The Short Version

• Former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer became a quick-service restaurant developer in 2024 after an esteemed professional basketball career.
• Boozer founded Impeccable Capital with three partners in 2024 and became chief growth officer on Oct. 20.
• He compared entering a new field to being a rookie again, reaching new heights by asking questions, displaying a willingness to learn and trusting his teammates.

From the Basketball Court to a New Arena

Growing up in Juneau, Alaska, known better for hockey and dogsledding than for basketball, Carlos Boozer dreamed of going to the NBA. Boozer retired from basketball in 2017 after a career that included an NCAA championship, two NBA All-Star selections and Olympic gold and bronze medals. He needed a new endeavor, and with inspiration from his mentor and fellow former NBA player Shaquille O’Neal, Boozer entered the realm of quick-service restaurants, founding Impeccable Capital with Rob Tanner, Amit Sehgal and Jeffrey Postal in 2024. During Boozer’s recent keynote speech at ICSC@SOUTHEAST, he shared how he adapted his experience in professional basketball to commercial real estate development. 

Applying a Rookie Mindset to Commercial Real Estate Development

Boozer emphasized the importance of knowing what you don’t know. He entered real estate with a rookie mindset — showing up, asking questions and being willing to learn — which positioned him to step into a more prominent role later: Impeccable named him chief growth officer on Oct. 20, the day he delivered the ICSC@SOUTHEAST keynote. “I think one of the best things you could be, no matter if you're 21 or if you’re about to be 45 or older, is to be a student,” Boozer said. “I’m a student in business, and my Impeccable team has done a great job of educating me in what’s next.”

Impeccable launched with the goal of becoming one of the larger Popeyes franchisees, but when the company started coming across larger parcels, Tanner pushed beyond QSR, aiming to secure placement for big-box stores, shopping centers and more.

While this was more than Boozer expected when launching Impeccable, he went along with Tanner’s “delusion,” as Boozer playfully described it. He emphasized the importance of big, seemingly impossible goals. Without that little bit of delusion, Boozer maintained, he never even would have left Juneau to join the NBA. “I trust his vision,” Boozer said. One reason for co-founding Impeccable: “I knew that Rob could lead us places that we weren't necessarily looking to go, and going from three Popeyes to what we have now — we wouldn’t have got there without him.”

Finding Success in Business by Trusting Teammates

Boozer’s love of playing on a team translates to commercial real estate. “I like being able to show up to the office,” he said. “I like being able to come to ICSC and play golf and meet new people. I like being a part of something that is growing. I like being a part of something that wakes you up every morning. My alarm doesn’t have to wake me up because I’m excited for work every day. It doesn’t really feel like work. It doesn’t really feel like you’re working because you feel like you’re building something. That’s how I feel: like I’m building something great.”