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[upbeat music] This is a SO2 Unscripted, and I'm your host, Errol Beaumart. What's up, what's up, what's up, beautiful people? Errol Beaumart here back at Unscripted. Uh, we're so excited.
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We're having a great time here at ASOTU CON 2026. Of course, this, this right here, this is the year of the human, and so we wanna keep that energy going and keep it fun.
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So please do me a favor and help me in welcoming up our next guest, Linda Nguyen. Linda, come on over, come on up. Oh. Please go ahead and grab a seat. Make yourself comfortable. Good to see you. Good to see you as well.
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All right, so first and foremost, the, the easy question that I ask everyone, is this your first ASOTU CON? It is. Okay, fantastic. So first ASOTU CON, what do you think so far?
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What is something that you're excited about or something that you've seen that you didn't expect? What do you see so far? I think it's amazing. I, I love the theme, the year of the human. Yes.
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I think that's, that's where it's at. Yeah, and the, uh, Recharge Lounges, Lounge is really cool as well. Absolutely. So you- that's kind of where we m- not met, but that's where I just was.
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I had a chance to go to the Recharge Lounge. Listen, let me tell you, I got stretched for about 10 or 15 minutes. It was phenomenal. It's probably one of the highlights of my day so far, outside of lunch.
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I don't know which one's winning yet, but phenomenal experience. So tell us about that. Tell us about what brought you here- Sure... and, uh, just share your experience. Sure.
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Yeah, so I entered the automotive industry about 25 years ago, uh, through the litigation consulting world- Okay...
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um, helping franchisees and OEMs work through disputes and, um, just work through some of the, some of those complex challenges. Okay.
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Um, from there, I moved into the automotive retail and real estate and finance side of things. Um, spent most of my career at Capital Automotive REIT.
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Um, from there, I saw a unique opportunity for innovation in the industry, and so I started my own company called LTN Property Partners. Okay. Uh, it's just my initials, L, the letters LTN. Yes.
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Spelled out in a French Vietnamese way. [laughs] Okay.
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Um, and so we really sit at the intersection of automotive, real estate, housing, building community, um, because my expertise is to bring the development world and the automotive world together. Got it.
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You know, oftentimes dealers sit on such valuable real estate in prime areas, and it's, it's to help dealers maximize the use of their land. Okay. Right? So how do we consolidate the footprint, go below ground,
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and also go above ground? How do we mix in other uses- Yeah... such as restaurants, other retailers, drive more foot traffic to the dealership- Okay...
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while getting the dealership, um, owners prop- and the property owners more revenue sources from apartments above- Yeah... you know, um, other tenants in the area as well to, that drive foot traffic?
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And so, you know, what is, what I'm passionate about is bringing more housing to the community as well- Okay... because if we can build more apartments- Yes...
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it lowers the prices, and the employees of the dealerships can actually afford to live in the cities where they serve and where they work, instead of often commuting an hour, you know, each way. Yes. And so
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in that way, we're able to enhance the quality of life. We can give people back some time to spend with their families. Yes.
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Um, and so that's what I'm all about, is um, you know, just the year of the human and how do we increase the human experience with thoughtful development, um, mixed-use communities- Yes...
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and, um, just enhance that, their experience, you know, on the ground and create places where people can live, work, and play. Yeah, and I think what, what I hear you speaking to is a lot of, I mean, this is May, right?
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So it's Mental Health Awareness Month, and mental health goes into that, right?
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A little bit of, you talk about not having to commute an hour from work, being able to have an affordable housing, and being able to provide and spend time with your family outside of having to commute for an extra 10 hours a week or, you know, things of that nature.
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So I think that's very big. Um, so what is it that you're excited about now? Like, when you wake up in the morning, your feet hit the floor- Mm-hmm...
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what is it that's exciting you about where the industry is trending or- Mm... what things that you're working on right now? What I'm excited about is there's just so much opportunity. [laughs] Um,
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you know, there's just so many, so many ideas, but the execution is where it's, it's really important, you know, understanding how to make the visions come to reality. Okay. Right?
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And a lot of times these development deals or real estate deals take a long time- Yeah... and there's lots of good ideas, but then it's, it's, to actually make it happen, it's, it's a long, slow process, right?
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And you have to have that, that kind of patience and ability to stick with it in, on the long term. Yeah. Um,
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you know, what I think is interesting too is, um, I also own a StretchLab franchise- Yes...
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which, uh, you visited earlier. Yes, I, yes, I did. Um. [laughs] Two thumbs up. It's great. And it's, it's just funny that my two worlds are colliding, right? Yes. Um, my automotive side and, and now my, um,
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uh, StretchLab investment. Um, I have my team here as well giving stretches to- Yes... our dealer community. And, um, since
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getting into that investment, I really understand the more the operational side, the employee side, um, and the customer experience side- Okay... of things.
