TEDxDesMoines - Paul Rottenberg - Lessons From the Growth of Des Moines
The speaker, a founder of Orchestrate Hospitality, argues that success in downtown Des Moines comes from embracing diversity and making personal, resilient efforts rather than relying on grand city plans or appealing to everyone. He illustrates this using his decade-long involvement with various downtown properties and his belief in building local "great fabric" through small, creative partnerships. He advises embracing the process of building, much like the *Wizard of Oz*'s lesson to "keep your eyes open on the path." ## Speakers & Context - Unnamed speaker, president and founder of Orchestrate Hospitality. - Presents lessons learned from his business experiences in downtown Des Moines, covering the last 25 years. - Notes his own difficulty with public speaking despite his family background being heavily involved in the Reformed Church. ## Theses & Positions - Management should be viewed as a *path more than a destination*. - Entrepreneurship allows one to use "the way to accept," finding joy in *making things from nothing*. - The formula for failure is *trying to please everybody*; success comes from finding and sticking to a niche. - The best way to keep the renaissance going is by maintaining a *blend of brands and independence* within the downtown core. - Small local independent retailers and diverse businesses create the "great fabric" of the city, which is more vital than large big-box stores. - The best promotion is getting involved in the community; philanthropy and community investment are seen as both good philanthropy and good business. - The key to finding the way, drawing from *The Wizard of Oz*, is believing that one has the heart, the courage, and the brains. ## Concepts & Definitions - **Orchestrate Hospitality:** A hospitality management company founded by the speaker, operating since 2000. - **The Way:** A philosophical concept borrowed from *Tao Te Ching*; accepting all things and knowing that "the way comes from nothing." - **Great Fabric:** The desirable, dynamic, and exciting mixture of cultures, cuisines, and businesses that defines the downtown environment. - **Suburban brand envy:** A perceived flaw in city leadership where the focus shifts to wanting the cool big brands to move into the center of town. ## Mechanisms & Processes - **Business Development Cycles:** Observing the renaissance of the 1980s, which stalled because downtown was perceived as dirty and unsafe, causing restaurants to close and change hands. - **Partnership Building:** Success requires personal investment in the work; the speaker suggests that governments are friends, not enemies, and that designing projects to meet the city's needs is key. - **Marketing Strategy:** The most effective marketing is *getting involved in the community*, as people support businesses that contribute positively to the larger whole. - **Resilience/Survival:** The need to know when to *hold them* (commit) and when to *fold them* (cut losses). ## Timeline & Sequence - **1986:** Speaker moved to Des Moines and opened the restaurant *The City Grill* at the corner of Fifth and Walnut in the Kaleidoscope Mall. - **1979:** The Civic Center opened. - **1983:** Capitol Square opened, featuring its own hot anchor restaurant, Two Rivers Cafe. - **1990s:** Speaker operated the Hotel Fort Des Moines at 10th and Walnut. - **Since 2000:** Orchestrate Hospitality has opened three hotels in the suburbs (Central Gateway, Market Django) and taken over Mizzo's on the South Side. ## Named Entities - **Mike Lavalle:** Partner with whom the speaker opened *The City Grill*. - **The Reformed Church:** Religious affiliation of the speaker's father, brother, and both grandfathers. - **Lao Tzu:** Author cited for wisdom on *The Way*. - **Django, Gateway Market:** Areas in downtown Des Moines where properties are located. - **Mizzo's:** Property recently taken over by Orchestrate Hospitality on the South Side. - **Kaleidoscope Mall:** Retail mall in downtown Des Moines, opened when the speaker opened The City Grill. - **Mike Steinmetz:** Person who opened the Mets across the street from the Civic Center. - **Civic Center:** Opened in 1979; was a major center for downtown renaissance. - **The Homestead Building:** Building housing Capitol Square. - **Two Rivers Cafe:** Hot anchor restaurant in Capitol Square. - **Court Avenue:** Street becoming popular with mainstays like Spaghetti Works and the Kaplan Hat Company. - **Hubble:** Name mentioned in relation to corporate community investment. - **Nap:** Name mentioned in relation to corporate community investment. - **Western Eastern Gateway Plans:** Large-scale development plan for the city. - **Masonic Temple:** Building whose fight to save led to the birth of the Temple for Performing Arts. - **Centro:** Development property mentioned as part of the growth period. - **Alba, Luca, Proof:** Fantastic bistros that developed around downtown. - **Black Box Theater, Iowa's first Starbucks, Sculpture Park:** Examples of cultural/business improvements that came from the Temple for Performing Arts. - **PAPÁ John's:** Contributed to the booming Civic Center. - **OBI 9:** Property mentioned as part of the downtown growth. - **The Plex:** Proposed