M. David Paul

M. David Paul & Associates

Age: 54

Specialty: Office building development

Recent deal: Developing the first phase of Media District North.

When M. David Paul isn’t developing new office space, you might find him remodeling a new home he bought in Westwood that was built in 1936.

“The bones are all solid,” he says about the house, which he and his wife moved into last month. “We’re going to completely redo it.”

Like the new home, Paul said he spends the same amount of attention on developments taken on by his company. Constructing an office building is more than just brick and mortar, he said.

Currently, he is pushing through the first phase of a 1 million-square-foot entertainment office park in Burbank called “Media Center North.” It will be 16 acres with six buildings, three of which have been leased by Walt Disney Co.

Other major projects completed by the company include the 14-story office building in Toluca Lake called Central Park, the Terraces office complex in Studio City, Woodrise office building in Encino and The Palms shopping center in Van Nuys.

Another current project includes a 300,000-square-foot office complex at 26th Street and Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica. Even the building in which the company is based the Searise in Santa Monica was built by Paul.

But what makes the development different like others built by Paul is the attention to detail. That means things like landscaping, a strategy that helps retain tenants.

“We do better landscaping than anybody in this city, without a doubt,” he said, adding that one site has 350 trees growing.

“I love this game it’s new and exciting with every deal,” he said. “We try to do it better than every one else with more style and aesthetics. We try to make more of a habitable environment than the average office project.”

Paul began the company then called Wilshire Center Development Co. with partner Vern Lohr in 1967. He bought out his partner in 1973. Paul also has two subsidiaries that handle construction Krismar Construction Co. and Center Construction Co.

Joe Bel Bruno