The Build Up: Recent Episodes
Crain's Detroit Business
The Build Up gives you the inside scoop on commercial real estate in and around Detroit. We’ll be bringing in experts from across the industry to offer their perspectives on the biggest issues they face today and what challenges they expect for the future. Hosted by Kirk Pinho and Arielle Kass from Crain's Detroit Business.
1:03 - His ambitions for Invest Detroit
2:05 - What he plans to do with the New Markets Tax Credits Invest Detroit was just awarded.
A breakdown of the episode:
5:45 - How the changing economic environment impacts his organization
7:45 - Why he’s concerned about the future of commercial real estate in the next few years
9:30 - Where the next wave of investor interest will be in Detroit
13:35 - How Invest Detroit is expanding in target neighborhoods
15:30 - When he would get involved on the developer side of commercial real estate
16:45 - Why Invest Detroit created the Ebiara fund
18:55 - What development tools does he wish were accessible in Michigan that aren’t yet
21:10 - Why he supports reform on tax policy
24:10 - How has development financing changed in the last decade
30:30 - His biggest failure in business and how he overcame it
1:00 - Why she doesn't have a cell phone
1:30 - Her latest vision for Midtown
4:30 - Challenges for the neighborhood and how to keep people in homes
9:45 - Why the pandemic didn't Midtown as bad as other areas
11:30 - Her desire to preserve buildings as part of redevelopment
16:05 - Balancing preservation with new construction
18:10 - How Cass Corridor became Midtown
21:55 - Her succession plan
22:30 - What's still on her bucket list
24:35 - Her biggest failure in business and how she overcame it.
1:20 - Housing shortage issues and questions of a new recession
2:45 - The state of the office market
4:05 - Converting office space into residential
7:00 - A glut of office space in the suburbs
8:05 - Rising rents
9:00 - An example from Calgary
11:05 - What happens when office leases start to come up
15:25 - The interview with Mason Ailstock begins
1:20 - How he balances dual careers
4:15 - The Four Corners Square project
6:25 - How he has learned so much in his 20s.
8:50 - What he sees as the future of retail
10:05 - What is coming next and how he blends his interests in medical and real estate
12:15- How to bring creative development from downtown to the suburbs
13:40 - How he balances working with his father
16:20 - How he handles when his careers are in conflict and whether he can continue to do both
18:05 - Which career is harder
18:55 - What he does in his precious free time
19:55 - What it was like to go into residency at the start of the pandemic and did he ever want to quit
23:55 - His biggest failure in business
Among the topics Hosey addresses in the podcast:
1:30 – Why he feels confident the Fisher Body 21 plant project will succeed.
2:45 – Why having the largest black-led development in the city is important.
4:05 – What attracts him to historic preservation.
6:15 – The one building he would want to take on.
7:55 – How financial incentives can be expanded to help development.
9:35 – The unique challenges of working in Detroit.
11:50 – What more can be done to preserve affordable housing in Detroit.
15:40 – Balancing secrecy and transparency on big development projects.
21:05 – Why he came back to the city to be a developer.
25:55 – How to remove barriers for Black developers.
30:15 – His biggest failure in business.
1:10 – Whether he always wanted to join the family business.
2:25 – What steps he is taking to make sure the family has a robust staff.
4:10 – How he handles not having elder relatives in the business and whether he’s prepping the next generation of Maibachs for the business.
9:05 – Why he loves Lego.
10:25 – His favorite project that he's worked on.
13:10 – How hard it is to innovate in the construction industry.
15:30 – How he diversifies the Barton Malow portfolio.
17:40 – How construction will change in the downtown Detroit core in the years ahead after COVID.
20:45 – Why Barton Malow employs a psychologist.
23:00 – Why Barton Malow has a chaplain program and offers grants to employees.
26:50 – How to get past the red tape in the regulatory environment.
28:55 – What his biggest failure in business was and how he overcame it.
1:05 -What it was like working for a Coca-Cola bottling plant and what he learned from that experience.
3:40 - What has changed in design and architecture throughout his three decades in the business.
6:40 -How hybrid work changes workplace designs.
11:55 - Why HED is moving to Royal Oak.
15:05 - Promoting diversity in the architecture field and what changes should be made to encourage it.
21:20 - Why he keeps a photo of the original Microsoft staff in a garage on his desk.
24:10 - Why he's a fan of independent filmmaking.
26:25 - His biggest failure in business and how he overcame it.
