Why he’s interesting: Chances are you’ve benefited from Jason Russell’s innovation. Prior to joining Bedrock real estate company, Russell was the general manager of Shaker Heights' vibrant Van Aken District, which he transformed from a pile of dirt into a sparkling shopping center.
He also served as a city planner in Lakewood, where he created the Solstice Steps, one of the town's most popular attractions located at Lakewood Park, along with other projects. In January, he started at Bedrock as vice president of operations, where he’s hoping to help craft the future of Cleveland’s downtown.
One aspect of his and Bedrock's work is a decades-long, multibillion-dollar Cuyahoga riverfront development project, which was announced in early December. “What I’m doing now might not pay dividends for years down the road, but I’m hoping that when I’m 60, I’ll be able to point to something downtown and say, ‘Look what I did.’”
It’s a simulation: When Russell was in fifth grade, his mom bought him SimCity for his computer, where he lost countless hours creating, designing and tweaking the perfect city. And even though Russell spends all of his workday helping design Cleveland’s downtown, he still finds time to sneak away at night and build a virtual city or two in Cities: Skylines. “The original SimCity really got me on my current trajectory. I’ve owned every version since.”
Keeping up with the Russells: When Russell isn’t working, he’s most likely in his yard watering his plants or perfecting his lawn. “When you work in development, the things you’re working on take months or years to manifest. When you’re landscaping, you’re done in two hours.”
Learning on the job: One thing Russell loves about city planning is that Clevelanders always find a variety of uses for the spaces he creates. While he knew that weddings and sunset-watching would be frequent occurrences on the Solstice Steps, he never imagined that the space would become a go-to spot for everything from yoga from organized exercises to massive festivals. “It’s things like that that show the creativity we have as humans.”
76: Russell’s number when he played offensive tackle at Lehigh University. Along with providing him the opportunity to play Division I football, Russell credits the experience with helping him learn how to work toward a common goal. “When you’re on the offensive line, there’s no superstar.
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