SIOR Fall Conference 2025 Takeaways from NAI Global
Political quote of the conference, relayed by Michael Smerconish but delivered by President Ronald Reagan (a Republican) years earlier (March 17, 2011) in addressing his friend and colleague, Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill (a Democrat): “Tip, if I had a ticket to heaven and you didn’t have one, I would give mine away and go to hell with you.”
Michael Smerconish, an American radio host, podcaster, television presenter and political commentator, delivered a keynote on the state of America’s political environment and specifically addressed the causes for the political divide in the country. He is on a mission to restore civility and compromise on our public discourse and promotes what he calls the Mingle Project for Independent Minds. Smerconish used the Reagan quote to emphasize his point that politics has changed dramatically in recent years, and not for the better.
Conference Takeaways
Tina LaMonica, SIOR, Executive Vice President, NAI Capital – Pasadena, CA: “The SIOR Conferences are always excellent in education and networking. We had a wonderful turnout of NAI brokers who are part of SIOR at the Hollywood Roosevelt.
This gathering was also a chance for us to meet Alex Waddey, our new President and CEO of NAI Global. He was engaging and open to hear our thoughts about the company going forward. There’s a renewed energy in the air and we are excited for the future of NAI Global.”
Jim Caronna, SIOR, NAI KLNB – Baltimore, MD: Jim celebrated his 40th year as an SIOR at the Hollywood conference.
“Lots of takeaways but perhaps the most interesting to me was that the era of cheap global labor is coming to an end. China’s “one child” policy will have deleterious effects on their ability to provide a sizable workforce over the next 10 years and the U.S. will need to commit dollars to building a replacement infrastructure and industrial base along with contending with the rise of union wages and political power.”
What he learned that will help him navigate his business as we roll into 2025?
“Don’t get caught up in the immediate but take a long-term view of the market and understand its nuances. Modern office product in good, mixed-use locations are still very desirable and will have high occupancy levels. Although industrial vacancies are somewhat on the rise, the construction pipeline is weak which will keep the market balanced and rates (slowly) on the rise.”
Tobias Schultheiß, FRICS SIOR, NAI Partners Germany, Frankfurt
“This is my fourth SIOR conference in North America and I love the spirit of its members. To me, SIOR conferences are more of a family gathering; I don’t know of any other conference or property show where you bring your spouse. Of course, it’s about doing business but it’s also about strengthening existing relationships and making new friends. Coming from a country where the typical reaction to a crisis is to bury one’s head in the sand, I love the “injection of positivity” I always get!”
What Tobias learned from speakers and breakout panels: “The panel titled “Retaining Tenant Rep Clients in Today’s Ultra-Competitive Environment” gave great inside from top SIOR brokers on how they act in order to keep in contact with existing clients. When the moderator compared their best practice experience with answers from ChatGPT one could see that AI is a good tool, but just that: not more but also not less.”
He continued: “In the panel “Capturing Market Share – empowering independent brokers with cutting-edge tools,” Andrew Westby, a broker from a tertiary market explained how he turned a non-transparent market into a transparent one by gathering all existing data into a database. Maybe it is nothing to use right away but a great inspiration!”
On his role with all the Apollo partners in Germany: “Blackbird Real Estate is the international desk for NAI Partners Germany and as such your one stop shop for any in-or-outbound real estate requirement. Recent assignments include a German owner that asked us to find buyers for a high street retail building in Washington, D.C. and also a buyer for a logistics hub in the Midwest. Moreover, and with a different colleague within NAI Global Partners, we are on the home stretch advising U.S. corporations in Germany on relocating them from one city to another and further, to extend an existing lease contract at better rates for the tenant.”
Going back to SIOR, this is what Tobias learned that gives him optimism about real estate in Germany and Europe in general for 2025. “Given the conference’s focus on North America, there was not much about Europe including Germany in the keynotes and panel discussions – except for the international member group meeting on Tuesday. I sat together with members from Canada, Mexico & Ireland and we talked about expanding our SIOR Europe TenRep Investment groups (similar to the NAI Global corporate services elite groups) to these countries. Speaking more generally, the mood is getting better after the second ECB (European Central Bank) interest rate reduction and a lowering inflation. It seems we have now reached the bottom and markets in Europe and especially Germany will recover soon.”
The NAI Global EMEA meeting will take place in November in Frankfurt am Main. Here is more information on the meeting: https://naiglobal.swoogo.com/emea24/6022413?i=jUO0uis3agZuyAOKZl7xl5Vs4-lDFcvL
Laurel Lewis, SIOR, Executive Managing Director & Elite Corporate Services, NAI Horizon – Phoenix, AZ
“I learned from other SIOR brokers across the globe about what is happening in each individual market. I gained a broader view of the commercial real estate market and how Arizona fits into the larger marketplace.
The speakers that SIOR brought in to discuss the economy and its relevance to commercial real estate added to my depth of knowledge, making me a better broker and in turn, benefiting my clients’ positioning of assets. My overall takeaway from the event is that there is a general optimism for 2025 in all asset classes.”
