The new king of Ingersoll Avenue says changes are coming soon to one of Des Moines’ most important Main Streets.
West Des Moines developer Richard Hurd has bought about 10 properties in the area in the past year, and he may buy more.
“They just all happened to come up for sale,” Hurd said. “We like Ingersoll, and it’s experiencing a renaissance.”
Hurd is pledging to “significantly upgrade” several properties, which would add momentum to changes already happening on Ingersoll. New apartments and businesses are opening, and neighborhood leaders expect to draw more businesses with a new special taxing district. Commercial property owners pay an extra property tax that is used to improve landscaping, maintenance and other street improvements.
Ingersoll is a hodgepodge of high-end stores, fast-food chains, locally owned bars and restaurants, medical and professional offices and apartment buildings — in a wide range of conditions. In his book “The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid,” Bill Bryson called Ingersoll, compared with Grand Avenue, “the servants’ entrance of the street world.”
Hurd said he’s had properties on Ingersoll for years. In the 1990s, he owned a building that housed Blockbuster Video and is now restaurateur Jason Simon’s Eatery A, which will open April 22. Hurd likes the street’s proximity to downtown and its high density of retail.
Hurd Realty’s portfolio includes properties across the metro area, plus a few in Omaha, Las Vegas, Dallas, Arizona, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Hawaii.
Hurd may acquire a few other properties on Ingersoll. “We’re looking at other things, but we’re ready to be done with buying and focus on rebuilding and remodeling,” he said.
One cluster of properties Hurd owns is in the 2700 block. Last summer, he purchased the buildings that house Office Max and Dollar General, as well as a building at 2708 Ingersoll Ave. that had been the home to the Lime nightclub and a furniture resale shop.
Hurd said he plans to tear down 2708 this year. He said he’s not sure what it will become, but a strip retail center is a possibility. He bought the building from Andy Lee, a major Ingersoll landowner whose reluctance to sell or improve sites has frustrated neighborhood leaders.
Hurd has also put a stake down at the corner of 31st and Ingersoll, a busy intersection.
He bought 3025-3029 Ingersoll in November, a building that once housed Albright Lighting and Ancient Ways. Hurd is looking for tenants and plans to create a new storefront, preserving the building’s existing brick.
Hurd also owns several properties on the west side of the intersection, but he said he hasn’t decided what to do with the area. He said a strip retail center is unlikely.
He has a contract to buy 3111 Ingersoll Ave., and its tenants, which include Lockwood Jewelers and Studio TKO, have been given notice to move out. Hurd said the building cannot remain in its current condition, and he’ll either remodel it or tear it down.
Hurd owns the La Hacienda restaurant next door, including its large rear parking lot. He also owns five houses on 31st Street that abut the parking lot; he bought three of the houses in January.
Hurd said he hasn’t decided whether to tear down the houses, but owning them gives him more flexibility for green space and parking.
Hurd met with the North of Grand Neighborhood Association this month and said he would be sensitive to residential concerns, said Colleen Kinney, the group’s president. The association is waiting to hear more information on his plans, but residents were impressed with his “spirit of cooperation,” she said. “We wish there were more Richard Hurds out there,” she said.
D.M. native jumps into ‘Shark Tank’
Des Moines native Jordan Bookey Lloyd will pitch her tech startup on “Shark Tank” Friday.
Bookey Lloyd, who gave a Smart Talk Connected Conversations lecture at the Civic Center last month, and her husband, Felix Brandon Lloyd, will appear on the ABC show, which airs at 8 p.m. On the show, entrepreneurs try to persuade a panel of investors — including loudmouth billionaire Mark Cuban — to invest in their ideas.
Bookey Lloyd is the daughter of developers and philanthropists Harry Bookey and Pamela Bass Bookey of Des Moines.
The Lloyds founded Zoobean, an online service that selects books, apps and other resources for children — “an educational Pandora for kids.” According to the company’s website, Zoobean has attracted $573,000 in funding.
Insurance exec wins U of I alum award
A Clive insurance executive has been named the University of Iowa business school’s first alumnus of the year.
Dana Ramundt, a 1974 Iowa graduate, is president and CEO of the Dana Co., an independent insurance agency. Ramundt has had several industry leadership positions and helped establish the Emmett Vaughan Institute of Risk Management and Insurance at the university.
Meanwhile, Tom Niblock of Washington, D.C., was named the Tippie College’s young alumnus of the year for his work as a foreign service officer. Niblock, a 2007 graduate, serves in the Office of Taiwan Coordination in Washington, D.C., and previously served as the staff assistant to the ambassador at U.S. embassies in Beijing and Islamabad, Pakistan. He is also the author of “Tip of the Dragon’s Tongue: The Adventures of a Young American Diplomat in China.”
Other moves: Scott Raecker will split his time between Des Moines and Los Angeles after adding another role. Raecker will become CEO of the Josephson Institute, an L.A.-based nonprofit that promotes ethical decision-making, including its “Character Counts!” curriculum. President Michael Josephson has announced his retirement. Raecker, board chairman of the institute, is also executive director of the Institute for Character Development at Drake University.
Birthdays
Former Rockwell Collins chief executive Clay Jones will turn 65 today. Thursday’s birthdays include Jeff Russell, CEO of Delta Dental of Iowa, who will be 42, and William Kerr, former chairman of Meredith Corp., 73. Des Moines writer Jennifer Wilson will be 44 on Friday. On Saturday, state Rep. Peter Cownie, executive director of the Iowa State Fair Blue Ribbon Foundation, will turn 34, and Ben Anderson, co-owner of T-shirt printing and graphic design shop 8/7 Central, will be 29. Rich Wilkey, a Casey’s General Stores board member and former Des Moines city manager, will be 74 on Sunday. On Monday, Dr. Dale Andringa will be 64, and Stanley J. Bright, retired chairman and CEO of MidAmerican Energy Co., 74.
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