WEBVTT - J. Byron's $900 Million Project on Chicago's South Side 0:00:00.240 --> 0:00:03.080 Check me out at the annual Black Effect Podcast Festival, 0:00:03.160 --> 0:00:06.800 happening Saturday, April twenty seventh in Atlanta. Live podcasts are 0:00:06.800 --> 0:00:09.440 on deck from some of your favorite shows, including this one, 0:00:09.520 --> 0:00:11.760 Black Tech, Green Money, and also some of the best 0:00:11.800 --> 0:00:14.440 podcasts in the game like Deeply Well with Debbie Brown 0:00:14.560 --> 0:00:17.480 and Carefully Reckless. Atlanta is one of my favorite cities 0:00:17.480 --> 0:00:19.479 in the world. I've lived there for two years. Actually, 0:00:19.680 --> 0:00:23.000 in my worldview, seeing a successful in every industry and 0:00:23.040 --> 0:00:25.840 not having any limits on our potential largely was shaped 0:00:25.840 --> 0:00:28.040 by Atlanta. So to be there with you doing this 0:00:28.160 --> 0:00:31.360 podcast talking about how we build or leverage technology to 0:00:31.360 --> 0:00:34.120 bill wealth. Come on, man, doesn't get better. I want 0:00:34.120 --> 0:00:36.240 to see you there. Get your tickets today at Black 0:00:36.240 --> 0:00:41.120 Effect dot comback Slash Podcast Festival. I'm with Lucas and 0:00:41.200 --> 0:00:45.159 this is Black Tech, Green Money. Jay Biron is the 0:00:45.200 --> 0:00:49.000 lead develop brad Woodlong Central, a nine hundred million dollar 0:00:49.080 --> 0:00:54.280 economic development project on Chicago's South Side. The massive project 0:00:54.320 --> 0:00:59.720 will include a boutique hotel, call center, data center, residential buildings, theater, 0:01:00.120 --> 0:01:03.400 urban farm, and micro grid, and there are plans to 0:01:03.440 --> 0:01:07.039 integrate technology. A lot of technology like ai AR and 0:01:07.120 --> 0:01:10.920 VR to assist with the community, health, safety, education, and 0:01:10.959 --> 0:01:15.240 tourism aspects of the project in the developing with the community, 0:01:15.400 --> 0:01:18.679 not in spite of it. This project focuses on economic 0:01:18.760 --> 0:01:24.560 development without displacement. There's this pervasive South Side of Chicago 0:01:24.760 --> 0:01:27.319 narrative that exists focusing on how rough it can be 0:01:28.120 --> 0:01:30.880 in the stereotype echoes out of many majority black or 0:01:30.959 --> 0:01:34.360 minority communities. But Jay Byron and his partners then just 0:01:34.480 --> 0:01:37.840 let that perspective continue, but are actively working to change 0:01:37.840 --> 0:01:41.640 it with entrepreneurial efforts. So what was the catalyst that 0:01:41.760 --> 0:01:42.839 joven to engage? 0:01:43.160 --> 0:01:47.360 The media does a terrible job at representing the Chicago 0:01:47.480 --> 0:01:48.440 go in. 0:01:48.280 --> 0:01:49.760 Its true form. 0:01:51.480 --> 0:01:54.560 It's not even the top ten and most dangerous cities 0:01:54.600 --> 0:01:59.000 if you look at statistics. But being that this is 0:01:59.040 --> 0:02:04.880 a church driven project and the church has been there 0:02:04.960 --> 0:02:09.560 for ninety years, both my grandfather and my father are 0:02:09.680 --> 0:02:14.560 community activist, and my grandfather did about seventeen developments within Woodlawn. 0:02:15.320 --> 0:02:19.440 Woodland is probably one of the most organized Black communities. 0:02:19.880 --> 0:02:24.760 It really functions on four major pillars economic development, health, education, 0:02:25.400 --> 0:02:26.080 and safety. 