What are the biggest changes you’ve noticed downtown since you started working there?
As part of the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator, we had the incredible experience of moving into the new La Kretz Innovation Campus when it first opened. In the past year alone, the entrepreneurs and leaders in sustainability occupying the campus have doubled in size. An entire clean tech industry ecosystem has been built in a short amount of time. The Arts District has also had an explosion of restaurants, galleries, and apartment complexes.
Business: Repurpose Inc.
Neighborhood: Arts District
Title: Chief Executive
Years working downtown: 6
Why does it make sense for your business to be located downtown?
All of our employees live in different areas of Los Angeles and downtown happens to be the most centralized for commuting. Downtown also feels lively and vibrant, which we all really love. The urban environment offers diversity and creativity you can’t find elsewhere in Los Angeles and the opportunity to do business with other innovative companies has been extremely helpful in our growth as a startup.
What are your favorite things about downtown?
My favorite thing about downtown is Grand Central Market – the food vendors are incredible and it is a fun meeting spot, even for business. Some of my favorite restaurants in the area are Zinc Café, Blue Bottle Coffee, Shreebs, Arts District Brewery, Bestia, Bread Lounge, Wurstkuche, Poketo, Apolis, and Bar Ama. Being downtown where everything is happening makes it easy to meet with friends at the Ace theater or enjoy some great art at the local galleries.
Do you live downtown as well? If not, could you see yourself moving there?
I don’t currently live downtown. Before moving to Los Angeles, I had lived downtown in Montreal, Toronto, and New York, so when I arrived in L.A. I wanted to be close to the beach. I live on the Westside with my husband and 3-year-old daughter but not needing to commute would be quite nice. I can imagine the growth in live-work-play communities being advantageous.
Where do you see downtown in five years? Ten years?
I don’t see development slowing down, but I do hope for a cognizant effort to keep a balance. I imagine more skyscrapers, more communities, more parks – and hopefully a continued focus on public transit and solutions for less traffic. Our La Kretz Innovation Campus is a good example of creating a sustainable environment. We work in a LEED Platinum Certified building with a solar farm and electric-car charging stations in the parking lot. The campus also features L.A.’s first public microgrid and greywater filtration system as well as a bike room, composting, and many more environmentally sound solutions.
– Howard Fine