Bjarne Bauer, SIOR – Principal of NAI Sofia Group, Shanghai, China
“My biggest takeaway from this convention was the enthusiasm and ‘can-do attitude’ from members even in markets that are currently difficult. Facing challenging environments isn’t something that one should feel disappointed with, because it is our job to solve problems. When there are many problems, there’s a need for creative ideas, well designed deal structures, and project leaders with absolute integrity.”
In terms of economic developments: “What stood out was the analysis on demographic change in all major economies across the globe and projections on how this, in combination with other factors, is pointing in the direction of a ‘high inflation, high interest rate’ environment for most of the coming 10 years.” Editor’s note: Peter Zeihan made the case that inflation will never get back to 2% and rather, it will stick around 3% because of elevated labor costs (that are here to stay) and largely because the large numbers of retiring baby boomers and insufficient supply of people to backfill those boomers.
Bjarne’s favorite part of the conference: “Catching up with many NAI colleagues at the NAI Happy Hour was another highlight; it’s amazing how many NAI colleagues from so many markets hold the SIOR designation.”
On geopolitics and the fact that his business is in China: “When I had the opportunity to give a brief presentation myself, I was concerned that my message would be a controversial one: ‘Continue globalization, continue diversified global investments!’ Thankfully it was well received. When we do transactions for companies no matter in the field of industrial real estate or office buildings, no matter whether in the field of occupier representation or capital market transactions, there are enormous upsides. The more exchange and interdependencies there are on all levels, the more governments will need to resolve problems with negotiation and diplomacy instead of with weapons. Such exchanges include science, culture, sports and not least economical collaboration. As long as financial interests across various borders and cultures are aligned, it is possible to do profitable business also with parties that are not necessarily friends, as long as there is a certain level of trust, respect and of course mutual gain.”
In terms of best practices: “I benefited the most from a session of the ‘Industrial Real Estate Group’ where at one of the round-table discussions everyone shared their best business development strategies. Consistency in outreach activities and a mindset of ‘where can we help you?’ came up several times. Similarly, we discussed the value of arranging events for clients to meet in person as frequently as possible.”
SHOUT OUTS
Matthew Osowski, SIOR, Executive Vice President, Industrial Property Team with NAI Fortis in Columbus, OH, is a new SIOR Regional Director. Matt earned his SIOR designation in 2015 and the Regional Director post is a 2-year commitment. His region spans six SIOR chapters – in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Chicago, Wisconsin and Michigan.
DJ Brigman, SIOR, CCIM, is a new SIOR, and he wasted little time earning his designation. A partner with NAI SunVista in Albuquerque, NM, he started his CRE career in 2018 after a previous 17-year career playing professional golf with stints on the PGA Tour.
He tells us: “I grew tired of the travel and the “fun” part started feeling like a job. I knew then it was time to pivot. I was drawn to the commercial real estate industry because of its adaptability to your schedule and commission-based pay structure. Most people I talk to are terrified to be on a commission only structure. I was used to the compensation structure as a professional golfer and was always willing to outwork anyone. I knew that I could do the same in CRE and it would translate into success.”
What DJ enjoys about CRE: “There is a pattern to every transaction, but the details are always evolving. Like the golf swing there are certain fundamentals that are necessary to be consistent but small tweaks can make a big difference in the results.”
Clay F. Manley III, SIOR, is also new to SIOR. A Vice President with NAI Fortis Group in Louisville, KY, he originally started in the CRE industry in 2014.
On what attracted him to the industry: “I was raised in a family that was always involved in commercial real estate, primarily as a result of operating various business and always owning the underlying assets even after the sale of each company. We also did some smaller development projects and that is what really triggered my interest in the industry. The underwriting of a new development then executing on the plan always fascinated me. Finally, in conversations with Mark Wardlaw, my mentor and now partner in brokerage, his love of this business and excitement to serve his clients was evident and infectious. I wanted to operate in an industry that excited me every day, like it has him for 40 years.”
Clay’s previous professional work:“Immediately before joining NAI Fortis Group, I was a Partner and President of Inside Connect Cable. I was responsible for every aspect of operations including oversight of substantial expansion though site acquisition and organic growth. We were on the Inc. 5,000 list for several years in a row and expanded into more than 10 markets across Kentucky and Indiana, including Indianapolis, Westfield, and Caramel.
Keys to his success thus far in CRE:“I have been blessed to come from a family where I was taught hard work is paramount and in order to develop relationships with the people that I want to do business with requires absolute integrity in every decision I make. My belief that everything I do should be viewed through the lens of my faith in Christ and serve as an example of how a Christian should act within a business setting impacts, and especially decision-making. Watching my father, Tony Manley, operate with this same guiding principle for my 40 years on this earth has shaped my view on how I should conduct myself and I think that has led me to where I am now and where I will be in the next 20+ years.”