0:02:26.600 --> 0:02:30.120 And so in regards to your question about safety, you. 0:02:30.160 --> 0:02:34.520 Have to make sure that you are highlighting the positive 0:02:34.600 --> 0:02:35.679 sides of. 0:02:35.680 --> 0:02:38.920 What can be within the community, and. 0:02:38.880 --> 0:02:42.480 It comes from a private development space or a private 0:02:42.520 --> 0:02:46.639 investment space. And so the more people from the community 0:02:46.760 --> 0:02:50.400 invest in the community, the safer it becomes. So when 0:02:50.440 --> 0:02:55.799 you have high economic development and safety, then you have 0:02:56.000 --> 0:03:02.560 low needs for health and lower needs or higher needs 0:03:02.600 --> 0:03:07.280 for education. And so you know it. In the media, 0:03:07.360 --> 0:03:10.000 they don't do a very good job, but we feel 0:03:10.080 --> 0:03:14.280 that when you invest privately into the community, it is 0:03:14.639 --> 0:03:18.400 it is eminent that the economics become better for everyone. 0:03:18.760 --> 0:03:21.040 So let's talk about that. For the people who are 0:03:21.040 --> 0:03:24.919 not very familiar with Woodlawn Central, can you explain what 0:03:25.000 --> 0:03:26.440 this project is? 0:03:27.760 --> 0:03:32.959 Sure, Woodlawn Central is a catalyst development from a much 0:03:33.080 --> 0:03:36.440 larger full community plan that we did in. 0:03:36.480 --> 0:03:38.240 Pre pandemic, and we coined that. 0:03:38.240 --> 0:03:41.920 As a twenty sixty planet And so it's about bringing 0:03:42.840 --> 0:03:48.920 culture and identifiable culture to what we understand is the 0:03:48.920 --> 0:03:51.080 black community. And so when you look around and you 0:03:51.120 --> 0:03:54.960 see Chinatown and Ukrainian Village and Little Italy and Retown, 0:03:55.080 --> 0:04:01.480 there's an ethnic centric sustainability that we have not yet 0:04:01.560 --> 0:04:02.320 been able. 0:04:02.080 --> 0:04:05.600 To benefit from. 0:04:06.400 --> 0:04:09.040 And we haven't seen this kind of complete community in 0:04:09.120 --> 0:04:13.000 over one hundred years since Greenwood, but Woodland Central is 0:04:13.200 --> 0:04:20.440 that future understanding of that future manifestation of if Greenwood 0:04:20.480 --> 0:04:22.800 had never happened from. 0:04:22.680 --> 0:04:23.840 The devastation of it. 0:04:24.960 --> 0:04:28.000 So we're looking at house not just housing, but also 0:04:28.040 --> 0:04:30.679 commercial space. So with non Central is about eight hundred 0:04:30.720 --> 0:04:34.640 and seventy mixed use sorry mixed. 0:04:34.320 --> 0:04:38.000 Income housing, affordable to market. 0:04:37.720 --> 0:04:41.160 Rate and some luxury, so two hundred and fifteen thousand 0:04:41.200 --> 0:04:43.040 grow square feet of commercial space. 0:04:43.920 --> 0:04:46.400 We have a. 0:04:45.440 --> 0:04:48.840 Business center which is consist of a data center and 0:04:48.920 --> 0:04:51.600 a digital resource center that's focused. 0:04:51.200 --> 0:05:00.159 On aiar VR for the training and development for the 0:05:00.200 --> 0:05:01.159 youth and adults. 0:05:01.600 --> 0:05:03.560 We have a one hundred and fifty four key hotel, 0:05:05.960 --> 0:05:07.800 a new headhouse for our transit. 0:05:08.920 --> 0:05:10.159 We have a micro grid. 0:05:10.360 --> 0:05:13.960 It's about eleven thousand square for microgrid that powers the 0:05:14.120 --> 0:05:17.520 entire campus itself. In some of the community, we have 0:05:17.839 --> 0:05:21.520 five hundred and thirty thousand cubic feet of vertical farming 0:05:21.560 --> 0:05:24.719 space which renders about three tons of produce annually. 0:05:25.440 --> 0:05:27.440 So we can source for the community. 0:05:27.000 --> 0:05:31.520 As well as a distribution model. In Illinois, every grocer 0:05:31.600 --> 0:05:33.919 has to source locally, so it's a really good model 0:05:34.000 --> 0:05:37.479 for the community to not just benefit from food resourcing 0:05:37.800 --> 0:05:41.360 but it's also a good economic opportunity as well. We're 0:05:41.440 --> 0:05:47.880 going to replace the parking since the project is on. 0:05:49.680 --> 0:05:53.919 The church parking facility. It's about eight acres of parking. 