web01.fireside.fm Wed, 08 Apr 2026 17:33:05 -0500 Fireside (https://fireside.fm) Drawing the Blueprint - Episodes Tagged with “Blueprintcre” https://drawingtheblueprint.fireside.fm/tags/blueprintcre Wed, 12 Nov 2025 09:30:00 -0500 Hosted by Blueprint CEO & Co-Founder Ben Firestone, Drawing the Blueprint brings you raw access to the movers and shakers in healthcare real estate and beyond. From industry pros, Blueprint insiders, and legends from completely different arenas, each episode explores career origin stories and dives deep into the guests’ journey, uncovering how dynamic people grow, lead, and build. Fun, provocative, and always conversational, Ben brings curiosity (and his signature “Fire’s Hot Seat”) to every guest. Whether you’re an insider hungry for insights, an emerging professional looking for mentorship, or simply a culture-curious listener who loves entrepreneurial stories, this is your front-row seat to the mindsets and moments that shape success. Find Ben and the Blueprint Crew on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@drawingtheblueprint. en-us episodic Drawing the Blueprint brings you raw access to the movers and shakers in healthcare real estate and beyond. Ben Firestone Hosted by Blueprint CEO & Co-Founder Ben Firestone, Drawing the Blueprint brings you raw access to the movers and shakers in healthcare real estate and beyond. From industry pros, Blueprint insiders, and legends from completely different arenas, each episode explores career origin stories and dives deep into the guests’ journey, uncovering how dynamic people grow, lead, and build. Fun, provocative, and always conversational, Ben brings curiosity (and his signature “Fire’s Hot Seat”) to every guest. Whether you’re an insider hungry for insights, an emerging professional looking for mentorship, or simply a culture-curious listener who loves entrepreneurial stories, this is your front-row seat to the mindsets and moments that shape success. Find Ben and the Blueprint Crew on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@drawingtheblueprint. no Ben Firestone drawingtheblueprintpodcast@gmail.com Episode 6: Inside HealthTrust: Past, Present, and What’s Next https://drawingtheblueprint.fireside.fm/6 aff6761a-d991-43ce-81bf-31afaca12f6f Wed, 12 Nov 2025 09:30:00 -0500 Ben Firestone full Ben Firestone 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. 45:43 no Founder & CEO Alan Plush and CFO/Partner Samantha Medred of HealthTrust, one of healthcare real estate’s leading valuation advisory firms join Ben for a two-part conversation on the past, present, and future of senior housing and healthcare valuation. Alan rewinds to his Sarasota start, the leap from boutique shops to forming HealthTrust post Sarbanes-Oxley, and how the firm scaled from a small team to 1,500–1,700 appraisals a year nationwide. He explains why technology (and now AI) boosts speed but never replaces judgment, and how a coach-player leadership style keeps him close to the work and the client. Samantha breaks down today’s market mechanics: how HealthTrust’s geo and product-type teams (HUD/SNF/CCRC/AL) use a live data platform; what’s really happening with HUD timelines; how state-by-state Medicaid policy drives SNF demand and cap rates; and why older-vintage AL often trades at higher yields until stabilized. You’ll hear practical insight on underwriting vs. performance, cap-rate reality vs. hype, and how the next generation of leaders is preparing for an AI-enabled future. healthcare real estate, senior housing, valuation, HUD, SNF, assisted living, cap rates, Medicaid, appraisal, AI in real estate Founder & CEO Alan Plush and CFO/Partner Samantha Medred of HealthTrust, one of healthcare real estate’s leading valuation advisory firms join Ben for a two-part conversation on the past, present, and future of senior housing and healthcare valuation.

Alan rewinds to his Sarasota start, the leap from boutique shops to forming HealthTrust post Sarbanes-Oxley, and how the firm scaled from a small team to 1,500–1,700 appraisals a year nationwide. He explains why technology (and now AI) boosts speed but never replaces judgment, and how a coach-player leadership style keeps him close to the work and the client.

Samantha breaks down today’s market mechanics: how HealthTrust’s geo and product-type teams (HUD/SNF/CCRC/AL) use a live data platform; what’s really happening with HUD timelines; how state-by-state Medicaid policy drives SNF demand and cap rates; and why older-vintage AL often trades at higher yields until stabilized.
You’ll hear practical insight on underwriting vs. performance, cap-rate reality vs. hype, and how the next generation of leaders is preparing for an AI-enabled future.

]]> Founder & CEO Alan Plush and CFO/Partner Samantha Medred of HealthTrust, one of healthcare real estate’s leading valuation advisory firms join Ben for a two-part conversation on the past, present, and future of senior housing and healthcare valuation.

Alan rewinds to his Sarasota start, the leap from boutique shops to forming HealthTrust post Sarbanes-Oxley, and how the firm scaled from a small team to 1,500–1,700 appraisals a year nationwide. He explains why technology (and now AI) boosts speed but never replaces judgment, and how a coach-player leadership style keeps him close to the work and the client.

