Investment Matters: From Tech Whiz Kid to Retail CEO

Sandy Sigal was a technology whiz kid long before it was cool. He was just 20 when his precocious skills earned him an invitation to modernize the accounting department for a homebuilding company.

It wasn’t too long before he discovered that that he had a knack for real estate as well as for programming, and at the ripe age of just 21, he was already building his first retail center.

Since founding NewMark Merrill in 1997, Sigal has become a prolific investor, developer and manager of retail centers, with holdings that encompass more than 100 properties valued at $3 billion.  More than 40 years into his real estate career, he still fosters technological innovations in the NewMark Merrill portfolio as well as through a venture that enables retail stakeholders to integrate online and social platforms with brick and mortar.

In this episode, our conversation ranges from the importance of community engagement for retail operators to AI and impact of economic trends that are impacting the sector. Sigal also takes us inside his commitments to the nonprofits that are closest to his heart—among them, the camp for underserved kids that he says changed his life.

Episode highlights:

• (1:49) Early passion for computers
• (4:39) CRE career origins
• (6:01) Building his first center—at 21
• (8:19) “Huge step forward” for technology in retail
• (11:49) Creating centers for the perfect tenant
• (14:18) Answering the call for community
• (19:04) Bright spots of opportunity
• (21:57) Challenges: regulations, public safety, taxes and more
• (25:59) Investing in smart-tech initiatives
• (29:05) Life-changing experiences
• (33:23) Building a community of CEOs
• (36:35) Perspectives on today’s young generation
• (39:28) Executive off the clock: journeys to lands of wonder

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