Katie [00:00:02]:
Welcome to the AEC Marketing for Principles podcast. This show is designed as a conversation between sales and marketing principals to address trends, challenges and best practices that are driving growth for professional service firms. Through our collection of discussions with subject matter experts, industry legends and leaders, we aim to share thoughts and practical tips with our listeners and that you can use for growing your AEC brands. Hosted by me, Katie Cash, Senior Vice President at smartigies, the AEC growth consulting firm that’s been developing smart business strategies for design and construction firms since 2008.
Katie Cash [00:00:42]:
Hi everyone. Welcome back to AEC Marketing for Principals. This is your host, Katie Cash, and I’m excited about this season. It’s a new season on the podcast and we are spotlighting change makers. So I want you to think about those people in the industry who are shipping, shifting the rules in architecture, engineering, construction, and really across the broader built environment. And today’s guest is Jue Wang. And Jue is the director over at T. Dallas Smith & Co.
Katie Cash [00:01:12]:
And they’re a national commercial real estate advisory firm and they’re really known for helping both tenants and buyers on the representation side, where they also provide strategic real estate solutions. And Jue is a member of the 2025 Atlanta Business Chronicle and the Georg trend listing of 40 under 40 class. So very, very impressive. She has over 14 years of experience working with a variety of clients across Fortune 100 clients, providing site selection, helping with lease negotiation and property acquisition, so on and so on and so on. She’s accomplished a lot in a very short time period. So today we’re going to talk with Jue and really understand what her firm, T. Dallas Smith & Co. Is all about, what they’re planning in the coming years and what trend she’s expecting and more and more what tips and tricks she might have for you as our listeners as you look at approaching the coming years.
Katie Cash [00:02:11]:
So Jue, thank you so much for carving time out to talk with.
Jue Wang [00:02:13]:
Me today. Thank you, Katie. I’m extremely honored and glad to be here. Thank you.
Katie Cash [00:02:20]:
So much. I know I gave a little bit of a highlight around your organization, but I think let’s talk a little bit more about your organization and maybe the types of clients that you support, maybe some of the assignments you’ve been working on. And you guys are pretty special. So I do want to spend some time talking a little bit about how you’ve carved out a piece of differentiation in the marketplace. So maybe Juest start high level and make sure our audience understands your core service lines, building types, client types that.
Jue Wang [00:02:50]:
You service. Sure, absolutely. At T. Dallas Smith & Co. Everything start with one principle client first. Because we represent owning tenants and buyers, our client receive a true alignment and objectivity in every decision. I’m extremely proud of how our team has grown into a true partner versus Juest executing transactions. We’re guiding companies through expansions, consolidations, new market entry and long term planning.
Jue Wang [00:03:23]:
As you already mentioned. Right. Our work spans from domestic startup to international Corporations and Fortune 100 firms. I think what set us apart is combination of insightful guidance, culture, understanding market expertise and a conflict free model. The progress we made in the industry has built a strong foundation for what is ahead. I’m also really incredibly proud of the impact we making to the.
Katie Cash [00:03:54]:
Economy and community. Well, I want to talk a little bit more about how you all have been a little bit innovative and you really started thinking differently about how you approach that.
Katie [00:04:07]:
Client.
Katie Cash [00:04:07]:
Service service. Right. And how you’ve started to really align around supporting your clients. And you know, when we think about property management, real estate consulting and some of that, those are really.
Katie [00:04:20]:
Established professions.
Katie Cash [00:04:21]:
Right? Those are. There’s lots of firms out there that provide those types of services. But your organization has kind of approached it a little bit differently and I think it’s really resonating in the audience and certainly with some what might be a little bit more younger buyers that you know are starting out new real estate portfolios. You mentioned some of that. So maybe talk a little bit about what makes you all different, better and special.
Jue Wang [00:04:45]:
From that lens. I often say we are the unicorn in this industry. Sure. Exactly. And then that uniqueness fuel our commitment to integrity, alignment and elevating the client’s voice above everything else. So our clients, regardless who they are, seeking advice, who understand the culture, nuances, the communication with clarity and bring the conflict free model, as I mentioned to the table. Our exclusive focus on those representation allows us to provide them with unbiased and strategic guidance that they can trust. Putting the client first means we not Juest completing a transaction, we’re helping shape the decision that influence their long term growth, operational success and the positive impact that they will do long term.
