What It Takes To Make El Segundo Successful
El Segundo has many advantages over other growing markets in LA, according to Tishman Speyer managing director John Ollen.
He said the access to freeways, access to other corporate tenants and great access to great housing will put the El Segundo market in the forefront for the next five to 10 years.
El Segundo is celebrating its 100th year. Rose said the first half of the city's existence was driven largely by heavy industry and chemical manufacturing.
In the 1990s, the growth of aerospace and defense drove growth in the city.
In recent years, other industries have taken off, including tech, media, research and development — drawing in outposts of Fortune 500 companies.
"That history has left behind what us as developers and land use professionals would call an incredible palette of opportunity for the next generation of jobs that we intend to keep here and grow here," Rose said. "We have great infrastructure, good road systems here, access to the airport, access to two freeways, terrific school systems. We have local government."
When it comes to designing projects in El Segundo, some speakers talked of the importance of making decisions early in projects.
HLW International director Sejal Sonani said today's market is so dynamic that getting real-time feedback about what tenants want forces the company to adapt to changes and work together as a team.
There is a lot to consider when it comes to ensuring El Segundo's future success.
"You're going to have to do more residential and retail on this side of Sepulveda if you really want this area to sing," he said. "That's my personal opinion."
What tenants and their employees want should also be at the top of the list, according to Rose.
"If you take all the competitive advantages this market has and say, 'How can we get tenants to come here?', which is why we build these buildings, why we operate these assets, you have to get in the mindset of those users," Rose said.
This includes taking talent into consideration, including where employees will live, their commute times and offering well-paying jobs, he said.
