This is Bisnow's podcast series, "Let’s Have A Drink," where we sit down with the personalities who shape Washington, D.C., real estate — one of the most complex and affluent markets in the country. Hosted by Bisnow East Coast Editor Ethan Rothstein, we examine the deals, the disappointments and, of course, drinks of choice. You can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify or listen on SoundCloud. 

After a summer hiatus, the Let's Have A Drink podcast is back with an interview with Monty Hoffman. Hoffman is the CEO of Hoffman & Associates and co-developer of The Wharf, a $2.5B megaproject on the Southwest D.C. waterfront. Along with partner Madison Marquette, Hoffman built and opened Phase 1 of The Wharf in October 2017, and it was an immediate success, with packed bars and restaurants, fully leased office buildings and sold-out apartment buildings.

We talked at Whisky Charlie, a rooftop bar in one of the Wharf's three hotels, about how Hoffman has shepherded the project through a recession, acts of Congress, his original partner's bankruptcy. At one point, he said he was on the verge of going broke.

"It's really hard when you know, at some point, you're going to run out of cash," Hoffman says. "That's not easy to sleep at night. I mean this is real life, and you know you can lose it all."