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Taylor Jacobs: From Hotel Intern in Spain to a $10M Raise — The Hospitality Developer Who Bet on the Pacific Northwest
In this episode, Taylor Jacobs of Stoa Lodging joins the Portland REI Meetup to share his journey from folding fitted sheets in a 9th century Moorish hotel in Granada, Spain, to underwriting 200-room hotels near the Space Needle and raising $10 million for a 96-unit boutique hotel conversion in downtown San Diego. Taylor breaks down how growing up in a hotel franchising family shaped his obsession with experiential real estate, why yield on cost is the only metric that truly matters, how he structured his first deal at Lake Cushman with an assumed seller carry at 4.25% on a 30-year amortizing note, and why the best deals die twice before they finally close.
This episode is sponsored by LongStreet Property Management | longstreetpropertymanagement.com | (503) 343-1488 and Abloom Medicine — Dr. Sam Merz | abloommedicine@gmail.com | (503) 477-1889.
7 Aug 2026
James Malarkey: From a $600 Loan to a Legacy Empire — What Happened to the Family Fortune Nobody Talks About
In this episode, James Malarkey — entrepreneur, restaurateur, real estate professional, and heir to one of Oregon's most iconic family business legacies — joins the Portland REI Meetup to share the unfiltered story behind Malarkey Roofing Products, a company his grandfather built from a $600 loan into a $50.6 million enterprise before selling in 2022. James gets real about growing up on an 800-acre ranch in Scappoose, surviving a 1.62 GPA, selling marijuana after high school, clawing his way back to Oregon State, and eventually carving out his own identity as a real estate professional and property manager — completely separate from the family name.
15 Jul 2026
Kelsie LPJohnston: She Was Pregnant, Had Covid in China & Still Built a $1.6M Equity Deal Nobody Thought Was Possible
In this episode, Kelsie LPJohnston of Raspberry and Oak Investments joins the Portland REI Meetup to share one of the most jaw-dropping real estate stories you'll hear all year. From growing up around construction in Salem, to escaping China on one of the last flights out before Covid lockdowns hit, to managing a ground-up cottage development as a general contractor while navigating a life-threatening pregnancy — Kelsie breaks down how she built $1.6 million in equity on a deal that cost $2.6 million to build, appraised at $4.25 million, and paid her at the closing table the entire time. She also gets real about ADHD, scaling beyond the GC role, and why she's done doing it all alone.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 11 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
10
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
32
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