REI University

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REI University is a business podcast hosted by chrismerzre, with 30 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

chrismerzre hosts REI University, a business show with 30 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #30

  James Malarkey: From a $600 Loan to a Legacy Empire — What Happened to the Family Fortune Nobody Talks About

  Aug 7, 202619 min

  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.

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  Episode #29

  Kelsie LPJohnston: She Was Pregnant, Had Covid in China & Still Built a $1.6M Equity Deal Nobody Thought Was Possible

  Jul 15, 20261h 36m

  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.

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  Episode #28

  Arie's $2M/Year Secret: The Finance Guy Who Quietly Built a Real Estate Empire Nobody Saw Coming

  Jul 2, 20261h 45m

  In this episode, Portland-based real estate syndicator Arie joins the Portland REI Meetup to share how a career in finance, a move from the Bay Area, and a relentless focus on buying well-located properties led him to build a portfolio generating $2 million a year. Ari breaks down why syndicators are taking on too much debt, why bridge debt became the industry's biggest trap, how to know when your market has gone irrational, and what a tech entrepreneur in Santa Clara quietly taught him about long-term wealth building.

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  Episode #27

  Arthur Ryapolov: From Flipping Cars at 15 to $84 Million in Real Estate — What They Never Told You About Building Wealth

  May 15, 20261h 38mS0

  <p>In this episode, Portland developer Arthur Ryapolov of August Development joins the Portland REI Meetup to share his raw, unfiltered path from washing dishes at weddings and flipping cars out of his dad's wrecking yard to closing over 250 units and $84 million in real estate across the Pacific Northwest. Arthur breaks down how he scaled from one deal in 2019 to 20 deals in 2020, how he structures creative land deals with seller financing and JV agreements, and the design details — open floor plans, engineered hardwood, 9-foot ceilings — that make his builds sell faster and for more money.</p>

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  Episode #26

  From Firefighter 🚒 to Multifamily Investor: The Failures, the Mentor & the Deal That Finally Closed 🏆

  May 5, 20261h 36mS0

  <p>In this episode, Chris pulls back the curtain on the winding road that led to Rama Capital's latest multifamily deal — from a chance encounter on a golf course that changed his life, to playing polo with a 5,000-unit developer, to a Reno motel conversion that fell apart and left him feeling like a failure. He breaks down how he built his team, what he learned watching his mentor nearly drown in construction costs, and why relationships — not spreadsheets — might be his biggest competitive edge in real estate.</p>

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