The Fort - An Entrepreneurship Podcast

Fernando is the Founder and CEO of Leon Capital Group, a diversified holding company that operates assets in the real estate, financial services, healthcare, and technology industries. Leon takes the lead in conceiving, developing, owning, and operating businesses through a family-holding structure that oversees $10 billion of its own private assets. We discuss: Social Systems Entrepreneurship The Supply Chain of Money Building Leon Capital Group The State of the Market We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Leon Capital Group Fernando on LinkedIn Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:51) - Fernando’s career and background (00:13:28) - The impact of Harvard (00:19:48) - Lessons from Goldman Sachs - The Supply Chain of Money (00:28:07) - Building credibility in a new city (00:31:23) - Experiences in the GFC (00:35:47) - Single Tenant Retail (0:39:49) - Building out a team (00:41:41) - Developing a formal growth strategy (00:43:57) - Partnering with Ross Perot (00:46:56) - The Healthcare thesis (00:56:17) - How do you decide what industries to buy into? (00:58:49) - Buying Crexi (01:02:34) - What’s your plan for the next decade? (01:04:33) - Investment Management (01:07:36) - The state of the market Support our Sponsors Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

Pete is the founder and chairman of Capital III, an impact investment company with investments in the US and Central America. Enterprise Stewardship is an initiative of Capital III that equips marketplace leaders with resources to transform their personal LIFE and business enterprises. During his four decades in business, he has invested in and operated companies in the energy, manufacturing, banking, and education sectors, often focusing on places devoid of human flourishing such as prisons and poverty-stricken countries. Pete’s passion is to educate, equip, and empower business leaders worldwide to live for something greater than themselves. We discuss: Moving his business into a Maximum Security Prison Becoming a Steward of a business rather than an Owner Pursuing Economic, Social and Spiritual Capital We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Enterprise Stewardship Capital III More on Pete Ochs Pete on LinkedIn Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:46) - Pete’s background and career (00:07:55) - Moving a business into a maximum security prison (00:22:14) - How did interacting with these prisoners change your belief set? (00:25:04) - Social & Spiritual Capital (00:27:49) - The importance of generosity (00:29:27) - How can you implement this mental model to an existing company? (00:34:37) - What does your work with other companies look like? (00:37:26) - How can a company discover its purpose? (00:39:50) - Being a steward of a business instead of an owner (00:51:30) - Purpose Trusts (00:59:13) - What are some tangible steps folks can take to implement these ideas? (01:02:13) - How long will it take for these changes to materialize? (01:03:37) - The Tattoo Redemption story Support our Sponsors Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

Jack Fraker is President and Global Head of Industrial & Logistics Capital Markets for Newmark. He is responsible for driving Newmark’s industrial & logistics business, primarily capital markets but also leasing. Jack has personally completed over 1,800 industrial & logistics capital markets transactions totaling 1.5 billion square feet | $85 billion in more than 60 U.S. cities, Mexico, Europe, Japan, and South America. He has also advised on approximately 12,000 acres of development sites and over 300 office/industrial leasing assignments. As a partner with other firms prior to Newmark, Jack was cumulatively involved in over 3.3 billion square feet | $220 billion in various projects. We discuss: The global state of Industrial real estate Development, leasing, and sales trends The Future of Industrial in Texas and Mexico We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Newmark Jack Fraker on LinkedIn Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:21) - Nokia ’94-’00 (00:11:20) - “Inventing” investment sales in the industrial world (00:17:20) - How is industrial positioned globally? (00:20:56) - How is America viewed globally regarding industrial? (00:23:37) - Is it harder to close deals with foreign investors vs. domestic ones? (00:25:39) - What have you experienced in the market in the last 2 years? (00:32:52) - What does a good spec developer look like and what does a bad one look like? (00:38:28) - The pressure of AI on rents (00:39:54) - Mexico (00:41:57) - What does the future of Industrial look like for Texas? (00:44:38 - Development, leasing, sales, and TI (00:50:36) - What data do you pay attention to most when thinking about the industry? (00:53:19) - Retail-to-industrial (00:54:25) - Technology trends (00:57:51) - How do multi-billion dollar deals get done? Support our Sponsors Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

