Proptech’s Role in Innovating AZ’s Real Estate Market E26
Arizona’s business-friendly environment, weather and affordability have made it a hot spot for tourism and inbound migration for decades. But in a post-pandemic world where an estimated 269 people are moving to Arizona each day, the real estate market is experiencing an unexpected surge in demand that is affecting the availability of affordable inventory.
The May 2022 episode of the Arizona Technology Council’s AZTechCast podcast featured proptech experts including Ryan Egan, founder and CEO of Stackhouse; Bill Gleason, vice president of business development at ApostleTech; and Dusty Parsons, chief marketing officer at Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona. These leaders joined Karen Nowicki, president and owner of Phoenix Business RadioX, and Steve Zylstra, president and CEO of the Arizona Technology Council, in exploring technology’s role in discussing the innovative technology solutions that are helping to stabilize Arizona’s housing market.
Throughout this hour-long episode, this panel of experts spoke about the pandemic’s unprecedented impact on the national and local real estate market. With the rise in remote work, workers were no longer tied to a physical office space and could disperse across the country, moving from urban metropolises like New York City and San Francisco to more affordable states more commonly known as “flyover states.”
This influx of new residents into Arizona, combined with the hesitancy to overbuild left over from the 2009-2010 recession, means that the state is still severely lagging in housing stock, particularly affordable housing stock. This shortage has inevitably pushed technologists and innovators into reimagining the real estate solutions that can help alleviate this social problem.
Stackhouse is a patent pending technology that allows you to take your container home with you no matter where you move.
Ryan Egan has been working in real estate since the age of 9 when his father started taking him to property showings. His first “real job” was filing for Larsen Baker. He worked for Bank of America but in 2008 he left banking and moved to the other side of the table negotiating short sales for his clients and other agents.
In 2009 he joined Heights properties, the real estate arm of Brake Masters. Starting in property management he quickly added site selection and construction management to his list of responsibilities.
In 2012 he was acquiring and repositioning non-performing assets in San Francisco when the idea for Stackhouse first came to him. Since starting the company in 2017 Stackhouse has been a first-place graduate of the UofA Forge incubator, and UACI.
In 2021 Stackhouse graduated from the Highly selective TechStars Anywhere program. He is currently scouting for property in Austin Texas with his solar-powered shipping container model home and his 3 Humane Society Specials.
Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn.
ApostleTech boasts a team of talented consultants with expertise in implementing, extending, connecting and supporting Salesforce solutions for the homebuilder industry.
For more than a decade, they’ve delivered successful enterprise level solutions that drive organizations to become more efficient and agile. As a premier Salesforce partner, ApostleTech has built its reputation on its long-term collaborative approach, working with homebuilding and construction companies throughout the US and Canada.
Bill Gleason built his career helping companies add new clients and customers to their roster. As an expert in B2B sales, he has worked in a variety of industries including financial services and healthcare solutions, prior to joining the ApostleTech team.
Bill has worked as the vice president of business development at ApostleTech since 2017. During that time the company has solidified its position as a leading solutions provider of homebuilding CRM implementations and marketing automation solutions.
Bill’s prior experience as a CRM user gives him a unique perspective to better understand the challenges and struggles many of ApostleTech’s clients face. This shared understanding enables Bill to approach clients with empathy, which in turn, allows him to build trust.
Follow ApostleTech on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. 
Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona – Since 1985, with the help of generous donors and volunteers, Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona has been privileged to build more than 1,180 homes, affect more than 3,000 repairs, and improve a place called home for more than 4,000 Arizona families.
Dusty Parsons, Chief Marketing Office at Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona, is a highly organized – tech savvy – business minded – forward thinking – creative, with proven ability to influence partners, processes, and procedures to ensure organizational success.
With a combination of direct communication, humor, and technical expertise, as well as an eye for operational consistency, Dusty has had significant impact on the companies and people he has worked with. He values relationships and results.
