Ponte Fresco

Ponte Fresco

One of Strategic Leisure’s longterm clients wanted to open an adaptation in Chicago of its family restaurant in Puerto Rico. Strategic Leisure was asked to translate and develop the Fast Casual restaurant for the highly sophisticated North Michigan Avenue, Chicago market. Strategic Leisure’s whole leadership resulted in:

1. The negotiation of a lease was with the major commercial landlord.

2. The “Spa Kitchen” and “You Are What You Eat” Product Positioning and Creative Concept, Branding, Environmental Graphics and Marketing Copy. 

3. The development of the restaurant.

Strategic Leisure's whole leadership responsibilities included:

Strategic Positioning

Creative Concept

Industrial Engineering

Team Casting

Development Budget

Lease Negotiation

Space Planning & Interior Architecture

Branding

Collateral Design

Copywriting

Construction Owner's Rep

Click Pedway Guid below for PDF of Ponte Fresco coverstory

Cape Liberty

Cape Liberty

Strategic Leisure has been asked by several clients to provide a second opinion, and on one such occasion Strategic Leisure was asked to review the work of a world renowned planning firm with whom we had previously worked and for whom we  have great respect. This firm was the design lead of a multi-million dollar A&E team for a 430 acre peninsula in Bayonne, New Jersey. Our mutual client was concerned that their plan lacked vision for maximizing the peninsula’s future development. With no official authority, Strategic Leisure focused on the New York Harbor location (as opposed to Bayonne, NJ), targeted the specific areas with the most potential, provided a plausible backstory premise to inspire a more interesting plan, branded the area of biggest potential “Bayonne Bay,” and in a few weeks articulated a strategy that was embraced by the team and woven into the formal plan. Strategic Leisure’s whole leadership resulted in:

1. The plan’s implicit product positioning being differentiated and elevated.

2. All three target areas of opportunity codified into the form-based Zoning law of the land.

3 .“Cape Liberty”  becoming the branding for Royal Caribbean.

Strategic Leisure's whole leadership responsibilities included:

• Strategic Positioning

• Creative Concept

• Branding

• Masterplanning

• Proof of Concept Design 

• Governmental Relations

Pigeon Falls

Pigeon Falls Village

Strategic Leisure led the predevelopment of a 180 acre site in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee for a Florida-based investment group. The investment group was experiencing serious difficulties with the City of Pigeon Forge, the State of Tennessee and other environmental agencies. Strategic Leisure’s whole leadership resulted in:

1. The City paying $17.5 Million – 100% of the Investment Group’s original 180 acre land cost – for 38 acres for only 21% of the land.

2. The City committing to $100+ Million in Sales Tax Increment supported infrastructure serving the site, including an Event Center, miles of Roads & and thousands of Parking Spaces.

3. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), US Corps of Engineers, Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the Cherokee Nation permitting the most extensive environmental Entitlements in Eastern Tennessee.

Strategic Leisure's whole leadership responsibilities included:

• Strategic Positioning

• Creative Concept

• Masterplanning

• Design & Architecture

• Phase 1 & 2 Environmental Engineering

• Team Casting

• Business Planning

• Public Relations

• Governmental Relations

• Strategic Partner Relations

• Contract Negotiation

• Space Planning & Interior Architecture

• Branding & Collateral Design

Red's Rec Room

Red’s Business Plan

Table of Contents

(Ex Post Facto)

Red's Rec Room

Brunswick Corporation leased a former IKEA store space in the West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Alberta, where it chose to build a repositioned Bowling & Billiards operation, to inspire the Bowling & Billiards industry and increase Brunswick’s equipment sales. Brunswick turned to Strategic Leisure to creatively and analytically define, design and develop the 107,000 square foot tenant space – in six (6) months. Strategic Leisure’s whole leadership resulted in:

1. The creation of Red’s Rec Room, including Product Positioning, Creative Concept, Branding, Space Planning & Circulation, Interior Architecture and Furnishing, Budgeting, F&B and Live Entertainment Strategy & Implementation, and Guest Services Training.

2. The Business Planning, including consumer research and projections by business segments. 

3. The showcase of repositioned Bowling & Billiards for Brunswick’s equipment clients.

Strategic Leisure's whole leadership responsibilities included:

Strategic Positioning

Creative Concept

Team Casting

Business Planning

Space Planning & Interior Architecture

Branding & Collateral Design

Construction

Guest Services Training

F&B Strategy and Menu Development

Entertainment Programming Strategy and Casting

Navy Pier

Navy Pier

For the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA), Strategic Leisure developed a Product Positioning & Marketing Strategy which emphasized creating critical mass through programming of the Pier’s “Menu of Venues,” to be implemented over the three year opening. 

After informing the CEO of the MPEA that Navy Pier’s most valuable latent asset, the 3,300 foot long south promenade, was not currently planned to be fully leveraged, as it needed placemaking design components and festival-like commerce, Strategic Leisure was asked to continue with much greater responsibility. Subsequently, having a much expanded mandate and an office on the Pier, Strategic Leisure not only developed the strategy for Dock Street, it led the planning of Navy Pier’s initial operations. Strategic Leisure’s whole leadership resulted in:

1. Dock St. was branded and animated with furnishings, environmental graphics and kiosks.

2. The organizational structure and the initial operating budget were prepared.

3. The first phase grand opening was produced, and the first Ferris Wheel was purchased.

Strategic Leisure's whole leadership responsibilities included:

• Strategic Positioning

• Marketing & Programming Strategy

• Creative Concept

• Branding

• Masterplanning

• Design 

• Organizational Development

• Operational Budgeting

• Business Planning

• Governmental Relations

• Capital Purchasing 

• Grand Opening Production

Michael McCall, President of Strategic Leisure, was first introduced to Newark, New Jersey in 1991, when James W. Rouse (Michael’s mentor) was asked to site a proposed performing arts center. Michael led that work, placing the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, not on the Passaic River as was locally expected, but on the then boarded-up, yet historically handsome, triangular Military Park. Today, Prudential’s $400+ Million world headquarters also sits on the edge of Military Park overlooking NJPAC, along with the Nike Store and Whole Foods.

In 2016, New Jersey Performing Arts Center founding Board Member and Chairman of Fidelco Realty Group, Marc Berson, asked Michael to return to Newark, this time to define the strategic potential and compelling design of the neighboring Washington Park.

Washington Park is home to Amazon's Audible headquarters in a contemporary office building and soon expanding into a creative reuse of a large church, Rutgers University Business School and graduate student housing, Newark Public Library, Newark Museum (founded by John Cotton Dana), and the former Verizon headquarters now slated for housing.

Note: Strategic Leisure's Washington Park design is not, yet, public, and is not depicted here.

Amazon’s Audible division and Fidelco Reality Group engaged Strategic Leisure to develop a fresh and compelling design for Washington Park in Newark, New Jersey. The Park dates back to colonial America and needs significant attention, as it is key to Newark’s continued downtown renaissance. After researching Audible’s planned growth plans and and other client objectives; researching the planning and urban design context of the whole area; engaging with private, community and public stakeholders; and, defining the Park’s strategic objectives; Strategic Leisure conceptually designed a proposed new Washington Park. Strategic Leisure’s whole leadership of Washinton Park and its district, has resulted in: 

1. A design embraced by the clients, who called it a strategic & creative“game changer.”

2. The review of real estate opportunities around Washington Park neighborhood.

3. The private sector's willingness to help fund the Park’s redevelopment.

2002: Believing in Pre-iPhone Apple

Robotic Dairy Visitor Center

 Park Industry