Opportunity Zones Podcast

Are colleges and universities an untapped resource for Opportunity Zone development? Plus, what can we expect to learn from the census tract level sales transaction data that the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth is releasing later this month? Anu Varadharajan is a tax professor at Tulane University. Dr. Michelle Thompson is a planning and urban studies professor at the University of New Orleans and data fellow at the Masterca... Read more

On Tuesday, July 9, the IRS held a public hearing on Qualified Opportunity Funds. Who spoke at the hearing and what are some of the biggest issues that the IRS needs to clarify? Full recap available at OpportunityDb.com

Full audio recording of the July 9 IRS public hearing on proposed regulations: "Investing in Qualified Opportunity Funds" [REG-120186-18]. Recorded live on site at the IRS New Carrollton Federal Building Auditorium on July 9, 2019, beginning at 10:00 a.m. EDT. Timestamps and recap at OpportunityDb.com/hearing

What are some strategies for maximizing Opportunity Zone investment returns? What should investors be aware of and what pitfalls should they avoid? Kevin Shields is founder, chairman, and CEO of Griffin Capital, an alternative investment firm with over $17 billion in assets under management. Show notes and transcript on OpportunityDb.com

It's been one year since Virtua Partners launched the very first Qualified Opportunity Fund. Since then, they have raised $100 million, roughly half of which has already been deployed; they've broken ground on numerous projects, and have a pipeline of about 100 more. Quinn Palomino is principal at Virtua Partners, a global private equity firm that specializes in commercial real estate, and manager of four Opportunity Zone funds. Sh... Read more

Should Qualified Opportunity Funds best practices include third-party administration? And what are some Opportunity Zone trends being noticed by the industry's largest service provider? Reid Thomas is executive vice president and general manager of NES Financial, a Silicon Valley-based fintech company that provides a purpose-built administration solution for Qualified Opportunity Funds. Show notes and transcript on OpportunityDb.co... Read more

What is the biggest problem in the Opportunity Zone space today? And why is there pushback from potential investors with capital gains? Justin Wolk is a capital advisor for StackSource, a New York City-based real estate technology company that connects commercial real estate developers with lenders. Show notes and transcript on OpportunityDb.com

What are some of the most important legal considerations when forming an Opportunity Zone Fund? What are some of the pros and cons of corporation, partnership, REIT, and synthetic fund structures? Jessica Millett is partner, chair, and "Wizard of OZ" of the tax practice group at Duval & Stachenfeld, a real estate law firm headquartered in New York City. Show notes and transcript on OpportunityDb.com

The second tranche of regulations that were published two months ago clarified many questions regarding opportunity zone businesses. What are some strategies for operating business investment that OZ funds should consider? M&A attorney Ashley Tison is founder and CEO of the Charlotte, NC-based Ōz group of companies (pronounced OHz). Ōz is an opportunity zone consulting group and manager of a qualified opportunity fund that inve... Read more

Why does a trade association for Qualified Opportunity Funds want more data collection and reporting? And could the Opportunity Zone program be renewed at some point in the future? Senator Tim Scott's former tax adviser, Shay Hawkins is founder and president of the Opportunity Funds Association (OFA) -- a Washington, DC-based advocacy, education, and communications group for the Qualified Opportunity Fund industry. Show notes and t... Read more

How can incubating local businesses in shipping containers achieve Opportunity Zone community activation and gentrification without displacement? Sasha Favelukis is founder of CoPlace, a San Diego-based investment and advisory firm that specializes in community activation. Show notes and transcript on OpportunityDb.com

Will office real estate be the driver for much of the economic growth across the nation's Opportunity Zones? Clint Myers is partner at Revolution's Rise of the Rest, a seed fund that invests in startups located outside of locations that traditionally receive startup funding -- an approach that has a lot of overlap with the Opportunity Zones policy. Show notes and transcript on OpportunityDb.com

Are Opportunity Zone Funds actually raising any money yet? Chris Loeffler is co-founder and CEO of Caliber, an Arizona-based alternatives investment management firm that was among the first to launch a Qualified Opportunity Fund last year, a fund which has already raised $40 million, is actively deploying capital to Opportunity Zones, and is expected to hit their $500 million raise target within two years. Show notes and transcript... Read more

How can the resources of the Federal government be leveraged to help deliver generational impact to Opportunity Zone communities? Scott Turner is the newly appointed executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council -- a group of cabinet members and White House officials charged with coordinating Federal agency efforts to magnify the impact of investments in Opportunity Zones. Show notes and transcript at... Read more

How was the Opportunity Zones initiative created in the first place? And why is this program so radically different from previous place-based policies? John Lettieri is co-founder and president of the Economic Innovation Group, a Washington, DC-based public policy organization that created the Opportunity Zones legislation and continues to inform the rulemaking process. Show notes and transcript on OpportunityDb.com

How can retail investors access alternative investments typically reserved for institutional investors? And where do Opportunity Zones fit into the universe of portfolio alternatives? Washington, DC-based Tony Chereso is president and CEO of the Institute for Portfolio Alternatives, a trade group tasked with advocating for awareness of portfolio diversifying investments (PDIs). Show notes and transcript on OpportunityDb.com

Chicago is home to 133 opportunity zones. But which neighborhoods on Chicago’s West and South Sides have the greatest levels of redevelopment need? And what are some of the challenges of acquiring capital for building in low-income communities? Lennox Jackson is founder and CEO of Urban Equities, a Chicago-based real estate developer and advisor that specializes in residential, retail, and commercial projects. Note: this is Part 2 ... Read more

Lennox Jackson is founder and CEO of Urban Equities, a Chicago-based real estate developer and advisor that specializes in residential, retail, and commercial projects. Note: this is Part 1 of my conversation with Lennox. Listen to the next episode for Part 2, where we discuss Chicago's Opportunity Zone neighborhoods. Show notes and transcript on OpportunityDb.com

What are some of the most common Opportunity Zones legal questions and issues when it comes to starting or investing in a Qualified Opportunity Fund? Attorney and accountant Steve Schneider is the head of the passthroughs law group at Baker McKenzie, the largest tax law firm in the United States. Show notes and transcript at OpportunityDb.com