Paul Renner is a former Commander in the U.S. Navy, and was deployed in Operation Desert Storm as well as Afghanistan. We discuss: Reclaiming American Institutions The state of the U.S. Military China, Iran, Russia, Ukraine, and the Military Industrial Complex Immigration The Future of America We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:02) - How losing an election led to becoming speaker of the house of Florida (00:04:30) - Reclaiming American Institutions (00:10:57) - The uni party (00:13:23) - The state of the Military (00:16:42) - Ukraine and North Carolina (00:20:05) - The military-industrial complex (00:22:13) - China (00:27:39) - Iran (00:29:56) - Russia (00:31:13) - Immigration (00:33:29) - Is it possible to be a true public servant? (00:36:08) - How much impact can you have with term limits? (00:42:11) - Working with Ron DeSantis (00:45:32) - Disney (00:52:43) - Voter ID (00:56:32) - Property Insurance & Florida RE (00:59:57) - The Future of America (01:06:40) - What can the average person do? Support our Sponsors Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

Craig Hall is an entrepreneur, bestselling author, vintner, and philanthropist who founded HALL Group in 1968 at age 18 with $4,000 saved from small ventures that began at age ten. HALL Group comprises diverse entities in real estate, lending, winemaking, and startup investments. We discuss: Surviving the 80’s financial crisis Building Frisco, TX Building a wine business The state of the RE market We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links HALL Group Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:04) - Building a portfolio of 72,000 apartments and pivoting away from multifamily (00:06:32) - Surviving the 80’s financial crisis (00:11:15) - What was your plan after divesting from multifamily? (00:14:07) - Becoming your own partner (00:15:36) - Building Frisco, TX (00:24:10) - Mindset changes post-covid (00:29:39) - Planning meeting structures (00:31:55) - Building a wine business (00:39:04) - Leveling the playing field for the American Dream (00:41:03) - The state of the market (00:44:46) - What types of deals are you looking for in this environment? (00:47:12) - Craig’s passion for art Support our Sponsors Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

Roe Patterson is a 29-year Energy Industry veteran. He has worked in, owned, and operated multiple businesses across the energy spectrum. He owns and invests in numerous companies inside and outside the energy space, playing varying roles in each venture’s governance including CEO, Chairman of the Board, Board Member, and Board Adviser. His latest venture, ClearWell Dynamics, LLC, is now the 4th largest U.S.-based well-servicing company in the United States oil and gas industry. We discuss: - Mitigating risk in Oilfield Services - The loss of knowledge in the industry - How to successfully acquire and integrate companies We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Roe on LinkedIn Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:03) - Roe’s career (00:09:20) - Being the son of the boss (00:11:10) - M&A in the Oil and Gas industry (00;17:37) - Mitigating risk in Oilfield services (0:24:26) - Backfilling with technology (00:29:00) - Roe on starting companies and joining Basic (00:34:33) - Acquiring and Integrating companies (00:43:35) - Becoming CEO & Oilfield Booms and busts (01:00:57) - Building ClearWell Dynamics Support our Sponsors Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

Robert Allen is the President and CEO of the Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership (FWEDP). A husband, father, and former Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Greg Abbott, Allen most recently served as President and CEO of the Texas Economic Development Corporation (TxEDC). His organization’s efforts have helped catapult Texas to a record-breaking number of Governor’s Cups as awarded by Site Selection Magazine. With Texas now home to the most Fortune 500 headquarters in America, Robert launched efforts at TxEDC to showcase all that Texas continues to offer to businesses. We discuss: Building the Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership How corporate relocations are negotiated and executed Growing the future of Fort Worth We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links The Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership Robert on LinkedIn Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership Board Members: Mike Berry - President of Hillwood John Goff - CEO of Goff Capital Robert Isom - CEO of American Airlines Greg Ulmer - Executive Vice President of Lockheed Martin Dan Berce - President and CEO of GM Financial Lista Atherton - President & CEO of Bell David Endicott - CEO of Alcon Laboratories Katie Farmer - President & CEO of BNSF Railway Elaine Agather - Managing Director & CEO of J.P. Morgan Private Bank in the Central U.S. Marianne Auld - Managing Partner of Kelly Hart & Hallman, LLP Rusty Reid - Chairman and CEO of Higginbotham Mayor Mattie Parker Steve Montgomery - President and CEO of the Fort Worth Chamber Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:22) - Robert’s career in public service (00:06:58) - What does an AG do? (00:08:24) - Robert’s roles as deputy chief of staff for the Governor? (00:09:40) - How does Texas prepare for disasters? (00:13:36) - Becoming President/CEO of the Texas Economic Development (00:15:59) - Marketing Texas (00:19:06) - How does a corporate relocation happen? (00:22:39) - Robert’s work today growing FWTX (00:27:24) - The FW Economic Development Program (00:30:42) - What were your key priorities on day one? (00:37:44) - Who is Fort Worth? (00:47:36) - Strengthening the workforce (00:59:17) - The Election (01:00:54) - How long do projects typically take? (01:04:12) - The Great Bones in Fort Worth (01:07:30) - What do 10k jobs coming in do for a city? (01:09:53) - Fort Worth’s pipeline (01:02:22) - 10-year predictions Support our Sponsors Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