Jue Wang [00:05:40]:
Like many generations to come and each assignment and relationship is unique. We trying to think on our clients behalf and then deliver the best.
Katie Cash [00:05:51]:
Solution for them. That is awesome. So you know you’ve mentioned you’ve worked with these Fortune 100 companies. You really do have a broad range of clients. I know you all dabble in some off office, some industrial, some manufacturing. You got some retail mix in there and I’m sure there’s others. What trends are you kind of Watching or predicting. And how is that influencing your approach to consulting with your clients? You know, I’m thinking about if you take office, for example, we all went away from COVID and now we’re trying to find our way back to the office.
Katie Cash [00:06:26]:
But it’s a new generation entering the workforce that might want that office environment to look a little bit differently. You know, retail is certainly different these days when you start thinking about it being more of an experiential purchasing for the buyer rather than Juest shopping. So maybe talk a little bit about some of those trends and things that you’re monitoring and how you’re keeping your.
Jue Wang [00:06:49]:
Pulse on everything. Yes, and as you mentioned during pandemic and post pandemic, as we already know, industrial and advanced manufacturing has remained strong since that period, becoming a key driver of economy growth. But with significant new supply delivered over the past few years and softening demand, we are now seeing the highest industrial vacancy rates in nearly a decade. It’s now fully a tenant market, but it is certainly more tenant friendly than we’ve been seeing recently. On the office side, momentum is improving, so demand is becoming far more intentional. Companies are prioritizing true flight to quality amenities, efficiency, culture, alignments, and finding that collaborative environments that support a hybrid work and helping attract and keep the talent right. At the same time, new office delivers are at historical lows. So which means that there simply aren’t many brand new trophy asset class available.
Jue Wang [00:07:58]:
Those top tier space get absorbed, demand naturally shift into the next tiers of products, right? Quality, renovations, well located mid rise buildings and properties where owners are reinvesting in modernization. For what I see as geographic speaking, I believe the Southeast continue to be the country strongest growth engine and Georgia stands out especially being ranked the number one state for business 12 years in a row. That reflects its unique value proposition for companies and long term investments. And then really recent actually this week. One interesting trend I recently came across is that since 2021, Georgia’s population growth has been driven primarily by international migration and that number continues to rise. In fact, in 2024, virtually all of the state population migration growth was powered by international migration. Can you believe that? I said well I do see the population growth because I deal with the traffic every day. But that being said, that has major implications for workforce, community development and a.
Katie Cash [00:09:15]:
Future business activity. I’m really surprised by that. As a local Atlantean, I experience traffic. I feel like I’ve grown up with traffic and I Juest give myself an hour to.
Jue Wang [00:09:27]:
Get anywhere. Right. Our is a fortune. Okay, I’M talking about hour plus every day. But you know all the bigger city will have this. And I’m glad to see Atlanta and Georgia keep growing because everybody want.
Katie Cash [00:09:41]:
To be here. Well and I was Juest surprised to hear that that the most of our growth is international. I might Juest be seeing a lot of people maybe passing through to Florida with their license plates from Michigan and New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania. I see a lot of northeasterners coming through. But that’s interesting to share and certainly we’ve been an open to work state that has attracted a lot of new industry, a lot of headquarter buildings contributing to the office space, lots of industrial manufacturing. Super excited we’re getting I think it’s what Bowdoin’s first US flagship store at Avalon. So we got retail anchors coming.
Jue Wang [00:10:22]:
Which is exciting. So yeah, that’s sort of where I live. So Avalon is really five minutes from my house. And that’s that’s not only the shopping is the whole.
Katie Cash [00:10:31]:
Community the ecosystem. Any advice for our listeners Jue, you know, whether they’re architects or contractors, landscape architects that you know have deep portfolio in the office, industrial or manufacturing spaces that any advice that you have for them looking to the future, you know, things to be considered as they’re planning out these, these remodels and adaptive reuses or things to be mindful of if they’re doing first.
