What does it take to lead with vision, rise from grief, and create opportunity for an entire community?

In this powerful and deeply personal episode of The Commercial Builders Network, host TaNeshia Reed sits down with cultural strategist and nonprofit leader Taneshia Nash Laird to talk about:

🔹 Carrying generational dreams

🔹 Building legacy after loss

🔹 Creating access in commercial real estate

🔹 How Project REAP is transforming the industry

🔹 Developing future leaders in sports and real estate

🔹 Being “the only one” in the room — and holding the door open for others

🔹 Rest, resilience, and what it really means to deserve the life you’re building

If you've ever questioned your place in the room, struggled to keep going, or felt the weight of purpose… this conversation is for you.

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#CommercialBuildersNetwork #TCBNPodcast #TaneshiaNashLaird #ProjectREAP #BlackWomenInRealEstate #LegacyBuilding #AccessMatters #WomenInLeadership #EntrepreneurshipJourney #CulturalLeadership

What does it really take to build wealth, access capital, and leave a legacy — without falling into debt traps?

In this powerful episode of The Commercial Builders Network (TCBN), host TaNeshia Reed sits down with Ivy Hall (Ivy The GREAT) — SBA lending expert, business funding strategist, and legacy-builder — for a no-fluff conversation about money, credit, succession planning, and how business owners can stop operating in survival mode.

This episode covers:

• Why cash flow matters more than revenue
• When to apply for loans (and when NOT to)
• SBA 7(a) vs. SBA 504 explained clearly
• DSCR & global cash flow made simple
• Why MCAs destroy businesses
• How tax write-offs can block millions in funding
• Why legacy requires documentation, not just intention
• Life insurance, real estate, and business ownership as wealth tools
• What lenders and underwriters actually look for
• Why access — not ambition — is the real barrier

This conversation is mandatory viewing for:

✔ Business owners

✔ Real estate investors & developers

✔ Contractors & government vendors

✔ Founders thinking about succession & exit

✔ Anyone serious about generational wealth

🎙 Watch, learn, and share this episode.

Legacy isn’t accidental — it’s structured.

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Too many “community” projects check the box on hiring and never change anyone’s life.

Dr. Gina Merritt does it differently.

She’s a 30-year real estate veteran, principal of Northern Real Estate Urban Ventures, and founder of Project Community Capital® and WFL Collective—an ecosystem that connects underestimated residents to real jobs on real projects, with 94–98% retention on construction sites that once churned through local hires in days.

In this episode of The Commercial Builders’ Network (TCBN), Dr. Merritt shares how she:

• Went from growing up in affordable housing to structuring $5B+ in real estate deals
• Built large-scale projects from day one (288 units as her first deal)
• Created Project Community Capital® to fix the “we tried to hire locally” problem
• Uses social capital to plug residents into jobs and careers—not just temp work
• Works with CDFIs and institutions like Goldman Sachs & Morgan Stanley to fund community-rooted deals
• Bridges the gap between trauma, mental health, and job readiness
• Pushes back on stereotypes about “people from the projects” and missed potential
• Shows up as her full, authentic self in boardrooms, government meetings, and community rooms—no more code-switching to be accepted

If you’re a:

• 🏗️ New or emerging real estate developer
• 🧱 Contractor or GC trying to meet local hiring / CBA / Section 3 goals
• 🏘️ Affordable housing or community development professional
• 💼 Black/Brown builder who’s tired of being “invisible” in the system

…this episode will change how you think about access, social capital, and truly inclusive development.

🔗 Connect with Dr. Gina Merritt

• Project Community Capital® → projectcommunitycapital.net
• WFL Collective → wflcollective.org
• Dr. Gina Merritt → drginamerritt.net
• LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-gina-merritt-mba-7617ba6/

🔔 Subscribe for more conversations with minority developers, lenders, brokers, and builders who are changing the face of commercial real estate and construction.

#CommercialBuildersNetwork #DrGinaMerritt #ProjectCommunityCapital #AffordableHousing #CommunityDevelopment #SocialCapital #BlackWomenInRealEstate #RealEstateDevelopment #EconomicEmpowerment #CommunityWealthBuilding #CDFI #WorkforceDevelopment #CommercialRealEstate #LegacyBuilding #TCBNPodcast