Ben Firestone
Host of Drawing the Blueprint
Ben Firestone is a master at empowering people, leveraging his expertise in behavioral economics and psychology to help them succeed. He's known for his charismatic approach, effortlessly blending professional insight with engaging storytelling.
He is a proud Wolverine, as he holds an economics degree from the University of Michigan. When he isn’t busy with CEO duties, you can find Ben in Chicago or Boca Raton—on the tennis court, coaching soccer, or spending time with his family.
Ben Firestone has hosted 10 Episodes.
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Episode 10: Mike Segal on Blueprint’s Brand and Success in Skilled Nursing
February 6th, 2026 | 26 mins 52 secs
b2b podcast, business strategy podcast, entrepreneurship podcast, real estate podcast
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Episode 9: From Student-Athlete to NIL Trailblazer: Jared Wangler on Building Champions Circle at Michigan
December 29th, 2025 | 54 mins 30 secs
blueprinthcre, college athletics, drawingtheblueprint, nil, sports marketing
In this episode of Drawing the Blueprint, host and Michigan alum Ben Firestone sits down with Jared Wangler, a former University of Michigan student-athlete turned leader in the NIL space. Jared played football at Michigan from 2014–2018 before shifting his focus to the business side of sports, where he now leads Valiant Management and Champions Circle, the university’s NIL collective.
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Episode 8: Leveling Up Law: Insights from Jennifer Sternshein on Growth and Leadership
December 10th, 2025 | 38 mins 56 secs
drawingtheblueprint, healthcarelaw, longtermcare, regulatorycompliance, seniorhousing
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Episode 7: The Making of a Dealmaker: A Conversation with Kory Buzin
November 24th, 2025 | 22 mins 16 secs
blueprinthcre, drawingtheblueprint, seniorhousing, seniorliving
A law-school grad turned senior housing dealmaker—Kory Buzin joins the show to talk grit, relationships, regional expertise, and the reps it takes to build a career at Blueprint.
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Episode 6: Inside HealthTrust: Past, Present, and What’s Next
November 12th, 2025 | 45 mins 43 secs
blueprintcre, drawing the blueprint, healthcare real estate, senior housing
HealthTrust’s Alan Plush (Founder & CEO) and Samantha Medred (CFO/Partner) join Ben to unpack 40 years of healthcare real estate valuation—how the firm scaled to 1,500–1,700 appraisals/year, where HUD fits now, what’s really driving SNF and AL cap rates, and how AI will change the work (without replacing judgment). A candid look at leadership, data, and the next generation of valuation pros.
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Episode 5: Blueprint’s Behavioral Health Playbook: Dual-Path Deals, Adaptive Reuse & Real Value — with Andrew Sfreddo
October 21st, 2025 | 30 mins 47 secs
blueprinthcre, continuumofcare, healthcarerealestate, valuecreation
Blueprint’s Andrew Sfreddo joins Ben Firestone to reveal how a bold idea became a thriving behavioral healthcare practice. From adaptive reuse and dual-path dealmaking to a 50% jump in asset value, they unpack how creativity, culture, and execution are redefining healthcare real estate.
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Episode 4: From Hedge Funds to Helping Hands: Neal Goss on Dignity-First Home Care
October 1st, 2025 | 8 mins 57 secs
blueprint, caregiving, disability support, eldercare, homecare, lakeshorehelpinghand
Discover how dignity-first caregiving empowers independence, eases family stress, and builds better home care teams.
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Episode 3: Building Solera, Backing Innovation, & Defining the Future of Senior Living
September 10th, 2025 | 28 mins 42 secs
blueprintcre, drawingtheblueprint, senior living, venture capital
In this episode of Drawing the Blueprint, we sit down with Adam Kaplan, entrepreneur, operator, venture capitalist, and family man.
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Episode 2: New Capital Enters Senior Housing: Health Wave Partners
September 4th, 2025 | 16 mins 29 secs
blueprintcre, drawing the blueprint, health wave partners, healthcare real estate
We sit down with longtime friend and industry veteran John Cobb to trace his journey from a successful run at Blueprint to launching Health Wave Partners
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Episode 1: Blueprint's Co-Founders and Their Story
August 29th, 2025 | 12 mins 15 secs
#drawingtheblueprint #healthcarerealestate #healthcareinfrastructure #podcastlaunch #blueprintcre
In this episode of Drawing the Blueprint, co-founders Ben Firestone and Jacob Gehl rewind to the earliest days of Blueprint—before the playbook was written and when everything felt like an experiment.