As a successful musician, playing with Johnny Cash and others in Nashville, Karl Pollen could not have predicted the future of his career path. Today he is the Chief Investment Officer for the Arizona State Retirement System (AZASRS), where he manages investments for a $40 billion state pension fund.

In this episode, you will actually hear me being interviewed, rather than me doing the interview. Jeff Large is the editor of Season 2 of Leading Voices. He interviewed me on his podcast, The Jeff Large Podcast, where he talks about tech, podcasting, and running a business. I get to discuss how this relates to real estate from both a recruiting and leadership standpoint. Enjoy!

Andrew Kitchell and Joe Fraiman saw an opportunity in new developments that had vacant apartments or unsold condominium units. By master-leasing a portion of these units and subletting them to users on a short-term basis, they could fill a need for both the resident and the developer. Their company Lyric has thus transformed the future of rentals with their innovative vision, technology, and start-up culture.

Ken Woolley is the Founder and Executive Chairman of Extra Space Storage, the country’s second largest self-storage company. In this episode, Woolley shares his experience as a serial entrepreneur and how his background in the airline, mining, technology, and fast food industries shaped him as an entrepreneur in real estate.

Jane Graf has been a leader in the affordable housing industry for over 35 years and is now the President and CEO of Mercy Housing, one of the country’s largest nonprofit developers dedicated to revitalizing lives and neighborhoods. In this episode, we discuss the political stigma surrounding affordable housing, what we can learn from the Sisters of Mercy’s fearless business approach, and why local resources and organizations are crucial to the success of affordable housing models.

San Francisco’s Planning Director John Rahaim is building thriving communities and creatively solving some of the most challenging obstacles facing growing cities.

Years ago, Fred Tuomi transformed the real estate landscape with the first automated apartment management system. Today he’s continuing to use technology to make scattered-site single-family rentals efficient at Invitation Homes.

Gerald Hines, Founder of Hines Development, is renowned for his groundbreaking work creating iconic buildings and partnering with the world’s best architects.

As a folk singer who has performed across the country, Dar Williams authored the book “What I Found in A Thousand Towns” to provide her unique perspective on how communities evolve. She also plays her song “February.”

Jim Ketai, who founded Bedrock Detroit along with Dan Gilbert, reveals how the company is reenergizing Detroit through major investments and the attraction of new office and retail tenants, completely changing perceptions about the city.