Newsletters

Turns Out CRE and Poker Are Similar

PHOENIX—ViaWest Group's founding partner Steven Schwarz finds playing poker is more than a hobby and shares how it is more like commercial real estate than one might think in this EXCLUSIVE Q&A.

By Lisa Brown | Updated on December 20, 2015

PHOENIX—For ViaWest Group founding partner Steven Schwarz, playing poker is more than a hobby. Combining statistics and psychology, poker prepares the Phoenix real estate veteran for successfully negotiating complicated real estate transactions, analyzing market trends and predicting the future growth of submarkets. Nicknamed the “czar” among his poker buddies, Schwarz keeps meticulous spreadsheet records of every game his friends have played for the last 10 years.

Schwarz’s meticulous nature has served him well during his 22 years in real estate. ViaWest Group made headlines this summer for purchasing the $163.1 million Biltmore Financial Center, three class-A office buildings at the northwest corner of 24^th Street and Camelback, the largest multi-tenant office sale in the Phoenix area at the time since 2007, according to CoStar. ViaWest Group manages more than 2 million square feet and owns 1.5 million square feet in the Valley ranging from Nexus, a 120,000-square-foot office property at the ASU Research Park, to the Chandler Midway Corporate Center, a 139,800-square-foot mixed-use office and office condominium project.

Want to continue reading?
Become a Free ALM Digital Reader.

Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:

Unlimited access to GlobeSt and other free ALM publications
Access to 15 years of GlobeSt archives
Your choice of GlobeSt digital newsletters and over 70 others from popular sister publications
1 free article* every 30 days across the ALM subscription network
Exclusive discounts on ALM events and publications

*May exclude premium content
Already have an account? Sign In Now

NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.

Resource Center

CRE strategies and business decisions are only as strong as the data that powers them, and that data better be correct. This self-assessment will help you gauge your current data management capabilities.

Assessment

Sponsored by Cherre

Data Management Scorecard: A Health Check for Your Data Management Capabilities and Challenges

CRE strategies and business decisions are only as strong as the data that powers them, and that data better be correct. This self-assessment will help you gauge your current data management capabilities.

Browse More Resources ›

CRE strategies and business decisions are only as strong as the data that powers them, and that data better be correct. This self-assessment will help you gauge your current data management capabilities.

Assessment

Sponsored by Cherre

Data Management Scorecard: A Health Check for Your Data Management Capabilities and Challenges

CRE strategies and business decisions are only as strong as the data that powers them, and that data better be correct. This self-assessment will help you gauge your current data management capabilities.

Browse More Resources ›

Does your data inspire confidence or is there a significant lack of trust in its validity? Use this assessment to gauge where your organization’s data practices are at today and what gaps exist.

Assessment

Sponsored by Cherre

Enabling Stakeholder Confidence in Your Data: A Self-Assessment for Real Estate Organizations

Does your data inspire confidence or is there a significant lack of trust in its validity? Use this assessment to gauge where your organization’s data practices are at today and what gaps exist.

Browse More Resources ›

GlobeSt

Don't miss crucial news and insights you need to make informed commercial real estate decisions. Join GlobeSt.com now!

Free unlimited access to GlobeSt.com's trusted and independent team of experts who provide commercial real estate owners, investors, developers, brokers and finance professionals with comprehensive coverage, analysis and best practices necessary to innovate and build business.
Exclusive discounts on ALM and GlobeSt events.
Access to other award-winning ALM websites including ThinkAdvisor.com and Law.com.

Already have an account? Sign In Now

Copyright © 2025 ALM Global, LLC. All Rights Reserved.