Al Battle Jr. started working for the Downtown Development Authority practically at the same time Mayor John Delaney brought the organization under the umbrella of the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission. Rising quickly through the ranks from project manager to senior project manager and now to managing director, Battle is a coalition builder who has found himself representing downtown during a time of rapid change. Speaking often of his “clients,” the people, businesses and developers who have a dream for the core of the city, Battle sounds more like a businessman than a bureaucrat. Daily Record staff writer Sean McManus met recently with Battle to talk about how he spends his days, his vision for downtown and what it’s like to be the guy whose hands are in everything.
Question: What was your transition like internally at the DDA?
Answer: The transition has been really great in terms of the reception I’m getting. Particularly with new clients and potential clients, but with people who have been here as well. I think I’m in kind of a honeymoon phase right now. There’s so much going on and I get to be one of the guys in the middle of it. If I’m lucky, I can take this momentum and keep it going for a long time. I’m embracing this role, I’m enthusiastic about downtown, and certainly it’s the fulfillment of a professional goal as well.
Q: What was your rise through the DDA like?
A: Near the end of 1995, project managers were created under the first executive director of the JEDC, Mike Weinstein to handle projects new and existing, and to put deals together. I was managing projects downtown as well as on the Northwest side and I was involved in the early stages of the new incentive packages that were moving through the city. After about two years, I was promoted to senior project manager and eventually started working for then DDA Managing Director Paul Krutko. I took over the directors role at the end of January of this year. I’m still a manager and I’m still learning how to manage. This job involves juggling clients but it also involves working with the very qualified team here at DDA.
Q: What systems did you put in place to help you reach your goals professionally?
A: Anyone who wants to be successful needs to be forthright, have a positive outlook and needs to set goals. And you need to always be learning. Before the DDA, when I was working in residential development in Orlando, my goal was to learn construction and learn real estate and that has helped immensely in this job. The DDA has a different evolution for the structure of a deal, but the principles are the same. But certainly my relationships with Mike [Weinstein] and Paul [Krutko] and even before that the first DDA Director Frank Nero, enhanced my overall professional development. Paul made me his right hand man and a lot of deals came across my desk.
Q: What’s your day like?
A: There were projects on my desk from before I took over as director that needed to be completed — and so I’m getting those projects finalized. And I’m constantly becoming engaged in new projects and trying to keep things on track. I go to a lot of meetings, whether that means strategic planning or meetings to try to build coalitions for what we are trying to accomplish. I’m still getting to know all the DDA and JEDC commissioners, old and new, and I’m building relationships with them and letting them tell me what they want to achieve. And I work with City Council to garner support for the DDA. They are supportive of the master plan and that lets us all continue doing what we are doing.
Q: How accessible are you?
A: Very. Part of it is that I’ve been here and so people know me a little. And I know the people and the businesses downtown. If anyone has an opinion they want to express or a concern about what we are doing, then they should call me. There are only a certain number of hours in the day, but I’m available.
Q: What aspects of your job do people not know about?
A: Some people know that I’m the captain of the downtown development “Effort Team.” That means lots of public speaking, and going to events and visiting civic organizations where we talk about the DDA’s vision and try to get the message out. An important part of this job is building relationships and educating people who want to improve downtown. The payoff might not be right away, but it comes.
Q: Do you foresee any major restructuring in terms of the people at DDA?
A: Just like the city as a whole, we are always retooling the organization to make sure everyone’s talents are fully utilized and that we are responsive to our customers. We haven’t done a lot of hiring and firing, but we’ve moved people around as needed to make things more efficient. That trend will continue. The really great thing about our team here is their versatility. We’ve got seasoned planners and managers who know a lot about a lot of stuff so we’re not pigeon-holed by what department they may have been in. They know the job comprehensively.
Q: Ever since you started at DDA, one of your passions was the Brooklyn neighborhood. Is that still true?