Walt Reynolds is a senior leader in the electrical supply industry with over 30 years of executive experience. In 1998, he became President of The Reynolds Company and drove its explosive growth over the next two and half decades. Under his leadership, the company became one of the largest independent electrical distribution companies in the United States with 34 locations across Texas and Southwest US. We discuss: - Walt’s career and building The Reynolds Company - Acquisitions theses and buying bankrupt companies - ESOPs - Leadership principles - Working with friends We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Vesto - https://www.vesto.com/fort Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:30) - To know you is to know your father (00:08:50) - The history of the Reynolds Company and the electrical supply industry (00:20:39) - Walt’s career (00:43:43) - Scaling Reynolds (00:48:29) - Working with your friends (00:52:16) - Pivoting into acquisitions (01:01:47) - Selling the business (01:08:14) - ESOPs (01:11:55) - Walt’s role post-close (01:16:05) - Leadership Principals Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

Mark is currently the Chief Executive Officer of JLL Capital Markets, Americas. He also sits on JLL’s Global Capital Markets Board where he shares responsibility for the strategic direction, growth, and client activities of JLL’s global capital markets business. We discuss: The state of Capital Markets The FED and rate cuts The performance of Office, Retail, Industrial, and Data Center asset classes We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links JLL Capital Markets Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:32) - State of the Capital markets (00:11:24) - How the FED is thinking about rates (00:16:21) - Outcomes of a rate cut (00:21:09) - The Detroit effect (00:23:02) - Migration data (00:25:34) - What types of deals are working in this environment? (00:30:32) - Housing (00:35:29) - The importance of Mexico (00:36:45) - The state of Office (00:46:19) - Foreign vs. Domestic Capital (00:47:31) - The election (00:48:33) - Equity markets (00:54:01) - M&A Activity (00:57:08) - Unique strategies (01:00:12) - Data centers (01:03:00) - Secondary markets (01:05:26) - The Detroit effect in real estate (01:06:57) - AI (01:07:33) - Tenant migration (01:09:07) - 2025 forecasts & trends Corrections: RE the election topic, one statistic was transposed: It was stated 2.3% more in the first quarter in terms of transactions, and in actuality, the number is 3.2%. Support our Sponsors Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

Chico West is a LPC therapist, coach, and consultant. He works with on-site programs and for Construction companies and has a private practice with over 34 years of continuous sobriety. We discuss: - Common themes around addiction - Marriage - Therapy and Counseling in the C-Suite We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Chico West Counseling Chico on LinkedIn Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:06) - Be a Buffalo, not a cow (00:03:19) - Life before sobriety (00:13:03) - Believing in Jesus (00:16:58) - Common themes around addiction (00:22:23) - Following a higher power vs. following Christ (00:24:33) - What does your work look like today? (00:27:34) - What do you tell people who want to quit booze? (00:31:20) - How do you deal with the weight of when people fail at this work? (00:37:28) - Men & Women (00:42:20) - Is addiction nature or nurture? (00:45:37) - Gordon Highlander (00:55:16) - Is mental health overplayed? (00:59:59) - Closing advice Support our Sponsors Relay Human Cloud: https://bit.ly/3sjQcaY Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

