{"id":28284,"date":"2020-06-30T18:00:49","date_gmt":"2020-06-30T15:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/?p=28284"},"modified":"2026-04-02T09:44:02","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T06:44:02","slug":"expert-interview-anthony-w-orlando-california-cre-covid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/expert-interview-anthony-w-orlando-california-cre-covid\/","title":{"rendered":"Expert Insights: Anthony W. Orlando Talks Strategic CRE Investment &#038; the Value of Community Input in Development Innovation"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_28289\" style=\"width: 210px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-28289\" class=\"wp-image-28289 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/Anthony-W.-Orlando-expert-insights-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"Anthony W. Orlando California Commercial Real Estate\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-28289\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Anthony W. Orlando, Assistant Professor in Finance, Real Estate, and Law at Cal Poly Pomona<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">Today we bring you our interview with Anthony W. Orlando \u2014 Assistant Professor in the Finance, Real Estate, and Law Department at California State Polytechnic University, in Pomona. His research as Faculty Affiliate of the Bedrosian Center on Governance and the Public Enterprise at U.S.C. delves into subjects at the intersection of business and public policy. Trained as an applied microeconomist, he explores risks, returns, and optimal regulations in real estate markets in his work. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">His <\/span><u><span class=\"tm7\">2013 book<\/span><\/u><span class=\"tm7\">, which succinctly yet comprehensively analyzes the economic events of the past four decades, has been hailed as a \u201cpowerful, compact primer on American economics\u201d that everyone should read. The podcast he produced and hosted, \u201c<\/span><u><span class=\"tm7\">Our American Discourse<\/span><\/u><span class=\"tm7\">,\u201d features conversations with \u201cthe smartest minds from the University of Southern California and beyond,\u201d on themes that continue to be essential to the challenges of our time. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">In his interview with us, Mr. Orlando shared his insights on the importance of actively including communities in the process of real estate development, as well as investment. What\u2019s more, he makes the case for creativity and preparedness as essential to investment strategies which can weather economic storms even as powerful as what the COVID epidemic has brought to light.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong><span class=\"tm8\">Q: Could you start by telling us a little bit about your background and why you chose your career?<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">It was the <\/span><u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/10-years-recession-us-office-investment-bubbling\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span class=\"tm7\">Great Recession<\/span><\/a><\/u><span class=\"tm7\"> that did it. I watched my generation graduate into the worst job market in decades, and I never wanted another generation to have to go through it again. So I studied housing finance, and that led me to housing, and that led me to the rental affordability crisis, and that led me to commercial real estate. And now I\u2019m watching the next generation going through a completely different crisis but at least this time I\u2019m armed with some tools to help them.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong><span class=\"tm8\">Q: Considering the COVID-19 outbreak, what are your thoughts on the CRE market in the US today in terms of trends and challenges?<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">Crises reward the prepared and the creative. Firms that avoided high levels of debt and managed their cash well before the recession will find good deals if they look for them. We\u2019ve seen significant price corrections in student housing, lodging and retail. Some of that is warranted \u2014 the pain is far from over in these sectors \u2014 and some is a result of financial distress. <\/span><span class=\"tm7\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">A strategic buyer who\u2019s willing to put in the time to reinvent these properties for the future could rebuild a lot of the value that\u2019s been lost. Buyers are starting to come back to the market. They can smell the opportunity.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong><span class=\"tm8\">Q: What do you think differentiates the commercial real estate market in California from other major markets in the United States?<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">Jobs, regulations, and weather. We\u2019re the fifth-largest economy in the world, partly because of population size, but also because there is so much innovation \u2014 and I don\u2019t just mean in Silicon Valley. We have a world-class university system feeding right into cities like <\/span><u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/office\/us\/ca\/los-angeles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span class=\"tm7\">Los Angeles<\/span><\/a><\/u><span class=\"tm7\"> and Long Beach, with the busiest ports in the United States. If Asia is the future of the global economy, California is the gateway. It\u2019s not a cheap place to do business. Plenty of investors complain about that. But it\u2019s rewarding enough that there\u2019s still a <\/span><u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/california-office-construction-cities-under-300k-residents\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span class=\"tm7\">growing appetite to build and buy<\/span><\/a><\/u><span class=\"tm7\">. Regulations and taxes may be costly, but they\u2019re investments in the future just as much as commercial real estate. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">We have some of the most popular conservation lands in the country, and we\u2019re building two of the most ambitious light rail expansions in Los Angeles and in <\/span><u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/office\/us\/ca\/san-francisco\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span class=\"tm7\">San Francisco<\/span><\/a><\/u><span class=\"tm7\">. We\u2019ve got a long way to go to solve the affordable housing crisis \u2014 especially the homelessness that results from it \u2014 but commercial real estate investors should see that as an opportunity, not as a drawback. This is a place where you can make a difference\u2026in the sunshine year-round.