0:05:54.880 --> 0:06:01.440 That doctor Brazier, after some coaxing, said, Okay, yeah, that 0:06:01.720 --> 0:06:05.640 sounds good. I like the sustainability model. And so it's 0:06:05.760 --> 0:06:08.800 it's a it's a it's a really large project, about 0:06:08.839 --> 0:06:12.839 eight hundred and ninety five million dollars uh, and we're 0:06:13.160 --> 0:06:14.640 real close to groundbreaking. 0:06:15.760 --> 0:06:18.320 And so when you think about you mentioned the micro 0:06:18.360 --> 0:06:20.960 grid and other things, when you think about what's different 0:06:21.000 --> 0:06:25.240 about this project versus many other you know, economic development 0:06:25.279 --> 0:06:32.200 community development projects with your focus on integrating technology and sustainability, Like, 0:06:32.360 --> 0:06:35.840 how are you hoping to change the outcomes for our 0:06:35.880 --> 0:06:40.279 people in these communities when you rely on those sorts 0:06:40.320 --> 0:06:42.239 of assets and features. 0:06:43.520 --> 0:06:45.839 Yeah, that's a great question. One of the one of 0:06:45.880 --> 0:06:49.080 the things that in our in our musing about the 0:06:49.160 --> 0:06:55.080 development itself is we have to kind of leap frog 0:06:55.160 --> 0:06:59.600 one hundred years of the lack of social and economic 0:06:59.640 --> 0:07:03.240 sustains ability and then leap frog another thirty years into 0:07:03.600 --> 0:07:04.640 the future. 0:07:04.800 --> 0:07:08.479 Of which is you know, eminence of AI being. 0:07:08.320 --> 0:07:12.560 Completely integrated within the next ten years, and so we're 0:07:12.600 --> 0:07:16.840 going to focus on making sure that those who have 0:07:17.040 --> 0:07:21.680 the ability to learn new skills and technology that they 0:07:21.800 --> 0:07:27.120 benefit from that in a in a career startup, or 0:07:27.160 --> 0:07:29.160 even a jobs process. 0:07:30.560 --> 0:07:34.680 This also brings social sustainability. As we're looking. 0:07:34.320 --> 0:07:39.320 At creating Woodland Central as a community innovation district, we're 0:07:39.360 --> 0:07:42.119 looking at making sure that there's a digital master plan 0:07:42.600 --> 0:07:45.480 that goes along with the physical master plan, which is your. 0:07:45.400 --> 0:07:47.960 Plumbing and electrical and what have you. 0:07:48.080 --> 0:07:50.680 So we want to make sure that we're setting up 0:07:50.680 --> 0:07:55.120 the community to be an arm of a smart city. 0:07:55.480 --> 0:07:57.520 So you have a smart city, but then you also 0:07:57.560 --> 0:08:00.600 have a smart community that can access us all of 0:08:00.720 --> 0:08:02.360 the information and make. 0:08:02.240 --> 0:08:06.560 Sure that we are as up to date on. 0:08:06.680 --> 0:08:13.200 All of our technology, which really will help exponentially in 0:08:13.320 --> 0:08:14.920 economic development and education. 0:08:16.280 --> 0:08:20.120 And so I found this quote from you in a 0:08:20.120 --> 0:08:23.200 different story where you said technology is a tool and 0:08:23.240 --> 0:08:25.480 it should be used as a tool and not a solution. 0:08:26.080 --> 0:08:29.720 It should be humanity over technology as opposed to technology 0:08:29.760 --> 0:08:32.720 over humanity. Can you say more about that? 0:08:34.679 --> 0:08:38.840 Absolutely, I think everybody is really afraid of AI taking 0:08:38.880 --> 0:08:43.120 their jobs and taking over and making decisions for us. 0:08:43.280 --> 0:08:46.840 And I think that if we allow. 0:08:48.200 --> 0:08:51.840 Technology to become the solution, then I think those things 0:08:51.840 --> 0:08:52.440 will happen. 