WHY YOU CAN’T MANUFACTURE CULTURE WITH JAEBADIAH GARDNER
DOT DOT DOT: THE NINE DOT ARTS PODCAST EPISODE 37
I had the opportunity to sit down with Martha Weidmann for the NINE dot ARTS podcast. NINE dot ARTS is an organization that leverages art and culture to transform spaces into one-of-a-kind experiences that bring value to developers and make a social impact.
Here’s what we talked about:
“You can’t manufacture culture,” says Jaebadiah Gardner, author, fund manager, real estate developer, and CEO of GardnerGlobal, a Seattle-based company that specializes in building wealth and improving communities through mixed-use, multifamily, market-rate, workforce, and affordable housing projects. In this inspiring episode, Jaebadiah shares his passion for building wealth among communities of color. Beyond traditional assets, Jaebadiah explains the importance of educational, intellectual, and even relationship wealth as critical tools for empowering individuals toward investment in themselves, their communities, and their cities.
Jaebadiah discusses successful completed projects like Seattle’s Liberty Bank Building in partnership with Community Roots Housing, as well as projects in development like the transformation of Mount Calvary Church into The Sarah Queen. The space will become a mixed-income, mixed-use, affordable housing apartment named after his late grandmother Sarah Queen Gardner. As the first Black woman to open a beauty salon in Spokane, WA, Jaebadiah plans to pay homage to her and Black women entrepreneurship through the building’s design and artwork. As an overall approach to real estate development and wealth building, Jaebadiah concludes that, “organic culture will seep into the project because you’re not leading with the bottom line; you’re leading with culture and substance.”
Discussed in the Episode:
GARDNERGLOBAL
BISNOW RECAP: REVITALIZING DOWNTOWN SEATTLE
WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY COOLEY LAW SCHOOL
TURNER CONSTRUCTION
SEATTLE’S CENTRAL DISTRICT
LIBERTY BANK BUILDING
COMMUNITY ROOTS HOUSING
ART AT THE LIBERTY BANK BUILDING
GARDNERGLOBAL ACQUIRES MOUNT CALVARY CHURCH TO BE TRANSFORMED IN THE SARAH QUEEN
SEATTLE RESTORED
PIKE PLACE MARKET
THE GUM WALL
ARCHITECTURE IN MEXICO CITY
About Dot Dot Dot: The NINE dot ARTS Podcast
Dot Dot Dot is the continuing conversation around art and placemaking in the built environment. Hosted by NINE dot ARTS CEO Martha Weidmann, episodes explore art, culture, community, and more with a range of reputable business leaders. Tune in biweekly to learn how an original art experience can boost your business and make a social impact. Episodes are available wherever you get your podcasts!