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In this episode of EmpowHer, hosts Nicole Graham and Tanya Dempsey sit down with Alexis Laing, President & CEO of Laing Companies, a California-based affordable housing development and consulting firm. From discovering housing in high school to launching her own company, Alexis shares how purpose, community, and calculated risk-taking shape the projects she pursues—and why “setbacks” aren’t failures when you’re building homes that expand opportunity.
We discuss:
- Alexis’s origin story: why policy drew her in—and why development kept her
- A career shaped by mission and mentors who modeled values-driven work
- Founding Laing Companies: courage, safety nets, and choosing impact over the biggest developer fee
- Picking the right fights: RFPs, funding realities, and treating “no” as data
- Work–life balance as a founder: boundaries, support systems, and permitting yourself to grow
Alexis’s story is a reminder that bold leadership isn’t the absence of fear—it’s choosing purpose, surrounding yourself with community, and taking the next right step anyway.
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CSG Advisors Incorporated is a national, full service, independent financial advisor that assists public finance clients in the design, financing and implementation of affordable housing, urban redevelopment and economic development initiatives. Over the past 20 years, CSG has advised on more housing bonds than any other municipal advisor, as reported by Thompson Reuters. CSG Advisors is entirely employee-owned and independent. Employee owners include minorities and women.