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And so merging that, um, merging the processes that have to go into that to help people do their jobs more effectively is helping me kind of navigate and execute The deals better Yes Um, it just gives me a more well-rounded, um, understanding of what's happening on the ground at an operational level, um, as well as, you know, the macro level that, that I've been operating in.
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Yeah. So it's, it's neat to see the two worlds collide and, um, you know, just looking to make an impact and to build communities and, um, create spaces that matter.
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I love that 'cause it, it, it speaks to your passion, and it sounds like people are your passion, right?
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And what I hear from both, both worlds, right, is that the synergy there that's at the center of it is the people that you're serving, right? Whether it be your own employees, right?
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Like you said, you have your team here, or whether it be the dealers that happen to be here attending a SoCon that, even like myself, I walked away feeling like, "Oh, I feel so much better," you know?
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Um, but then, like you said, transitioning that into even the aspect of being able to understand, hey, we're gonna do this deal, but it's going to take time. It's going to take consistency. It's going to take patience.
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And so all of that, the end result is people have better places to live- Yes... better places to work, and then ultimately even combining the two worlds, now they feel better- Yeah...
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after they've had a chance to get stretched and get relief. And, and so I love what you're doing, how you're doing it, and I think your passion is very bright.
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It shines through, and ultimately people is at the center of that passion, and I think that's great. Um, for those that are out there, right?
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Because I think one of the things you mentioned is that you were able to find a synergy between two worlds. Mm-hmm.
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If you could show us, share with someone out there, how was it that you came about to do that, and, like, what was it that made you decide, like, "Hey, I'm gonna go into Stretch Lab as my next investment"?
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How did you even come up with the idea to form and create another world- Mm-hmm... seeing as how you already had one existing? That's a great question.
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[laughs] Um, you know, I was looking for a passive investment because sometimes these real estate deals take many years to come to fruition. Okay.
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And so I wanted something that would support my life while pursuing these more innovative ventures that, they're harder to crack. Yes. Right?
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Because it just takes a lot of time, a lot of relationship building, a lot of education, um, of educating people on what they really have with their real estate and what is possible.
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You know, helping the dealers and the property owners navigate the political world of counties and cities and planners and getting elected officials to sign off on your proposed, um, development. Yes.
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It all takes a lot of time, and, um, just trying to understand all the different pieces and bringing them together is, um, is just really important. Um,
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you know, it's just helping the dealers create thoughtful developments. It's, you're not just building dealerships and- Right... apartments and things like that. You're impacting the community.
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But you're thoughtfully trying to create public spaces where people can gather and commune and, you know, build relationships and connect on a human-to-human level, right? Yes.
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That's, that all enhances the quality of life, and so I think what really motivated me in, in this direction is how do we impact people's lives in a positive way, and I was really looking for more meaning in my life, um, and my life's purpose is now to, you know, build community and, and create spaces that matter, whether that's through real estate- Yes...
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and automotive at that intersection, or through helping each individual body feel better in their bodies. That's great. I love that.
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I think that's a, a, a perfect intersection, and Linda, I can't thank you enough for being here with me and coming back. I told you this was gonna be easy. [laughs] Yes. I told you it was gonna be fun, right? You did.
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[laughs] I, I kept, I kept my word. Yes. You did. Okay, good. So listen, I have a twin brother that looks just like me that might be back at the re- the, the, um- [laughs]... the lounge.
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I'm just saying, I, it looks just like me, has on the same outfit. No, I'm teasing. But listen, I think I want everyone to catch exactly what she talked about.
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It's finding what's at the center of whatever lane or innovation that you're looking to accomplish, finding what it is that's your greater purpose, that's pushing you forward, because purpose provides.
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So again, this has been Unscripted. I wanna thank you for joining us. Thank you again for being here, and remember, my twin brother's gonna come. [laughs] I told him about it.
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We'll see you back at the, the Stretch Lab lounge. Nah, not me, my twin brother. No, I'm joking. And I do wanna put a plug in for Plug Motors. Yes.
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Uh, they sponsored the Stretch Lab being here, so, um, thank you for all their work. Thank you. Thank you. Yes. [laughs] Absolutely. Uh, once again, thanks for joining us. We will see you on the next one. Take care.
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Thank you for listening to Unscripted. At ASOTU, we're obsessed with uniting people around one big idea, that thriving people are the only path to a thriving and profitable industry.
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If that resonates with you, then head over to morethancars.com, join our email list, and explore our full list of podcasts.