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DIVERSITY RECEPTION DRAWS CAPACITY CROWD

By Molly Knight

Nearly 300 retail development professionals gathered at the Wynn Las Vegas resort in May to celebrate the third annual Diversity Reception at ICSC’s Spring Convention in Las Vegas.

“In years past, we’ve had maybe 20 people show up, and they’ve all been people of color,” said Gina S. Love, a partner at New York City-based law firm Nixon Peabody who helped organize the event. “Now, obviously, people are recognizing that this is an issue that can no longer be ignored. You can’t do business without considering and serving multiple demographics.”

Some of the industry’s top people were present, including Charles A. Ratner, president and CEO of Forest City Enterprises, who spoke about his immigrant heritage and the need to contribute to the community. “At Forest City we require our employees to spend a workday a year volunteering in the community, be it Habitat for Humanity or other causes,” he said. “Civic involvement is absolutely vital to understanding the communities where we work.”

Zeb Mclaurin, president and CEO of Chicago-based Mclaurin Development Partners, called the event one of the highlights of the convention. “Where else can you meet and greet retailers, municipal and government officials, ICSC officials, architects, planners, counselors, and even competitors to compare notes and explore new opportunities from all over the country?” Mclaurin asked.

Love says big businesses have shown a growing interest in supporting the empowerment of minorities in retail real estate since she began putting the reception together three years ago. “With sponsors like Target and General Growth [Properties] on board, obviously, we’ve come a long way,” said Love. “We want to give people a large venue to network, and we’re growing every year.” Love says she hopes these sponsors will eventually contribute to a scholarship fund. “Diversity in this predominantly white male industry has so far to go,” said Love. “Companies need to focus on attracting and retaining men and women of all colors by creating environments that folks want to work in. It’s critical to this business.”

Besides Nixon Peabody and ICSC, the other sponsors were Concordis Real Estate, New York City; Forest City Enterprises, Cleveland; Limited Brands, Columbus, Ohio; Simon Property Group, Indianapolis; and UrbanAmerica, New York City.