Jue Wang [00:11:01]:
Generation build outs. Sure. I believe first every case is a little different. But from my experience when I’m partner up with architect, engineer or construction firms, regardless of what that assignment is and who is our end client is first is to understand the why behind that project. Preparation also really matters a lot when a firm takes the time to understand the clients. I’m saying like my clients industry the pressures, the priorities. It shows the intention, right. It tells me that it’s not offering a generic pitch.
Jue Wang [00:11:40]:
And then through that discovering phase then we kind of collaborating and building something together versus Juest serving the clients. But overall as you mentioned, Avalon is a suburban development or we are in town inside of a285. I feel like there’s a lot more opportunity redevelopments and then we Juest need to take a unique approach to see what its demands are. It’s not the demands now we have to look at what is demands in the future five years, 10 years, 15 years. And to see how we can shape that landscape. Right. Craft that landscape. I like to say it’s a team approach.
Jue Wang [00:12:19]:
It may not going to shape out immediately overnight. It will take a process to get redevelopment get done. But it take A village to.
Katie Cash [00:12:29]:
Make it successful. Absolutely. It takes a diligence. Anything related to real estate I think is a team sport and we need all of our players, we’re kind of working together for it to be successful. In terms of maybe technology or sustainability. I don’t know if there’s cost or schedule items that really influence how your deals are being done today versus how they were done in the past in terms of, you know, things that your, your clients are expecting and asking for when they’re, you know, utilizing you for your real.
Jue Wang [00:13:04]:
Estate consulting services. Yes, absolutely. With modern technology and AI tools, our clients became smarter and smarter. So they are not really one or two waiting for a recommendation. They wanted to understand the assumption, the comparison, the versus Juest hey, do this and do that, right? So for us, always we want to focus on keep investing in the newer technology, new data driven tools and also as team environments, we keep investing in our own people and then that’s hire like better quality broker into the firm adapted to the new technology. And also for the people already within the firm, we wanted to provide their platform for their own growth and then to the next level of leadership or expertise. And then the same thing as what we partner with our architect, engineer and construction firms. Especially when we’re facing rising construction costs and tighter schedules, clients are expecting more certainty early in the process.
Jue Wang [00:14:15]:
Juest a few experience that we had this year. If the AEC partners can provide early design concepts, fast but accurate tax fits, transparent cost modeling, of course, digital collaboration tools. Because like what we’re doing here, we’re not already in person, but we feel like in person. Right. And then that will help the shortened decision timelines, reduced ambiguities and present information virtually.
Katie Cash [00:14:45]:
Once guests selected. Overall, your clients that are looking for you to help them find, you know, new space or space to expand into. How much of that is still done in person versus, you know, are you doing a lot of virtual tours? I don’t know the term for it, but maybe, you know, mocking up the space with their branding so they could see what it might look like. How much are you doing kind of digitally these days versus in person that you might have traditionally.
Jue Wang [00:15:15]:
Done pre Pandemic? I feel like Pandemic taught us a lot of new skills and then a lot of my. I mean we have a lot of clients because Georgia is this our backyard. So we do a lot of deals in Georgia, but we serve our client across the states or across the globe. There are certain things even though we can do virtually, but I still prefer we can do in person because that experience a difference, right? Yeah, but depends on case. Sometimes the client’s Juest now based here and then what we do is what we do as much as we can. Like virtual tours provides pictures and all the contents like electronically and for for the client to review and filter. If really they cannot be here, then I will do the virtual tour. And then if they cannot be here in person, but if it’s someone they work with, at least they can have the firsthand experience, they can talk and discuss together.
Jue Wang [00:16:16]:
But I would say 70% of jobs can be done virtually now, even though signing the documents and design things on the computer as long as we have the same software. But if possible I still prefer in person. But at least some in person elements in the process. Especially for my international client, it Juest so far away. At least I can do most of the work up front and they can take maybe a week or sometimes Juest a couple days. Come here. When we really reaching the big milestone, I encourage them to come and we can make everything into a packed schedule. We could Juest knock everything apart in two, three days or a week, making sure they are satisfied what they are seeing and meet their.