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong><span class=\"tm8\">Q: How have you seen the industry evolve in the past years?<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">It\u2019s definitely gotten more expensive. Land and construction costs have both gone up significantly in the major markets. In a lot of those markets, supply has been constrained. Regulations have played a role, but they\u2019re not the only deterrent. <\/span><u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/study-development-vacant-land-major-us-cbd\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span class=\"tm7\">Available lots are getting scarcer<\/span><\/a><\/u><span class=\"tm7\">, and land assembly isn\u2019t getting any easier. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">There\u2019s been some innovation \u2014 ADUs, modular construction, tiny homes \u2014 but it hasn\u2019t been enough to meet the demand in most sectors. It\u2019s pitting the industry against the community, and neither one is happy. The best CRE investors don\u2019t just invest in buildings. They invest in communities. They invest in people. Until that attitude becomes more widespread, we\u2019re going to continue to see resistance to development and revitalization.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong><span class=\"tm8\">Q: Where do you see it going in the future?<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">Cities are going to have to confront the affordability crisis. You can have an expensive city if you pay people to live there, or you can have an inexpensive city with <\/span><u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/top-10-metros-millennials\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span class=\"tm7\">plentiful real estate for everyone<\/span><\/a><\/u><span class=\"tm7\">. But you can\u2019t have an expensive city where no one can afford to live. At a certain point, it becomes unsustainable. A city can\u2019t run on the richest \u201cOne Percent\u201d alone. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">The city of the future has to pick a strategy: either subsidize or build. The latter seems more politically palatable at the moment, especially as the recession drains state and local budgets. But even with upzoning, a lot of cities will find the problem doesn\u2019t disappear. The built environment is a stubborn thing. That\u2019s why we have to take care with the choices we make, for they last a long time. \u201cWe shape our buildings,\u201d said Churchill, \u201cthereafter they shape us.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">I\u2019ve been doing research with my colleagues Brian An and Seva Rodnyansky on redlining \u2014 legal mortgage discrimination in the United States from the 1930s to the 1960s \u2014 and <\/span><u><a href=\"https:\/\/papers.ssrn.com\/sol3\/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3500612\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span class=\"tm7\">we\u2019ve found<\/span><\/a><\/u><span class=\"tm7\"> that neighborhoods today still look the way they do because they were cemented in place by those policies back then. What kind of city do we want to bequeath to the next generation? In the wake of COVID-19, how can we make it healthier? In anticipation of climate change, how can we make it more environmentally sustainable? In the face of <\/span><u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/winners-losers-labor-market-us-states-metros-highest-income-inequality\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span class=\"tm7\">widespread injustice and inequity<\/span><\/a><\/u><span class=\"tm7\">, how can we make it more inclusive? <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">The great innovators of commercial real estate will be the ones who can answer these questions and give shape to buildings that make us proud of the history they represent.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong><span class=\"tm8\">Q: Are there any lessons from the past few years that you would impart as an absolute must for those looking to get into the CRE industry?<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">Finance is essential, but local politics is a gamechanger. Know how to crunch the numbers, know how to negotiate a deal, and know how to syndicate the financing. You can\u2019t make successful investments without those elements. But don\u2019t stop there. One of the most successful CRE investors in Southern California once told me, \u201cAll of my competitors can write a pro forma. You know why I get the big deals and they don\u2019t? I get the <\/span><em><span class=\"tm9\">community<\/span><\/em><span class=\"tm7\"> on my side.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">Sooner or later, you\u2019re going to run into opposition. When that day comes, you\u2019re going to need to know how to talk to policymakers, planners, and community members, how to <\/span><em><span class=\"tm9\">listen<\/span><\/em><span class=\"tm7\">, how to navigate the regulatory system, how to expedite the process and anticipate their concerns and assuage them.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong><span class=\"tm8\">Q: What is your general assessment for the commercial real estate market in 2020? Have you spotted some interesting market trends, especially considering the current pandemic?<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">It\u2019s going to be a varied experience. In 1918, the cities that took the strongest public health measures against the virus not only experienced lower death rates, but <\/span><u><a href=\"https:\/\/libertystreeteconomics.newyorkfed.org\/2020\/03\/fight-the-pandemic-save-the-economy-lessons-from-the-1918-flu.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><span class=\"tm7\">they experienced<\/span><\/a><\/u><span class=\"tm7\"> stronger economic growth for years thereafter. Public health and economic health are intertwined. