Opportunity Zones Podcast

Impact investing is an investment strategy that strives to generate social or environmental benefits in addition to financial gains. It also spans diverse range of assets, including bonds, public equity, and private equity, such as opportunity zones and New Market Tax Credits. But how does impact investing work, and how might one select a specific fund to invest in? Reid Thomas is Chief Revenue Officer and Managing Director of JTC Americas, the North American division of JTC Group, where he is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Specialty Financial Administration business unit. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com.

Opportunity Zone investments come with inherent potential risk, but they also offer several key advantages. Before diving in, it's important to understand investment strategies specific to OZ assets and projects. This episode is the audio version of a live opportunity zones panel at the AnySizeDealsWeek Festival of Real Estate Innovation in Las Vegas, Nevada with a focus on successful opportunity zones investment strategies. The panel was moderated by OpportunityDb founder Jimmy Atkinson. Panelists: Ashley Tison, Bo Kemp, Peter Ciganik, and Jill Homan. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com.

What happens to opportunity zone capital if the qualified opportunity zones fund sells? And how does reinvestment of those proceeds from that sale occur before the end of a 10-year holding period? Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com.

What are the investment due diligence considerations when evaluating Opportunity Zone business and real estate deals? This episode is the audio version of an OZ Pitch Day panel titled, “How to Evaluate Opportunity Zone Deals.” The panel was moderated by OpportunityDb founder Jimmy Atkinson. Panelists: Greg Genovese, Gordon Goldie, and Jill Homan. Recorded live on November 3, 2021. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com.

Why are cryptocurrency investors turning to opportunity zones for tax relief and social and economic good? Opportunity zone offer investors unprecedented tax incentives; combined with Bitcoin, investors can expect significant returns with a positive social impact. Tom Frazier is the CEO of Redivider Blockchain, an investment fund that brings together Opportunity Zones to create jobs, immersion and geothermal cooled edge data centers, and Bitcoin mining to help propel the future of humanity. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com.

When combined with the opportunity zone incentive, farmland can be a compelling asset class for investors. Farmland offers unique features compared to traditional real estate and often outperforms other investments during recessionary environments. But what makes agriculture a low-risk, high-return asset and how can investors capitalize on these opportunities? Paul Pittman is the Chairman and CEO of Farmland Partners Incorporated, and John Heneghan is the founder and manager of the Promised Land Opportunity Zone Fund. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com.

Opportunity zones can benefit multifamily investors in a range of ways. Multifamily investments offer several tax benefits, income appreciation, and are a hedge against inflation. Coupled with OZ funds, multifamily housing offers several more compelling advantages. In particular, the Southeast is an area with substantial growth potential for OZ fund investors in this particular real estate niche. James Brunger serves as executive vice president, national sales of Capital Square 1031, a national real estate investment and management company. Whitson Huffman oversees investment activity at Capital Square, which includes leadership of the firm’s real estate investments related to its Delaware statutory trust/Section 1031 exchanges, qualified opportunity zone funds and other private placement investment offerings. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com.

What does the future holds for the tax-incentivized Opportunity Zone investments? Will there be a reasonable expansion of the OZ policy in the coming years? While future legislation for OZs remains open to debate, this bipartisan investment program offers distinct financial benefits with social and economic impacts. Shay Hawkins is the co-founder of the Opportunity Funds Association, an organization that enables Opportunity Fund managers and investors to participate in public policy, share best practices, and communicate the industry’s contributions to distressed rural and urban communities across the country. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com.

When it comes to managing capital gains tax, are Opportunity Zones the solution? Are these funds, in fact, the quintessential hedge in an uncertain and rapidly-changing economy? As awareness increases, investors and advisors look to QOZ funds (and their deadlines) as a primary vehicle for their gains. Ashley Tison is founder and president of OZPros, a national leader in helping people with capital gains harness the generational wealth creation opportunity of Opportunity Zones. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com.

How has the Opportunity Zone marketplace evolved since 2018 and what changes may be forthcoming? This episode is the audio version of an OZ Pitch Day panel titled, "The State of the Opportunity Zone Marketplace." The panel was moderated by OpportunityDb founder Jimmy Atkinson. Panelists: Emily Lavery, Catherine Lyons, and Reid Thomas. Recorded live on November 3, 2021.

What are the current trends in alternative investments and how can investors take advantage of the growth to come? Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com.