0:08:52.880 --> 0:08:54.559 So it's really up to us to. 0:08:54.559 --> 0:08:57.560 Make sure that we are being thoughtful about the social 0:08:57.600 --> 0:09:01.680 and economic approach that that looks at the immediate need, 0:09:02.080 --> 0:09:05.320 the future need, and the extreme forecast to make sure 0:09:05.400 --> 0:09:09.880 that these new technologies are that are coming up actually 0:09:09.920 --> 0:09:14.080 fit into a model of our own sustainability where humanity 0:09:14.320 --> 0:09:18.720 is always at the forefront of everything that we do. 0:09:18.960 --> 0:09:20.719 And I feel like though we. 0:09:20.720 --> 0:09:25.600 Are building buildings, we need to also build people, and 0:09:25.679 --> 0:09:30.160 in building people, we must have a humanitarian approach to it. 0:09:31.440 --> 0:09:31.880 I love that. 0:09:31.920 --> 0:09:35.920 I love it. So as a tool, how do you 0:09:36.040 --> 0:09:40.400 see these technologies enhancing both the resident experience and the 0:09:40.480 --> 0:09:45.760 overall you know, economic ecosystem for the community? 0:09:45.880 --> 0:09:49.920 Sure, the educator, I mean communications is probably I think 0:09:50.000 --> 0:09:54.679 one of the greatest opportunities that create us to use 0:09:54.720 --> 0:09:59.199 technology as a tool are smart buildings, being able to 0:09:59.320 --> 0:10:05.720 access information as quickly as possible. Information is so fast 0:10:06.120 --> 0:10:08.680 and it's going to become even faster, and to be 0:10:08.720 --> 0:10:12.280 able to access information at the rate of which it 0:10:12.360 --> 0:10:16.960 is coming out, and having the technology being able to accommodate. 0:10:16.840 --> 0:10:20.559 For anything that we need to be ready for whether. 0:10:20.360 --> 0:10:24.720 It's a blackout or another pandemic or you know, or 0:10:24.760 --> 0:10:29.079 even an event, being able to use that technology also 0:10:29.360 --> 0:10:34.800 to stay up on our bills, to stay up on 0:10:35.160 --> 0:10:40.120 our utilities, knowing how much we're using and how much 0:10:40.280 --> 0:10:44.240 we can say. And so it's it comes down to 0:10:45.640 --> 0:10:51.360 mitigating the risk for the for the investors as well 0:10:51.400 --> 0:10:54.160 as the developers and especially the residents. 0:10:54.760 --> 0:10:57.480 Right that, I was looking at your website and there's 0:10:57.520 --> 0:11:01.080 this phrase in there, you know, development without displacement, which 0:11:01.080 --> 0:11:03.480 I really thought was cool. And and you mentioned this 0:11:03.559 --> 0:11:05.520 a little bit when you're talking about you know, building 0:11:05.520 --> 0:11:09.440 on parking lines versus you know, taking over other housing. 0:11:09.520 --> 0:11:13.560 And so can you elaborate on like the strategies maybe 0:11:13.600 --> 0:11:17.400 initiatives that are in place to achieve this without you know, 0:11:17.960 --> 0:11:21.800 the negative sort of gentrification that has happened in other places. 0:11:22.600 --> 0:11:27.760 Right absolutely, the the my background in urban planning, one 0:11:27.760 --> 0:11:30.600 of the things that happens a lot is especially within 0:11:30.640 --> 0:11:32.240 our community, is people. 0:11:31.960 --> 0:11:35.839 From the urban planning side are don't look like us. 0:11:36.200 --> 0:11:38.520 And so they're coming in and they're really kind of 0:11:38.559 --> 0:11:41.520 checking the box and they're saying, okay, talk to the community. 0:11:41.640 --> 0:11:44.920 Check right, the community. 0:11:44.480 --> 0:11:49.000 Is in favor check and really are absent of the 0:11:49.120 --> 0:11:55.000 lived experience for us and for our community, and so 0:11:55.080 --> 0:11:59.320 it's almost impossible for them to develop our community and 0:11:59.440 --> 0:12:03.520 somehow it not affect us in a negative way. So 0:12:03.600 --> 0:12:07.840 the idea of development without displacement is based on the 0:12:07.840 --> 0:12:10.720 fact that it's development from the inside out. It's coming 0:12:10.760 --> 0:12:14.080 from the community that says, here's what we understand is 0:12:14.080 --> 0:12:17.439 our needs. Here are the things that we understand as 0:12:17.520 --> 0:12:22.520 a process to uh plan development or urban development and designed. 0:12:22.960 --> 0:12:24.040 Here are the things. 