There's a myth in commercial real estate that you either make money or make something good. This is a series about the people proving otherwise.
About the Series
Building with Intention is an interview series about the thinking behind the buildings.
Each episode, Matt Dean sits down with developers, operators, and other commercial real estate professionals to talk about development, entrepreneurship, and what it takes to build places that make a city better — not just projects that pencil.
The projects that truly succeed tend to come from people who can hold the pro forma and the community in the same hand. That tension is the subject of this show: the thesis behind a deal, the messy middle of the process, and where the built environment goes from here.
These aren't highlight reels. Some of the projects discussed are finished. Some are still in the ground. Every conversation gets into the parts most people leave out; the numbers, the fights, the compromises, and what they'd do differently.
What we look for.
These are the reasons this show exists, and the qualities we look for in everyone who sits down for it.
People First
Every decision traces back to someone who'll use the place. That's not sentiment, it's what makes a project last.
Candor
Real numbers, real mistakes, said out loud.
Accountability
Own the projects that didn't work as hard as the ones that did.
Place Over Product
A building is part of a block, not a line item in a fund.
Skin in the Game
Conviction is what you've risked, not what you've said.
Legacy
Build something worth inheriting and worth holding.
Matt Dean, the host of Building With Intention, has been known in the commercial real estate space as “the branding guy.” Partially due to the fact that he wears hats, has long hair, and is covered in tattoos, but also because he is the co-founder and CEO of a place strategy, branding, and marketing agency that works exclusively in CRE.
Matt has spent the last 10 years working in commercial real estate and the people who shape it. Having worked at Cushman & Wakefield and CBRE in the marketing department, and running a creative studio inside of the boutique brokerage firm, beta; Matt’s had the unique opportunity to see every side of CRE.
In 2021, Matt and his wife, Jackie, started Dean&Co., a branding and marketing agency that is dedicated to making places matter and helping build strong communities. Within the first 5 years of business, Matt has had the opportunity to meet, work with, and even become friends with large-and-small-scale developers who are truly making a positive difference in communities. This drive and passion is what sparked Building With Intention – to share these stories, highlight people doing good, and talk about developments beyond the pro forma.
In this series, he asks developers and operators about the good, the bad, hard decisions, pivotal moments, and everything in between.
The Branding Guy behind the series.
Real Conversations.
New episodes monthly. Watch on YouTube or listen on Spotify.