CEO's Exit Has DDR Facing Questions
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20160718-NEWS--1-NAT-CCI-CL_-- 7/15/2016 4:34 PM Page 1 VOL. 37, NO. 29 JULY 18 - 24, 2016 Business of Life Source Lunch New café Rebol now open in Public Square Restaurateur Bobby George plans to offer healthy food choices. Page 23 Jacqueline Greene, The List CLEVELAND BUSINESS Region’s Top 100 employers. National Lawyers Guild Pages 27, 28, 30, 31 Page 24 RNC IN CLE REAL ESTATE Cleveland, The convention by the numbers CEO’s exit Philly put 50,000 Total number 1,000+Businesses who $20 million has DDR of people expected to come to registered to be included in the Money from the $50 million Cleveland to participate in, report Cleveland 2016 Host Committee federal security grant allocated on spot on or be close to the action supplier guide. for equipment for the 2,500+ law facing surrounding the Republican enforcement officers who will By RON RUTTI National Convention. Buses brought in patrol the city during the 350 convention. That includes 2,000 from around the region to move riot suits and 300 patrol bicycles. questions [email protected] 4,776 Total delegates, delegates and others staying at 2,472, and alternate delegates, area hotels. National political conventions 2,304, from 50 states, five 3.7 miles The length By STAN BULLARD have evolved into cookie-cutter pro- territories and the District of of the interlocking steel barriers ductions. The drama borne from Columbia, that the Republican 135 Hotels the Cleveland that will be used for crowd [email protected] back-room dealings that begat dele- National Committee is expecting 2016 Host Committee has control during the convention. @CrainRltyWriter gates beholden to certain candidates to be Cleveland when the contracted with within 35 miles ■ was eased out four decades ago. convention opens July 18. of downtown Cleveland for the Test yourself: David J. Oakes, the just-deposed Now, with party primaries and more than 16,000 hotel rooms Think you know GOP CEO of DDR Corp., is known to have caucuses determining the nominees needed for convention convention history? frequented Ratatouille, a French- Volunteers for president well before the conven- 8,000 delegates, media, party Take our quiz at Italian fusion restaurant near the expected to help delegates, tions, the assemblies are scripted officials and guests. crainscleveland.com shopping center owner’s Beach- media and other visitors make get-togethers for party stalwarts and wood headquarters, so much that their way in and around Cleveland. springboards into the fall cam- associates who stopped in would ask paigns. Numbers compiled if he had been there that night. The Democrats have the larger 15,000 Credentialed by Jay Miller Milo Valenti, a co-owner of Rata- gatherings, with more than twice as media expected to be touille, said Oakes would sometimes many delegates. The GOP typically working in Quicken Loans show up at 11 p.m. and say he was has the more tranquil conventions. Arena and the Huntington taking a break before going back to “They (Republicans) sit in their Convention Center of the office. chairs. When you watch on TV, you Cleveland. “I told him they must be paying you can see the color of their carpet. a lot of money to work so many Everything is so pretty,” said the Rev. hours,” Valenti said. “He’d just smile.” Leah Daughtry, CEO of the Democra- Valenti is dumbfounded by Oakes’ tic National Convention in Philadel- sudden termination last Monday, phia, her second time as a convention July 11, wondering why the DDR chief. “At our conventions, you don’t board would fire the person who cre- even know there is carpeting. People ated and executed the plan to save are always talking with each other. the company in the recession. Like The aisles are never there.” many observers, he scratches his SEE PHILLY, PAGE 12 head over the outcome. Oakes became CEO in February 2015, at age 36. He had a genuinely meteoric rise at the Beachwood-based company. He joined the big publicly traded owner of shopping centers in 2006 with experience at Cohen & Steers Capital Management and a Goldman Sachs security analyst. Oakes, 38, was the first hire in a strategy by DDR to bring young peo- ple, including recent graduates, into its ranks to train them in its own mold. The switch reflected the mat- uration of the real estate investment trust business because real estate companies historically had relied on hiring older people with on-the- ground experience in commercial property. A CEO of Oakes’ age at an SEE DDR, PAGE 25 Photograph by David Kordalski Entire contents © 2016 by Crain Communications Inc. EIGHT OVER 80 These Clevelanders still give their all to make NEO great FOCUS, Pages 17-22 20160718-NEWS--2-NAT-CCI-CL_-- 7/15/2016 12:59 PM Page 1 