Today we’d like to introduce you to Logan Freeman.
Hi Logan, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in Jefferson City, Missouri, in a blue-collar family where hard work wasn’t optional — it was just part of life. My mom worked incredibly hard, often juggling multiple jobs to provide for our family, and watching her sacrifice shaped a lot of who I am today. When I was around 14 years old, I started working by baling hay in Missouri summers, washing dishes, sweeping floors, and doing whatever jobs I could find. Those early experiences taught me discipline, grit, and that if you wanted something, nobody was going to hand it to you.
Sports became a huge part of my life, especially football. I was fortunate enough to continue playing at the collegiate level, and for a short period of time I had the opportunity to pursue the NFL dream. Like a lot of athletes, I spent years believing that was the path my life would take. But when that chapter ended, I had to really figure out who I was outside of sports and what I wanted to build long term.
That transition ultimately led me into entrepreneurship and commercial real estate. I became fascinated with investing, wealth creation, and the idea that real estate could completely change not only your financial future, but the future of communities and families. I started learning everything I could — investing, underwriting, raising capital, development, brokerage — and over time I built experience on both the ownership and advisory sides of the business.
Throughout my career, I’ve had the opportunity to be involved in hundreds of millions of dollars in commercial real estate transactions across multifamily, industrial, land, retail, office, and development projects. But honestly, one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that real estate is still a people business at its core. Relationships, trust, reputation, and consistency matter more than anything else.
Most recently, after helping build previous companies and brands, I launched Midwest CRE Advisors with the vision of building a modern commercial real estate firm that combines market expertise, technology, content, and authentic relationships to better serve clients throughout the Midwest.
At the same time, I’ve become really passionate about sharing knowledge through content, speaking, social media, and hosting The Kansas City Market Pulse. I believe a lot of people are looking for real conversations about business, investing, failure, growth, and entrepreneurship — not just polished highlight reels.
When I look back, the common thread from throwing hay bales as a teenager to building businesses today is pretty simple: show up, work hard, keep your word, and stay willing to bet on yourself even when the path isn’t perfectly clear.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Absolutely not. I think anybody who tells you entrepreneurship or commercial real estate has been a smooth road is either leaving things out or hasn’t been through enough yet.
One of the earliest struggles for me was transitioning away from football. When sports are your identity for so long, especially when you’ve spent years chasing the NFL dream, it’s difficult mentally and emotionally when that chapter ends. I had to rebuild confidence and figure out who I was outside of athletics.
When I got into real estate, I didn’t come from a wealthy family with deep connections or a built-in network. I had to earn trust, build relationships from scratch, and outwork people to create opportunities. There were a lot of long days early on where nobody knew who I was and nothing came easy.
I’ve also experienced the ups and downs that come with entrepreneurship and investing. Deals fall apart. Markets shift. Partnerships change. You make mistakes. You lose money. You question yourself. There are moments where you feel like all the pressure sits on your shoulders because your team, clients, and family are depending on you to figure it out.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that growth usually comes through adversity, not comfort. Some of the hardest seasons in my life and career ended up becoming the seasons that taught me the most about leadership, resilience, relationships, and perspective.
I also think social media and business culture can make people believe success happens overnight, but the reality is most people don’t see the years of uncertainty, sacrifice, stress, and failure behind the scenes. They see the transaction announcements and the wins, but not the years spent building credibility and learning hard lessons.
At this stage of my life, I’ve learned to appreciate the struggles because they force you to evolve. They teach humility, patience, and grit. And honestly, every setback I’ve had ultimately redirected me toward something bigger and better than I originally planned for myself.
We’ve been impressed with Midwest CRE Advisors, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Midwest CRE Advisors is a full-service commercial real estate brokerage and advisory firm focused on helping investors, developers, business owners, and property owners make smarter real estate decisions throughout the Midwest. We work across multiple asset classes including multifamily, industrial, flex, retail, office, land, development, and investment sales, while also helping clients uncover off-market opportunities and long-term investment strategies.