Katie Cash [00:17:04]:
You know, requirement. It’s going to be interesting to watch as the design and construction space and commercial real estate space moves forward. You know, we keep seeing all these statistics and these reports about younger generations, even the younger millennial generation wanting this frictionless salesperson absent sales experience where they can Juest be the buyer and they don’t have to wheel and deal anything, but they can Juest say I want this, I can buy it. When you think about it, a large portion of that group, you know, might have attended school online. They might have met their partner online. I built a custom vehicle online and went and picked it up at the dealership, you know, never sat in it. Some people I think have, have purchased their own personal real estate that way. And so it’s Juest interesting to see how that might be applied to commercial real estate.
Katie Cash [00:17:58]:
When they’re thinking about, you know, a 5, 10, 20 year lease for their organization, how much of that they’re leaving up on their own research and now that’s being aided with AI tools and such and how much they’re still relying on professionals like yourself and like your colleagues at td, Dallas.
Jue Wang [00:18:17]:
Smith and company. So yeah, I mean I Juest want to second to what you Juest said because a lot of information is easy to assess to, but however how you filter that information is became critical and then some of those are really accurate. But again, as our profession, as also the AEC professionals, they rely on us to guide them through the process. One of the clients that I had experienced this year, they virtually set selection across 10 states and then in the end they narrowed down to Georgia. So they’ve done their homework. They know what they need because they know their operation the best. Right. So and then can that be done virtually? Yes, they did it and they actually everything they did, they Juest read through data and then resource they check every single box.
Jue Wang [00:19:12]:
And when we look back I said well that’s actually really efficient the way how they do it. But not every firm can do the degree of research that this firm can do. Right, right. And then right now that’s the good thing about us. We are really flexible and we tailor our service to what.
Katie Cash [00:19:31]:
Clients needs are. That’s awesome. Maybe let’s spend a couple more minutes and talk a little bit about your design and construction partners that come along the way. You know you’re going to help your clients find the perfect site for them. And then we’ve got to partner with design and construction firms to help bring their vision to life of what that new space could look like and how it can that organization. You’ve worked with a lot of design and construction firms. I can imagine that there’s some that might go on an unofficial blacklist. You don’t ever want to work with them again and some that you welcome the opportunity through your experience.
Katie Cash [00:20:08]:
Jue what qualities make for a great design and construction partner when you’re, you know, trying to all come together as that collaborative team that’s.
Jue Wang [00:20:17]:
Supporting your end client to mention that point. So overall my experience with my AAC partners being pleasant, thanks God, but I can definitely share. So the best partners are those who take the time to deeply understand the client’s needs as I mentioned earlier, uncover their pain points and challenges and then develop effective solutions in the most effective way. I would say one is communicating clearly and anticipating what we or the clients will need next, providing quick and practical insights. And sometimes one is really important. But a lot of people miss is translating those technical information into a meaningful business impact in our clients language. Because we see real estate every day and the AEC firms doing the calculation, engineers doing these numbers and then we Juest automatically saying the words we know but the client totally got lost when we’re talking about what are you talking about. But I think the partners overall can be really mindful who our clients are and then can connect design decisions to the cost schedules, operations and the risk.
Jue Wang [00:21:36]:
Because a lot of my clients really they have a different level of risk takers. Right. So those are the one immediately rise.
Katie Cash [00:21:45]:
To the top. Any particular stories stand out to you that you might want to share to highlight that miscommunication where we get all focused on our AEC jargon and forget this might be our client’s first build out and ever or the last 10 years or something and it’s not their everyday vernacular.
Jue Wang [00:22:04]:
Anything stand out? Yeah, I would say the responding time is. I know we got busy all the time and we like to be busy because you want to have really a busy pipeline that you know what your future looks like. But sometimes when you really you, you’re moving too quickly and you can miss certain things at certain steps. Right. And you delay the responding. Especially that clients have a certain deadline to hit. I know it’s really entry level mistake but a lot of the partners Juest to the point they don’t really get it right and that can delay the critical decision making. And also I don’t see that quite often anymore.
Jue Wang [00:22:45]:
But sometimes when they are first getting introduced and doing the pitch, the entire pitch is about themselves and their capability rather than taking the time to understand the client’s needs. I mean it does go the same way as what we do as commercial real estate professionals. We are here to serve the clients. We need to understand client first. They are more important. They are the most important of this equation. Right. So as long as we have that mentality then I think a lot of things and arrows.
