What does it really take to design buildings that can withstand earthquakes, support growing cities, and adapt to new technologies like AI? In this episode, structural engineer Natalie Tse shares how engineering decisions shape the safety, sustainability, and future of our built environment.

Natalie Tse, a structural engineer with over 20 years of experience in the Bay Area, joins Bruce Bean to discuss the evolving world of structural design. From designing buildings to handle seismic forces to exploring new materials like mass timber, Natalie offers a practical and insightful look into how buildings are engineered to perform under real-world conditions.

She explains how structural engineers account for forces like gravity, wind, and earthquakes, and how building codes and historical seismic data influence design decisions. Natalie also breaks down how performance-based design works, helping owners understand trade-offs between safety, cost, and post-earthquake usability.

The conversation also explores current market trends. Natalie shares how her work has shifted over the years—from retail projects to schools, hospitals, and now a strong focus on affordable housing. With demand high and funding uncertain, engineers are constantly looking for smarter, faster, and more efficient ways to build.

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Bruce Bean sits down with longtime developer Greg Margetich to explore his decades-long career in commercial real estate and his latest project near the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center (TRIC).

Greg walks through how he started in real estate in the late 1970s, transitioning from residential into commercial brokerage and eventually into large-scale development. Along the way, he worked on government-leased properties across the country and developed retail and office projects from the ground up.

The conversation then shifts to his current 20-acre development in Silver Springs, Nevada. This ambitious project will include:

• A Chevron gas station with ExtraMile convenience store

• A casino and bar

• Two quick-serve restaurants

• Tesla supercharging stations

• A large RV park with over 150 spaces

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In this conversation, Bruce Bean sits down with Howard Kline to explore his unique journey through commercial real estate law. Howard began his career as general counsel for a supermarket chain, where he gained hands-on experience in developing grocery-anchored shopping centers, leasing, and litigation.

After experimenting with a career in real estate sales across multiple states, Howard realized his strengths were better suited to the legal side of the business. He returned to law and built a practice focused heavily on commercial leasing, negotiations, and landlord-tenant matters—areas that now make up the majority of his work.

Howard also shares how he launched CRE Radio & TV during the early days of online broadcasting, using it as a creative way to connect with potential clients and build authority in the industry.

During COVID-19, Howard leaned into his expertise, producing webinars on force majeure and lease renegotiation. This positioned him as a go-to expert and led to a surge in new clients, particularly in Northern California.

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In this episode, Bruce Bean sits down with real estate attorney Connor McNellis to explore how complex real estate transactions and renewable energy deals are structured—and what’s changing in today’s market. From life sciences leases to solar portfolio financings, Connor shares insights from both Big Law and his boutique firm experience.

Connor McNellis is a co-founder of Sunridge Legal, a San Diego-based boutique transactional law firm focused on real estate, renewable energy, and finance. After starting his career at a large international law firm, Connor transitioned to building a nimble, client-focused practice that delivers sophisticated legal work with greater flexibility and efficiency.

Connor shares his journey from the Midwest to California, including how his experience at a major law firm shaped his expertise in high-value transactions. He discusses the firm’s focus on complex deals across asset classes like life sciences, office, data centers, multifamily, and hospitality, along with large-scale renewable energy projects.

A key highlight of the conversation is how renewable energy projects are financed. Connor explains how developers bundle smaller solar installations—like rooftop systems on warehouses or carports—into larger portfolios to secure financing through debt and tax equity structures. He also breaks down recent legislative changes impacting tax credits and how those shifts are influencing deal flow and project viability.

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You can’t buy healthcare on the internet. And because doctors and patients always need a place to meet, medical real estate tends to stay strong even when other parts of the market get shaky.

In this episode, Bruce Bean talks with Colin Hart of ERE Healthcare Real Estate about a part of commercial real estate that many people overlook: helping physicians understand the value of the buildings they own. Colin explains how he started on the investment “buy side” and noticed that medical buildings often sold at great prices for investors, mainly because many doctors didn’t have strong representation when they sold.

Colin’s team works as sell-side advisors for physicians, often guiding groups through sale-leaseback transactions. That means the doctors can sell the building, pull money out, and still keep practicing in the same location by leasing it back. Colin also shares why doctors can sometimes get better financing terms than most borrowers, and why lenders like the stability of healthcare.

A big theme of the conversation is that the lease is the value. Colin walks through why an “institutional” lease matters if a doctor ever wants to sell the building, bring in partners, refinance, or sell the practice to a hospital or private equity group. If the lease is weak or rushed, it can limit options later.

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Laura Kruger didn’t originally plan to work in real estate. She was on track for law school, studying political science at Pepperdine and working in Washington, DC at institutions like Georgetown Law. But a short break after college—and a little family property chaos—changed everything.

In this episode, Laura shares how she returned home to help organize her family’s Bay Area real estate portfolio and unexpectedly found her career in property management. What began as a temporary project turned into a long-term professional path that eventually led her to launch her own company, Asset Locale.

Laura and Bruce discuss what it takes to manage residential properties successfully in today’s complex regulatory environment, the realities of property management margins, and why good operations are the foundation of profitable real estate investing.

Laura also shares her experience managing both long-term rentals and short-term or mid-term stays. From early experiments with Airbnb in the early 2010s to welcoming thousands of guests over the years, she explains how the San Jose market has developed a unique niche in extended-stay rentals for business travelers.

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In this episode, Bruce Bean sits down with entrepreneur and real estate connector Marie Antonette Waite to explore her remarkable journey from the Philippines to the United States and how she built a career centered around connecting people, businesses, and opportunities.

Marie shares stories from her unique upbringing in the Philippines, where her grandfather helped introduce karate to the country and her family became well known in the martial arts and film community. Those early experiences shaped her resilience and discipline—qualities that later helped her navigate the challenges of immigrating to the United States and building a career in business.

After moving to Albuquerque, New Mexico, Marie faced the challenge of adapting to a new culture and language. Despite early struggles with English and cultural differences, her skills and determination quickly stood out. Within two years, she earned multiple promotions while working in the healthcare sector.

Marie later relocated to California, where she spent over a decade working as a financial analyst for major hospital systems, helping design and manage decision support systems and financial modeling tools. Eventually, her entrepreneurial spirit led her to pursue real estate.

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What does today’s commercial real estate financing market really look like — and how should investors prepare for the $865 billion maturity wave ahead?

In this episode, Bruce Bean sits down with Niko Tsiplakos, Commercial Mortgage Banker at Slatt Capital, to unpack what’s happening in middle-market CRE financing across the Bay Area and California.

Niko shares how he transitioned from traditional banking into the brokerage world — starting at Slatt Capital just days before the COVID shutdown — and how he built a thriving middle-market lending practice focused on debt and equity placement for commercial real estate investors.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We’re excited to feature your voice in the conversation about building wealth and legacies through commercial real estate. Join us to share your journey and insights with our growing audience! Learn more and apply at https://sfcommercialconversations.com/guest