Executives Rob Frisbie, Jr. and Cody Crowell discussed placemaking and the future of West Palm Beach
(West Palm Beach, Fla.) The Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts held its third Corporate Partners Business Speaker Series luncheon of the season with the Frisbie Group. The private family real estate investment firm based in Palm Beach specializes in the reimagination and revitalization of prime real estate assets in strategic locations. Frisbie executives Rob Frisbie, Jr. and Cody Crowell were interviewed by Paul Leone, Kravis Center Vice Chair and CEO of The Breakers Palm Beach and Flagler System, Inc. on Tuesday, March 12 in the Kravis Center’s Gimelstob Ballroom in the Cohen Pavilion.
More than 120 Corporate Partners members and guests attended the event to learn about placemaking and the future of West Palm Beach. Corporate Partners Executive Committee Chair and Kravis Center Board member Jane Mitchell welcomed guests and thanked the attending members and donors for their generous support. She also gave a brief recap of the previous two Corporate Partners presentations which included artificial intelligence and robotics presented by Levatas, as well as the future of power generation presented by NextEra Energy, before introducing the event’s speakers.
“We believe in our family motto – of always doing well and doing good,” said Mr. Crowell. “One of the things that pulled our family business together were all the different perspectives. We are fortunate each of us has different strengths and plays a different role. We care for each other and the good of our community – and as a family collective, we can do something better as a whole, as opposed to doing things separately.”
Mr. Frisbie discussed how the Frisbie Group has seized on the expansive growth of South Florida and how their business is being thoughtful about their plans for the future.
“It’s no secret we live in one of the most sought-after places in the country,” said Mr. Frisbie “Over the last few years, we’ve had this rapid acceleration in demand catalyzed by the pandemic. That put a strain on our infrastructure because those market forces that would naturally fill in with new development, haven’t had time to catch up. That’s why we see a lot of congestion, parts of the community feeling underserved, and our workforce being pushed away from city centers.
“To thoughtfully manage this growth, we need to go back and focus on the foundational pillars that support a healthy community, starting with access to quality education and health care,” he continued. “We also need to focus on our infrastructure and mobility as well as cultural institutions like the Kravis Center. And finally, we need to focus on affordability in our housing supply so that those who make our community whole – like our first responders, our nurses, our teachers – have a place they are proud of and can afford to live in. The demand we have right now has given us this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to really seize on that and use it to fortify those foundational pillars so that going into the future, West Palm Beach can become one of the greatest cities in the world.”
Mr. Frisbie and Mr. Crowell then discussed a few projects the company is working on including educational initiatives, the family’s biggest philanthropic passion. The real estate group is part of bringing Carson Scholars Fund Reading Rooms into public schools as well as opening a Bezos Academy at Roosevelt Elementary, a preschool program focused on project-based learning. They also discussed being part of the development of South Flagler House as well as plans for 1,200 multi-family units at the legacy property of the Palm Beach Kennel Club.
Kravis Center CEO Diane Quinn closed the luncheon by thanking Mr. Frisbie, Mr. Crowell and Mr. Leone. She also expressed gratitude to Ms. Mitchell and George Elmore, Corporate Partners Executive Committee Honorary Chair for their leadership. In addition, Ms. Quinn announced the Kravis Center’s exciting summer adventure, “Space Explorers: THE INFINITE,” an immersive experience which runs from June 4 through September 2.
Kravis Center Corporate Partners are the corporate and professional leaders in Palm Beach County whose mission is to support and enable the Kravis Center to continue its extensive educational and community outreach programs. Corporate Partners membership offers this dynamic group of business leaders the opportunity to act as an integral part of the Kravis Center, building awareness of the Center within the business community. The Corporate Partners Business Speaker Series brings in a high caliber of speakers with a wide range of business topics. In addition, members are invited to special events as well as priority ticketing for performances.
The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts is a not-for-profit performing arts center located at 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach, Fla. The Kravis Center provides exceptional cultural experiences that entertain, inspire, and educate audiences across the entire community. For information, please visit kravis.org.
To inquire about the Kravis Center’s Corporate Partners membership, visit kravis.org/corporate or call Ali Rehm at 561.651.4297.
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