0:12:23.840 --> 0:12:27.959 That we know that will need our children's children's children will. 0:12:27.800 --> 0:12:29.920 Need within this process. 0:12:30.600 --> 0:12:36.240 And and that that helps mitigate again the risk of displacement. 0:12:36.760 --> 0:12:43.559 And because also that this is a church driven project. 0:12:43.679 --> 0:12:44.679 And I want to say this. 0:12:44.760 --> 0:12:48.199 That that I know, I know lately churches have been 0:12:48.280 --> 0:12:53.240 kind of a complex conversation. But the church is the 0:12:53.280 --> 0:12:57.040 only and longest standing organization within the Black community and 0:12:57.679 --> 0:13:01.280 is also the only organization and that can do projects 0:13:01.360 --> 0:13:08.120 at this level, and so it takes the church. Let 0:13:08.120 --> 0:13:12.120 me say that the survival of our community squarely lies 0:13:12.160 --> 0:13:16.679 on the shoulders of the church. And I've gotten doctor 0:13:16.679 --> 0:13:20.520 Brazier to understand that in many different ways. And one 0:13:20.520 --> 0:13:22.760 of the things that he has publicly announced is that 0:13:22.800 --> 0:13:26.240 he's going to take ten percent of the profit of 0:13:26.280 --> 0:13:31.160 Woodland Central and recirculated into the community as a CDFI. 0:13:31.760 --> 0:13:36.679 So that way, when taxes and things do raise, just based. 0:13:36.480 --> 0:13:36.800 Upon the. 0:13:38.400 --> 0:13:44.600 Natural development process, that there will be grants and sponsorships, 0:13:44.800 --> 0:13:48.440 scholarships for residents, current residents who. 0:13:48.320 --> 0:13:51.160 Will be able to stay in their homes. So, I know, 0:13:51.200 --> 0:13:53.760 I kind of you know, it's a little bit. 0:13:53.679 --> 0:13:57.600 Of a longer story, but I think that we have 0:13:57.720 --> 0:14:02.880 to thread the idea of displacement or development without displacement 0:14:03.040 --> 0:14:04.520 really comes from the inside out. 0:14:04.840 --> 0:14:07.800 Yeah, I was reading up on this and you talk 0:14:07.840 --> 0:14:12.800 a lot about like sustainability, particularly in regards to energy generation. 0:14:13.880 --> 0:14:16.120 Can you talk about you know, you mentioned micro grids 0:14:16.160 --> 0:14:17.559 a little bit, but can you talk about what you're 0:14:17.600 --> 0:14:20.040 doing with micro grid and and other efforts that you 0:14:20.120 --> 0:14:21.080 might be working on here. 0:14:22.040 --> 0:14:25.440 Absolutely, the microgrid is is really important and probably would 0:14:25.600 --> 0:14:28.680 be one of the first things that go in. Even 0:14:28.720 --> 0:14:31.000 though it's not one of those kind of like sexy, 0:14:31.320 --> 0:14:35.880 you know buildings and you know, architectural type of aspects 0:14:35.920 --> 0:14:39.200 to the project, it really is kind of the cornerstone 0:14:39.800 --> 0:14:44.320 of the energy sustainability. As a data center, really takes 0:14:44.400 --> 0:14:46.920 up a lot of power, and. 0:14:46.680 --> 0:14:50.400 So to make make the data center. 0:14:50.440 --> 0:14:57.960 And and the overall digital infrastructure makes sense, the microgrid 0:14:58.040 --> 0:15:00.000 in and of itself is is really important. 0:15:00.680 --> 0:15:00.960 UH. 0:15:01.000 --> 0:15:06.400 And one of the things that I like about where 0:15:06.480 --> 0:15:09.160 the direction we're going in is we're actually creating a 0:15:09.200 --> 0:15:15.640 command center that that uses uh the power and calculates 0:15:15.680 --> 0:15:19.480 and analyzes how much power is going to uh the 0:15:19.720 --> 0:15:22.920 vertical farm, how much is going to the residents, how 0:15:23.000 --> 0:15:25.800 much is going to and and it's it's an opportunity 0:15:25.840 --> 0:15:28.920 to do waste management and utility management. 0:15:29.480 --> 0:15:31.320 And without the microgrid, we. 0:15:31.320 --> 0:15:35.480 Wouldn't be able to actually use those those kind of 0:15:35.600 --> 0:15:40.280 technological tools without without having that level without. 