Kayla Zemsky and her husband, Michael Myers, moved back from New York City in 2017 to join the family business full-time. As Larkin Development Group has expanded its footprint, Kayla and Michael’s involvement and influence on the future of Larkinville has also increased.
Why it’s important to be an active participant?
Kayla: I don’t think you can really be considered a leader if you don’t participate in the community. The simple concept of leaving things better than we found them is very powerful, and it’s been important throughout our family’s history. The more engaged you are, the more interesting your life will be, the more people you’ll meet and the more you’ll learn and grow.
Balancing short-term vs. long-term goals?Â
Michael: I think the biggest thing I’ve learned from Howard is the sustainable and organic growth model. Everything we do is with a long-term mindset, yet we’re still a very small team. We’re making these years-out plans and trying to do impactful projects at a pace that is sustainable for us, but we’re also trying to organically respond to the needs that we see in the neighborhood here.
On supporting neighborhoods ...
Kayla: Because of some of the success we’ve had, we’ve been able to help improve some homes and support small businesses to open in Larkin.
These entrepreneurs take a big chance on opening a new retail space, so we’ve tried to support that as much as we can and, in turn, they have added so much vibrancy here. We’re big believers in the value of having other stakeholders who feel a sense of ownership in the neighborhood. We like being connected to the many historic neighborhoods around us. Additionally, our proximity to the waterfront, the CBD, the medical campus and so much more with our location by the I-190 is a real plus.
Finding opportunities within risk?
Michael: The Exchange building was, for 15 years, fully occupied, but Covid created availability with some tenants reducing space. We’ve spent a great deal of time and resources to thoughtfully update some of our spaces, and now we have a more diverse tenant base and many new tenants. It’s been a combination of circumstances at times, but also being prepared and committed to the neighborhood. We have a keen interest being prepared to take advantage of the next opportunity.
