Got a piece of land but no clue what to do with it, or just no time to figure it out? In this episode, Chris G sits down with Eugene Gershom, a real estate developer out of Bellevue, Washington, who’s shaking things up. Instead of buying land himself, Eugene teams up with landowners to help them actually build on what they’ve got. He shares how most people dive into development thinking it’s simple… until the bank says no. That’s where his team steps in, helping sort out the finances, line up the right people, and get the project off the ground. They don’t get paid until everyone else does. Eugene talks about using a mix of modern tools and hands-on experience to make it all work, keeping things smart, lean, and way less stressful for everyone involved.

Eugene is a seasoned business executive with nearly 20 years of experience in real estate and construction. Eugene’s expertise ranges from finance to technology, and he prides himself on his ongoing search for innovation and growth. Eugene’s deep understanding of market dynamics helps oversee every project’s proformas and budgets in order to satisfy every investor’s appetite. Working with our broad network of professionals, Gershman brings together unique project financing structures and partnerships.

Episode highlights:
(0:00) Intro
(1:05) What Eugene’s company does and how it’s different
(3:35) “Financial engineering” custom to each project
(7:50) From Wall Street to family business to development
(9:59) How projects “turn themselves down”
(12:29) Free feasibility checklist & how they research deals
(14:40) Why Eugene builds all financial models himself
(17:07) How AI tools are shaping the future of development
(19:57) Scaling fast, losing projects, and pivoting after COVID
(23:06) Why partnerships work better than hourly consultants
(27:36) Eugene’s top advice for contractors looking to get into development
(29:47) Outro

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