Podcast Connects Military Veterans to CRE Industry

Adam Stark of Jet.Build was inspired to create a platform to educate those who served about the benefits of working in commercial real estate. 

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After nearly a decade working in the commercial real estate industry, military veteran Adam Stark decided it was time to tackle a new mission for ex-service members with similar experiences.

Stark, who served in an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) unit, drew inspiration from hearing fellow veterans share their experiences on podcasts like “The Shawn Ryan Show,” hosted by a former U.S. Navy SEAL, and in late 2023 decided the time was right to build a platform specific to the CRE industry. 

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“I recognized that I was not alone in my journey and struggles to transition from military to civilian life,” said Stark, principal at Jet.Build, a real estate development software management company. “I wanted to share the community experience, highlight why the built environment is an excellent next step for veterans and create a road map of experiences, lessons learned and how to improve.”

Since early 2024, Stark has hosted “The Veterans Who Build” podcast, designed as a community to spotlight how those with military backgrounds can translate their skills from the conflict zones and the like into careers in real estate. Stark said a big goal of the podcast is to create a road map for veterans to navigate the challenging transition period that can exist after deployment, while spotlighting potential careers they can pursue in the CRE field. 

When it came to finding guests for the podcast, Stark initially worked his own contacts before the floodgates opened with others who wanted to be part of the platform.

“After those first two to three initial recordings, I forgot about even tapping my network because it just kind of snowballed rapidly into so many leads,” Stark said. “I haven’t even gone back to my network yet because the amount of potential guests that have resulted has been abundant.” 

A career in commercial real estate can be attractive for many veterans, according to Stark, because their leadership backgrounds can translate well into managing teams and budgets. He said the podcast is also aimed at educating veterans about career possibilities in real estate or construction that they may not have otherwise been aware of.

“I want to create this road map for other vets to listen to and engage with,” Stark said. “Also, when I’m interviewing people from larger firms, they’ll talk about almost intentionally engaging in hiring veterans, or seeking out veterans to hire, so I’m also seeing this kind of ecosystem getting built out almost in real time.”

The podcast airs biweekly on podcasting platforms including Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube. For now, Stark records the conversations virtually from his St. Louis home, and he would eventually like to build out a studio to provide an in-person option to enhance the discussions.

Some of Stark’s recent guests from the CRE industry include Nicholas Lambert, vice president of construction underwriting at Genesis Capital, who had nearly six years of active duty in the U.S. Army, and Ran Eliasaf, founder and managing partner of Northwind Group, who was a naval captain with the IDF.

Lambert, who was deployed to Iraq in 2010 and 2011, spoke on the podcast about his journey into the CRE industry after serving in the Army. That journey included a stint as project manager at Toll Brothers in Los Angeles from 2019 to 2020. He credits his military experience with preparing him to tackle CRE deals in challenging market conditions.

“Coming from the military, you’re going to be resilient; you’re adaptable, and you’re a team player — and those are all things that I think really are important in this industry,” said Lambert, who earned an MBA from Pepperdine University thanks to the G.I. Bill. “You have to have flexibility and you have to adapt to the changing market. This probably does carry over to other industries, and isn’t just limited to real estate development and finance. But having that skill set in this industry, given that it can be fast-paced at times, is super helpful.”

Eliasaf, who founded Northwind in 2008, praised Stark for launching the podcast and hopes it can serve as a vehicle for informing veterans about job possibilities in an industry like real estate. He said his CRE private equity firm, which has executed more than $5.5 billion of transactions since its founding, makes an effort to prioritize hiring veterans when approached, due to the leadership qualities they can bring to the table. 

“I think the main skill I learned was how to lead and how to lead a team,” said Eliasaf, who is chairman of the board of American Friends of NATAL, a nonprofit that provides assistance to Israelis suffering from trauma, including veterans of that country’s armed forces. “Obviously, in real estate we don’t deal in life and death situations like we do in the military, so it’s a different environment. But, I think the skills of leadership are the ones you really learn and how to lead by example and how to face adversity.”

Stark has recorded 32 episodes dating back to March 11, 2024, with the episodes typically dropping every other Monday. A video version of the podcast surpassed 100,000 views on YouTube this March.

“Getting other vets informed and aware of the opportunities in commercial real estate is great, and I think getting people in commercial real estate informed about the benefits of having veterans on your staff and part of your team is also helpful,” Lambert said. “Also, just connecting those of us that did serve that are in this space with each other to be able to talk and collaborate is also great, so props to Adam and everything he’s doing with that.”

Andrew Coen can be reached at acoen@commercialobserver.com.