Entrepreneurship

Where there was an unmet need for innovation or social good, we sometimes act as real estate developer or promoted social causes such as “at-risk” youth or creating a “wellness culture”. In each effort, we put our own sweat and money forward… sometimes with our clients and sometimes not… to try an use strategy and design to achieve a social good. As in all speculation, sometimes we succeed and sometimes we do not. But that doesn’t stop our efforts to demonstrate the power or real estate development and design to achieve significant social good.

  • The HealthCare Village was an entirely new business model that placed wellness at the heart of master planned communities. BJC the third largest medical complex in America called the Healthcare village the best solution to the problems of healthcare they had seen. We partnered with our client to promote this concept across the countr y for several years at our own expense.

  • 4545 Lindel was the first modern building approved by the Historical Society in the Central West End neighborhood of St. Louis. It was a 12 story plus rooftop amenity condominium building that was developed to prove that our clients were missing market potential. In a $148/GSF market, we took deposits at $300/GSF because we knew there were customers in Clayton, one mile away, that were spending $400/GSF and didn't want the usual 3'x5' view of the world. They wanted a 20'x12' view of the world. After successfully securing deposits, we sold the development to a client simply because we had proven out point. 4545 led to the revitalization of the Central West End and a series of modern, high rise residential development.

  • Renaissance Place was a very successful development that had a profound impact on the surrounding downtown. We convinced our client to allow us to take a wider view of success and consider how their investment could have a broader impact on downtown Highland Park, Illinois. In doing so, we showed how careful planning and a broader strategy would lead to improvements to the downtown that would positively impact their investment. This work led to the start of 6 new residential developments and 26 new retailers created within the first year of operation... lead to a renaissance in the downtown. And every night the people of Highland Park came together as a community... at Renaissance Place.

  • Renaissance Place was a very successful development that had a profound impact on the surrounding downtown. We convinced our client to allow us to take a wider view of success and consider how their investment could have a broader impact on downtown Highland Park, Illinois. In doing so, we showed how careful planning and a broader strategy would lead to improvements to the downtown that would positively impact their investment. This work led to the start of 6 new residential developments and 26 new retailers created within the first year of operation... lead to a renaissance in the downtown. And every night the people of Highland Park came together as a community... at Renaissance Place.

  • Renaissance Place was a very successful development that had a profound impact on the surrounding downtown. We convinced our client to allow us to take a wider view of success and consider how their investment could have a broader impact on downtown Highland Park, Illinois. In doing so, we showed how careful planning and a broader strategy would lead to improvements to the downtown that would positively impact their investment. This work led to the start of 6 new residential developments and 26 new retailers created within the first year of operation... lead to a renaissance in the downtown. And every night the people of Highland Park came together as a community... at Renaissance Place.

  • We often see opportunities others miss and partner with clients such as this revitalization project: the transformation of an abandoned golf course into a technical school (K) surrounded by student housing (E), affordable housing (F), restaurants (H), and arts park (I).

  • This project was a partnership to plan and develop a six block area as the social and economic extension of a growing university. It was a city revitalization strategy organized with the symbiotic relationship between an expanding university and historic urban entertainment district .

  • Partnership with a client to transform a shopping center into a mixed use destination village with food and entertainment branded by a creek and an international hiking and biking trail.

  • Partnership with a client to develop a national prototype. The Higher Ground Cafe prototype design for "at-risk" youth provided mentoring, education, socialization... and free college education.

  • Partnership with a client to develop a national prototype. The Higher Ground Cafe prototype design for "at-risk" youth provided mentoring, education, socialization... and free college education.

  • Partnership with a client to develop a national prototype. The Higher Ground Cafe prototype design for "at-risk" youth provided mentoring, education, socialization... and free college education.

  • Partnership with a client to develop a national prototype. The Higher Ground Cafe prototype design for "at-risk" youth provided mentoring, education, socialization... and free college education.

  • Branded Cafe

  • Library adjacent to cafe

  • Virtual Learning

  • Small group learning and movable, single learning cubicles

  • Medium production and socialization

  • The "War on Asphalt" has been a two decade long conversation about the evolving nature of retail and the customer experience. We identified many assets that should be converted from single use to mixed and sought out ownership to work with us. This project is the transformation of regional mall into a mixed use development with residential, hotel, medical office, convertied dark anchor into an experiential/active zone, Ikea, and a concert amphitheater.

  • An underutilized asset that begged for redevelopment. We approached ownership and partnered with them to dramatically increase asset value qualified with a mixed use yield diagram organized along a socialization space that has view to to the ocean and connects both the office and residential communities..

  • Before the buyout, Monsanto was struggling with weak sales, in part, due to a global campaign against "frankenstein foods"... genetically modified crops. At that time, they were considering selling off or developing part of their 300 acre campus for... a strip retail center. We proposed to them that development is difficult, risky, and disruptive. And therefore their need for cash had to be predicated on a much larger set of concerns. We proposed a development concept called "Greenbridge" that created an opportunity to re-tell the story of Monsanto through the creation of a new campus that invited the community into the grounds and offered retail, hospitality, resort level housing, and educational facilities in two campuses joined by a green bridge... a living chia bridge that promoted their commitment to a more sustainable future in a manner much more profound than a new logo.

  • Before the buyout, Monsanto was struggling with weak sales, in part, due to a global campaign against "frankenstein foods"... genetically modified crops. At that time, they were considering selling off or developing part of their 300 acre campus for... a strip retail center. We proposed to them that development is difficult, risky, and disruptive. And therefore their need for cash had to be predicated on a much larger set of concerns. We proposed a development concept called "Greenbridge" that created an opportunity to re-tell the story of Monsanto through the creation of a new campus that invited the community into the grounds and offered retail, hospitality, resort level housing, and educational facilities in two campuses joined by a green bridge... a living chia bridge that promoted their commitment to a more sustainable future in a manner much more profound than a new logo.

  • Acting as the developer, we are purusing container housing for homeless veterans designed to be "normal", calming, and not some dystopian image. It is meant to be a background building that didn't call attention to itself. A building more in keeping with contemporary multifamily housing in the modern Californian design vernacular.

  • We identified several properties including Westminster Mall near Irvine, California that were perfect for tranformation from single use to mixed.

  • We identified several properties including Westminster Mall near Irvine, California that were perfect for tranformation from single use to mixed.

  • We identified several properties including Westminster Mall near Irvine, California that were perfect for tranformation from single use to mixed.