Bio

John C. Coe is the founder of Coe Enterprises, an advisory and content studio focused on strategic counsel for real estate and civic leadership. For over six years, he has hosted Icons of DC Area Real Estate, conducting thoughtful conversations with industry leaders. Previously, he founded the Iconic Journey in CRE, a nonprofit platform that fostered intergenerational dialogue and community building in the DC commercial real estate sector. As he prepares to relocate to New York's Hudson Valley in 2026, John reflects on structural transitions, legacy, and the difference between scaffolding that serves temporarily and foundations built to endure.

Key Chapters

Scaffolding: The Opening Metaphor [00:00:00-00:07:00] Opening with scaffolding wrapped around buildings—temporary structures enabling permanent growth. Gary Rappaport: "We don't build centers, we build Saturday morning memories." The Iconic Journey in CRE served as scaffolding, holding early confidence, vulnerable questions, and multi-generational dialogue. "Scaffolding is not an insult. It is a compliment of the highest order."

Ripples & Pebbles: Building Networks [00:07:00-00:11:00] Brad Olson: "You don't build networks, you toss pebbles and ripples do the rest." A personal story of an introduction that took five years to become a capital partnership. Brad tosses pebbles as an ethical posture, not a transaction. After enough ripples overlap, bridges form.

Bridge Builders: Carrying Load [00:11:00-00:17:30] "Bridges aren't neutral. They carry load." Tom Buzzuto: "People don't want luxury, they want dignity." Bridge builders absorb conflict, translate perspectives, prevent fractures before anyone knows a fracture was possible. Story of two DC leaders headed toward conflict, resolved by quiet presence. "Structural leaders think in load paths, not headlines."

Load-Bearing vs. Decorative Change [00:17:30-00:24:00] Bob Kettler: "The downturn doesn't change you, it reveals you." Contrast between decorative change (new branding, titles) versus structural change (clear decision authority, simplified reporting, accepted responsibility). Repositioning changes the story; shoring changes the structure. Personal transformation requires shifting from central to foundational roles.

Jane Jacobs & The Soul of Streets [00:24:30-00:28:00] Jacobs' insight: safety and vitality emerge from ground-up human presence through mixed-use development and the "sidewalk ballet" of daily life on thriving streets. Ray Ritchie: "You can't rush a neighborhood." "You can finance buildings, you can't finance belonging."

The Transition: IJCRE to Coe Enterprises & Station DC [00:28:00-00:34:00] Internal transition before external: shifting from center to foundation, from carrying weight to distributing it, from owning identity to stewarding legacy. IJCRE concludes its scaffolding purpose. Coe Enterprises emerges as John's advisory platform. Station DC, led by Sam Glass with "pro patria" ethos (for the good of place, profession, next generation), becomes the new framework. Sam's defining moment: "If we don't know who we're serving, the market will decide for us."

What Endures: Five Commitments [00:34:00-00:37:30] "People always ask what changes, but the wiser question is what doesn't?" Five load-bearing commitments: (1) ethical grounding, (2) relationship-first thinking, (3) intergenerational responsibility, (4) long memory, (5) service over supremacy. For listeners in their "load-bearing season": "You are being prepared for structural responsibility, not decorative accomplishment."

The Scaffolding Comes Down [00:37:30-00:39:40] Workers arrive, bolts loosen, platforms descend. What remains: "A building standing wholly on its own strength." IJCRE completes its purpose. Coe Enterprises refocuses. Station DC rises. Icons interviews resume 2026 at on...

• (00:00:00) - Icons of DC Area Real Estate
• (00:02:08) - Jane Jacobs and the Soul of DC
• (00:03:42) - What remains when the scaffolding comes down
• (00:07:49) - The Ripple of Bridges
• (00:14:25) - The Role of Bridge Builders
• (00:23:03) - What is Repositioning and Shoring?
• (00:25:05) - Jane Jacobs: The Death and Life of Cities
• (00:28:50) - The Iconic Journey in CRE: The Structural Shift
• (00:36:55) - What's Your Load Bearing Season?
• (00:38:28) - A Moment of Community Building at CO Enterprises

Bio: Executive VP of Acquisitions and Development and part-owner at EYA. MBA from Wharton, Environmental Psychology training from Cornell. Led Pike & Rose development at Federal Realty before joining EYA to continue Bob Youngentob's vision.

EYA's Evolution [00:00:01-00:06:31]: Goldman became EVP when he and partners became part-owners. Recent passing of Founder Bob Youngentob, who created sustainable long-term transition plan five years before illness. Goldman, Jack Lester, Akash Thakkar, and McLean Quinn are four of five owners. Time split: 1/3 acquisitions, rest development, focusing on vision, economic viability, and implementation. Core business remains townhomes (3-10 acre sites with high entitlement barriers), but dramatically expanded into commercial mixed-use, master planning, and substantial multifamily practice over 15 years.

Origin & Education [00:09:34-00:23:45]: Grew up in Suffern, NY in economically unstable household with gambling father (Atlantic City trips as "vacations"). Turned to drawing/sketching houses as outlet and coping mechanism. Early hotel exposure sparked design fascination. Attended Cornell's Design Environmental Analysis program combining interior architecture with Environmental Psychology—studying how spaces psychologically affect people (McDonald's loud, hard-seated quick-turnover design vs. fine dining comfort). Small 11-person cohort provided mentorship and stability.

Career Journey [00:23:45-00:35:48]: BBGM architecture firm → Mandarin Hotel competition (Tishman Speyer) loss convinced him developers drive key decisions → Russian Tea Room $30M renovation as VP of Design at 26 under perfectionist Warner LeRoy (briefly fired, then brought back with scholarship) → Wharton MBA → Tishman Speyer → Holiday Corp → Federal Realty. Advice for young professionals: Get lots of "reps" on different projects early. Leverage your strengths while staying multidisciplinary enough to ask right questions. Be bold, take calculated risks, "go first"—don't wait for permission.

Pike & Rose [00:44:48-01:13:01]: Led Federal Realty's 24-acre Mid-Pike Plaza transformation (original Toys R Us site). Massive entitlement: 29M sq ft approved required 80+ community meetings in one year. Hired political organizers (Dewey Square) to combat opposition and build support through polling and targeted outreach. 2008 recession required phased approach with interim and ultimate plans. Collaboration with Don Wood, Street Works, Sandy Clinton, Paula Reese balanced vision with economics using Federal Realty's corporate debt advantage. Key insight: Retail knowledge and street-level activity are foundation for best mixed-use projects. Created Project Visioning Committee (PVC) meeting bi-weekly for Bob Youngentob knowledge transfer to next generation, ensuring design rigor. Goldman frequently asks "What would Bob do?"

Key EYA Projects [01:18:55-02:37:01]: Montgomery Row: IBM office-to-residential in Rock Spring Park office park. Strathmore Square: Holy Cross Seminary partnership, first geothermal trial. McMillan Reservoir: 15-year effort with JAIR Lynch/Trammell Crow, city handled historic sand filtration restoration, 20-30% affordable housing, overcame legal challenges from external opponents. Graham Park Plaza: Loehman's Plaza retail conversion to attainable smaller townhomes (14-foot units at $600-650K). Robinson Landing: High-end Old Town Alexandria waterfront condos ($1,000+/sq ft), became largest archaeological dig on Eastern Seaboard after discovering three Revolutionary War ships—14-month work stoppage, $7M+ archaeology costs. Providence Reimagined: 25-acre hospital site requiring $30M demolition and complex utility replacement for operating medical office buildings.

Competitive Edge: In-house construction company provides pricing structure competitors lack. Willing to ta...