Samantha breaks down today’s market mechanics: how HealthTrust’s geo and product-type teams (HUD/SNF/CCRC/AL) use a live data platform; what’s really happening with HUD timelines; how state-by-state Medicaid policy drives SNF demand and cap rates; and why older-vintage AL often trades at higher yields until stabilized.
You’ll hear practical insight on underwriting vs. performance, cap-rate reality vs. hype, and how the next generation of leaders is preparing for an AI-enabled future.

]]> Episode 3: Building Solera, Backing Innovation, & Defining the Future of Senior Living https://drawingtheblueprint.fireside.fm/3 8608dcbb-20b9-44f9-88ab-f43eb7610e1b Wed, 10 Sep 2025 10:30:00 -0400 Ben Firestone full Ben Firestone In this episode of Drawing the Blueprint, we sit down with Adam Kaplan, entrepreneur, operator, venture capitalist, and family man. 28:42 no In this episode of Drawing the Blueprint, we sit down with Adam Kaplan, entrepreneur, operator, venture capitalist, and family man. As CEO of Solera Senior Living and co-founder of Equitage Ventures, Adam shares his unique perspective on building best-in-class communities, investing in age-tech innovation, and navigating today’s capital markets. From his Chicago roots to his Denver reinvention, Adam reflects on parallel paths, lessons in entrepreneurship, and what drives him to keep evolving. A candid conversation on leadership, innovation, and the future of senior housing you won’t want to miss. Watch the full conversation on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JV4XgFoKx0U Senior Living, Venture Capital, BluePrint In this episode of Drawing the Blueprint, we sit down with Adam Kaplan, entrepreneur, operator, venture capitalist, and family man. As CEO of Solera Senior Living and co-founder of Equitage Ventures, Adam shares his unique perspective on building best-in-class communities, investing in age-tech innovation, and navigating today’s capital markets. From his Chicago roots to his Denver reinvention, Adam reflects on parallel paths, lessons in entrepreneurship, and what drives him to keep evolving. A candid conversation on leadership, innovation, and the future of senior housing you won’t want to miss.

Watch the full conversation on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JV4XgFoKx0U

]]> In this episode of Drawing the Blueprint, we sit down with Adam Kaplan, entrepreneur, operator, venture capitalist, and family man. As CEO of Solera Senior Living and co-founder of Equitage Ventures, Adam shares his unique perspective on building best-in-class communities, investing in age-tech innovation, and navigating today’s capital markets. From his Chicago roots to his Denver reinvention, Adam reflects on parallel paths, lessons in entrepreneurship, and what drives him to keep evolving. A candid conversation on leadership, innovation, and the future of senior housing you won’t want to miss.

Watch the full conversation on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JV4XgFoKx0U

]]> Episode 2: New Capital Enters Senior Housing: Health Wave Partners https://drawingtheblueprint.fireside.fm/2 e5863416-64a6-4e1a-93c2-1e2cd799e803 Thu, 04 Sep 2025 09:00:00 -0400 Ben Firestone full Ben Firestone 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 16:29 no In this episode, 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—a new healthcare real estate investment platform backed by Macquarie Asset Management. John shares how his career pivot led to co-founding a startup with serious momentum, the strategic advantage of building a complementary senior team, and why his investment focus is on core-plus, high-quality senior housing assets. We talk about the underestimated challenges of starting a new venture, lessons from assembling the right culture, and how AI is already streamlining due diligence in real estate. Whether you’re an investor, operator, or just curious about where healthcare real estate is headed, this conversation offers an inside look at launching with intention, scaling with speed, and modernizing an industry still catching up to other asset classes. investor, healthcare real estate, blueprintcre, health wave partners In this episode, 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—a new healthcare real estate investment platform backed by Macquarie Asset Management.

John shares how his career pivot led to co-founding a startup with serious momentum, the strategic advantage of building a complementary senior team, and why his investment focus is on core-plus, high-quality senior housing assets. We talk about the underestimated challenges of starting a new venture, lessons from assembling the right culture, and how AI is already streamlining due diligence in real estate.

Whether you’re an investor, operator, or just curious about where healthcare real estate is headed, this conversation offers an inside look at launching with intention, scaling with speed, and modernizing an industry still catching up to other asset classes.

]]> In this episode, 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—a new healthcare real estate investment platform backed by Macquarie Asset Management.

John shares how his career pivot led to co-founding a startup with serious momentum, the strategic advantage of building a complementary senior team, and why his investment focus is on core-plus, high-quality senior housing assets. We talk about the underestimated challenges of starting a new venture, lessons from assembling the right culture, and how AI is already streamlining due diligence in real estate.

Whether you’re an investor, operator, or just curious about where healthcare real estate is headed, this conversation offers an inside look at launching with intention, scaling with speed, and modernizing an industry still catching up to other asset classes.

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