Overview
In this episode of The Flexible Office Economy, Mark Gilbreath sits down with Ben Munn, Managing Director of Flex Space at JLL, for a wide-ranging and refreshingly candid conversation on the deep structural changes underway in commercial real estate. From starting his career in Gensler’s mailroom to helping lead JLL’s global Flex strategy, Ben brings both a literary eye and an operator’s rigor to the conversation.
Together, Mark and Ben explore how the legacy real estate model has failed to serve both occupiers and users—and why the next decade will be defined by radical simplification, systematization, and consumer-centricity. Ben makes the case for productizing real estate, draws parallels to hospitality, and explains why Flex is not just a category—it’s a redefinition of how workspace is bought, sold, and experienced.
If you want to understand the real scale of the iceberg lurking beneath “30% by 2030,” this episode is required listening.
Episode Highlights
- From Gensler’s mailroom to leading Flex at JLL: Ben’s unconventional career path
- Why great design is like great literature—and what Hemingway teaches us about workplace
- How CRE is becoming a product business (and why that’s a good thing)
- The Flex value chain: who will own the customer, who will own the risk
- Why the legacy buildout model is broken—and what systematized delivery looks like
- Flex vs. fixed: how occupiers will rebalance their portfolios in a post-lease world
- How landlords can monetize Flex without getting flummoxed
- Why JLL believes “30% Flex by 2030” is just the starting point
Why Listen
Because real estate is being rewritten—by data, by user expectations, and by leaders like Ben Munn. This is not about square footage. It’s about shifting power, evolving roles, and rebuilding trust between space providers and the people who use the space.
If you’re in CRE, PropTech, workplace strategy, or just looking to understand how Flex is reshaping the office economy from the inside out, this is your masterclass.