
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The Quiet Collapse in Construction No One’s Talking About With Hunter Kosar – RFP 68
In Episode 68 of The Real Finds Podcast, we sit down with Hunter Kosar, founder of Twisted Nail, a Texas-based logistics firm specializing in aggregate delivery for major commercial projects. But this isn’t just a story about hauling rocks. https://youtu.be/04M249ag1vE It’s about the silent unraveling of the construction pipeline and how...
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Who Is Winning The Amenity Arms Race? With Jared White – RFP 67
In a bifurcated real estate market where only best-in-class assets seem to thrive, Jared White, Managing Director at Quadrum Global, has built a career and a portfolio on clarity, creativity, and conviction. On this episode of The Real Finds Podcast, I sat down with Jared to talk about what it really...
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What Manufacturers Gets Wrong About Supply Chain Risk With Phillip Gulley – RFP 66
In episode 67 of The Real Finds Podcast, host Gordon Lamphere sits down with Phillip Gulley, co-founder of Cofactr, to explore the opaque and high-stakes world of global supply chains. What starts as a conversation about electronics procurement quickly expands into a wide-ranging, eye-opening discussion about geopolitical risk, tariffs, duty drawback,...
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America’s Construction Crisis: Why Projects Go Over Budget — Barry LePatner on RFP 65
In this episode of The Real Finds Podcast, host Gordon Lamphere sits down with Barry LePatner, a construction attorney, author, and industry reformer, to unpack one of the biggest risks in commercial real estate: the broken business model behind American construction. Over the course of their wide-ranging conversation, LePatner exposes why...
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Most Landlords Get Office Design Wrong – Rod Kritsberg – RFP 64
In this episode of The Real Finds Podcast, host Gordon Lamphere welcomes Rod Kritsberg, managing partner of KPG Funds and the creative force behind some of New York City’s most iconic boutique office redevelopments. From adaptive reuse to zoning loopholes, Rod takes us behind the scenes of his team’s bold bet...
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U.S. Logistics & Ports At A Breaking Point With Kent Gourdin – RFP 63
In this powerhouse episode of The Real Finds Podcast, host Gordon Lamphere welcomes Kent Gourdin, professor and director of Global Logistics and Transportation at the College of Charleston, for a wide-ranging and deeply insightful conversation that peels back the layers of America’s supply chain crisis, port infrastructure limitations, and the real...
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Fixing Return To Office: Productivity Data & The Future of Work With Andrew Farah – RFP 62
In this episode, Andrew Farah, CEO and co-founder of Density, joins us to unpack what’s actually going on inside modern offices, and why so many companies are making costly decisions based on flawed assumptions. He explains why traditional metrics like badge swipes and headcount don’t reflect true office utilization, and how...
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Tariffs & Real Estate: How Supply Chain Shocks Reshape the Market With Kristian O’Meara – RFP 61
In the latest episode of The Real Finds Podcast, host and commercial real estate agent Gordon Lamphere sits down with global supply chain expert Kristian O’Meara (“KO”), Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at JAGGAER, to explore how geopolitical upheaval is redrawing the map for procurement—and in turn, for commercial real...
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The Data Center Arms Race: From Natural Gas To Nuclear Power With Pete DiSanto – RFP 60
In a world increasingly driven by digital infrastructure, industrial space is being redefined—not just by location or zoning, but by access to power. In Episode 60 of The Real Finds Podcast, host Gordon Lamphere sits down with Pete DiSanto, a marine engineer turned microgrid and energy infrastructure expert, to explore why...
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Why I Love Mondays With Jimmie Brennan -RFP 59
On Episode 59 of The Real Finds Podcast, host Gordon Lamphere welcomes Jimmie Brennan, founder of Love Mondays Office Space, for a candid and illuminating discussion on why the office isn’t dead, it just needs to be reborn. https://youtu.be/bcJ44lpN-Tk?si=zWvP_EUiw4vq-TBa Forget everything you think you know about dreary office parks, lifeless gray...
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How To Survive Trump’s Supply Chain Shock? With Richard Barnett – RFP 58
As the global economy braces for another wave of trade disruption, companies are being forced to rethink their most fundamental assumptions—from where they source materials to where they place factories and warehouses. And with the specter of a second Trump administration looming, the return of aggressive tariffs is no longer just...
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Can We Save America’s Construction Industry? With George Carrillo – RFP 57
The cranes may still dot our skylines, but the ground beneath America’s construction industry is starting to shake—and not in a good way. https://youtu.be/0HbsgubOzJY In a powerful episode of the Real Finds Podcast, host and commercial real estate agent Gordon Lamphere sits down with George Carrillo, CEO of the Hispanic Construction...
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The Hidden Risks Of Private Real Estate Markets With Hunter Hopcroft – RFP 56
In today’s increasingly complex investment environment, the differences between public and private real estate markets are more than just structural—they’re strategic. On Episode 56 of The Real Finds Podcast, host and commercial real estate agent Gordon Lamphere sits down with Hunter Hopcroft, a seasoned investor and the voice behind the influential...
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Industrial Real Estate Growth Strategies for 2025 and Beyond With Scott Robinson – RFP 55
After a historic slowdown in total transaction volume, the industrial real estate market has a renewed appetite for acquisitions. However, the investment landscape in 2025 is far from straightforward. Liquidity challenges, rising energy costs, shifting logistics trends, and evolving tenant demands are forcing investors and occupiers to rethink their approach. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezxjXqOl7b8...
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Developing Successful & Sustainable Planned Communities With Tom Hoban – RFP 54
When most developers talk about community, they’re referring to lot sizes, traffic patterns, and maybe a town square with a few restaurants. But when Tom Hoban talks about community, he’s talking about something radically different. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J73czbf4OAo In Episode 54 of The Real Finds Podcast, host Gordon Lamphere speaks with Hoban—President and...
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