0:15:41.560 --> 0:15:44.760 So I we talk a lot about home ownership, and 0:15:44.840 --> 0:15:49.680 home ownership has been largely, you know, preached as a 0:15:49.720 --> 0:15:55.040 way to build wealth, you know, generationally, and I think about, well, 0:15:55.280 --> 0:16:00.479 I guess my question is how does Woodlawn consider facilitating 0:16:00.560 --> 0:16:03.240 home ownership or encouraging home ownership, Like, how does this 0:16:03.320 --> 0:16:06.040 opportunity play out so that the residents and people who 0:16:06.080 --> 0:16:10.720 are taking advantage of what you're building, they're able to 0:16:10.720 --> 0:16:12.040 build that generational wealth. 0:16:13.360 --> 0:16:16.320 Yeah, home ownership is really important to us. 0:16:17.040 --> 0:16:20.680 Affordable home ownership is really important to us. As a 0:16:20.720 --> 0:16:25.760 district development, We're not doing any single family homes, but 0:16:26.120 --> 0:16:32.440 this development will catalyze additional development which will bring more 0:16:32.480 --> 0:16:36.600 single family homes. But to your point of generational wealth, 0:16:36.760 --> 0:16:39.840 I think I would be remiss to not talk about. 0:16:39.560 --> 0:16:44.280 The generational practices that lead to generational wealth and commit 0:16:44.600 --> 0:16:51.960 and woodland Central because it's based in a culture over commerce, ideology, 0:16:52.800 --> 0:16:57.120 or philosophy. One of the things that we want to do, 0:16:57.800 --> 0:17:01.440 just intrinsically is make sure that we are creating processes 0:17:01.480 --> 0:17:05.399 and procedures on how we operate one to another and 0:17:05.520 --> 0:17:08.840 how do we buy trades, cell give, borrow, live, learn. 0:17:09.040 --> 0:17:11.720 All of these things come to play when we're talking 0:17:11.720 --> 0:17:13.200 about generational wealth. 0:17:13.840 --> 0:17:17.240 Uh and and so when you look at other ethnic groups, 0:17:17.359 --> 0:17:20.600 they have antiquitous culture that they get. 0:17:20.440 --> 0:17:23.119 To rely on, which which which comes out in what 0:17:23.160 --> 0:17:24.040 they call customers. 0:17:24.119 --> 0:17:27.200 Right. So this customary way on how their kids raise 0:17:27.280 --> 0:17:29.040 their kids and so forth and so on, and then 0:17:29.040 --> 0:17:30.840 how they take care of their grandparents and. 0:17:31.359 --> 0:17:32.600 How they take care of each other. 0:17:33.280 --> 0:17:36.000 I want to be able to utilize this as an 0:17:36.040 --> 0:17:40.359 opportunity to begin to look at how we re emerge 0:17:40.440 --> 0:17:46.199 into a holistic community that then at the end of 0:17:46.240 --> 0:17:50.119 it becomes generational wealth and a self determination. 0:17:50.400 --> 0:17:54.280 Yeah, and so I try not to position questions about, 0:17:54.480 --> 0:17:56.679 you know, being a black real estate developer, how do 0:17:56.720 --> 0:17:59.800 you work when is mostly white real estate developers around you? 0:17:59.840 --> 0:18:02.320 But like, how do you how do you navigate this? 0:18:02.680 --> 0:18:06.240 Obviously successfully and in the city as big as Chicago. 0:18:07.920 --> 0:18:13.720 Yeah, So nationally there's about one hundred and twelve thousand developers, 0:18:13.880 --> 0:18:20.359 and eleven hundred thousand them are not black, So we 0:18:20.440 --> 0:18:22.200 are a very small. 0:18:23.880 --> 0:18:26.119 Population within the industry. 