Describe your role at Merle Hay Mall.

I’m the on-site leasing person. I work with other leasing people we have as independent contractors to find new tenants and develop the property. Day-to-day: a lot of phone calls dealing with possible new tenants, dealing with existing tenants and keeping up-to-date on paperwork and various activities. I do pretty much anything that needs to get done.

Throughout the year, I go to different meetings for both the ICSC, for the property here and for personal and educational development.

What does your ICSC role entail?

It’s developing a strong contact base of retail real estate professionals in the hope of providing a better experience for not only the customer, but for the community, by enhancing life options. And redevelopment of properties, all moving toward improvement, making Des Moines one of the top cities to live in. If anybody has any questions about the ICSC, send an e-mail to ed@merlehaymall.com or call me at (515) 360-2145.

What is the operations chair charged with?

Staying in contact with other professionals on the national level and relaying any information to fellow constituents. Also, if there is anything locally that ICSC can help with – policies, laws, regulations, concepts, trends, identifying different positives and negatives – local people in the industry can take advantage of this giant organization with this huge wealth of knowledge. I’m one of a number of contacts that can make things happen. A national trend might get noticed. That information might get down to ICSC. I share it with people locally to improve standards of living for people.

Does your work with ICSC help you achieve your goals at the mall?

Absolutely. You are networking and in constant contact with other retail real estate development professionals. Between contact information and ideas being shared, having that knowledge available helps you lease, manage, sell and develop better.

What’s new at the mall?

The TIF district financing has caused a lot of very positive growth in the area. Older buildings are being torn down and new buildings are going up. Anytime you see that new, exciting, vibrant activity, that’s just weaving life into the area. It’s very positive.

It’s a slower process – it started two, three, four years ago – you’re seeing it go on right now and it will continue for another three, four or five years. The front of the mall, the streetscape, has a new look, a new image.

I understand you like jazz?

Oh yeah, absolutely. My wife and I are big jazz musicians. She’s a singer; I’m a jazz bass player. My kids all play music. We’ve been playing around the Des Moines metro area as the Ed Kaizer Trio or the Lynn Kaizer Trio. We have a long-time history here. As a matter of fact, we just played last night. We are playing gigs all the time. My son, Nick, who is a freshman in college, is a trumpet player at the University of Louisville on a jazz scholarship. The other two boys play saxophone and drums. They are studying computer science and actuarial science at Truman State University.

What can you tell me about the state of retail in Greater Des Moines?

There are positive signs that are showing up with companies on their sales reporting. Their corporate profits are starting to come back, meaning that the consumers are starting to feel a little bit more confidence. As the economy improves and the job outlook improves, people will start spending, people will start hiring. It’s not going to happen quickly, but it’s moving in the right direction. Much improved over two years ago when everything was tight.