Creativity, Leadership and Knowledge are Keys to Success During Economic Downturn

March 28, 2012

The Urban Land Institute Sacramento District Young Leaders Group held our 4th annual Legacy Series featuring a very personal panel discussion with some of the most influential and respected Sacramento real estate and land development professionals.

This year we were pleased to welcome Tom Winn, President of Winn Communities, his brother and  Mike Winn, President of  Michael Winn Associates and current President and CEO of the  California Building Industry Association  and Attorney Jeff Jones, who is a Shareholder with Boutin Jones.  The panel discussion was moderated by industry expert, Randy Sater of StoneBridge Properties.  The discussion began with our panelists recalling what the market was like when they first began their careers, noting how much has changed with the development process and how the home building industry looks much different than it does when they started in the industry..

Mike Winn and Randy Sater discussed our region’s aging demographic and how it will affect housing choices.   The panel also discussed a new perception shift for first-time home buyers who are more comfortable with a higher-density urban environment and smaller scale living, when in years past many first-time home buyers purchased single family homes in suburbia.

Tom Winn foresees that there will be more urban infill, higher density projects on the horizon, but noted that there is a great deal of available land in the region which can be developed wisely.

During final comments, the panel gave insight to the young leaders in the room regarding the recession and how one can position themselves wisely to come out ahead.  All agreed that creativity and leadership will take you through this economic downtown.  It was recommended that all young leaders should have a mentor and aim to educate themselves as much as possible in order to become a ‘generalist’. The panel also discussed the value of experiencing a recession with regards to character building and agreed that those that can establish themselves during the economic downturn will emerge as the new leaders.

The discussion ended with a great Q&A session and came with good news:  Our expert panelists all agreed that we are moving out of the recession and are seeing changes that indicate a slow but positive rebound.

Thank you to everyone who attended Legacy 2012!  We look forward to many more Legacy Series in the future.

For information about ULI YLG’s mentorship program, Partnership Forums, please click here