“It's really the first time that you've had challenges and down cycles in the financial side, on the racial side, and health-wise with COVID....We're at an absolute tipping point from what we are going to do and how the consumer experience is going to be on the retail side.”

When Kenneth Lombard looks at our current confluence of crises, the Executive Vice President and COO of Seritage Growth Properties sees opportunities—especially in the hard-hit brick and mortar retail space. After all, as a past recipient of the National Inner City Economic Leadership Award, he has a proven record of revitalizing business opportunities in urban neighborhoods. He traces his optimism to a strong upbringing.

“Fortunately for me, I had a family that instilled a sense of fearlessness in me and that there are going to be obstacles,” he tells Mike on the podcast. “You have to keep working hard....Integrity has got to be a big part of how you look at how you develop yourself, that sense of honesty, the hard work. We'll all get through this.”