0:18:26.920 --> 0:18:30.359 And so it is it is not for you know, 0:18:30.760 --> 0:18:33.320 the fate of heart, you know, this process of development, 0:18:33.440 --> 0:18:36.520 because you're dealing with with a number of different industries, 0:18:36.560 --> 0:18:41.040 from the financial industry to the construction industry to the 0:18:41.119 --> 0:18:46.520 community itself. And so I find it very interesting because 0:18:46.560 --> 0:18:51.440 I get to deploy a lot of the international education 0:18:51.560 --> 0:18:54.000 that I have, you know, from from you know, kind 0:18:54.000 --> 0:18:57.920 of doing independent studies overseas and saying this is how 0:18:57.960 --> 0:19:00.560 culture is built. So I kind kind of get to 0:19:00.600 --> 0:19:03.879 start in a space, in a blank space that says 0:19:04.240 --> 0:19:07.639 you don't know how to create valuation for the black community, 0:19:07.880 --> 0:19:10.639 So let me show you how it's done. 0:19:10.680 --> 0:19:12.800 And I'm not making anything up. 0:19:12.840 --> 0:19:15.800 What I'm doing is just mirroring all of the all 0:19:15.800 --> 0:19:18.000 of the other cultures. 0:19:17.440 --> 0:19:21.760 That that that have a of having a purview of 0:19:21.800 --> 0:19:25.679 a higher valuation, but utilizing that and doing it in 0:19:25.680 --> 0:19:30.720 a way that is industry industry industry standard, and and 0:19:30.800 --> 0:19:36.440 in in terms that these specific industries can can can understand. 0:19:36.520 --> 0:19:40.560 So I make no small plans. And I think that's 0:19:40.600 --> 0:19:43.439 the biggest that's the biggest thing to do because you've 0:19:43.440 --> 0:19:45.399 got people, you know, they don't want to talk to 0:19:45.440 --> 0:19:48.439 you unless you're talking about something, you know, above fifty 0:19:48.440 --> 0:19:52.440 million dollars. So so you got to you know, aim 0:19:52.480 --> 0:19:54.840 as high as you can in that space. And and 0:19:54.920 --> 0:19:59.840 I think that's what really tracks investors and being a 0:20:00.119 --> 0:20:01.200 to navigate. 0:20:00.840 --> 0:20:04.040 Through some of the processes. 0:20:04.760 --> 0:20:07.399 Yeah, I want to talk about what you just mentioned 0:20:07.480 --> 0:20:09.840 right there, because you know, people don't want to talk 0:20:09.840 --> 0:20:13.760 about little bitty projects. And you know what holds up 0:20:13.880 --> 0:20:17.720 so many black entrepreneurs or would be black entrepreneurs is 0:20:17.760 --> 0:20:20.440 they see what it might take them to get started, 0:20:20.480 --> 0:20:23.040 and you see these stickers of you know, it's going 0:20:23.080 --> 0:20:24.880 to take one hundred thousand dollars to do this thing. 0:20:24.880 --> 0:20:26.560 It's going to take a million dollars to do this thing, 0:20:26.560 --> 0:20:29.360 and you got a nine hundred million dollar project here, 0:20:29.800 --> 0:20:31.720 and it's kind of like, you know, or how do 0:20:31.760 --> 0:20:34.000 you eat an elephant one by at a time? Like 0:20:34.080 --> 0:20:36.879 when you see this nine hundred million dollar project that 0:20:36.920 --> 0:20:39.639 you're embarking on, that doesn't mean you have nine hundred 0:20:39.640 --> 0:20:42.119 million dollars in the bank, and so so how do 0:20:42.200 --> 0:20:48.520 you so how do you put together the strategy as 0:20:48.640 --> 0:20:50.879 somebody who doesn't have nine hundred million dollars in the 0:20:50.920 --> 0:20:52.680 bank to say, you know what, this is what we're 0:20:52.720 --> 0:20:57.280 going to do. These are the steps to doing it. 0:20:58.200 --> 0:21:01.320 First and foremost, you have to have a vision, right, 0:21:01.400 --> 0:21:03.439 you have to you have to know exactly what you 0:21:03.480 --> 0:21:03.960 want to do. 0:21:05.080 --> 0:21:09.320 Our community is very is unique. 0:21:09.160 --> 0:21:13.119 In the approach because there's a there's a bit of 0:21:13.160 --> 0:21:16.280 a lack of infrastructure that that other communities have. 0:21:17.040 --> 0:21:20.560 So when we're looking at at how to. 0:21:20.760 --> 0:21:24.480 Do other smaller projects that are black owned and driven, 0:21:25.000 --> 0:21:26.680 they have to be catalyzed through. 0:21:26.560 --> 0:21:28.840 Larger projects like with mon cential. 