development complex for downtown. - **YWCA Site:** Potential development site for downtown infrastructure. ## Numbers & Data - Founding date of Orchestrate Hospitality: **2000**. - Number of hotels opened in the suburbs: **Three**. - Number of hotels operated by the speaker's company: **Three** (Central Gateway, Market Django). - Number of grandparents who were Orthodox Polish Jews: **Six** (out of eight). - Number of ways the speaker is trying to hold in his head: **Dueling ideas**. - Year speaker moved to Des Moines: **1986**. - Age difference between the speaker's experience and the founding of the Civic Center: Roughly **17 years** (1986 vs 1979). ## Examples & Cases - **The City Grill:** Restaurant opened by the speaker and Mike Lavalle at Fifth and Walnut in the Kaleidoscope Mall. - **The Renaissance (1980s):** Characterized by the opening of the Civic Center, Mets, Capitol Square, and Court Avenue, attracting big names like Hubble and Nap. - **Failure of the Walnut Transit Mall:** Never worked out as intended. - **Struggle for the Masonic Temple:** Initially seen by the speaker as just a pawn shop/wig shop at 10th and Locust, but was revitalized by the bookies' charge and partnerships. - **Growth Catalysts:** The Temple for Performing Arts, Centro, Gateway Market, and the eventual arrival of Zombie Burger. - **Diversity in Action:** Having company presidents next to tattooed artists, musicians, and construction workers eating together in the Gateway Market. - **Early Natural Foods:** Bill Galt's "Good Earth," which appealed to both hippies and truck drivers. - **Salsa Production:** Partnering with the produce department at Gateway Market to use backyard garlic plants and chili peppers for Juano Sullivan salsa. ## Tools, Tech & Products - **Orchestrate Hospitality:** Hospitality management company. - **Raccoon River Brewing Company, Hotel Fort Des Moines, Centro, Gateway Market:** Properties/businesses operated or improved by the speaker's network. - **The Plex, YWCA Site:** Potential large-scale development sites for downtown infrastructure. ## References Cited - **Mike:** Mentioned as a reference point in the opening. - **Lao Tzu:** Author of philosophy on *The Way*. - **Herbert Baird Swope:** Journalist who provided the formula for failure regarding success. ## Trade-offs & Alternatives - **Big Box Stores (e.g., Whole Foods):** Viewed negatively because they take local dollars and jobs out of Des Moines and send the money elsewhere, despite job claims. - **Little vs. Big:** The tension between building great little, independent things versus attracting the "big brand names" downtown. - **Risk vs. Reward (Personal):** Choosing a business path that matches one's desired lifestyle (e.g., preferring not to be a cook, dishwasher, and host six nights a week, even if rent is low). ## Counterarguments & Caveats - The city's perception of being *dirty and unsafe* caused the initial renaissance to stall. - The speaker is cautioned against the idea that just having a plan (like the Vision Plan) guarantees success. - The assumption that big brands automatically benefit the local core needs to be questioned. ## Methodology - **Observation/Historical Review:** Walking through the history of downtown Des Moines development, using physical locations (Fifth & Walnut, 10th & Locust, etc.) as markers. - **Advisory Model:** Providing actionable business and community advice based on accumulated experience. - **Partnership Approach:** Highlighting the necessity of *personal partnerships* (business and public) that require emotional investment. ## Conclusions & Recommendations - Continue to build on the city's existing *diversity* and focus on making it the primary area of growth. - Pursue *sustainability* by developing local inputs (like local garlic/chili peppers) for local products (salsa). - Pay attention to the "two big opportunities": the Plex downtown and the YWCA ca site. - The biggest takeaway: *Don't give up on growing retail everywhere in downtown*. ## Implications & Consequences - The continuing success of the downtown core depends on the continuous movement of *dozens of small creative thinkers* bringing forward exciting diversity. - The physical infrastructure (Plex, YWCA) must be built around supporting this *movement* rather than dictating it. ## Verbatim Moments - *"I'm a behind the scenes guy i'm an idea guy a bookkeeper kind of guy"* - *"The motion of the way is to return the use of the way is to accept all things come from the way and the way comes from nothing"* - *"I don't have a clear set of instructions on what des moines looks like in the future or how we get there"* - *"the renaissance didn't really maintain traction downtown was perceived as being dirty and unsafe"* - *"the bookies spearheading the charge and some really creative public and private partnerships the temple for performing arts was born"* - *"i can't give you the formula for success but i can give you the formula for failure which is to try to please everybody"* - *"a blend of brands and independence is important"* - *"the best promotion is getting involved in the community"* - *"the government's your friend boy not an enemy"* - *"don't give up on growing retail everywhere in downtown"* - *"keep your eyes open on the path"*