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">Just because cities like Los Angeles took strong early action to shut down their economies, don\u2019t think they\u2019re going to be bad places to invest in the years to come. On the contrary, the weakest markets are likely to be the ones that don\u2019t take the proper precautions and that had the highest public health risks to begin with. And just because the virus is spread by human contact, don\u2019t expect people to flee the cities either. <\/span><u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/ny-pause-workforce-distribution-simulation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span class=\"tm7\">New York aside<\/span><\/a><\/u><span class=\"tm7\">, the biggest hotspots in the country have not been the biggest cities. Long-term success is about more than just who gets hit first or even who gets hit hardest. It\u2019s about resilience: who has the resources to survive, to thrive, to rebuild, to adapt, and to innovate. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">Cities were built for exactly those reasons \u2014 and that\u2019s why, so far, listing sites are showing people are <\/span><u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2020-06-15\/urban-living-might-just-survive-coronavirus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><span class=\"tm7\">still looking<\/span><\/a><\/u><span class=\"tm7\"> for housing in the big ones. They may be looking for more affordable options for a while, though, so consider what kind of rental concessions, pricing strategies, product mixes, and other tactics you can use to attract and retain tenants in this weak environment. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">My latest research with a team of researchers <\/span><u><a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s11146-019-09729-5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><span class=\"tm7\">shows<\/span><\/a><\/u><span class=\"tm7\">, for example, that small- to medium-sized multifamily properties (housing of two to 49 units) are often an especially affordable option for low- to moderate-income tenants, and come at a corresponding discount for investors to buy. The more we can identify those kinds of opportunities, the more our industry will be able to meet this unprecedented moment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Normal tm6\"><span class=\"tm7\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Normal tm10\"><strong><span class=\"tm12\">Interested in being interviewed for our Expert Insights series? Feel free to reach out to us at\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"mailto:contributors@commercialcafe.com&lt;\"><span class=\"tm13\">contributors@commercialcafe.com<\/span><\/a><span class=\"tm12\">! Check out other articles from our series\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/category\/commercial-real-estate-news\/qa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span class=\"tm13\">here<\/span><\/a><span class=\"tm12\">.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Anthony W Orlando \u2014 author, real estate researcher, public policy and environmental policy expert, and associate professor at CalPoly Pomona \u2014 shares his insights on equitable and sustainable innovation in California commercial real estate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":28293,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[93,39,1335,2547],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28284","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mixed-use","category-office","category-qa","category-resources","wpautop"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v23.4 (Yoast SEO v24.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Anthony W. Orlando on Strategic Real Estate Innovation, Investment, and Development<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Anthony W Orlando shares his insights on equitable and sustainable innovation \u2014 how commercial real estate in California can be an increasingly successful investment.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/expert-interview-anthony-w-orlando-california-cre-covid\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Expert Insights: Strategic Investment and Innovation in California CRE\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Anthony W. Orlando of CalPoly Pomona on the California CRE industry overcoming the challenges of our time by embracing community input.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/expert-interview-anthony-w-orlando-california-cre-covid\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"CommercialCafe\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-06-30T15:00:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-02T06:44:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/Pomona-California-real-estate-aerial-view.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lorena Tivadar\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Expert Insights: Anthony W. Orlando, CalPoly Pomona\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"AP in the Finance, Real Estate &amp; Law Dept. at CalPoly Pomona, business and public policy researcher, with a focus on housing, health, and environmental policy.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/Pomona-California-real-estate-aerial-view.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lorena Tivadar\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/expert-interview-anthony-w-orlando-california-cre-covid\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/expert-interview-anthony-w-orlando-california-cre-covid\/\",\"name\":\"Anthony W. Orlando on Strategic Real Estate Innovation, Investment, and Development\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/expert-interview-anthony-w-orlando-california-cre-covid\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/expert-interview-anthony-w-orlando-california-cre-covid\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/Pomona-California-real-estate-aerial-view.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-06-30T15:00:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-02T06:44:02+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/4b68aad6a9eabaf8e5e74716b4c138fd\"},\"description\":\"Anthony W Orlando shares his insights on equitable and sustainable innovation \u2014 how commercial real estate in California can be an increasingly successful investment.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/expert-interview-anthony-w-orlando-california-cre-covid\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/expert-interview-anthony-w-orlando-california-cre-covid\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/expert-interview-anthony-w-orlando-california-cre-covid\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/Pomona-California-real-estate-aerial-view.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/Pomona-California-real-estate-aerial-view.