Jason is the General Partner and Co-Founder of Highmount Capital, a unique investment firm focused on growth stage and middle market investments in transformative technology and other growth-related platforms. He is the former Managing Director and founding member of Koch Disruptive Technologies (KDT), the venture and growth arm of Koch Industries, the largest privately-held company in the US with over $130B in revenue. Jason was responsible for helping KDT grow to billions in AUM across 40+ companies. We discuss: - What makes a great venture partner - What venture firms look for in late-stage companies - The process of making a $100mm investment in DudePerfect We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links: Dude Perfect Highmount Capital Jason on X Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:05:23) - Jason's Early career (00:10:03) - What makes a great venture partner (00:13:23) - Joining Koch Industries (00:15:18) - Building the venture framework for Koch (00:19:48) - What does a great late-stage company look like in the eyes of a venture firm? (00:26:40) - Founding Highmount Capital (00:29:56) - Building a great origination engine (00:35:44) - Investing in Dude Perfect (00:40:18) - The craving for family-friendly brands (00:44:10) - How do you think about your role post-investment? (00:46:44) - What are unique ways to make money in the creator economy? (00:54:14) - Are the Dudes a technology business or technology-enabled business? (00:57:34) - How do you find a CEO for a company like DudePerfect? (01:01:18) - How is Highmount structured? Support our Sponsors Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

As the CEO of KDC, Steve Van Amburgh manages the firm’s strategic planning while coordinating new business development efforts. He also oversees KDC’s acquisition and development activities. Under his leadership, KDC completed over 154 corporate build-to-suit office and industrial projects valued at over $11 billion and totaling more than 37 million square feet. We discuss: - The process for developing corporate campuses for the likes of State Farm - The state of the office and construction market - Working with cities and municipalities as a developer We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links: KDC Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:06:09) - Steve’s early career (00:14:10) - Buying Koll Company (00:22:47) - The importance of focus (00:25:59) - How corporate campus deals come together (00:33:00) - Negotiating the deal (00:38:48) - Architecture and design (00:42:46) - Budgeting and planning (00:46:27) - The impact of change orders (00:48:26) - When does your work on a project end? (00:51:05) - The state of the market (00:55:46) - Capital markets (00:58:33) - Is there a market for these assets? (01:00:24) - Max bid deals (01:01:04) - What’s the hardest part of a project? (01:03:19) - Brokers (01:06:25) - How cities can help themselves and developers Support our Sponsors Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

Jeremiah Donati was appointed as TCU’s Director of Intercollegiate Athletics on December 11, 2017. Since his arrival at TCU in 2011, Donati has played a major role in enhancing the TCU student-athlete experience through donor-supported facility upgrades totaling nearly $500 million. During Donati’s tenure as athletics director, the Horned Frogs have won eight team national championships and 11 Big 12 Conference titles. In the 2023-24 athletics season, TCU was one of just five schools nationally to win multiple NCAA Championships with its titles in rifle and men's tennis. The 2022-23 athletics season was the most successful in TCU's 150 years. TCU became the only school in the College Football Playoff era to reach the CFP, NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, and College World Series in the same academic year. We discuss: - The changing landscape of NIL, recruiting, and Private Equity entering athletics - The process of raising capital and the business side of college athletics - The future of conference realignment in football, coaching hiring and firing, and more We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:45) - Jeremiah’s career and background (00:10:40) - The evolution of TCU as a University (00:13:05) - Building a Power 5 School mentality (00:16:01) - Raising money for an Athletic department (00:19:41) - Becoming Athletic Director at TCU (00:26:03) - The NIL dilemma (00:33:13) - Transfer Portal issues (00:37:57) - Is PE going to become involved in college athletics? (00:42:52) - How do universities make money via athletics? (00:44:04) - Coaching: Recruiting, hiring, and firing (00:59:02) - The Caitlin Clark effect & the value of winning (01:02:45) - The Big 12 realignment (01:07:21) - The entertainment business within college sports (01:09:31) - Are we moving to super-conferences? Links: Jeremiah on X - https://x.com/JDonati_TCU TCU Athletics - https://gofrogs.com/ Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

Andy Weiner, President of RockStep Capital, started RockStep Capital Corporation in 1996. Weiner has built or acquired over 9 million square feet of shopping centers throughout the United States. Prior to founding RockStep Capital, Weiner served as Vice President of Operations for Weiner Stores, a chain of 159 family clothing stores with locations in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. We discuss: Andy’s mall thesis A Deal Breakdown of a mall in Small town America Implementing a successful company culture via the Rocksteps We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links RockStep Capital The 25 RockSteps Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:58) - Andy’s background (00:09:09) - Retail pricing structures (00:14:06) - Falling in love with small-town America (00:18:52) - Andy’s mall thesis (00:21:59) - What Andy looks for when underwriting a mall (00:30:19) - What are deal killers for you? (00:33:58) - Capitalizing and Closing deals (00:38:50) - Deal breakdown: Manhaatan, KS (00:45:37) - Zombie malls (00:48:53) - Government funding + battling Amazon (00:52:07) - Alternative ways to monetize mall assets (00:54:27) - The Rockstep way Support our Sponsors Bullpen: https://www.bullpenre.com/ Vesto: https://www.vesto.com/fort Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