How can investors execute long-term investments in low-income urban and rural communities via qualified Opportunity Zones funds? Chris Knoppe owns and operates CBUS OZ Funds with his brothers, Sean and Brian. The fund specializes in urban redevelopment in Columbus, Ohio with a long-term focus on delivering value to investors by providing affordable and attainable housing solutions throughout the urban core of Columbus. Show notes and transcript at OpportunityDb.com

Time is running out on the December 31, 2021 Opportunity Zone deadline. If you’re an investor with capital gains, how can you find a suitable Opportunity Zone investment before the end of this year? On today’s episode, you’ll learn more about the OpportunityDb OZ Pitch Day Fall 2021 Online Event. OZ Pitch Day will take place on Wednesday, November 3 and Thursday, November 4. The event will feature educational content and pitches from over a dozen different Qualified Opportunity Funds. Learn more at OZPitchDay.com

Multifamily investment opportunities can have various structures, risks, and return profiles. But what makes this what makes this investment option compelling and potentially actionable? And how can Opportunity Zones play a role in that? Neil Sherlock is the Vice President Capital Markets at Starpoint Properties, LLC, a private real estate firm with over 25 years of delivering market-leading returns throughout the United States. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

How will the first publicly traded Opportunity Zone fund impact the industry? Show notes and transcript at OpportunityDb.com

Are tertiary markets in the Southeast U.S. a prime opportunity for real estate investors? Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

A new book that offers a critical view of opportunity zones just hit bookshelves. What are some of the biggest shortcomings of the tax policy, and how can it be improved? David Wessel is a senior fellow in Economic Studies at Brookings and director of the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy, the mission of which is to improve the quality of fiscal and monetary policies and public understanding of them. He joined Brookings in December 2013 after 30 years on the staff of The Wall Street Journal. Show notes and transcript at OpportunityDb.com

What tax policy changes may unfold soon, and how might Opportunity Zones be reformed later this year or in 2022? Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com.

What are some of the key similarities and differences between Sun Belt Opportunity Zone deals and Midwest Opportunity Zone deals? Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

What are some of the biggest lessons learned from the first three years of the Opportunity Zones program? Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

How can Opportunity Zone be leveraged to create more affordable housing that has a commitment to sustainability? Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

Can opportunity zones be leveraged for historic renovation projects? How does the combination of historic tax credits and the opportunity zone incentive improve investment returns? John Blatchford is Owner and Founder of Kunst, a real estate company that buys and renovates vacant historic buildings in Cincinnati, Ohio. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

How can non-accredited investors with smaller capital gains participate in Opportunity Zone investing? Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

How does real estate innovation intersect with Opportunity Zones? How can Opportunity Zones catalyze business development and business investment in low income communities? Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

Dave Kunz is managing partner and general manager of Hall Labs. Will Walker is a private equity veteran and advisor to Hall Labs. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

What changes to tax policy are likely coming under the Biden administration? If enacted, how will these changes impact the appeal of Opportunity Zone funds and the returns available to investors? Several Opportunity Zone experts provided their insights on a live panel recorded on July 27, 2021 during OZ Pitch Day, titled "Tax Policy Changes & Opportunity Zones." Today's podcast episode is the audio version of that panel. Moderated by OpportunityDb founder Jimmy Atkinson, the panel featured Shay Hawkins of the Opportunity Funds Association, Kunal Merchant of CalOZ, and John Sciarretti of Novogradac. Show notes and transcript at OpportunityDb.com

What are the advantages of a Qualified Opportunity Fund that is structured as a REIT instead of a partnership? How does the level of diversification in a fund impact its risk/return profile? Peter Ciganik is Managing Director at GTIS Partners, a global real estate investment firm based in New York. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

Do record stock market levels, the high inflation environment, and the new economy pose an opportunity for Opportunity Zone investors? Are there silver linings in rising prices? Greg Genovese is CEO of USG Realty Capital and Investors Choice OZ Fund, a new Qualified Opportunity Fund offered by USG/OZI. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

Are there misperceptions in the market? Do investors overreact to sentiment? And is there an opportunity for level-headed contrarian view Opportunity Zone investors? Riaz Taplin is principal and founder of Riaz Capital, an Oakland, California based real estate management firm focused on developing workforce housing in California's urban Opportunity Zones. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

How much success have some Opportunity Zone investors had in deploying capital into early stage venture companies? Leonard Mills is CEO of Verte OZ, an Opportunity Zone fund that invests in high-growth disruptive businesses. Transcript and show notes on OpportunityDb.com

With impending tax policy changes and upcoming investing deadlines, is the Opportunity Zones marketplace nearing a critical inflection point? Nick Parrish is managing director and head of business development at Cresset Partners. Transcript and show notes on OpportunityDb.com

Are Opportunity Zones being underutilized? And what's in store for the Opportunity Zone marketplace as we come out of the pandemic and head into the second half of 2021? This episode is the audio recording of a live panel from the ADISA 2021 Spring Conference. Erik Hayden (Urban Catalyst), Matt Iak (U.S. Energy Development Corporation), and Greg Genovese (USG Realty Capital) were the expert panelists. The panel was moderated by Jimmy Atkinson (OpportunityDb). Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

Puerto Rico is in dire need of redevelopment. How can Opportunity Zones and other tax incentives help to create a more resilient Puerto Rico? Jose Torres is managing partner and founder of Monllor Capital Partners and the Puerto Rico Opportunity Zone (PROZ) Fund. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

Why might an investor consider an Opportunity Zone hotel investment on the Las Vegas Strip? Bill Shopoff is president and CEO of Shopoff Realty Investments, a national, multi-disciplinary real estate investment firm founded in 1992. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