What really sets us apart is that we approach deals from more than just a brokerage perspective. Many of us have ownership, investment, development, and entrepreneurial experience ourselves, so we understand how clients analyze risk, opportunities, and long-term value creation. We’re not just trying to get a transaction done — we’re helping clients build wealth, solve problems, and create long-term opportunities.
We’re also extremely focused on being a tech-enabled and data-driven company. Commercial real estate has traditionally been an industry where people are often operating off information that’s a quarter behind or relying on outdated reports. We’ve built our platform around bringing real-time market data, analytics, AI tools, content distribution, and digital visibility into the client experience so our clients can make decisions faster and with better information. Speed matters in today’s market, and access to accurate, current data creates a major advantage.
I’d also say our brand has become known for being relationship-driven, modern, and highly focused on content and education. We’ve leaned heavily into social media, market updates, podcasts, storytelling, AI, and digital marketing to create visibility not just for our company, but for our clients and listings as well. A lot of commercial real estate firms still operate the way they did 20 years ago, and we’ve tried to build a company that embraces innovation while still staying grounded in relationships and trust.
One thing I’m especially proud of is the culture and community we’re building. We genuinely care about collaboration, transparency, and helping people grow — whether that’s clients, team members, investors, or younger professionals entering the industry. We want Midwest CRE Advisors to be known as a company that brings value long before and long after a transaction closes.
I also think we’ve built a reputation for being authentic. We don’t pretend every deal is easy or every market cycle is perfect. We try to educate people honestly about opportunities, risks, trends, and strategies so they can make informed decisions. That authenticity has helped us build strong relationships and long-term trust in the market.
At the end of the day, our mission is simple: help people create opportunities through commercial real estate while building a modern brand that positively impacts the communities and people we serve.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I think commercial real estate is going to look dramatically different over the next 5–10 years, and honestly, we’re already seeing the early stages of that shift right now.
One of the biggest changes will be the continued integration of technology, AI, and real-time data into the industry. Historically, commercial real estate has been relationship-heavy but very slow operationally. Decisions were often made using outdated reports, quarterly market data, and fragmented information. Going forward, the firms and investors that win will be the ones that can combine relationships with speed, data, automation, and technology-driven decision making.
I also think content and personal branding are going to become even more important. In the past, brokers and firms built business primarily through cold calls and closed networks. Today, people want transparency, education, and authenticity. Investors and clients are researching people online long before they ever take a meeting. The firms that consistently educate, create content, and build trust digitally are going to have a major competitive advantage.
Another trend I see is increased specialization. The days of being everything to everyone are fading. You’re seeing more firms and operators become hyper-focused on specific asset classes, niches, and strategies like industrial outdoor storage, small bay industrial, build-to-rent, medical office, data centers, and adaptive reuse projects. I think expertise in a niche market will become increasingly valuable.
I also believe we’ll continue seeing institutional strategies move downstream into secondary and tertiary markets like Kansas City because affordability, population growth, infrastructure, and quality of life still make these markets extremely attractive compared to coastal cities. The Midwest is becoming more competitive nationally, especially for industrial, logistics, manufacturing, and workforce-driven housing.
At the same time, I think the role of a commercial real estate advisor is evolving. Clients no longer just need someone to unlock a door or send listings. They need strategic advisors who understand capital markets, branding, operations, development, data, financing, AI, and how to help businesses navigate uncertainty. The expectation level is rising quickly.
I also think we’ll see a huge generational shift in ownership over the next decade as aging property owners transition assets, businesses, and portfolios to younger operators and investors. That’s going to create enormous opportunity for people who are prepared, educated, and relationship-focused.
Overall, I think the future belongs to people and companies that can move fast, adapt quickly, embrace technology without losing the human relationship side of the business, and consistently create value through information, trust, and execution.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mwcreadvisors.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/livefreeinvestments/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MWCREAdvisors
