Drawing the Blueprint brings you raw access to the movers and shakers in healthcare real estate and beyond.

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. Jared traces his early entrepreneurial instincts back to 2016, when he began working in apparel with a focus on tailgating gear. After graduating, he moved to Chicago to intern at a sports agency, gaining hands-on experience in recruiting and marketing while learning the endorsement and business side of athletics. That experience ultimately sparked a bigger vision. In 2021, Jared returned to Ann Arbor to launch a sports marketing agency centered on creating commercial opportunities for student-athletes — from putting their names on jerseys to securing local advertising partnerships around campus. That momentum set the stage for Michigan’s leadership in NIL, culminating in the launch of Champions Circle in the spring of 2022. Since then, the collective has facilitated more than $45 million in deals across all 29 varsity sports, solidifying Michigan as a first mover in brand endorsements for student-athletes. Jared’s story highlights how passion, community, and innovation can come together to create lasting impact in college athletics. Links & Resources: Check out Champions Circle here: https://www.championscircleuofm.com/ Jared Wangler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jared-wangler-b9a5a7113/

In this episode of Drawing the Blueprint, host Ben Firestone sits down with Jennifer Sternshein, a standout leader in the legal industry whose path to law is anything but traditional. Jennifer shares how she began acting at age 17 and used her acting career to help pay for law school - an early lesson in grit that continues to define her leadership today. She reflects on her firm’s remarkable rise from a nursing-home basement startup founded by her brother-in-law during the pandemic to a boutique powerhouse completing nearly $3 billion in transactions in 2024. A major theme of the conversation is the power of authentic relationship-building. Jennifer credits strategic marketing and personal connection as key drivers of her success and encourages young attorneys to prioritize people over transactions. She also champions hiring for grit over pedigree, often looking to those with retail or service backgrounds for their strong client-first mindset. Outside the office, Jennifer and her husband run their own farm, Stardust Grove - a grounding counterbalance to her high-paced legal work. Her influence also extends through the annual Jennifer Sternshein Award, recognizing attorneys who embody collaboration and brand ambassadorship. Jennifer’s journey blends resilience, creativity, and connection - proving that unconventional paths and strong values can lay the foundation for extraordinary success in the legal field. Links & Resources: The Neighborhood Hotel (Use code BLUEPRINT15 for 15% off your next stay): https://theneighborhoodhotel.com Sternshein Legal Group: https://sternsheinlegalgroup.com Stardust Grove Farm: https://thestardustgrove.com Later Days Movie Trailer: https://youtube.com/watch?v=4bgTPwZXhuQ

In this episode of Drawing the Blueprint, Ben Firestone sits down with broker and recovering attorney Kory Buzin, a dealmaker known for his grit, charisma, and unshakeable work ethic. From law school and big-firm life to navigating elopements during site tours, Kory’s journey into seniors housing investment brokerage is anything but traditional. Ben and Kory revisit the early days of Blueprint, swap stories about mentors and mischief with Michael Segal and dig into the inflection point that pushed Kory from the legal world into commercial real estate. Kory shares how his legal training shaped his discipline and thinking, how regional immersion gives brokers a competitive edge, and why relationships not spreadsheets are the heart of seniors housing investing. Along the way, Kory offers a hilarious (and heroic) tale of saving an elderly resident mid-Zoom call, reflects on what it takes to make a name in a competitive industry, and breaks down the three things every young originator must learn: to sell the value of representation, to sell Blueprint as a firm, and to sell yourself. With stories of dealmaking, road-warrior travel, leadership at the property level, and the true currency of the industry, information, this episode is a candid, energetic look at what it means to build a career at Blueprint. About Blueprint: https://www.blueprinthcre.com/

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. More about Blueprint: https://www.blueprinthcre.com/