Katie Cash [00:23:14]:
Can be avoided. I don’t know that I could have said it any better myself. That is a core tenet that we believe at smarter GS is when you are in the pursuit process, whether you’re putting a proposal together or you’re standing across the table from someone giving a formal presentation that the bulk of those, those documents, the proposal written, the verbal presentation, the slides should be about the client that you’re talking to. And sure they’re evaluating you, but what they really want to know is how do you think about my problem? How do you think about my business? What solution do you have for me? Not well, here’s another project I did that was Juest like yours. And here’s another one. And here’s another one. They’re like that’s great, but I’m special. Help me feel special.
Katie Cash [00:23:58]:
We spend a lot of time consulting with architecture, engineering, consulting, even leasing organizations and helping them realize the story that they need to sell isn’t about them, it’s really about the client. And so I think that’s universal. Great advice to you is when when you’re working with someone or you’re trying to earn businesses with someone, the best thing you can do is ask really good questions and make sure you understand what their world looks like and what they’re trying to achieve before you start selling to them. Because you might be trying to sell something they don’t want to buy or they’re not ready to buy yet, you know, depending on.
Jue Wang [00:24:34]:
Where they are. And one thing I’d like to add and thank you for everything you shared. Another thing I like to share is Juest think outside the box. Every assignment is different. We may have something similar in the past, but still different in own way. And many of the challenges that rise during the design and construction phase that are not standard or in the textbook issue. Right. So when the client encounter those situations that as our service provider like Real estate professionals or AEC Partners, we need to be creative and flexible and sometimes maybe a brand new solution that’s never been tried before.
Jue Wang [00:25:17]:
But I think transparency is really important and a fundamental of a relationship. As long as we can communicate early on in this process, process and set that right expectation, then client will buy in our process and then the.
Katie Cash [00:25:34]:
Service we provide. Yeah, I think one of my early mentors told me the strength of your relationships is built on your willingness to have hard conversations. So every project is going to encounter a challenge. It’s not if, it’s when it’s going to happen. Right. And the severity of the challenge might be very, very wide in scale, but your willingness to lean in and really think deeply about what’s going on and be a little bit creative around how you might go about it. You might be solving something you’ve never done before and being bold enough to say, listen, I’ve never done this before. Let me use my network, let me figure a few things out.
Katie Cash [00:26:16]:
Let’s have a conversation, let’s throw some ideas across the table. I really do think that goes a long way. People, people don’t want to be sold a promise that you can’t deliver on. They would rather know this is new. I wasn’t expecting this. You know, I’m not going to give up on it, but I need some time and it goes a.
Jue Wang [00:26:33]:
Really.
Katie Cash [00:26:33]:
Long way. Absolutely. Yeah. Well said. So let’s talk a little bit more about the future. You’ve achieved this ranking, right. You’ve, you’ve made the 40 under 40 lists. You’re going to get told pretty quickly that you’re going to age overnight and now you’re, you know, all the new youngins are going to be on that list.
Katie Cash [00:26:54]:
But what are you excited about? What’s given you optimism for the future of commercial real estate and the.
Jue Wang [00:27:00]:
AEC partnerships? Yes. Two weeks ago I had a dinner with one of my besties and then she was asking, wow, what a year. I said yes. And then what about next? What do you feel? Do you feel about aging? I said no. I feel like for me regardless, my profession is. I’m really excited to the next chapter in my life. I feel like age is Juest number overall, but how the world is evolving. And then because the passion I have in commercial real estate and this industry gonna keep my heart young because everything that we cover early, everything is different because I’m always curious, always wanted to learn from our partners, from our clients.
Jue Wang [00:27:45]:
So Juest keep absorbing like a sponge. Right. So I’m really excited for the next chapter. And then right now with the whole world is evolving, the millennials and Gen Z is not emerging anymore. They actually they are the decision makers. If not they are the second decision maker influence the decision decision being made. Right. Because that generation pushing current who we are keeping keep moving forward.
Jue Wang [00:28:14]:
So I will always like to say to the people around me, doesn’t matter who we are, what we accomplish today, if we don’t keep going to grow to learn, we’re not going to be be adopted into the next two or five years. So every day for us is a new day. It’s a new day to learn, to grow. So I Juest wanted to have that mentality and then to share with everybody out there. And then I think this world because this kind of mentality will.