20160718-NEWS--3-NAT-CCI-CL_-- 7/15/2016 3:35 PM Page 1 20160718-NEWS--4-NAT-CCI-CL_-- 7/15/2016 2:25 PM Page 1 PAGE 4 z JULY 18 - 24, 2016 z CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS FOR LEASE Falls expands to D.C., adds 14720 FOLTZ INDUSTRIAL PARKWAY STRONGSVILLE, OHIO to communication offerings NEW CONSTRUCTION TO DELIVER OCTOBER 2016 By LYDIA COUTRÉ “I think our goal really is to help companies understand the Wash- [email protected] ington maze, help them build strate- @LydiaCoutre gic relationships at high levels with- in the government, so that they can Falls Communications is adding actually help move their business in • 336,880 SF total available government and public affairs to its either a growth area or in a different (Building 1: 139,440 SF and Building 2: 197,440 SF) strategic communication services in area for that matter,” Medaglia said. Cleveland and has expanded to Harper said she sees opportuni- • Space is divisible to 40,000 SF Washington, D.C., with its first office ties to connect private companies • Building 1: 42 docks; 2 drive-in doors outside the city. with local governments big and The additions are part of the ongo- small, and her passion for and back- • Building 2: 34 docks; 2 drive-in doors ing evolution of the full-service strate- “We didn’t really ground in Cleveland and public af- • 32’ clear ceiling height, ESFR sprinklers, T5 lighting, gic communications and investor re- fairs will support that. Before work- DPSOHSDUNLQJWUXFNFRXUWDQGRIÀFHWRVXLW lations firm, said Rob Falls, president offer the strong ing in the Cleveland mayor’s office, • Minutes from I-71 and I-80 (Ohio Turnpike) and CEO of Falls Communications. Harper was the public relations “We didn’t really offer the strong government manager for Cleveland City Council — even though my background was and a publicist for the Cuyahoga TERRY COYNE, SIOR, CCIM politics — the strong government af- affairs and public County Board of Elections. Vice Chairman fairs and public affairs offering until “In local government, there’s of- 216.453.3001 we could find the best people,” said ten challenges to resources, and www.TerryCoyne.com [email protected] affairs offering Falls, who previously worked on building this practice is a great way Capitol Hill as a press secretary and until we could find for us to help support their internal ran congressional campaigns. resources to do outreach, civic en- “We’ve got that now, both on the na- the best people. gagement, public relations, on major tional and local basis.” policy issues happening in the mo- Leading the Cleveland Govern- We’ve got that ment and also long-term projects,” NOW OFFERING LIMITED & ment and Public Affairs Group as a Harper said. vice president is Maureen Harper, now, both on the The Cleveland Government and NONRECOURSE FINANCING OPTIONS who has 16 years of experience lead- Public Affairs Practice will bring an ing public sector communication ef- understanding of how government Call Northeast Ohio’s #1 Credit Union Commercial Lender national and local forts, including serving as chief of agencies work, assist clients in creat- communications for Cleveland May- basis.” ing and implementing public policy, or Frank G. Jackson for almost nine and demonstrate how to share work years. Harper begins at Falls on — Rob Falls, president and CEO and effectively engage with con- Monday, July 18. of Falls Communications stituents. Tom Medaglia, who has more Medaglia has a bachelor’s degree than 40 years of experience in gov- in education from Ohio State Uni- ernment and public affairs, is presi- “Public affairs, civic engagement, versity and a law degree from dent of the Washington, D.C., firm, public communications work these Thomas M. Cooley Law School at which is up and running with some days is dramatically different than it Western Michigan University. He new clients at 555 12th Street NW, was even five or 10 years ago with the will continue his role as principal of Suite 630B. rise of social sharing,” Harper said. Thomas Advisors, a lobbying and Falls said forming public affairs “That’s an intersection that I think consulting professional services groups at the local and national lev- some government agencies, governing firm. Required lobbying will be con- el simultaneously helps bring com- bodies struggle with shifting to, and I ducted by Thomas Advisors. prehensive communication services think that’s one thing that we will add Harper received her bachelor’s in to new and existing clients, who to the mix locally in Cleveland.” English and communications and sometimes had to be referred to oth- Medaglia agreed and hopes to help theatre arts from Heidelberg Univer- er agencies for governmental affairs Falls Communications step into the sity and her master’s in interperson- Contact Jonathan A.