0:21:29.000 --> 0:21:33.000 So so so there's something referential that says this worked 0:21:33.040 --> 0:21:36.679 over here, so therefore it can work over here. Because 0:21:36.800 --> 0:21:39.240 when you look at it as a whole, it's the 0:21:39.240 --> 0:21:40.520 condition that's the same. 0:21:41.280 --> 0:21:43.960 The location may be different, but we in. 0:21:43.960 --> 0:21:47.560 Our community need specific things in order for for us 0:21:47.600 --> 0:21:49.800 to be sustainable. And even if you do it one 0:21:49.800 --> 0:21:53.239 piece at a time, it's okay. At the at the 0:21:53.320 --> 0:21:56.639 onset of this where we're at right now, district development 0:21:57.040 --> 0:22:03.560 is is really important because it doesn't just change the characteristics. 0:22:02.840 --> 0:22:06.240 Of the community, it actually changes the condition. So if 0:22:06.280 --> 0:22:06.720 I was a. 0:22:06.680 --> 0:22:10.280 Smaller developer and I saw a project like ULN Central, 0:22:10.640 --> 0:22:13.560 I would actually reach out to that developer and say, hey, 0:22:14.040 --> 0:22:16.560 you know, where can I fit into this? Because I 0:22:16.640 --> 0:22:18.840 know that if I'm a part of this, then I 0:22:18.880 --> 0:22:20.480 can continue to grow. 0:22:20.280 --> 0:22:23.560 And do things, you know, as big as what you're doing. 0:22:24.040 --> 0:22:27.480 So somebody's got to step out and do a nine 0:22:27.520 --> 0:22:30.520 hundred million dollars project. So that way, we're setting the 0:22:30.600 --> 0:22:35.400 precedents and we're setting the pathway for other developers, other 0:22:35.400 --> 0:22:39.440 black developers to actually enter into the industry. 0:22:40.320 --> 0:22:43.600 You had mentioned we're talking about generational wealth that you know, 0:22:43.640 --> 0:22:46.280 sometimes it's not about just home ownership, which is a 0:22:46.320 --> 0:22:48.760 piece of it or could be a piece of generational wealth. 0:22:49.000 --> 0:22:51.639 You said, sometimes it's like the activities and behaviors of 0:22:51.760 --> 0:22:54.159 generational wealth. Can you talk more about that. 0:22:55.560 --> 0:22:56.080 Absolutely. 0:22:56.480 --> 0:22:58.479 You know, one of the things that when you know, 0:22:58.560 --> 0:23:00.920 being being an age was really. 0:23:00.800 --> 0:23:04.960 Kind of the thing that that sparked me about how. 0:23:04.960 --> 0:23:07.200 How they see each other, one to one to one 0:23:07.240 --> 0:23:09.919 to the other, and the things that they do and 0:23:09.960 --> 0:23:11.320 the practices. 0:23:10.800 --> 0:23:11.440 That they do. 0:23:11.680 --> 0:23:14.240 You know, I found that, you know, it was very 0:23:14.240 --> 0:23:18.040 fascinating to me because being you know, from Chicago and 0:23:18.320 --> 0:23:21.840 watching you know, this kind of homogenized group of people 0:23:22.880 --> 0:23:27.280 be able to create such beautiful cities and create such beautiful. 0:23:28.520 --> 0:23:29.720 Cultural aspects. 0:23:30.000 --> 0:23:33.000 So it's about language, it's about food, it's about garb, 0:23:33.080 --> 0:23:35.040 it's about dress. How do we how do we do 0:23:35.080 --> 0:23:40.600 those things? And so I myself cannot create something that says, well, 0:23:40.880 --> 0:23:43.480 here's what we're going to do, right, we all have 0:23:43.640 --> 0:23:46.760 to say, here's a practice that we understand that is 0:23:46.840 --> 0:23:54.400 contributive to the survival of our generational bloodlines from across 0:23:54.440 --> 0:23:57.600 the board. And these are the things. Though we may 0:23:57.680 --> 0:24:02.680 not agree, our agreement is not as important as our 0:24:02.720 --> 0:24:06.360 contribution to the sustainability. And so there's a there's an 0:24:06.440 --> 0:24:11.880 incentivization process within this critical mass that should be created 0:24:11.920 --> 0:24:14.879 for us to understand that at the end of this 0:24:15.040 --> 0:24:16.840