In this episode of The Real Finds Podcast, host Gordon Lamphere sits down with Cali Williams Yost, CEO and founder of the Flex+Strategy Group, to explore how CEOs, COOs, HR leaders, and real estate decision makers can move beyond simple “return to office” mandates and design truly high performance flexible work models. Cali has been a pioneer in flexible work since the late 1990s, and she explains how technology, shifting demographics, and the shock of COVID created today’s clash between leadership expectations, employee realities, and underutilized office space.

Cali and Gordon dig into what it really means to redefine your operating model around performance across places, spaces, and time. They talk about why “hybrid” is the wrong frame, how to decide what work must happen in person versus remotely, and why some underused space can still deliver strong ROI when it is designed around the right interactions. They also tackle one of the biggest challenges many companies face today: engaging mid career employees who are critical carriers of culture and institutional knowledge, but often the least likely to show up in person.

You will learn:

- Why most organizations are stuck arguing about days in office instead of defining a clear, flexible work model

- How to design intentional in person interactions for development, collaboration, innovation, and culture

- What Cali calls the “clash of contexts” between C suite leaders and early career employees, and how to bridge it

- How to re engage mid career talent so they see in person time as high value, not a waste of time

- The “new math” of workspace utilization and why perfect occupancy is not the goal

- How flexible work principles are showing up in manufacturing, R&D, healthcare, and other on site environments

- Why change management, or “change magic,” is the real unlock for productivity, well being, and culture in a post pandemic world

- How AI fits into the next decade of work, and what should stay fully human

Connect with Cali:

Website: flexstrategygroup.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/caliwilliamsyost

Substack: The Now and Next of Work

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Reach out to our team of commercial real estate experts!

In this episode of The Real Finds Podcast, host Gordon Lamphere sits down with industrial outdoor storage specialist Andrew Wiesemann to unpack one of the hottest, most misunderstood asset classes in commercial real estate today. From zoning headaches and generational turnover to cap rate spreads and sovereign wealth funds, this conversation is a masterclass in how IOS really works on the ground.

Andrew shares how he went from buying multifamily in Chicago for a family office to focusing on single-tenant industrial assets in Wisconsin and Indiana, and ultimately into IOS after discovering how crucial outdoor storage was to the tenants at a Lansing, Michigan site. That pivot gave him a front row seat to the structural supply shortage that has pushed IOS into the spotlight.

Gordon and Andrew dig into why IOS is so constrained by zoning and legacy big box development, and how that lack of supply is colliding with demand from trucking, equipment rental, data center infrastructure, utilities, waste, and building materials users. Andrew explains why municipalities often misunderstand truck yards and storage yards, how long standing users lose their rights when sites go vacant, and why that keeps choking off future supply even when land looks available from the street.

They also walk through the investor side. Andrew breaks down who is buying IOS today, from private 1031 buyers treating it like a retail income play to institutional capital looking for mark-to-market stories with three to five-year weighted average lease terms. He compares traditional industrial cap rates to IOS portfolios, explains why there is still a spread, and why he expects cap rate compression as data, comps, and standardization catch up.

If you invest in IOS or are even just IOS curious, you will want to hear Andrew’s framework for what makes a Class A yard versus a Class B or C yard. He walks through the user focused checklist: access and truck flow, dual ingress and egress, stabilization and pavement, clear heights and door heights, yard configuration, lighting and security, and how all of this ties into long term functionality as equipment and user needs evolve.

They go deep on:

- How e commerce, trucking restrictions, and retailer parking policies created a national truck parking and IOS crunch

- Why only certain heavy industrial zoning categories allow outdoor storage by right and how early 2000s big box development quietly ate up that land

- The generational turnover wave among long time junkyards, scrap yards, and automotive users, and why some are sitting on an unrecognized gold mine

- What happens when a long term tenant finally turns over and the site suddenly has to meet today’s codes, from fencing and landscaping to parking and paving

- How to think about IOS cap rates relative to traditional industrial and why portfolios can price differently from one off sites

- Why infrastructure is destiny for IOS, and how markets like Chicago, DFW, Memphis, Kansas City, Mobile, and Savannah benefit from heavy public and private investment in ports, highways, and intermodals

For more, reach out to Gordon Lamphere and our team of commercial real estate experts at https://www.vvco.com, Chicago's trusted commercial real estate agents and commercial property managers.

In this episode of The Real Finds Podcast, host Gordon Lamphere sits down with Alana F. Dunoff, ProFM, FMP, IFMA Fellow, a strategic facilities planning consultant, adjunct professor in Temple University’s Facility Management program, and principal of AFD Professional Services. With more than 30 years of experience helping organizations align people, process, and place, Alana brings a unique perspective on how companies can reimagine the workplace for a post-pandemic world.

Alana shares how her background in environmental psychology shaped her approach to workplace strategy and why the return-to-office conversation is really about meaning, culture, and belonging. She explains why the most effective offices function like kindergarten classrooms, offering flexibility, creativity, and comfort in equal measure. Together, Gordon and Alana explore how to right-size portfolios, refresh spaces without major capital projects, and measure success through innovation and engagement rather than attendance.

They discuss how to align HR, facilities, and leadership strategy to create hybrid models that actually work and how to invest in people by investing in place. Alana also reveals how coffee rituals, collaboration zones, and wellness spaces can quietly rebuild culture and help employees reconnect with their organization’s purpose.

🔍 Key Topics Covered:

- Why task-based “kindergarten classroom” layouts outperform traditional office design

- How hybrid work is redefining space planning and employee engagement

- Strategies for right-sizing portfolios while preserving long-term flexibility

- Metrics that matter: innovation, engagement, and culture over square footage per head

- Small space upgrades that drive big behavior changes

- How to train and support managers for flexible, distributed teams

- The growing influence of Gen Z on workplace design and company culture

- Practical ways to rebuild belonging and human connection inside the office

Whether you are an HR leader, a facilities manager, or a commercial real estate investor, this episode offers clear, actionable insights for designing workplaces that balance flexibility, performance, and purpose in today’s evolving business landscape.

📚 Alana’s Recommended Read: Start With Why by Simon Sinek — a reminder that purpose and clarity drive performance more than policy.

📍 Learn More About Alana and AFD Professional Services:

Website: https://www.afdfacilityplanning.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanadunoff

Email: alanadunoff@gmail.com

About the Author Gordon Lamphere is a Chicago-area commercial real estate agent and host of The Real Finds Podcast, where operators, economists, and developers share how they’re reshaping the built world. Learn more at www.vvco.com

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