THESE
THESE DAYS... IN THESE PARTS... DOUGLAS JEMAL IS A HOUSEHOLD
NAME.
HE'S TAKING ON SOME
OF THE BIGGEST
DEVELOPMENT
PROJECTS IN THE
REGION.
BUT WHAT'S BEHIND HIS
LOVE OF WESTERN
NEW YORK?
OUR MICHAEL WOOTEN
GOT THE RARE
OPPORTUNITY TO SIT
DOWN AND HAVE A
LENGTHY
CONVERSATION WITH
THE FOUNDER AND
PRESIDENT OF
DOUGLAS
DEVELOPMENT ...
TO TALK ABOUT HIS
PLANS... AND HIS
FUTURE HERE IN THE
QUEEN CITY.
QUEEN CITY.
FROM
FROM SENECA ONE... TO THE OLD BUFFALO POLICE
HEADQUARTERS...
POLICE HEADQUARTERS... THE BOULEVARD MALL...
TO THE STATLER...
THE HYATT... THE HOTEL
HENRY... EVEN THE
CENTRAL TERMINAL.
SO MANY OF BUFFALO'S
MOST ICONIC BUILDINGS
ARE EITHER OWNED BY
DOUGLAS JEMAL... OR
HE'D LIKE THEM TO BE.
"I LOVE TO TAKE THINGS
AND PUT THEM BACK
TOGETHER AGAIN AND
MAKE A BIG
DIFFERENCE, AND I HAD
THE OPPORTUNITY TO
DO THAT IN BUFFALO."
BORN IN BROOKLYN...
JEMAL MADE HIS MARK
AS A TOP DEVELOPER IN
D-C...
HE STUMBLED UPON
WESTERN NEW YORK...
BY CHANCE.
"WHEN I CAME TO
BUFFALO STRICTLY BY
ACCIDENT, SPENT THE
NIGHT HERE, GOT TO
MEET SOME PEOPLE
OVER HERE, IT JUST
FELT RIGHT. IT FELT
CHALLENGING."
AT THE TIME -- THE
TALLEST BUILDING IN
BUFFALO... WAS VACANT.
1-POINT-2 MILLION
SQUARE FEET -- EMPTY.
AS H-S-B-C AND OTHER
TENANTS MOVED OUT...
MANY WONDERED IF
ANYBODY WOULD EVER
MOVE IN.
"I LIKE DIFFICULT
PROJECTS."
"IT JUST FELT RIGHT. IT
FELT CHALLENGING..."
HE'S BEEN
CHALLENGING HIMSELF
"HERE" EVER SINCE.
CAUSING PEOPLE TO
PONDER...
"WHY BUFFALO? WHY
BUFFALO. PROBABLY
THE SAME REASON
YOU'RE IN BUFFALO. IT'S
A GREAT CITY. IT'S THE
CITY OF GOOD
NEIGHBORS. AND THERE
ARE CERTAIN THINGS IN
LIFE THAT YOU JUST GET
ATTRACTED TO THAT
JUST FEEL RIGHT."
"ALL MY FELLOW
DEVELOPERS LIKE IN DC
ASK THE SAME
QUESTION, WHAT'S
DOUG DOING IN
BUFFALO. OH HE'S LOST
HIS MIND. WHAT ARE
YOU GOING TO DO OVER
THERE? WHY ARE YOU
DOING THAT."
"ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS
COME TO BUFFALO.
SPEND A LITTLE BIT OF
TIME IN BUFFALO, AND
YOU'LL GET IT."
"BUT YOU DON'T STRIKE
ME AS THE TYPE OF GUY
THAT LIKES TO THROW
HIS MONEY AWAY. YOU
ALSO SEE OPPORTUNITY
IN BUFFALO? THERE'S
TREMENDOUS
OPPORTUNITY IN
BUFFALO."
HE SEES OPPORTUNITY
... WHERE OTHERS MAY
NOT.
TAKE THE STATLER.
IT'S NO LONGER THE
"WORTHLESS"
"DISGRACE"... IT WAS A
DECADE AGO.
BUT THE UPPER FLOORS
ARE STILL VACANT ...
AND HAVE BEEN FOR AS
LONG AS MANY CAN
REMEMBER.
YET JEMAL PLANS TO
HAVE THEM FULLY
RENOVATED... WITH
HUNDREDS OF
APARTMENTS... WITHIN
JUST TWO YEARS TIME.
"IT'S GOING TO BE 1,000
PEOPLE LIVING ON
THOSE UPPER FLOORS,
OR MAYBE MORE."
ALL HIS PLANS ARE
AMBITIOUS... AND THE
WORK ISN'T CHEAP.
"THEY ARE DIFFICULT
PROJECTS. THEY'RE
EXPENSIVE PROJECTS.
I'VE HAD PEOPLE ASK
ME, ISN'T DOUGLAS
JEMAL GOING TO RUN
OUT OF MONEY. HOW DO
YOU RESPOND TO THAT?
WE'RE ALL GOING TO
RUN OUT OF MONEY. I'M
GOING TO DIE BROKE.
THERE'S NOTHING THAT
I'M TAKING WITH ME.
LOOK, NEEDLESS TO
SAY, YOU KNOW MY M.O.
I'M A RIVERBOAT
GAMBLER. I'M A
SHOOTER. I'M NOT A
MATHEMATICAL GUY
THAT SITS DOWN AND
LOOKS AT
SPREADSHEETS AND
STUFF LIKE THAT. I LIKE
SOMETHING, I GO. AS
LONG AS I DIDN'T ROB,
CHEAT OR STEAL
ANYTHING, I'M VERY
HAPPY WITH MY LIFE."
AND HE REMAINS
BULLISH ON BUFFALO...
EVEN AMID WORRIES
ABOUT THE POST-
PANDEMIC COMMERCIAL
REAL ESTATE MARKET.
JEMAL'S PREDICTION...
"I THINK IT'S GOING TO
BOOM. I'M ENJOYING
SITTING DOWN AND
TALKING TO YOU,
BECAUSE IT'S
INTERACTIVE. I THINK
WE ALL NEED THAT."
"PEOPLE ARE DONE
WITH ZOOMS? THEY'RE
DONE. I MEAN ZOOM,
BOOM, SCHMOOM, LET'S
GET BACK TO NORMAL.
LET'S NOT, LOOK THIS
WAS A BAD YEAR. LET'S
LOOK FORWARD. GO
BUFFALO.... LET'S THINK
VERY POSITIVE AND GET
THROUGH THIS CRAP."
AND BACK TO THAT
MOST COMMON
QUESTION -- OF WHY
THIS BIG-CITY
DEVELOPER IS SO
"INVESTED" IN BUFFALO.
HE SAYS... ONE PROJECT
LEADS TO ANOTHER.
AND IN A CITY LIKE THIS
-- ON THE WAY UP -- YOU
CAN FEEL THE IMPACT...
"IT REALLY MAKES YOU
WANT TO DO MORE AND
RAISE THE BAR, AND
EVERY GREAT
VISIONARY LIKES TO
LEAVE SOMETHING AT
THE END OF THE TRAIL
THAT'S HIS MARK FOR
LIFE. AND I REALLY FEEL
I WANT TO LEAVE THAT
IN THIS CITY. SO THAT'S
WHY I'M IN BUFFALO."
THERE ARE A LOT OF
UPDATES ON JEMAL'S
PROJECTS... AND SITES
HE'S EYEING FOR MORE
DEVELOPMENT.
SO WE'LL GO ONE-BY-
ONE... WITH SOME
NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN
FOOTAGE... IN PART TWO
OF THIS STORY...
TOMORROW EVENING AT
6.
MICHAEL WOOTEN,