SF Commercial Property Conversations

In this episode of SF Commercial Property Conversations, Bruce Bean sits down with Parisa Shamlou, a Southern California residential real estate agent with a passion for personal connection and a drive to make her mark in a competitive market.
Parisa shares her journey from the Bay Area to Temecula, California—transitioning from a behind-the-scenes role in compliance and transaction coordination to full-time agent success. She reveals how old-school methods like door knocking and face-to-face networking continue to outperform digital ads and postcards.
Tune in to hear:
Parisa’s hands-on approach to launching her real estate career
How she leveraged her tech skills, training experience, and background in compliance
Why she believes personal interaction still beats digital marketing
Her predictions for the spring 2026 real estate market
Real talk on interest rates, buyer psychology, and market shifts in SoCal
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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

This episode of SF Commercial Property Conversations with Bruce Bean dives deep into the complex world of modernizing HVAC systems in large-scale commercial buildings with engineering veteran David Ellner. With over 45 years of experience, David shares how he acts as an owner’s representative, project manager, and commissioning agent—often all at once—to ensure outdated building systems get seamlessly upgraded for performance, efficiency, and sustainability.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
Why aging buildings (some over 60 years old) can benefit from modernization—even if they’re fully occupied
How modern HVAC retrofits are executed with minimal disruption
The surprising challenges of replacing rooftop units, including structural and visual code hurdles
How AI and smart controls are slowly transforming building system operations
The importance of having someone who can "translate" between engineers and building owners
What building owners often miss—and how David helps avoid costly mistakes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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

In this episode of SF Commercial Property Conversations with Bruce Bean, we sit down with David Stein, a mortgage expert with nearly 25 years in the business. From a chance encounter in a bar that sparked his career to navigating complex real estate cycles and the ups and downs of the market, David shares his powerful story and what it takes to thrive in today's lending environment.
You’ll hear how David transitioned from cold-calling to building a fully referral-based business, how he uses CRM tools like Bonzo, and why personal connections still win over digital ads. We dive deep into the realities of financing — from creative hard money strategies and ADU investments to large-scale condo conversions in La Jolla.
David breaks down how new California legislation is shaping construction timelines, what it really takes to get a deal funded, and why staying “micro” and hyper-focused on skill-building is more important than ever.
If you're in commercial or residential real estate, this episode is packed with practical advice and fresh strategies from someone who’s weathered every market shift since the early 2000s.
 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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

In this episode of SF Commercial Property Conversations, Bruce Bean welcomes veteran commercial real estate lender and affordable housing developer Michael Sapuppo. Michael shares his fascinating career journey, from windsurfing in California to mastering commercial and multifamily lending, and ultimately becoming a major player in the affordable housing space.
Michael opens up about his early days in commercial banking during the turbulent economic landscape of the late 1970s, his time with the legendary Krupp Companies, and how those experiences shaped his deep knowledge of HUD, tax credits, and affordable housing finance. He discusses the formation of his own development firm, the strategic use of Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and tax-exempt bonds, and the creative solutions his team implemented to preserve affordable housing without sacrificing profitability.
Whether you're a developer, investor, or someone interested in how affordable housing actually works behind the scenes, this conversation offers valuable insights into financing strategies that blend impact and income.
 
 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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

In this episode, Bruce Bean talks with Brenda deGerald, a biotech professional turned real estate investor, about her unique journey from science to syndication. Brenda shares how her time at Illumina gave her the precision, patience, and process that she now applies to navigating complex real estate deals.
Brenda takes us through her first exposure to real estate via podcasts and mentorship, her hands-on work with short- and mid-term rentals in San Diego, and her venture into commercial real estate—including due diligence lessons, the importance of trusting your gut, and her pivot to capital raising through her firm, Alpen Capital.
Whether you’re an investor curious about transitioning into real estate or you're deep in the game, Brenda offers insights on:
Navigating San Diego’s evolving short-term rental regulations
Pivoting to midterm rentals and why it works
What to know before raising investor money
The power of masterminds, mentorships, and partnerships
A deep dive into GP funds and distressed asset strategies
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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

In this eye-opening conversation, Bruce Bean welcomes Ariel Isokav, founder of Abbastar, to discuss the powerful world of life settlements. Ariel reveals how his firm helps seniors turn life insurance policies they no longer need into real cash—and how savvy investors are tapping into this lesser-known market to build diversified, secure portfolios.
Ariel explains the basics of life settlements, the difference between viatical and life settlements, and how both sellers and investors benefit from this growing space. If you're a commercial real estate investor looking for alternative, stable investment opportunities—or if you own a life insurance policy you no longer need—this episode is packed with value.
 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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

From the fast-paced world of tech investment banking to publishing socially conscious children's books, Rana DiOrio has done it all—and she’s not done yet. In this episode, Bruce Bean sits down with Rana to explore her bold moves across industries and the life lessons that came with each pivot.
What You'll Hear:
How Rana jumped from securities law into tech investment banking at the height of the dot-com boom
The story behind launching Little Pickle Press and its acquisition by Sourcebooks
Why she’s now building a purpose-driven Web3 platform and investing in laundromats
Her thoughts on the economy, commercial real estate, and the evolving tech landscape
A look into her children’s book series, including the latest title greenlit for 2027
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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

In this episode, host Bruce Bean sits down with Ken Turton, the founder of Turton Commercial Real Estate, to explore how he carved out a specialized niche in the heart of Sacramento's commercial property market. Ken shares his journey from corporate middle management to becoming a key player in urban redevelopment, starting with leasing Class A properties and eventually shaping Sacramento’s cityscape through innovative ground-up development and adaptive reuse projects.
Ken offers deep insights into how surplus public land is turned into thriving community spaces and reveals how his firm has become the go-to for municipalities across Northern California looking to revitalize their downtowns. The conversation also tackles post-COVID occupancy challenges, the future of experiential urban retail, and the long-term implications of rising interest rates and inflation on commercial real estate.
 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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

In this episode of SF Commercial Property Conversations with Bruce Bean, we’re joined by John Friedrich, whose journey spans from gold mining in South America to building tech startups in Venice Beach and now financing large-scale housing projects across the U.S. at LFB Ventures.
John shares his incredible path—from working with his father in the junior mining space, to launching a news-reading alarm clock app, to reshaping neighborhoods with real estate development. He breaks down how tech, geopolitics, and housing trends influenced his career shifts and what he’s seeing in today’s lending landscape.
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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

What happens when a Silicon Valley engineer brings her tech expertise to the world of real estate investing? In this episode, Bruce sits down with Lilit Yenokyan, a former big tech engineer turned real estate entrepreneur, to explore how data-driven tools and AI can reshape the way investors evaluate small multi-unit properties.
Lilit shares her journey from Armenia to America, and from engineering roles at companies like Meta and Netflix to launching Investra, a platform that simplifies real estate investment analysis for both investors and realtors. You’ll learn how Lilit is addressing a gap in the market between residential and large commercial properties by focusing on small multi-unit investments—like duplexes and triplexes—using smart software that puts numbers first.
Whether you're an investor looking to break into real estate, a tech enthusiast, or a realtor ready to better serve your investor clients, this episode is packed with insights.
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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