On Thursday, April 23, 2026, the Business Record hosted its annual Commercial Real Estate Forum at the Hilton Des Moines Downtown in Des Moines, Iowa. The event, which began at 7 a.m. With networking and breakfast, featured a panel of industry experts discussing current trends and future outlook for the commercial real estate sector in the Greater Des Moines area. According to the event description, discussions focused on ongoing and planned projects, the evolving office market in response to return-to-office trends and development opportunities expected in the coming 18 months.
The forum is part of the Business Record’s ongoing series of industry-specific events aimed at providing insights into regional economic trends. This year’s session included a recognition segment where the Commercial Real Estate Professional of the Year was honored, continuing a tradition from previous editions of the forum. The event was designed to be forward-looking, offering attendees a range of perspectives on market conditions and investment prospects.
Panelists at the 2026 forum included Doug Anderson, chief commercial lending officer at Lincoln Savings Bank. Todd Garner, principal at Substance Architecture; Carrie Kruse, economic development administrator for the City of Des Moines; Joe Pietruszynski, executive vice president of development, construction and management at Hubbell Realty Co.; Jaclyn Taylor, owner of Taylor REP; and Bill Wright, senior vice president at CBRE. These individuals represent a cross-section of lending, architecture, municipal planning, development, brokerage, and real estate ownership sectors.
The event ran from 7 a.m. To 9 a.m., with the formal program taking place between 7:30 a.m. And 9 a.m. Following a half-hour networking session. Organizers noted that the forum would cover challenges and opportunities in the commercial real estate landscape, including how the sector is adapting to shifting workplace dynamics and identifying areas where new development is likely to occur.
As part of its coverage, the Business Record made a video recording of the forum available for viewing online under the title “WATCH: 2026 Commercial Real Estate Forum.” The video allows those who were unable to attend in person to access the presentations and discussions. The recording is hosted on the Business Record’s website and forms part of an archive that includes videos from previous years’ forums dating back to 2018.
The Commercial Real Estate Forum is one of several annual events organized by the Business Record, a Des Moines-based business news outlet that covers local and regional economic developments. The publication has hosted similar forums in past years, with archived videos and summaries available for the 2020 through 2025 editions. These events are intended to support informed decision-making among business leaders, investors, and policymakers in central Iowa.
While the forum primarily addresses regional market conditions in Greater Des Moines, its insights may hold relevance for broader conversations about commercial real estate trends in secondary markets across the United States. Topics such as office space utilization, investment in mixed-use developments, and municipal economic planning are recurring themes in national real estate discourse.
The event took place at the Hilton Des Moines Downtown, a hotel located in the city’s central business district. The venue has been used for previous iterations of the forum, indicating a consistent choice of location for the annual gathering. No registration details or attendance figures were specified in the available sources.
Looking ahead, the Business Record has not announced the date or format for the 2027 Commercial Real Estate Forum as of the time of this report. Interested individuals are encouraged to monitor the publication’s official website and events calendar for future updates regarding registration, speaker lineups, and event timing.
For those seeking to stay informed about commercial real estate developments in Iowa, the Business Record continues to publish regular coverage of market trends, project announcements, and policy changes affecting the sector. Its reporting includes interviews with developers, analysis of lending activity, and updates on municipal planning initiatives.
The 2026 forum contributes to an ongoing record of how Des Moines’ commercial real estate landscape is evolving in response to economic shifts, demographic changes, and evolving business needs. By bringing together professionals from various segments of the industry, the event aims to foster dialogue and shared understanding of both challenges and opportunities.
As commercial real estate remains a key indicator of urban economic health, forums like this one provide valuable context for assessing where investment is flowing, what risks are emerging, and how public and private sectors can collaborate on sustainable growth. The insights shared during such gatherings often inform strategic decisions made by corporations, investors, and local governments.
Those interested in viewing the recorded proceedings of the 2026 Commercial Real Estate Forum can access the video through the Business Record’s website. The presentation remains available as a resource for professionals seeking to understand the current state and near-term outlook of the market in central Iowa.
Readers and industry observers are invited to share their thoughts on the topics discussed at the forum, including perspectives on office market recovery, development priorities, and economic forecasting. Engagement through comments and social sharing helps extend the reach of the conversation beyond the immediate audience.