REAL Professionals Network

What an incredible afternoon for the REAL Professionals Network – Charleston Chapter!

A sincere thank you to the South Carolina Ports Authority for providing our members and guests with an outstanding behind-the-scenes tour of one of the nation's busiest and most important ports. Seeing firsthand the scale, technology, and logistics that keep goods moving around the globe gave everyone a greater appreciation for the Port's tremendous impact on Charleston's economy, commercial real estate market, and continued regional growth.

A very special thank you to Micah Mallace, Travis Frank, and Cami McCoy for making this event possible. Your planning, coordination, and warm hospitality made for an exceptional experience, and we truly appreciate your willingness to share the incredible work being done at the Port.

From supply chain operations and infrastructure investments to economic development and industrial growth, the tour highlighted why the Port continues to be such a powerful driver of opportunity throughout South Carolina and the Southeast.

Finally, thank you to all of our members and guests who joined us. Your engagement, thoughtful questions, and enthusiasm made this event even more enjoyable.

Experiences like this are what make REAL Professionals Network so valuable—bringing commercial real estate professionals together to learn, build relationships, and gain unique insights into the industries shaping our communities.

Another outstanding REAL Professionals Network – Philadelphia Chapter meeting is in the books!

A sincere thank you to Brenda Nguyen with CoStar Group for an outstanding presentation on the Philadelphia Commercial Real Estate Market. Brenda provided a data-driven overview of the region's economic trends and market fundamentals, offering valuable insights into where the Philadelphia market stands today and what commercial real estate professionals should be watching in the months ahead.

Some of the key takeaways included:
✔️ Philadelphia's multifamily market continues to outperform many major U.S. markets despite moderating demand.
✔️ Retail fundamentals continue to stabilize as leasing activity improves.
✔️ Industrial remains resilient while returning to more normalized growth.
✔️ Office users continue to prioritize high-quality, amenity-rich buildings as the flight-to-quality trend continues.
✔️ Population shifts, inflation, employment trends, and long-term demographic changes will continue to influence investment and development decisions throughout the region.

A very special thank you to Bart Mellits and Sara McCormick with Ballard Spahr, our Meeting Champions and gracious hosts, for their continued leadership, hospitality, and unwavering support of the Philadelphia Chapter. Your commitment plays a tremendous role in the continued success of this group.

Finally, thank you to all of our members and guests who joined us and contributed to another engaging discussion. Your questions, market perspectives, and willingness to share ideas are what make these meetings such a valuable resource for the commercial real estate community.

We look forward to seeing everyone again next month!

Tax legislation may not always make headlines in commercial real estate—but understanding how it impacts investment strategy certainly should!

A big thank you to Bill Wong, Emily Gorman, and Natalie Zuege with Baker Tilly for an outstanding presentation on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) and what it means for commercial real estate owners, developers, investors, and advisors. Their practical insights into bonus depreciation, interest expense deductions, pass-through entities, Opportunity Zones, and proactive tax planning gave our members valuable takeaways they can apply to projects today.

Key themes from the discussion included:
✔️ Permanent 100% bonus depreciation creates significant cash flow opportunities.
✔️ Cost segregation studies and capital improvement planning deserve a fresh look.
✔️ Enhanced interest deduction rules can improve project economics.
✔️ Opportunity Zones continue to offer compelling long-term investment opportunities.
✔️ Proactive planning—not simply tax compliance—can create meaningful value.

A special thank you to Jim Dash with Carlson Dash, our Meeting Champion, for his continued leadership and commitment to our Milwaukee Chapter, and to Aaron Davis with Plunkett Raysich Architects for graciously hosting us in their beautiful office.

We also appreciate everyone who joined the discussion and contributed their perspectives. The exchange of ideas and experiences is what makes our REAL Professionals Network meetings such a valuable resource for commercial real estate professionals.

Another outstanding REAL Professionals Network Atlanta Chapter meeting!

Thank you to Nicole Goldsmith with CBRE for an engaging and insightful presentation on The CTR in Atlanta and the evolving opportunities shaping one of the city's most transformative developments.

A special thank you to our Meeting Champion and Host, Emmaline Michael with Menden Freiman, for her continued leadership, generosity, and hospitality in bringing our Atlanta CRE community together each month.

Key Takeaways from our Roundtable Discussion:

• Transaction activity continues to accelerate, with many members reporting one of the busiest summers in recent years as capital returns to the market and creative deal structures emerge.
• Industrial leasing is showing renewed strength, while Class B and C office leasing remains more challenging.
• Self-storage fundamentals continue to improve with stable cap rates and strong investor interest.
• Development and construction remain active across the Southeast, including retail, healthcare, childcare, industrial, and mixed-use projects.
• Rising material costs and ongoing skilled labor shortages continue to pressure project budgets, requiring owners and contractors to find innovative solutions.
• Investment activity remains healthy, with several members reporting successful acquisitions, refinancings, asset dispositions, and significant value appreciation.
• Adaptive reuse and redevelopment opportunities continue to gain momentum, although entitlement and zoning challenges remain a hurdle for many projects.
• Service providers across restoration, roofing, finance, legal, and brokerage sectors reported strong pipelines and increasing client activity.

One timely reminder shared during the meeting: If your property assessment has increased significantly, many metro Atlanta counties have an appeal deadline of June 30—be sure to review your valuation.

As always, the value of our meetings comes from the willingness of our members to openly share market intelligence, challenges, opportunities, and successes. Thank you to everyone who contributed to another informative discussion. We look forward to seeing everyone at our next Atlanta meeting!

Fraud prevention isn't just a banking issue—it's a business continuity issue.

A big thank you to Michael Paradis with HomeTrust Bank for delivering an insightful and timely presentation on Payments Fraud – Knowledge for Avoiding Loss at our Greenville meeting. Michael shared real-world examples of check fraud, ACH fraud, wire fraud, business email compromise, and emerging threats driven by increasingly sophisticated fraudsters.

Key takeaways included:
✔️ Verify all payment instruction changes through a trusted secondary source
✔️ Implement dual-approval processes for ACH and wire transactions
✔️ Utilize Check Positive Pay and ACH Positive Pay services
✔️ Reduce reliance on paper checks whenever possible
✔️ Train employees to recognize phishing, impersonation, and AI-enabled scams
✔️ Remember: Notice. Question. Validate.

The discussion reinforced that strong internal controls, employee awareness, and proactive fraud prevention measures are essential to protecting working capital, maintaining business continuity, and safeguarding organizational reputation.

A special thank you to Josh Lonon and the team at Wyche for their continued leadership, hospitality, and for hosting another outstanding Greenville meeting. We appreciate your support and commitment to creating a forum where commercial real estate professionals can learn, collaborate, and stay ahead of the issues impacting our industry.