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":500,\"caption\":\"Aerial view of office buildings in Pomona, CA\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/expert-interview-anthony-w-orlando-california-cre-covid\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Expert Insights: Anthony W. Orlando Talks Strategic CRE Investment &#038; the Value of Community Input in Development Innovation\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"CommercialCafe\",\"description\":\"Your Commercial Real Estate Blog\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/4b68aad6a9eabaf8e5e74716b4c138fd\",\"name\":\"Lorena Tivadar\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7f6dc9409116130d1db0ef2082117010e10d97f57bc819dadc99d1ef4ef6d2ce?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7f6dc9409116130d1db0ef2082117010e10d97f57bc819dadc99d1ef4ef6d2ce?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Lorena Tivadar\"},\"description\":\"Lorena is a marketing communications specialist and writer at CommercialCafe. She discusses topics such as commercial real estate, office design &amp; architecture, mental health, career development, marketing, and more with various industry experts\/ professors through interviews and expert roundups. You can reach out to her at Lorena.Tivadar@Yardi.Com.\",\"sameAs\":[\"lorena.tivadar@yardi.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/author\/lorena-blaga\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Anthony W. Orlando on Strategic Real Estate Innovation, Investment, and Development","description":"Anthony W Orlando shares his insights on equitable and sustainable innovation \u2014 how commercial real estate in California can be an increasingly successful investment.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/expert-interview-anthony-w-orlando-california-cre-covid\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Expert Insights: Strategic Investment and Innovation in California CRE","og_description":"Anthony W. Orlando of CalPoly Pomona on the California CRE industry overcoming the challenges of our time by embracing community input.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/expert-interview-anthony-w-orlando-california-cre-covid\/","og_site_name":"CommercialCafe","article_published_time":"2020-06-30T15:00:49+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-04-02T06:44:02+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/Pomona-California-real-estate-aerial-view.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Lorena Tivadar","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Expert Insights: Anthony W. Orlando, CalPoly Pomona","twitter_description":"AP in the Finance, Real Estate & Law Dept. at CalPoly Pomona, business and public policy researcher, with a focus on housing, health, and environmental policy.","twitter_image":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/Pomona-California-real-estate-aerial-view.jpg","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Lorena Tivadar","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/expert-interview-anthony-w-orlando-california-cre-covid\/","url":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/expert-interview-anthony-w-orlando-california-cre-covid\/","name":"Anthony W. Orlando on Strategic Real Estate Innovation, Investment, and Development","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/expert-interview-anthony-w-orlando-california-cre-covid\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/expert-interview-anthony-w-orlando-california-cre-covid\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/Pomona-California-real-estate-aerial-view.jpg","datePublished":"2020-06-30T15:00:49+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-02T06:44:02+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/4b68aad6a9eabaf8e5e74716b4c138fd"},"description":"Anthony W Orlando shares his insights on equitable and sustainable innovation \u2014 how commercial real estate in California can be an increasingly successful investment.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/expert-interview-anthony-w-orlando-california-cre-covid\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/expert-interview-anthony-w-orlando-california-cre-covid\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/expert-interview-anthony-w-orlando-california-cre-covid\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/Pomona-California-real-estate-aerial-view.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/Pomona-California-real-estate-aerial-view.jpg","width":1280,"height":500,"caption":"Aerial view of office buildings in Pomona, CA"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/expert-interview-anthony-w-orlando-california-cre-covid\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Expert Insights: Anthony W. Orlando Talks Strategic CRE Investment &#038; the Value of Community Input in Development Innovation"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/","name":"CommercialCafe","description":"Your Commercial Real Estate Blog","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/4b68aad6a9eabaf8e5e74716b4c138fd","name":"Lorena Tivadar","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7f6dc9409116130d1db0ef2082117010e10d97f57bc819dadc99d1ef4ef6d2ce?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7f6dc9409116130d1db0ef2082117010e10d97f57bc819dadc99d1ef4ef6d2ce?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Lorena Tivadar"},"description":"Lorena is a marketing communications specialist and writer at CommercialCafe. She discusses topics such as commercial real estate, office design &amp; architecture, mental health, career development, marketing, and more with various industry experts\/ professors through interviews and expert roundups. You can reach out to her at Lorena.Tivadar@Yardi.Com.","sameAs":["lorena.tivadar@yardi.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/author\/lorena-blaga\/"}]}},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/Pomona-California-real-estate-aerial-view.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28284","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28284"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28284\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44088,"href":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28284\/revisions\/44088"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28284"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28284"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28284"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}