Rod is a real estate strategist specializing in urban and economic revitalization. He helps clients attract business and investment. He has particular expertise in next-generation work districts. He has decades of experience advising cities, universities, and other institutions and investors how to use their real estate to achieve their most important goals.
How I Work
Bold Ideas, Remarkable Results.
Rod’s clients are top leaders concerned about the overall success of their organizations. He shows them how to use real estate to achieve their most important and strategic goals. Rod has worked with and for Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen; Bob Williams, the founder of Whistler Mountain and Surrey City Centre; and Mark Friedman, the Sacramento developer who sparked the midtown renaissance and built the arena complex.
Rod is an MBA, not a planner or economist, and he uses his knowledge of business to produce not just “studies” but strategy for how to compete and win. He starts with what you make and sell to the world, your distinctive competence, who your customers, what they need today, development priorities, and critical actions in the next 12, 18, and 36 months.
Success Stories
While other consultants boast about the number of studies they have completed, Rod can point to more than a billion dollars of results on the ground in places as diverse as Vancouver, Chapel Hill, and Sarasota. His work has helped revitalize old factories, bring biotech development to a college town main street, and provide nuclear power for data centers.
San Leandro, California
Breathing New Life Into An Industrial City
Once a thriving Bay Area industrial center, San Leandro had fallen into a slump, losing companies left and right. What disheartened civic leaders failed to grasp was that the city—even in its darkest days—still possessed the seeds of greatness. I knocked on doors and made discoveries. When I showed the City Council logos of 50 innovative local companies operating under the radar, a collective “We’ve still got it!” jolt of energy ran through the room. City staff used my slogan and strategy, “We Make Things” to fill more than 300,000 square feet in an old Dodge plant and Kellogg cereal factory—with companies brewing beer and designing high-tech products. Today, San Leandro is stealing life science startups from Berkeley.
Kenmore, Washington
A New “Town Green”
Newly incorporated Kenmore had been struggling for more than a decade to create an identifiable town center and welcoming place for residents to gather. After talking with dozens of brokers, developers, and residents, I collaborated with City Manager Rob Karlinsey to reimagine an old shopping center site. We took the project to market, drew 12 enthusiastic bidders, and within five years developers had completed $100 million in new apartments, offices, and medical and restaurant space. Meantime the city used sale proceeds to build a park and indoor winter garden with a coffee shop, fireplace, and meeting rooms that draws residents year-round.
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Industry Comes Up the Hill
For 60 years, this college town in the Research Triangle sat by quietly while the jobs grew up elsewhere. I worked with leaders from town and gown on a strategy to bring the “skunkworks” of major companies downtown and within easy walking distance of UNC. The University’s tech incubator now anchors a newly-renovated office tower, the Town of Chapel Hill will soon finish a $50 million parking garage, and developers backed by international investors are seeking to build 300,000 square feet of lab space.
Let’s Connect
Working Together
Development can be complex and confusing, and a talented, hardworking guide can make all the difference. For nearly 40 years, I have worked with private investors and board room-level decision makers on the strategic use of their real estate. I know how to lead clients through both decision-making and execution. You probably have a lot more options for your property than you realize. Call today to discuss your goals and effective ways of moving forward.
