Q: What most notably stands out about your leadership style or what is an example of leadership success you can share with our readers?
At RED Development, we have created a highly successful flat organization where everyone plays a valuable role and we do not have any full-time managers. I practice leading by example because self-motivated individuals thrive in our culture and building up strong leaders is key to success in the development industry. Our team is quick, decisive and they take ownership in the decisions that they make. Our company has the ability to accelerate or slow down based on current market conditions, and I empower our team to have the freedom to pivot or change course if need be.
Creating an environment of trust is one of the elements I am most proud of; we wouldn’t be able to execute at the level that we do if the team didn’t know that we have the utmost confidence in them and their skills. While not every idea will be successful, being able to fearlessly learn from mistakes and trusting they will be supported along the way makes all the difference.
What impact has COVID-19 or the disruptions of the past 18 months had on you as a leader?
In the past 18 months, COVID-19 has motivated us to greatly grow and develop our leadership team because we recognized that managing through this pandemic was too great a burden for only a few people to bear. Post COVID, we have continued to keep that expanded leadership team together and we are a better company now because of it. We have a culture that values being together, but we also recognize that our team needs flexibility and we have settled on a Monday through Thursday in-office program with a remote workday on Friday.
As a leader, I’ve always been of the mindset that it is a privilege to guide people through their career and help them grow. While COVID-19 certainly presented new challenges and we were all navigating unchartered territory together, I leaned into the opportunity to focus on how to best steer our team through challenging times.
What do you feel we can be doing as a business community to empower economic growth here?
Overall, I think the state has done a good job of promoting economic development through fair taxes and policies. However, the business community needs to provide better leadership at the local level. Arizona promotes being a business-friendly state, yet a number of cities are currently struggling to provide the services necessary for growth and that results in avoidable hurdles. To truly empower economic growth, the business community will need to band together on those efforts. Resources such as leadership training, networking opportunities and business development tools are instrumental on the path to growth and creating economic value for the entire community.
What is new and notable for your company’s near future that will impact our economy?
We continue to experience a very strong demand for our product. Tenants and their employees, along with customers, lenders and investors, all value retail-led mixed-use projects. Due to this, RED Development currently has a number of major projects that will have a significant impact on the local economy, including The Grove at 44th and Camelback and PV.
The Grove, a $500-million, 750,000-square-foot mixed-use destination, is located at one of the most high-profile intersections in the Valley. It features a four-story Class-AA office building; two restaurants; two additional two-story office buildings; a self-storage facility by Hibernia Capital; a covered parking structure; a luxury apartment building by StreetLights Residential; and the highly anticipated hotel by restaurant innovator Sam Fox, The Global Ambassador. The Grove is also home to the new Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury private training facility that opened in late 2020.
PV is the redevelopment of the beloved Paradise Valley Mall, which will turn the 100+acre site into a mixed-used destination with phase 1 to include a 400-residence luxury apartment building by StreetLights Residential, Whole Foods Market, a new Harkins dine-in luxury theater concept, upscale restaurants, an expansive 3+acre central park and community gathering place, and more.
Name of Leader: Mike Ebert
Position of Leader: Managing Partner
Organization Name: RED Development
No. of Years with Organization: 27
Main Local Office Address: 1 E. Washington St., Suite 300, Phoenix, AZ 85004
Phone: (480) 947-7772
Website: reddevelopment.com
Number of offices in Greater Phoenix: 1
Year Established Locally: 1995
City Nationally Headquartered: Phoenix
