Faith-Driven Leaders W/Ryan Sudeck
Or listen wherever you podcast!
Episode Description
In this episode of the On The Rise Podcast's Faith-Driven Leaders Series, host Nick Stromwall sits down with Ryan Sudeck, CEO of Sage Investment Group — an Inc. 5000 recognized real estate platform converting distressed hotels into naturally affordable housing without government subsidy. Ryan shares the origin story of Sage, how a COVID-era pivot from student housing unlocked an entirely new mission, and why he believes the private sector — when disciplined and patient — can solve the affordable housing crisis at scale. He also opens up about how his Jesuit education shaped his leadership philosophy, what it means to care for the whole person as a leader, and how AI is transforming the way his team operates day to day. A rich, wide-ranging conversation for any leader who wants to build a business that does well and does good at the same time.
Summary
1. The Best Business Ideas Sometimes Start With a Pivot Sage's mission was not born in a boardroom — it was born from necessity. When a COVID-era hotel conversion intended for student housing suddenly had no students, Ryan and his team opened the doors to the general market and filled the building in three months. That unexpected success revealed a massive, underserved demand for naturally affordable housing and became the foundation of everything Sage has built since.
"In three months we were full. And that was kind of the light bulb moment for us."
2. Rejecting the False Choice Between Profit and Purpose Sage operates on the belief that doing good and doing well are not mutually exclusive. Their internal manifesto explicitly rejects the idea that entrepreneurs must choose between financial returns and meaningful impact. This philosophy has attracted aligned investors, mission-driven employees, and even city governments asking Sage to come solve problems in their communities.
"We wrote a Sage manifesto that talks about rejecting the false choice between profit and purpose in what you do."
3. The Private Sector Can Solve What Government Cannot Ryan makes a compelling case that housing affordability does not require subsidies — it requires disciplined capital, operational excellence, and relentless execution. Sage converts distressed hotels into apartment communities at roughly half the cost of ground-up construction, creating rents that are three to five hundred dollars per month below comparable new construction — without a single dollar of public funding.
"Our thesis is that addressing the housing affordability crisis is not something the government's going to solve overnight. We need capital, operational excellence, and people that are going to relentlessly execute on it."
4. Faith Shows Up Through Values, Not Sermons Ryan's Jesuit education instilled a philosophy of cura personalis — care for the whole person — that now shapes how he leads his team and thinks about his residents. He does not lead with overt religious language in the workplace, but his faith expresses itself through genuine investment in the people around him, both professionally and personally.
"I don't talk about my faith in God and Jesus daily at work. But it's really driven through the values and trying to keep folks where they are and build them into thriving individuals."
5. Great Leaders Listen Before They Solve One of Ryan's most consistent leadership disciplines is resisting the instinct to jump to solutions before fully hearing where a team member is coming from. He acknowledges this is one of the hardest skills for results-driven leaders to develop — and one of the most important. Slowing down to genuinely hear someone often gets to a better outcome faster than rushing to fix the problem.
"You have to downshift from fifth gear down to first gear to engage a difficult situation. Sometimes you have to help people get into that place themselves through active listening."
6. Real Community Is Built Into the Business Model Sage does not just create affordable housing — it creates affordable communities. By converting hotel amenities like ballrooms, conference rooms, and fitness centers into resident-facing spaces, Sage properties offer golf simulators, co-working spaces, dog parks, and walking paths at rent levels most people assume would mean bare-minimum living. Community, Ryan believes, is part of what it means to care for the whole person.
"Our goal is to have our residents not just live and have a roof over their head, but also thrive in the communities that we're building."
7. The Distressed Hotel Market Has 30,000 Opportunities A generational ownership transition among Indian American hotel families, the permanent decline of business travel post-COVID, and the brutal economics of franchise property improvement plans have created a massive pipeline of distressed hotel assets available at attractive prices. Sage estimates there are approximately 30,000 properties in their target markets that fit their conversion model.
"We see a ton of distress in these hotels — and our estimate is that there are about 30,000 in markets that we like that fit our model."
8. AI Is Multiplying What a Small, Mission-Driven Team Can Accomplish Ryan has rolled out AI tools across Sage's entire organization with a clear mandate: use AI to work on the most strategic things possible and get to better outcomes faster. From normalizing construction bids to building SEO content to reading full plan sets in minutes, AI has fundamentally changed what a 30-person team can accomplish — and Ryan believes the best use cases are still ahead.
"I feel like I am getting multiples more done in a day than I have before. My mantra for AI across the company is I want us all to be working on the most strategic things possible."
Resources
Website: https://harvey-capital.com
Socials: https://x.com/wharvey93
