Strategic Leisure understands the Legal, Demand & Capacity and Financial pragmatics upon successful operations are built.

Operations Design: Legal

Since the age of 22, Michael McCall of Strategic Leisure has been the client of millions of dollars of real estate related legal services, from the biggest international firms to boutique practices. When going to work for his mentor, James W. Rouse, at age 25, Michael's immediate boss, George P. Barker, Esq, a Princeton and Columbia Universities educated attorney, was also a legal mentor. Experiential Places are real estate, founded in the complex legal relationships.

Strategizing, Documenting and Forming the Vehicle of Change

Prior to the creation of the Inner Arbor Trust, Michael McCall worked with Columbia Association on the strategy for and formation of a not-for-profit Special Purpose Vehicle, which would hold a Perpetual Easement over 50-acres of land in downtown Columbia, Maryland (a 14,000 acres, 100,000 person Newtown, developed by Michael's mentor, James W. Rouse).

Click the titles below for a PDF of each Formation Document creating the Inner Arbor Trust

• Articles of Incorporation, April 26, 2013

• Organizational Board Meeting, May 10, 2013

• Amended and Restated Bylaws, May 13, 2014 (original Bylaws adopted May 10, 2013)

• Conflict of Interest Policy

• Directors Agreement

Negotiating & Executing Strategic Agreements

As the President and CEO of the Inner Arbor Trust (via contract with Strategic Leisure), Michael spearheaded a series of mission critical agreements with Columbia Association, The Howard Hughes Corporation, It's My Amphiteaater, Inc. (DBA Merriweather Post Pavilion), and Howard County, Maryland.

The Real Articles

The Legal Design of the Inner Arbor Trust and Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods, is captured in the below listed publicly available documents.

Click the titles below for a PDF of each agreement executed by Michael McCall, as President and CEO of the Inner Arbor Trust, via contract with Strategic Leisure.

• Amended and Restated Declaration of Restrictive Covenants and Easement Agreement with Columbia Association, Inc., March 14, 2014 (original Declaration Easement Agreement executed December 11, 2013)

• Operating Agreement with It's My Amphitheater, Inc. (operator of Merriweather Post Pavilion), March 6, 2015

• Reciprocal Easement Agreement with subsidiaries of Howard Hughes Corporation (owner of Merriweather Post Pavilion) May 27, 2015

• Chrysalis Use Agreement with Howard County, Maryland, May 3, 2016

Sheri Fanaroff, Esq., General Counsel of Columbia Association, and Michael McCall, President and CEO of the Inner Arbor Trust, describe the legal underpinnings of the Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods.

Sheri talks about the creation of the Trust at about 24:00 minutes and Michael at about 38:00 minutes.

Negotiating & Executing Tactical Agreements

As the President and CEO of the Inner Arbor Trust (via contract with Strategic Leisure), Michael negotiated and executed all the Architectural & Engineering, Design/Build and Construction contracts for the design of Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods and the design and construction of the Chrysalis.

Operations Design: Research and Demand & Capacity Planning

Sophisticated, statistically valid, third party Demand Research is an indispensable tool in physically and economically right-sizing the Experiential Place, and in communicating that demonstrated appeal to third parties. 

Michael McCall of Strategic Leisure first learned the value and protocols of destination research from the original master, the late Harrison "Buzz" Price and his partner, Nick Winslow, while leading the Rouse side of the Rouse/Mouse joint venture with The Walt Disney Company. During this two and half year JV form 1985 to 1988, Michael and his team worked under Disney EVP of Strategic Planning, Larry Murphy, and his direct report, Jay Rasulo (who later became Disney's CFO);and with a talented team of Disney business development and research professionals, including Shirley Komoto, Jacqueline Jacobs Caster, Jill Bensley, and outside research consultant Linda Congleton. 

In addition to James Rouse, Michael was very fortunate to have a Disney mentor, former EVP of Disney Parks & Resorts Bruce Laval, who invented Disney's Fastpass. Bruce taught Michael about Demand and Capacity analysis, and how to use Market Research to project demand for types of Experiential Places that had no direct comparable. Years later, he also introduced Michael to Joni Newkirk and Scott Sanders (the former SVP and VP of Disney research and forecasting group for all Parks and Resorts, respectively), who had formed Integrated Insight.

Hence, for Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods, Michael engaged Integrated Insight, and in addition to working closely with Joni and Scott, also worked with the firm's ex-Disney Industrial Engineer, Michael Schweitzer. Integrated Insight's research proved, through valid and conservative statistical techniques of a 1,000 person, in depth survey, the strength of Merriweather Park at Symphony Wood's appeal, the results of which were presented to the Columbia community, and the report is published below, via link, in full.

Click the titles below for a PDF of Demand & Capacity Research conducted by Integrated Insight

• The Research Firm: Integrated Insight

• Secondary Market Research: Market Regions and Venue Comparative Analysis

• Part 1 – Primary Market Research: Product Research and Demand Study

• Part 2 – Primary Market Research: Product Research and Demand Study

• Part 3 – Primary Market Research: Product Research and Demand Study

Operations Design: Financial Performance

For business and even for not-for-profits, it is profit which sustains an operation, employs people and fuels improvement and growth. While evolving from of the developer/ landlord profession, Michael McCall's work with Disney in the Rouse/Mouse joint venture and then Strategic Leisure's focus on product development, has firmly established a point of view grounded in operating businesses. When applied back to the landlord perspective, it makes for a more informed understanding of the tenant’s economics and ability to pay rent.

Having had a Disney mentor, former EVP of Disney Parks & Resorts Bruce Laval (who invented Disney's Fastpass), in analyzing businesses, when appropriate Strategic Leisure goes beyond typical real estate pro formas and address industrial engineering of the economics, such as Theoretical Hourly Capacity, and Peak-In-Park attendance vs.Design Day capacity. These theme park metrics and methodologies apply to any guest or customer driven physical business, and are valuable tools in planning or analyzing everyday destinations. 

Below are some glimpses into how Strategic Leisure approaches the Financial Design. 

Reds Rec. Room

Aspen Icescape