3:10 - Why he goes after public-private partnerships in his projects
5:00 - How he dealt with criticism in his Royal Oak project
6:40 - What his plans are for Birmingham development
12:35 - What other areas he feels are ripe for development
13:55 - The status of United Wholesale grocery
15:20 - How being an immigrant impacts his business philosophy
16:55 - What it was like working with his father and whether his daughters will join the business
21:00 - Why he's selling his family's $10 million estate in San Diego
23:20 - His politics and why he keeps an open mind
26:45 - His biggest failure in business and how he overcame it
Today’s guests are Lynnette Boyle and Michael Martorelli of Beanstalk Real Estate Solutions. The firm has residential and commercial properties throughout Detroit, including the Guardian Building, The Marygrove Campus and The Obama Building. After a career that included time with Kirco, Farbman Group, Sterling Group and Bedrock, Lynnette formed Beanstalk in 2016, focusing on property management and brokerage. Recently, Beanstalk joined with Center City Properties to create a multi-family housing division. Michael is the new director of sales and leasing for that side of the business.
Inside its 26th-floor offices at the Fisher Building, Christman Company has a special souvenir that hangs on the wall with ties to an iconic moment of political history.
Joe Luther, vice president and general manager of Southeast Michigan Operations, spilled the beans during this week’s podcast of how Christman ended up with a piece of the platform where then-president Barack Obama stood during his first inauguration in 2009.
“We’ve got one of the pieces of plywood actually in the Fisher Building… come down to the office and see where Obama stood,” he said. “Two little Sharpie half circles that say left and right. It’s just exciting to have that piece where he stood that day.”
It’s long been known that the Lansing-based general contracting firm builds the platform used by the incoming president at inaugurations in Washington D.C. – they did it for Barack Obama in 2009 and 2013, for Donald Trump in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020.
And they plan to bid again in two years. The whole platform is wood, and several pieces get saved and reused for later years. But for that one piece, it has a place of honor on the wall in Luther’s boss’s office.
“That team out there really enjoys that project. It’s a smaller project for that region, but a really exciting, high-profile project. And I think they’ve got the method now pretty well licked,” he said. “There’s a short time to set it up and a short time to tear it down. And we’re certainly excited to be a part of it.”
Christman, which was founded in 1894 and has been doing business in Michigan for more than 100 years, has plenty of other projects closer to home. They include the renovation of the Michigan Central Station in Corktown, the Accident Fund national headquarters in Lansing, multiple Detroit Public Schools projects and the redevelopment of the GSA Theodore Levin U.S. Courthouse in Detroit.
Luther has been with the company since 2008 and said it has grown from 300 employees to almost a thousand across the country during that time. He spoke to Crain’s about:
1:25 - His career trajectory and how Christman Co. has changed over time
2:25 - How they are handling labor shortages
3:25 - What is being done to bring new people into the trades
7:30 – Overcoming rising building costs
9:30 – Delayed projects
10:40 – Handling union battles
11:50 – Other challenges in the industry
12:40 – How they choose their projects
14:25 – If preservation strategy in Detroit needs to change
16:15 – Christman’s tie to the presidential election and a very special souvenir
18:05 – Why going after clients is more important than projects
20:15 – How to promote diversity in the construction industry
22:25 – The importance of mentorship
23:35 – Life outside of work
24:25 – His biggest failure and how he overcame it
What we talked about:
2:00 - The state of McKinley and how the business has changed over 30 years
3:05 -Why they are staying in the workforce housing market
4:40 - Why they won't be expanding to regions outside of Ann Arbor and Orlando
12:40 - How they handle rising rents
14:00 - How to improve affordable housing
16:50 - How they retain staffers
18:10 - What they are doing for a succession plan
18:55 - What it was like coming to the U.S as a refugee
19:55 - His management style and how he uses social media
22:15 - His biggest mistake in business and how he overcame it
Monique Becker and Elyse Wolf call each other "sisters since four."
They went to school together and live together. And in the last five years, the two have navigated the challenges of parlaying a lifelong friendship into a business partnership. It hasn't always been easy.
"The work never ends," says Becker. "It's really hard to have any types of boundaries."
"We definitely have other friends who have to remind us to pump the breaks on things," added Wolf.
The 28-year-olds are now developing properties into multi-unit housing and Airbnb properties in Detroit while doing their own general contracting and management through their company Mona Lisa Living. They've also purchased an 11-acre property near Mackinaw City with a lake which they plan to turn into an elevated camp and cabin experience.
"It just kind of started from that idea of really wanting a place to be able to go and rest our minds and be creative and just explore Northern Michigan," Wolf said.