Dusty specializes in integrated marketing, community outreach and strategic partnerships.
Follow Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About AZ TechCast
AZ TechCast is dedicated to covering innovation and technology in Arizona and beyond.
Through the art of connected conversation, AZ TechCast’s guests will share their expertise, success stories, news and analysis about the region’s leading startups, companies and emerging technologies, as well as the latest industry trends and critical issues propelling the state’s growing technology ecosystem.
About Your Hosts
Steve Zylstra serves as president and CEO of the Arizona Technology Council, a role he assumed in 2007. He is responsible for strategy, operations, finance and policy development. Zylstra is a vocal spokesman for the value technology can provide in raising social and economic standards in Arizona.
Zylstra serves on numerous councils, committees and boards, was named “Leader of the Year, Technology,” by the Arizona Capitol Times, and “Most Admired Leader” by the Phoenix Business Journal. In addition, he was awarded an honorary doctorate of science in technology from the University of Advancing Technology in Tempe, Ariz.
Zylstra earned a bachelor’s degree in automotive engineering technology from Western Michigan University.
Karen Nowicki is a successful author, speaker and the creator of Deep Impact Leadership™ and SoulMarks Coaching™. She is a two-time recipient of the prestigious national Choice Award® for her book and personal development retreat. Karen was crowned the first-ever “Mompreneur of the Year” Award in 2010 for the southwestern states. She was recognized for her leadership, business acumen, and work-life balance.
Karen has been an expert guest on regional TV and radio shows, including Fox Phoenix Morning Show, Sonoran Living, Good Morning Arizona, The Chat Room, and Mid-Day Arizona. She has been a regular contributor to many print and online magazines – publishing articles and blogs for business and education.
In addition to working with private coaching clients, Karen is also the Owner & President of Phoenix Business RadioX. The Business RadioX Network amplifies the voice of business – serving the Fortune 500,000, not just the Fortune 500. Phoenix Business RadioX helps local businesses and professional associations get the word out about the important work they’re doing to serve their market, profession, and community.
Of all the experiences Karen has had the privilege of participating in over her vast career, she shares that Phoenix Business RadioX is a pinnacle adventure!
Connect with Karen on LinkedIn and follow Phoenix Business RadioX on Facebook and Instagram.
Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Bianca Buliga is a trilingual first-generation American of Romanian ethnicity. A marketing professional with experience in both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, Bianca currently works as Director, Marketing & Communications for the Arizona Technology Council.
Previously, Bianca worked as Marketing Communications Lead at Proctorio, a learning integrity platform that offers remote proctoring software ensuring exam integrity for learners around the world.
Bianca also worked as Senior Marketing Manager at SEED SPOT, a social impact incubator that educates, accelerates, and invests in impact-driven entrepreneurs creating market-based solutions to social problems. In January of 2020, Bianca was selected as an awardee of the Mandela Washington Reciprocal Exchange Program and traveled to the African island of Mauritius to run entrepreneurship programming for 15 impact-driven ecopreneurs on behalf of the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Bianca has also completed comprehensive consulting projects for IBM, ESAN Business School, and the Peruvian government, and interned at the Arizona House of Representatives and U.S. Embassy in Bucharest, Romania.
Bianca earned her Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from Northern Arizona University in 2014 and her Master’s degree in Global Affairs and Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management in 2017. She is an avid reader, yogi, and world traveler always planning her next trip.
Connect with Bianca on LinkedIn.
About Our Sponsor
The Arizona Technology Council, Arizona’s only statewide organization serving the technology sector, fosters a climate of innovation to enhance technology in Arizona.
A trusted resource in strengthening Arizona’s technology industry, the Council proactively eliminates impediments that companies face, accelerates the entrepreneurial mindset in the state’s expanding innovation ecosystem, and works to create a destination for companies to be, thrive and stay.
Follow Arizona Technology Council on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