A: By Brooklyn, we’re talking about the area near the Times-Union building on Riverside Avenue. Absolutely. Brooklyn is what LaVilla was, meaning that the potential is there to create a wonderful neighborhood and all the arrows are pointing to that happening. The same principles that linked Riverside and Avondale to the Central Business District will create that link with Brooklyn. Especially considering the greater accessibility after the new road work is completed. Brooklyn has riverfront and it’s close to great restaurants and shopping. And developers are already seeing the potential. The St. Joe project on Riverside will be great and the new Marks Gray building are indicative of the quality and uniqueness of the projects and how well they compliment the surrounding residential parcels.
Q: What else are you most excited about?
A: The work the Council is doing with historic preservation is wonderful. It is also a tribute to how Jacksonville can get creative and innovative in our concepts and our the future of our design. We are only as good as the tools we are given to work with. Those old buildings are a big part of that.
Q: You make it sound like it is all falling into place.
A: Of course, Jacksonville still has some serious challenges. We don’t know yet if the popularity of downtown will be what we think it will - but the signs are there. We also have to figure out this entertainment thing. The restaurants that are here now won’t serve a nighttime clientele and so major changes will have to happen. We want to reach a compromise between quality entertainment and a safe and visually attractive city.
Q: How active are you with the Super Bowl committee?
A: Probably not as involved as one might think. The Super Bowl is an effort within itself and I don’t want to dilute my efforts building up downtown by spending a great deal of time with that. But having said that, it’s an extremely important element in our overall plans and so far I really support what the team is doing.
Q: You think the barge idea is a good one?
A: The barges — which will basically be entertainment venues along the St. Johns River for parties during Super Bowl — I think are the most common-sense approach for dealing with the crowds and putting on our best face for the nation to see. The aesthetics are there, it appropriately leverages the space we have, and it is sensitive to our long term goals, so that helps me do my job. And just remember that all of downtown is going to make money on the Super Bowl not just the barges. The Super Bowl is giving us added incentive to do what we are doing anyway which is build a foundation for which to grow and sell entrepreneurs on Jacksonville.
Q: What’s the ratio of people you meet who are from here vs. other cities?
A: It’s about 50/50.
Q: Do you proactively recruit businesses from other parts of Jacksonville to bring them downtown?
A: Wow. That’s a dangerous question. We don’t want to take businesses away from anyone. But frankly, I don’t need to do that. There are plenty of people who are interested in coming downtown, whether that be relocation or new business.
Q: You’re meeting with so many people who want to do things downtown. What’s the tone like and what are their concerns?
A: I’ve actually been meeting with a lot of small business owners and people who are buying franchise operations. They perform pretty sophisticated fact-finding exercises and critical studies about foot traffic, parking and which buildings are available for purchase or lease. Their concerns are just what you would expect. Are we going to have nighttime traffic? They like what we’re telling them and so they’re excited. Sometimes I even get in a car and show people around. They see the potential.
Q: How have you applied your experience from Orlando?
A: I was at Pulte Home Corporation in the early 1990’s and Orlando was going through a very similar evolution with its downtown. Like us, suburban sprawl was making people look at downtown and they were debating how best to add residential property there. Of course, Orlando has an advantage in that so many tourists see it. Maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe it’s not.
Q: What do you read to help you with this job?
A: I am a sponge with periodicals, whether it’s the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, or professional trade publications related to planning and urban development. I don’t read many novels.
Q: Everybody hears a lot about new urbanism and mixed use neighborhoods. Where to you stand on that concept?
A: I embrace it. I think in this country we’re finally comfortable with making art a part of neighborhood design and that’s great. It’s been a slow evolution in Jacksonville but we’re finally catching on. A lot of it is the result of the introduction of new materials that enable especially older buildings come to life, and the realization that pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods are better for everyone. Our master plan speaks to those concepts. When people visit the great cities like Chicago or New York or Miami they remember their urban experience not the strip malls. And Jacksonville is a sleeping giant in that regard. We have beautiful vistas downtown.
Q: Who are you supporting for mayor?
A: You honestly think I’m going to answer that?
Q: So you’re going to stay at the DDA?
A: It’s great. And we just need to be mindful that there are only a few windows of opportunity that come up for cities for this kind of growth, and economies can do funny things. We need to keep the momentum. Now is our time.