News to Know: Interview explains how relationships help him build country's largest African American-owned pure tenant commercial real estate firm.
Strawberry Letter
iHeartPodcasts
4.5 • 1.7K Ratings
🗓️ 12 August 2025
⏱️ 24 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed T. Dallas Smith.
Founder and CEO of T. Dallas Smith & Company, the largest African American-owned pure tenant rep commercial real estate firm in the U.S. The discussion focused on mentorship, breaking barriers in real estate, and transformative community development.
🔑 Key Themes & Highlights
Breaking Barriers in Commercial Real Estate
- Smith shared his journey as a trailblazer in commercial real estate, overcoming industry challenges as a Black entrepreneur.
- He emphasized the importance of representation and mentorship in helping minorities enter the field.
Transformative Community Development
- His firm is focused on revitalizing marginalized communities through strategic real estate investments.
- He discussed the impact of Microsoft’s land acquisition near Bankhead Highway, which has led to new development opportunities.
Mentorship & Leadership Growth
- Smith launched the Wisdom Circle, a mentorship initiative to educate young professionals about commercial real estate.
- He believes that exposure is key to increasing diversity in the industry.
Atlanta’s Commercial Real Estate Boom
- As President of the Atlanta Commercial Board of REALTORS®, Smith highlighted the $47.6 billion in transactions completed by its members.
- He stressed that brokers play a crucial role in shaping urban development.
📘 About T. Dallas Smith
- Dallas Smith is a visionary leader in commercial real estate, dedicated to mentorship, community uplift, and industry transformation. His firm specializes in tenant representation, office space, industrial facilities, and land acquisitions.
#BEST
#STRAW
#SHMS
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is an IHeart podcast. |
| 0:04.6 | Hi, I'm Roshan McDonnell. |
| 0:06.5 | I host the weekly Money Making Conversation Masterclass show. |
| 0:09.4 | The interviews and information that this show provides are for everyone. |
| 0:12.9 | It's time to stop reading other people's success stories and start living your own. |
| 0:17.4 | If you want to be a guest on my show, please visit our website, |
| 0:21.2 | Moneymakingconversations.com, and click the be a guest button. |
| 0:25.5 | Press submit, and the information will come directly to me. |
| 0:28.6 | Let's get this show rolling. I got a guest on the line. |
| 0:31.0 | He's a legend to me in this business, and I got to bring him up. |
| 0:34.8 | I can't believe I got him on the show, but he decided to set aside his business schedule |
| 0:39.5 | to talk to Rishon McDonald on Money Made Conversation Masterclass. |
| 0:43.0 | My guest's company's mission is to expose |
| 0:45.3 | and create space for people of color and commercial real estate. |
| 0:50.7 | Elevate the level of service by putting clients first |
| 0:54.0 | and empower others to expect |
| 0:56.7 | excellence without exception. |
| 0:58.8 | His company has represented the commercial real estate interests of Summer the most notable |
| 1:03.2 | corporations in the country, including but not limited to Airbnb, St. Jude, AT&T, Athlete's Foot, Coca-Cola, FedEx, IBM, JPMorgan Chase, Microsoft, Truers, |
| 1:22.6 | and Veritex, just to name a few. Please welcome to money-making conversation masterclass. |
| 1:26.9 | I hope I gave him justice in my interview, the legendary T. Dallas-Smith. |
| 1:31.5 | How you doing, sir? |
... |
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