Today’s episode is full of incredible career stories and deep market insights as we enter the second half of 2024. Michael Levy is the Chief Executive Officer of Crow Holdings where he is responsible for leading and overseeing the Company’s overall business strategy and activities. The firm’s operations include real estate investment management, real estate development, renewable and traditional energy exploration, and securities management. Before joining Crow Holdings in 2016, Michael had a longstanding career in real estate finance and investment management at Morgan Stanley. He was a member of the Firm’s Management Committee and held a number of leadership positions including COO and Head of Distribution for the Investment Management Division, Head of Traditional Asset Management, COO and CFO for Real Estate Investment Management, and co-head for Real Estate Investment Banking. We discuss: Michael’s career at Morgan Stanley during the DotCom crash and GFC The experience working for Crow Holdings Analyzing the state of the market, asset classes, and looking to the future of real estate We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links: Michael Levy on LinkedIn Crow Holdings Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:10) - Days on Wall St. (00:05:47) - Experiences during the DotCom Crash and the GFC (00:21:02) - Advice for someone going into a restructuring (00:24:49) - The worst assets to be in during the GFC and Michael’s time with Morgan Stanley (00:30:44) - Being a man of commerce (00:31:57) - Joining Crow Holdings (00:38:38) - Texas Vs. New York (00:42:25) - Crow Holdings business units & development structures (00:53:57) - Thoughts on the market (00:57:16) - 2008 vs. 2024 (00:59:20) - Interest rates (01:03:58) - Oil and Gas (01:06:05) - Office (01:14:10) - Data centers (01:17:51) - MF & Industrial (01:23:23) - Acquisitions (01:25:00) - Development challenges (01:27:10) - Capital markets (01:31:26) - What are you most proud of from your time with Crow? (01:33:50) - Solar (01:36:48) - Looking at the future of RE Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

Continuing a practice of three generations of business and community work in the Dallas area, Phillip and his twin brother, Co-Owner Donald, have developed their Land Development and Land Investing legacy by creating superior master-planned communities and multifamily community living styles. The firm has developed over 15,000 single-family homesites, and 2,800 multifamily units in the DFW metroplex, and invested in thousands of acres of land. The Huffines name has become widely esteemed within the industry and the State of Texas. Huffines Communities has assembled over 100 limited partnerships, created hundreds of jobs in North Texas, and generated billions in asset values. In 2021 alone, Huffines Communities invested over $120 MM in land. We discuss: How Huffines creates incredible Master Plan communities City/state incentives Design, architecture, and amenity strategies after 30 years of building communities We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links Huffines Communities Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:10) - Getting kicked out of military school (00:08:47) - Master Plan communities (00:16:00) - Phillip’s secret sauce (00:20:11) - Finding a site for a community (00:24:24) - State and city incentives (00:29:47) - Establishing school districts (00:34:03) - Experiences during the GFC (00:36:28) - Entitlements (00:39:50) - Entrance design & amenities (00:43:13) - Community events (00:45:51) - Planning (00:53:52) - Thoughts on the market (00:57:20) - Home builders and the DFW market (01:02:19) - Nearly going bankrupt in the 80’s (01:07:53) - Does anything concern you in the macro right now? (01:11:10) - The importance of profit Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I RE Cost Seg: https://bit.ly/3oC7JcY Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: The Fort Podcast on Twitter/X: https://x.com/theFORTpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortpodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

Before founding DH Property Holdings, Dov was the Executive Vice President of Acquisitions of Asset Management at Extell Development Company. During his 13+ years at Extell, Dov negotiated and supervised the acquisitions of over $20 billion of New York real estate. Dov was directly responsible for sourcing some of the most notable transactions over the last 10 years, including The Ring Portfolio, One 57, Nordstrom Tower, and One Manhattan Square. We discuss: Stories from Dov’s career assembling iconic NYC sites Pivoting to Class B Industrial How to Negotiate in RE We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:01:56) - Dov’s early career (00:05:02) - Land assemblage and zoning in NYC (00:13:12) - Tenant risks (00:16:06) - Assembling Central Park Tower site (00:27:21) - Assembling 1 Manhattan Square site (00:32:45) - The Ring portfolio (00:48:19) - Hiring Japanese actors to finalize a deal (00:56:42) - Venturing into Class B Industrial (01:13:58) - How would outsiders perform in NYC trying to assemble land? (01:15:00) - The power of negotiation Links DH Property Holdings More on Dov Hertz Dov in The Real Deal Dov in Crain's New York Business Dov's Real Estate Investment Blog Support our Sponsors Relay Human Cloud: https://bit.ly/3sjQcaY Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