Listen for more on:
1:25 - Challenges of going into business with your friend
3:20 - Dividing the workload
4:35 - Getting help from family
6:30 - Why they rebranded
7:30 - Why they chose to develop in the Virginia Park neighborhood
9:10 - What it's like to renovate and live in a duplex
10:35 - Why co-living spaces and equitable development are important to them
13:45 - How to overcome financing issues
17:15 - How their vision has changed for their company
19:15 - Why they are expanding to Up North
25:15 - Challenges of being young women in a field dominated by older men
29:15 - Their biggest mistake in business
Rainy Hamilton Jr., is captivated by trains — so much so that he has transformed the basement of his English Tudor home in Detroit's University District to make room for a massive model train setup.
Trains are colorful, he says. They move people and goods. And they are always going somewhere.
"I'm tempted to actually write a song or a poem in terms of what is the attraction to model railroading," he said. "People that know me have come to listen to the sound of the train whistle..."
Hamilton's career is definitely on track these days, with his architecture firm Hamilton Anderson Associates having a hand in one of the largest projects in the city, the Hudson's site development, as well as smaller efforts like The Hamilton apartments, his firm's building at Harmonie Park and the Motown Museum expansion, among others.
Hamilton was born, raised, and educated in Detroit – and built his business here in the city. He’s a graduate of Cass Tech and The University of Detroit Mercy. His firm, started in 1992, is one of the largest African-American-owned architectural firms in the U.S. He is committed to sustainable architecture and planning projects — and he’s remained committed to building up his hometown and preserving its history.
He never wanted to leave the city where he was born.
"I'm glad I didn't leave," he said, "because adding to that lifelong knowledge of Detroit just added to our ability to craft design solutions for any project that occurs in the city."
Listen in to hear Hamilton talk about:
1:30 - Updates on his current projects
4:25- Trends he has seen in workspace design after the pandemic
6:35 - Diversifying the field of architecture
10:30 - Keeping local jobs with local firms
14:05 - His passion for model railroading and opening his hobby store
16:40 - Why he stayed in Detroit and what he sees in his hometown
19:50 - His favorite projects
21:35 - How he found his dream home
23:30 - Succession planning
24:30 - His biggest failure in business and how he overcame it
25:10 - How he came up with one of the catchiest political slogans in Michigan
We are joined by the family behind Friedman Real Estate. Headquartered in Farmington Hills, the firm handles brokerage, property management, construction and design services in metro Detroit and around the country. It’s all led by patriarch David Friedman – the co-founder, president, and CEO – whose company’s portfolio includes more than 15 million square feet of commercial space and more than 13,000 multi-family units. We’re also joined by his sons Jared, the senior managing director, and Jordan, a managing director. Together they are responsible for properties like the Galleria Officentre complex in Southfield, Oakland Technology Park in Auburn Hills, North Troy Corporate Park and the Arboretum Office Park in Farmington Hills among others.
Sonya Mays is the President and CEO of Develop Detroit, a real estate and housing development company. Prior to that, she served as senior advisor to Detroit’s emergency manager, helping guide the city though its municipal bankruptcy. Through the years she’s been an investment banker, attorney, teacher and a member of the Detroit Public School’s Board of Education. We’re also joined by Amin Irving, the founder, president and CEO of Ginosko Development Company, a Novi-based company focused on affordable housing. Before that, he was a data analyst working for a Medicaid HMO. He’s also a recovering investment banker.
Our guest this week has spent over 40 years at Southfield-based apartment company Village Green. Diane Batayeh is one of only a half-dozen women in the top executive role among the largest apartment management companies in the country. As CEO, she oversees client services and property management of a $10 billion portfolio of about 43,000 apartments nationwide. She rose through the company’s ranks, starting out as a part-time leasing agent in 1980 while she attended the University of Michigan. Over the years, she’s worked in the company’s investment, development, finance and construction businesses, as well as in other roles in management.
Kevin Johnson is a leader in the world of economic development. He has 30 years of experience creating jobs and spearheading capital investment with stints in Arizona, Florida, North Carolina and Georgia. Johnson has been serving as the CEO of the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation since June 2018, and during that time, he has focused on access, inclusion and financial growth for Detroit businesses big and small. Most recently, he played an integral part in bringing Fiat Chrysler’s $4.5 billion plant investment to Detroit and, with it, thousands of jobs.
Antoine Bryant is a relative newcomer to the city of Detroit, but he’s no stranger to community engagement, housing development and urban planning. He has more than 25 years of experience in planning and design, development and empowerment across the U.S. He comes to us from Houston where he lived for 15 years and advocated for new development in underserved communities. He arrived here last summer following a national search, and he’s currently making strides as the director of planning and development for the city of Detroit.