Katie Cash [00:28:42]:
Be better place. I think every day is a new day. And you know, as I drive around the city, I see how creative the industry has been at adapting, you know, what used to be a mall into something else. And it’s. It’s really exciting to see those facilities have new life and people get new enjoyment out of it. You know, I Juest have to use different landmarks now. Yeah, I like giving directions.
Jue Wang [00:29:07]:
But it’s fun. Yeah, that’s Juest a possibility. Right. Even though something we got used to. Like you mentioned something been there for decades, but all of a sudden it could totally transform into something new. And that’s kind of the hope that gave it to everybody. And then one of my best girlfriends in the industry, she sat at shake and she’s actually SLR 2026 global president. And she always say, how can we do better? What’s next? So that’s always keep us thinking and forward thinking.
Jue Wang [00:29:39]:
We are not comfortable today. What’s the next phase for the next generation and also for us too. I was Juest saying like always approach problems challenged with fresh eyes. Leveraging technology in a smart and faster way. I don’t think AI or anything can replace human elements because this business is about people and that’s how make this world.
Katie Cash [00:30:05]:
Much better. Yeah. So what is next for your organization? What’s going to be happening in the coming five, ten years for T. Dallas.
Jue Wang [00:30:16]:
Smith and company? Definitely we got to keep learning and then know what is the best technology out there so we don’t get outdated. Right. So always investing into the new platform, AI tools or software that can help us do better of what we do. Second, I kind of mentioned earlier on a little bit is the people grow the people. Right? The people is the biggest assets we have. So help them get to the next level they wanted to be and identify the space. That’s how we can all grow together as a team and overall. Another thing I want to mention is civic engagement.
Jue Wang [00:30:57]:
That is being a central for T.D. smith Co. I personally have a privilege in serving or being part of many, many great organizations. One is the way we’re giving back to society. Second is the relationship that we are building beyond what we do and then indirectly those network and opportunities can better serve our clients. So those will be the still the continued focus.
Katie Cash [00:31:27]:
For our firm. I think that’s great. And Jue, you know, thank you so much for joining me on the show and sharing your experience, your perspective and outlook. It’s very positive. Makes me feel very good about the future. I hope this conversation today let our listeners get a peek into what a leading firm like T. Dallas Smith & Co. Does and how you’re helping those clients and being creative with their real estate portfolio.
Katie Cash [00:31:56]:
And listeners, if you want to reach out and connect with Jue, you can find Jue Wang on LinkedIn. You can also look up the company, the company again, T. Dallas Smith and company, lots of great information on their website. And if you Juest so happen to be in Atlanta February 25th or 26th, Jue is going to be participating on a panel at the Smarter G’s smartwin conference. And so we are really excited to have her join a whole host of fellow millennials and Gen Z decision makers to talk about what coming up in the industry from their lens looks like and what might be changing, what’s staying and what we might not even be anticipating. But it’s on the horizon. So really excited to have you share your perspective with that group as well. So thank you so much.
Katie Cash [00:32:48]:
And is there anything else you’d like to leave.
Jue Wang [00:32:50]:
Our listeners with today. Thank you so much Katie. I really appreciate this opportunity and I’m really looking forward to February discussion and then on the panel I will share real examples from the advisory side, how they how they get the information, how they communicate, how they compare options and how actually builds credibility with the clients. Right? So attendees I think should care because those generations aren’t emerging anymore. The Millennials and Gen Z we’re here. They’re already shaping our industry. So overall, I’m looking forward and we will see.
Katie Cash [00:33:30]:
You guys in February. Awesome. And thank you to all the listeners for staying till the end and until next time, keep up with your.
Katie [00:33:37]:
Smart marketing. Thanks everyone. AEC Marketing for Principals is presented by smartigies, the AEC growth consulting firm that has been developing smart business strategies for design and construction firms success since 2008. The show is hosted by me, Katie Cash, Senior VP at Smartigees. I would love to hear from you. If you have a question, a guest request, or a topic request for a future episode, send an email or a voice memo to podcastmartigees.com and if you’re looking for past episodes, be sure to visit our podcast [email protected] podcast. We hope you’ll tell your friends and colleagues colleagues about our show and be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out on future.