Who is the prototypical direct retail Opportunity Zone investor? Erik Hayden is founder and CEO of Urban Catalyst, the largest developer of Opportunity Zone real estate in Silicon Valley. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

How can the Opportunity Zone incentive be applied to energy investments in the oil and gas sector? Matthew Iak is executive vice president of U.S. Energy Development Corporation and has overseen the capital raise of $1.5 billion since 2005. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

Why is Opportunity Zone deal flow increasing, and by how much? Chris Loeffler is co-founder and CEO of Caliber, an asset management and real estate services firm headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. Caliber Funds is currently offering a $500 million mixed-asset Qualified Opportunity Fund geographically focused in the greater southwest region of the United States. Transcript and show notes on OpportunityDb.com

Terrica Lynn Smith grew up broke and homeless on the streets of New Orleans. But now, she is developing new affordable housing in an OZ in Lafayette, Louisiana. Terrica is managing partner of SALT Capital Equity Group, real estate developer of Madeline Cove, a housing development located in an Opportunity Zone on the north side of Lafayette, Louisiana. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

Tax rates could be on the rise under the Biden administration. What impact would a huge capital gains tax increase have on the Opportunity Zone marketplace? Alex Bhathal is co-owner of the Sacramento Kings and managing partner at RevOZ Capital, a large Opportunity Zone developer headquartered in Newport Beach, California. Transcript and show notes on OpportunityDb.com

Panama City, Florida suffered massive damage from Hurricane Michael in 2018. How is the city using Opportunity Zones to rebuild? Mark McQueen is a former two-star general of the U.S. Army and current city manager for the City of Panama City. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

What should an investor consider before investing in a Qualified Opportunity Fund? Several Opportunity Zone experts provided their insights on a live panel recorded on March 9, 2021 during OZ Pitch Day, titled "How to Invest in Opportunity Zones." Today's podcast episode is the audio version of that panel. Moderated by OpportunityDb founder Jimmy Atkinson, the panel featured Greg Genovese of USG Realty Capital, Dave Kunz of Hall Venture Partners, Clark Spencer of Grubb Properties, Will Walker of Hall Labs, and Dana Woodbury of Buttonwood Due Diligence. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

Jackson Dearborn Partners is on their eighth Opportunity Zone deal in less than three years. What were some of the biggest challenges that they've faced and biggest lessons learned during their first seven OZ deals? Ryan Tobias is partner and co-founder of JDP and has worked on over $1 billion of real estate transactions. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

How is a former NBA player leveraging Opportunity Zones to create impactful change? Josh Childress is CEO of LandSpire Group and a member of the RevOZ Capital Social Impact Council. RevOZ Capital earlier this year launched a new social impact initiative with a commitment to invest $1 billion in Opportunity Zone projects over the next three years. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

What can Opportunity Zone investors expect from post-COVID market conditions? And how have Qualified Opportunity Funds evolved since program inception? Greg Genovese is CEO of USG Realty Capital and Investors Choice OZ Fund, a new Qualified Opportunity Fund offered by USG/OZI. Show notes and transcript at OpportunityDb.com

With Joe Biden in the White House, how might Opportunity Zone policy evolve over the coming years? Steve Glickman recently joined me during a fireside chat at OZ Pitch Day to discuss this topic and more. Steve is founder and CEO of Develop Advisors, a consulting firm for Qualified Opportunity Funds. He previously co-founded the Economic Innovation Group. Show notes and transcript at OpportunityDb.com

Why are shovel-ready projects so crucial to a multi-asset Qualified Opportunity Fund strategy? And how can a fund be structured in order to allow investment from self-directed QOFs at the project level? Jon White is president and managing director at Larson Capital, a real estate-focused private equity firm headquartered in St. Louis. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

Can an online membership platform bring different Opportunity Zone stakeholders together and help make the OZ initiative a bigger success? Chris Cooley is director and lead connector at OZworks Group. He has extensive experience consulting in the collaborative workspace industry, both nationally and internationally. Show notes and transcript on OpportunityDb.com

What are the three different classes of investors that are the most likely capital sources for Opportunity Zone funds or deals? And what are some tips for approaching and pitching to them? Dave Kunz is managing partner and general manager of Hall Venture Partners. Will Walker is a private equity veteran and advisor to Hall Labs and HVP. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

What are some of the factors that may make Puerto Rico a compelling destination for Opportunity Zone investment, particularly in a post-COVID world? Eric Berman is chief investment officer and Adrian Beales is director of sales at Lifeafar Capital, a boutique private equity real estate firm with two OZ projects in Puerto Rico. Transcript and show notes available at OpportunityDb.com

How has the Opportunity Zone marketplace evolved over the past 2+ years and how will it continue to evolve going forward? Peter Truog is founder of The Opportunity Exchange, a marketplace that connects impactful Opportunity Zone projects to capital sources. The Opportunity Exchange is a key partner in OZ Pitch Day. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com