Larry Brogdon is a geologist and Partner with Four Sevens Oil Company with over 40 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. He has been involved in developing several major oil and gas plays, including the Barnett Shale. We discuss: - The early days of the Barnett Shale - The impact of horizontal oil wells - The role of natural gas in the world and predictions for the energy industry We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Support our Sponsors: Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:07) - Larry’s entry into the oil business (00:05:00) - George Mitchell & the Barnett shale (00:19:07) - Capitalizing on the success of horizontal wells (00:26:32) - Building and exiting the business (00:33:21) - The role of natural gas in the world (00:39:55) - Larry’s investing thesis (00:45:40) - 10-year predictions Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

In today’s episode I sit down with Michael Fishman & Michael Baum are Co-Chairs of Global RE Practice @ Greenberg Traurig, LLP - one of the world's largest real estate practices. Their practice focuses on real estate, real estate finance, private equity and real estate fund formation. Their clients include institutional investors, investment advisors, public and private real estate companies, REITs, and financial institutions. They’ve worked to form domestic and cross-border real estate funds and joint ventures and regularly represent lenders on real estate projects throughout the United States and globally. In addition, their experience with mezzanine finance, mortgage finance, lease finance, and loan defeasance transactions. They regularly advise clients with regard to the acquisition, disposition, leasing, and management of multi-family, industrial, office, retail, and hotel properties in the United States and globally. We discuss: Fishman and Baum’s cross-border PE work The future of the law profession The state of the RE market Links: Greenberg Traurig A Man in Full by Tom Wolfe Michael Fishman Michael Baum Support our Sponsor: Associated Insurance Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:38) - The egoless partnership (00:12:51) - The process of doing business in Mexico (00:17:27) - What makes a great lawyer? (00:28:17) - Is it fair that most situations could be resolved without litigation? (00:31:46) - Making the jump to Greenberg (00:42:08) - Cowboy ethics (00:45:11) - What does your team look like today? (00:50:23) - Thoughts on AI’s impact on the legal profession (00:58:21) - Are young people wanting to be lawyers? (01:03:42) - What are you seeing in the real estate market? (01:20:43) - Data Centers (01:22:09) - Is there any Federal legislation on the horizon that listeners should be aware of? (01:26:15) - What is the biggest real estate risk people take without knowing? Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

Don Tepman runs a real estate fund that focuses on buying neighborhood strip centers throughout the United States and also runs the 'StripMallGuy' account on X and LinkedIn. Mr. Tepman started his career in 2002 and led his first strip center purchase in 2006. He has completed 40 purchases and raised over $150M in LP capital. We discuss: Don’s career and mentors What makes a successful strip mall acquisition Building @stripmallguy and the future of the brand We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. https://www.thefortpod.com/survey Links StripMallGuy on X Resquared Topics (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:56) - Don’s upbringing and career background (00:08:40) - The dynamics of suburban retail (00:12:42) - Don’s mentor & learnings (00:21:25) - Restaurants in strip centers (00:26:35) - Tenant mixes (00:30:20) - TI (00:35:41) - Where do folks waste money on exteriors? (00:37:18) - Drive-thrus (00:38:36) - Don’s hold period strategy (00:42:39) - Why do you stick to smaller deals? (00:45:26) - What is your approach to entering a new market? (00:53:02) - Why does Price per foot matter so much? (00:53:44) - Leasing (00:59:41) - Taxes and insurance (01:01:19) - StripMallGuy (01:08:45) - Working a deal through the system (01:12:44) - Thoughts on the market (01:18:22) - Luxury retail (01:19:53) - Meeting Charlie Munger (01:27:08) - Plans for SMG in the future Support our Sponsors Better Pitch: https://bit.ly/42d9L0I Juniper Square: https://bit.ly/45yiYUq Fort: https://bit.ly/FortCompanies Follow Fort on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-companies/ Chris on Social Media: X: https://bit.ly/3BYIjcH LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch The Fort on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://bit.ly/43SOvys Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts