Chicago Politics

Humboldt Park Passive Living Groundbreaking 5.29.25

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Mayor Brandon Johnson attends the Humboldt Park Passive Living Groundbreaking.

Transcript

1:36 Good morning. Good morning, everyone. Thank you all so much for being here today. We're thrilled to be able to celebrate this groundbreaking. Thank you to our mayor, elected and appointed officials for being here. Thank you to our entire design team and especially our host, A.J. Patton, whose vision we are bringing to reality. I fell in love with this project from the first time I heard about A.J.'s vision. it was a bold vision for a project that embodied the best of design, engineering, and construction.

2:12 It was a vision that brought to life sustainable principles and a thriving community in a building that supported future residents, quality of life, and nurtured them socially and economically. As we all know, in the community development space, it takes more than a dream. It takes more than a cool idea or a sweet sight or a neat neighborhood. It takes teamwork, partnership, perseverance, and yes, sometimes even a few tears.

2:43 It takes the commitment of many, of you all, of the collective. Previous, there will be more speakers than me today, but I'd like to express gratitude for the commitment and investment in places and people that need it most. I'd like to add my voice as a principal of Lamar Johnson Collaborative, the design firm who created this project, and saying thank you to the amazing design and engineering team, our city's leadership, and especially to AJ for trusting us with

3:16 his vision. Bringing a building type that has never been built in Chicago to life, one that integrates and elevates placemaking and sustainability, is a career culminating event for me and our team at Lamar Johnson Collaborative. The living environment created for this project is responsive to its location and its cultural context. It's an example of equitable transit-oriented development and provides a solution to the food desert that exists in West Humboldt Park. It's a gateway, and we'll soon have a new streetscape improvements along Chicago Avenue, as I'm sure that you all encountered today.

3:54 This project will fulfill its promise of lower utility bills for its residents, allowing space and choice and positive impact. This project, 750 North Avers, illustrates what can happen when we work together to bring a dream to life. Our neighborhoods need this. Our city needs this. I'm so honored to be a part of this process and know that the legacy of this project will be transformative. Thank you. Sorry, I didn't have my notes.

4:38 And now I'd like to introduce Alderman Mitts. Thank you. Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to the 37th Ward. I'm excited. I just get excited anyway. Because we've been doing quite a bit of breaking ground and cutting ribbons. Thanks to our mayor, Mayor Johnson, who is building Better Chicago.

5:13 This has not been an easy project, but I thank A.J. for his dream, his commitment, his continuing to fight, his continuing to work with the various departments, Our commissioner from Housing, our commissioner from Department of Planning, and also the Alderman's Office, as well as Community Organization, where it's talking about development. I see you, Adrian, down there. Alderman Burnett, who is the vice mayor, ward right across the street.

5:46 So it's not just about wards. It's about communities. And it's about transforming neighborhoods that's been, had a lack of investment in. And this is one that definitely is one of those areas that need the investment. It's an area that's going to uplift these communities. I always say these are taxpayers. They deserve to have what other taxpayers have in the neighborhood. We deserve the development.

6:17 I thank you for allowing me to be able to be here. I welcome you to this wonderful event today. We're breaking grounds, and next week, cut some more ribbons. And then we're going to go back and break some more grounds, you all, and cut some more ribbons. Get that spirit across the city of Chicago. Let's break some more grounds and cut ribbons. I'm not sure who I'm supposed to bring up here. Oh, I'm going to get it right this time, Mr. Mayor.

6:47 Last time, I just took it off my own and introduced everybody. You get excited, you just bring everybody up. But I do get the privilege of bringing up the mayor today, and I don't have to introduce the mayor to you all. We all know who our mayor is, and he's one who believes in transforming the communities and investing back into neighborhoods that's been neglected and underserved, continuing the work that we need so desperately here on the west side of Chicago.

7:19 And I love to keep moving along up and down this quarter, changing this area where the people in the community, West Humboldt Park, Austin area, West Godfield Park, all of these neighborhoods can appreciate what the city has to offer, not just in the downtown area. We want it out here in our neighborhoods as well. I don't see us discriminating on the taxes when we have to pay. In fact, we're paying more taxes, look like to me, than they're paying downtown.

7:51 So we want the investments as well. So I appreciate it. Let me bring to you your mayor, our mayor, and my mayor, Mayor Brandon Johnson. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Thank you so much, Alderwoman Mitch. You all give her another round of applause. Thank you for your leadership and commitment to the people of Chicago. Good afternoon, everyone. I am tremendously honored to join all of you today for this exciting groundbreaking.

8:27 You know, I'm appreciative to have so many people who understand our collective assignment for all of Chicago. Again, Chairwoman Emma Mitz, you're going to hear from our commissioners of housing and planning, Commissioner Constaneda and Commissioner Boatwright. And I do want to give a special recognition to the founder of the 548 development, A.J. Patton.

8:58 You know, briefly, I met A.J. just a couple of years ago, like I met many people. and his conviction and his innovation seeps through in such a profound way that to be in a conversation with him, to hear his vision and how it aligns with the work that we're doing, such a remarkable testament to how all of us have a collective responsibility to support one another and lean in on what works

9:30 And, you know, the other person who has been such a stalwart of ensuring that these type of developments can happen in our neighborhoods are GMA Construction President and CEO Cornelius Griggs. Thank you, sir. You know how important you are based upon how many reserve seats you get at an event. Just saying, I don't get those type of reserve seats for my family.

10:04 I just, I got to talk to somebody. Perhaps Cornelius can help hook me up. Give me a chair for one of my kids. Lamar Johnson, collaborative representative, and Leslie Roth, all of these individuals, the financers of the project, Carl Jenkins from BMO and Terrence Moore from U.S. Bank and Brett Mueller from IFF, these are the people who believe in our people. I've always believed that safe, affordable, and accessible housing is a basic human right.

10:37 In fact, every need that humans have are rights. And that is why my administration has been working hard, so hard to remove the barriers and build more sustainable and affordable housing in Chicago through programs and initiatives. Recently we launched the Build Better Together, a comprehensive citywide economic development strategy that is focused on quality affordable housing for everyone, for business, innovation and job growth, and for neighborhood investments to ensure that our communities can be more vibrant.

11:10 And today's groundbreaking not only adds a new and dynamic development to this corridor, it is a great example of how better together we can continue to uplift people and revitalize and empower the community as a whole. When completed, this development will include 60 units geared towards young families and professionals and two commercial spaces for new businesses. And it also is a great example of green and sustainable development, which features and includes solar panels, green community spaces, and electric vehicle parking.

11:45 Again, I want to thank everyone who helped make this day possible. When we build new housing, especially affordable housing, we build communities where families can plant roots and grow for generations to come. It is through our efforts to build better together that we can look forward to more groundbreakings, as Alderwoman Mintz has articulated, and more ribbon cuttings to projects that make our city safe and affordable and thriving. So our ultimate goal is to build the safest, most affordable big city in America, and we are well on our way to do that.

12:16 And so the person who is helping to move this Build Better Together operation for it is the Commissioner for Housing. Please welcome Commissioner Lissette Castaneda. Good afternoon. I was still mourning, y'all. I'm so glad to be with all of you here today at this groundbreaking of this incredible development for the Humboldt Park community. I want to start by thanking some folks, of course.

12:47 This could not happen without 548 Enterprise and A.J. Patton, without Alderwoman Mitts, GMA Construction, the Lamar Johnson Collaborative, all of our other funding partners, Commissioner Bortright and her incredible team at the Department of Planning and Development, and, of course, my own team at the Department of Housing, particularly Veneta, Esther, and Tamara. I'm grateful to work together with all of these dedicated people who are committed to the same shared vision, quality, affordable housing for all Chicagoans.

13:19 We stand here today amid two long-growing crises. There is a significant shortage of affordable housing across the city, which we are all very well aware of, and the threats that we face as a planet on climate change. Here in Chicago, buildings alone make up 70% of our city's emissions. They are significant challenges that require us to work in partnership to build a better, more sustainable, and more equitable Chicago. Hummel Park Passive Living is the development that is needed in this moment.

13:55 This development will go above and beyond to provide quality housing in a building that reaches high environmental standards. These sustainability measures directly benefit building residents by providing affordable utility bills. Residents, but when combined with all of our shared efforts, they also create a green future that will give all of Chicago a chance to thrive. this exciting moment for this neighborhood and for humble park particularly is because once

14:29 completed there will be 60 new units 48 of which will be affordable to the community's working class residents 13 of the units will be accessible for people with disabilities four of the units particularly with people for people with sensory impairments many of those who will call this building home will be young professionals and families. It will be a place for these families to put down their roots. Because their rent will be affordable, these young residents will have the

15:00 flexibility in their budgets to support the local businesses here on the Chicago Avenue Corridor. The economic impact of affordable housing can ripple throughout a neighborhood, and we will see it here once this development is complete. That is why DOH is so glad to support this project. Our investment underscores our commitment in investing in a more sustainable Chicago and ensures the affordability of these units is secured, not just for the initial families that will move in, but for families for decades to come.

15:32 Thank you all again for being here today. While there is always more work to be done, today gives us a great reason to celebrate this incredible accomplishment as we continue along the way. And now, the person without whom we cannot get there either, Commissioner Boatwright of the Department of Planning and Development. Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you, Mayor Brandon Johnson. Thank you, Alderwoman Mids, Commissioner Castaneda. I'm happy to help to celebrate this ongoing transformation of Chicago Avenue in Humboldt Park

16:08 with another mixed-use project that directly responds to the neighborhood's needs. This corridor is a vital point of connection for communities from downtown to Austin. By my count, more than $100 million of construction is now underway through a few catalytic developments within a few miles of each other with more quality-of-life improvements such as Austin Hope Center,

16:40 the Boys and Girls Club, 40 Acres Fresh Market, and so much more. All of that is a huge testament to the community. City staff are amazing development partners. Thank you to AJ and 548 Development for your commitment to this site, to Humble Park, and to the entire city through this $48 million investment. Unlike the two other Chicago Avenue projects that advanced through a DPD RFP, this one emerged on its own.

17:13 And in activating a property that's been vacant for more than two decades, you all, The plans reflect a vision that the community repeatedly expressed through pre-development conversations in terms of the size, the scale, and the uses. As mentioned, one thing that makes this project so special is the unprecedented scope of its Passive House energy-efficient design that aligns with the emphasis the city places on sustainable developments.

17:44 Once complete, this building will be a model for future projects striving to ensure their positive impact includes furthering Chicago's climate and resiliency goals. So we're happy to coordinate DPD's support in terms of necessary zoning, the land, the financial support, including $18.7 million in TIF and $7.1 million in recovery plan funds. I also want to acknowledge the design and building teams for their exceptional work, including the Lamar Johnson Collaborative, Gregory Ramone Design Studio, Millhouse Engineering, and last but certainly not least, the GMA Construction Team.

18:29 And I want to give a shout out to my DPD staff who helped to ensure this project got to this point with our partners at DOH and our larger city partners. Fun fact, it took less than 30 days from the filing of this proposal to get to plan commission for review and approval. A level of efficiency we've made under Mayor Brandon Johnson's Cut the Tape initiative. I want to quickly give a special shout out to a couple folks. Ernest Bellamy, Brian Hacker, Chris Jang, Noah Sofranek, and David Scully who are here today,

19:03 who work so hard with the development team and our partners at DOH. everyone's hard work has been incredibly valuable and I'm glad Humboldt Park will soon be able to reap the benefits of this amazing development I'm eager to bring up our next speaker Brett Muller of IFF I'm realizing I should have brought a bigger screen

19:37 um good afternoon or paper yeah good afternoon everybody um before i begin uh my name is brett miller i'm the managing director of partnership management at iff um before i begin i just wanted to reiterate something that the mayor said about aj um when you talk to aj i've gotten to know aj over the past couple years he is one of the most infectious people that i've ever had the Thank you. pleasure of meeting. And I think what, you know, Commissioner Boatwright just said about this happening, a lot of it was just his hustle and his grit. So I just want to give a huge shout out

20:09 to AJ on that. Yeah, so IFF, for those that don't know, we are a community development financial institution that supports nonprofits that are supporting more equitable and vibrant neighborhoods through community-centered lending, real estate development, capacity building programming, and so much more. We strive to turn ideas into action by partnering with organizations like 548

20:41 and changemakers like A.J. Patton to provide the resources they need to bring their visions for their communities to life. As I've gotten to know A.J. over the past three years, I've been struck by his bold vision for climate justice and equitable development. And the vision for this project was indeed bold. A high-quality, environmentally friendly facility with much-needed affordable housing and retail space that will enhance the positive impact of the development. The only thing bigger and bolder than AJ's vision is his heart and tenacity to center

21:15 and advocate for people often forgotten. IFF exists to help make projects like this a reality, and we're incredibly proud to have partnered with A.J. Early in the pre-development process to provide the flexible financing needed to get to today's milestone. This speaks to the value of CDFIs, specifically Community Development Financial Institutions, for those not familiar with the acronym, because where traditional lenders saw risk at that point in the process,

21:49 we saw a project with substantial support from the City of Chicago with the potential to meaningfully improve the quality of life for Humboldt Park residents and to contribute to a more vibrant city. This project exemplifies what's possible when community changemakers, private organizations, and government collaborate to solve challenges. Congratulations to AJ and to 548 on this milestone. I look forward to joining you for the next groundbreaking, hopefully very soon,

22:22 and to be back here when we do the ribbon cutting for this official open. Thank you. And next up is Carl Jenkins from BMO. Every time I do something like this, I just want to take this and ball it up. But I'll try to loosely stick with this. But thank you, everyone, and thank you for the introduction. We're actually an investor in IFF as well, but my name is Carl Jenkins. I am the group head of what we call at BMO Community Capital Solutions.

22:54 And I certainly want to thank Mayor Johnson and his team because we cannot do this without you. It takes a lot of heavy lifting. And I want to identify the heavy lifters at BMO for the construction loan for this project. If you can see the two photographers back here, they try to hide. They don't want attention. But thank you, Tiffany Hill, Allison Porter-Bell, and Pam Daniels as well on the construction loan team. This development, as we know and as we've heard, will make a real difference in our Humboldt Park community.

23:26 And we are very proud as BMO to work alongside the founder, Mr. A.J. Patton. I've watched him and learned from his infectious personality over time, so we are very happy and look forward to doing more business with Mr. Patton. Quality affordable housing is not a nice to have, it's a need to have. It's a basic human right, as you heard the mayor say. Our purpose at BMO to boldly grow the good in business and in life is at the core of what we do

24:00 and central to how we measure success at BMO. Success stories such as 548 are not achieved alone. It requires partnership, and you heard about partnership, you hear about it more. And I, as a 35-year community development financier, I see firsthand how these partnerships work, and it can change the lives of our friends, family, and neighbors. Our commitment to affordable housing and supporting small business is at the forefront of our strategy.

24:33 We are proud to be a senior construction lender on this project, and the team I identified earlier, They have financed a little over $1.1 billion in new construction across the BMO footprint, which extends from Chicago to the west. So with that, I want to thank everyone, and I get to introduce my longtime friend who's at U.S. Bank, which is another fascinating aspect of it. Community Development is Bank's partner. We're friendly competitors, but we partner when it makes sense for the community.

25:05 Thank you, everyone. Mr. Torrance Moore from U.S. Bank. Thanks, Carl. Good morning. I see I did the same thing, Commissioner. Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Torrance Moore with U.S. Bank, as Carl just mentioned. I work with our U.S. Bank Impact Finance subsidiary, which is the community development arm of U.S. Bank. We are happy to be here today to celebrate the groundbreaking of Humboldt Park Passive Living.

25:37 What an exciting day for West Humboldt Park in the city of Chicago. Let's clap it up. See, Brett, maybe I should have brought a screen, too. At U.S. Bank, we believe everyone deserves an opportunity to achieve financial stability. And we know that it's hard to do so without access to housing. It's why we are so proud to be involved as the tax credit investor on this project. We're investing roughly $15 million in equity to help finance construction.

26:12 You can clap for that. This is our first LIHTC investment with 548 Development Team, which has made a commitment to affordable housing in Chicago. But A.J. Patton is not new to me nor U.S. Bank. I first met A.J. about six years or so ago here in Chicago, and he currently serves on our U.S. Bank's local Illinois regional board committee.

26:43 So we appreciate your service helping us stay on the straight and narrow, giving us input and advice as we look to do more in the community. So thank you for that, A.J. We value our ongoing collaboration and the impact we make working together to address the needs of affordable housing based on the underlying belief that every individual and family deserves a place to call home. So on behalf of U.S. Bank, congratulations to everyone involved from the city, to the development team,

27:13 to my fellow financiers of the project, to the U.S. Bank colleagues here, please raise your hand. We brought a small army. when private and public sectors work together we can help improve disparities give everyone the chance to achieve financial stability and have a lasting impact in our communities i can't wait to come back and celebrate the grand opening when we welcome the residents to their new homes so now i want to welcome up to this to the mic uh mr griggs of gma construction good afternoon

27:57 It is a great day on the west side of Chicago. We've got to give a round of applause to the alder woman for welcoming us today. And the mayor, of course, who has been steadfast in ensuring that investment is happening in underserved communities across the city of Chicago. When he came into office, I think we sat down with him before he won, and he promised us that he was going to continue to invest on the west and south sides of Chicago.

28:31 I want you to know that that investment is right here. It's down the street. It's around the corner. He's continuing his promise to invest in the south and west sides of Chicago. And his administration, along with his two great commissioners, deserve a round of applause for continuing that investment. And it's a special day for me because I get to work with a really good friend of mine, A.J. Patton. A.J. and I met a number of years ago, and we shared a shared vision.

29:04 And that vision was to develop in the communities that we grew up in and communities that look like ours. Both A.J. and I grew up in public housing. We both come from troubled backgrounds. But today we get to stand here as productive citizens of Chicago, productive citizens of this society, investing in communities that bred us, that fed us and grew us. So to you, A.J., congratulations for entrusting our team at GMA to build an incredible facility for you.

29:37 Give A.J. Patton a round of applause as well. I want to thank my team. They're all here, the GMA folks. You see us all in these bright orange vests. We wanted to make sure we were seen today. But give my team a round of applause because they're going to be the ones who put up the very first Passive House facility in this community. And then, of course, to my beautiful. My family, my wife, they finally showed up. The mayor gave you guys a hard time for being late.

30:09 My daughter, who's here from Spelman, who's getting ready to go to medical school soon, give her a round of applause. And my son, who tore his shoulder here playing baseball at Whitney Young, but he's here as well. And, of course, my beautiful wife. I'm excited for them to have an opportunity to see what partnership is all about. Now, A.J. and I are both African-American, as you can see. We are minority businesses, and we had to come together to guarantee this deal.

30:43 That means something. I want to stress that because this is a $48 million development deal, and GMA Construction Group had to put a $48 million performance and payment bond on this particular project. And that is not something that is easy to do. So there was no handouts here. There was no there was no, you know, minority play. We had to come to the table. We had to bring our financials. We had to bring our capital and we had to execute the same way our majority counterparts have to execute.

31:21 So I want to be clear on behalf of A.J. because I'm sure he's going to be clear as well that we didn't cut no corners to get here. We build buildings around this city just like every other contractor, every other developer across this country. Where A.J. is single-handedly put together, nobody gave him anything. As you've heard from the speakers before us, it was his vision. It was his determination. It was his aptitude that got him to where he is today and got us at this stage.

31:52 So I want to thank this brother, and I want to welcome him. Please put a round of applause together for the man of the hour, A.J. We call him Bob Patton. That Bob's an inside joke. I don't know how that got out. And that's the most nice things Griggs has ever said about me in 10 years of friendship. So that's our count. Good afternoon. Good afternoon.

32:23 It's always a little awkward when your friends, I've known most of these folks for many years saying nice things. So it's really great to be here. So today's theme is accountability and gratitude. I want to start with the gratitude. As mentioned, my name is A.J. Patton. I'm the founder of 548 Development. The inspiration for today started in 1999. My mother received a $400 gas bill. She was making $10 an hour, and unfortunately, our gas got shut off.

32:55 And so for a year straight, we had to boil water to take a bath. Fast forward, when I went to start my company, I wanted to build a company that builds sustainable communities so that folks did not have to boil water to take a bath, not have to think about that electric or gas bill that was going to change the trajectory of their family. I'm proud that we started the company 548 because that's the unit number in the projects that I grew up in. And we branded all of our companies that way, from the development company that is building or developing this, the energy company, 540 Energy.

33:28 I saw Ryan McCain's floating around here. We're going to put solar on this to our foundation, which I'll talk about later, that will help provide some of the labor that Mr. Griggs will use to build this place. But we started with the people first, thinking that we all deserve access to sustainable technology and clean energy. That's the story of 548. I want to also thank our team, the 548 team. There's a bunch of folks around here with crappy hard hats. We've got stickers on them. I don't know how that happened. But thank you to the entire team. I know Ben's is not here, Steve, all those folks.

34:00 Thank you, because we can't do it without the team. But this project doesn't happen. I see a ton of community folks here. I saw Fly and all the guys here. One particular person, this project does not happen. And before we get to thanking fancy folks, I want to thank the person that made this project truly inspired, and that's Ms. Adrienne Boykin. Is Ms. Adrienne here? Can you stand up, please? And just folks can acknowledge you. As our commissioner mentioned, there was an RFP in the neighborhood for other projects.

34:32 and the community was frankly wanted something of larger scale and somehow she got my number and I and I picked up the phone I usually don't take unsaved numbers and I answered the phone and she said Mr. Patton we need something bigger we know the site we need you to figure it out and those of us that may be a little bit spiritual she didn't speak to me she spoke into me if you know the difference she spoke into into me and saying you will make this happen and we will celebrate this together and this was over

35:05 three years ago and so miss adrian thank you for inspiring me but what is this without lending you know the most scary thing is being a black man with a business walking up and down the south street and every bank told me no and they did that for years and then when i came with this idea the first thing all the lenders asked for was who was going to be first that's the scary part who's going to step up first and brett i know he was mentioning his small phone big heart big heart

35:40 and iff stepped up and gave us almost four million dollars am i supposed to say it publicly um they gave us a couple million dollars most importantly they gave us uh patience and agency let me use that again patience and agency they allowed 548 to lead as mr griggs mentioned And 548 has no partner. This is ours. We will own this when everyone leaves. And so there's no overseer here. This is us. And that starts with Brett and the IFF team giving us the pre-development timeline for us to work through the city process.

36:14 And we needed that patience and agency. So thank you, Brett. I appreciate you. And then there's a couple other folks before I get to accountability. Vihar is not here from U.S. Bank. But U.S. Bank stepped up, and they did something really powerful in the sense that they committed to doing the project years ago. And they said, A.J., we'll do a whole project with you, equity and debt. You go figure it out. We'll let you do one.

36:45 What they didn't know is what they gave me was a ticket to leverage it to every other bank. If you want to work with me, it doesn't matter if you don't because I'll just work with U.S. Bank. and I took that up and down the street and U.S. Bank gave me something most powerful, leverage. And darn it, thank you, Dan. Thank you, Torrance. I appreciate U.S. Bank for giving us an opportunity. I gained an aunt in this deal and I come from a big family and I got an aunt.

37:16 We've started the project and got going and what we needed was a champion, a flag bearer and we got that in Alderman Mitts. Alderman Mitts is the best alderman we got. Thank you, Alderman. I got to thank the BMO team But strategically in there, there's always these forgotten folks that start the handoff. Carl's the boss boss. I don't know. Are you CEO yet? I don't even know. Came here in a helicopter or something. But Jeff Allen started this.

37:48 Jeff, thank you, Jeff. He's in the corner. Thank you, Jeff, for kind of sparking the introduction to Allison and the team. We got tax credits from Ida. Shout out to Ida and Governor Pritzker. I don't know where Andy is. Andy Gere. Thank you, Andy. He's our consultant on the deal. More about Andy later. But before I get to accountability, you have to think that we sit here advocating for folks to get jobs, people of color, to be able to empower themselves.

38:20 And while that is under attack federally, I'm reminded that elections have consequences. Elections have consequences. You don't get, frankly, one of the great real estate minds of our city to give up her career to become the planning commissioner, and I'm talking about Commissioner Boatwright. You don't get that unless you get Mayor Johnson to lead and inspire and tell us that we can empower not just ourselves but our communities.

38:52 And so I want to thank Mayor Johnson for inspiring all of us. Thank you. So, we have a, now to the accountability, I promised Alderman Mintz that this job site, this has been three years ago, I had a lot more hair and one less kid. And I promised her that this job site would look like the community. And so we have a tradition at 548 that before we do the ribbon or the groundbreaking, we line up all the contractors, then we leave the space for the lenders here in the middle and the aldermen and so forth.

39:34 So what I'd like to do is do keep that tradition. And so the contractors and service providers, I'll name you, if you could stand here and here, and we'll line up and leave them in the center because today's accountability and I want to close with this. So I want to start our architect of record, Lamar Johnson, Leslie Roth. You mind just standing here for me, Leslie? Thank you, Leslie. A civil engineer is Engage Civil. Shout out to Kelsey.

40:07 Consultant, Blue Eddie, Andy Gere. Come on up, Andy. Our lawyers were Neil and Leroy. Did Langdon or Carol or anyone from that team make it? I don't see any of those folks. Was Greg Miller our other counsel? I saw Greg here. He's always fly. Where's Greg at? Come on up, Greg. Come on up, Greg. We're going to close here with this. Our GC is GMA. Hey, Mr. Griggs, you're probably center court. Our owner's rep, James, Beth, S.P. Murphy, you guys join me, please.

40:41 My insurance agent on the deal was Charles Smith. Charles, come on up, man. Come on, join me, man. Charles. My consultant on this is Robert Charles. Robert, do you mind joining me here for a second? So I think we've got most everybody. You know where I'm going now, huh? You know where I'm going. I'm going to make sure I didn't leave anybody out. DAI, is Rick Vamos here? Did Rick leave already? Rick, join me.

41:13 Thank you, bro. And I think I've got most of the folks that were critical here. So to close, I just want to say this. We won't stop. We won't stop investing in our own people. We are empowered and emboldened by this moment. I don't give a damn who's the president.

41:44 We have got to commit to ourselves. I don't care what a banker says. I don't care what a president says. Our children are watching. You commit to you. Thank you for coming.

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