Business & Professional
Al Taubman Unplugged
Bill Carroll
Special to the Jewish News
p
rofessor" A. Alfred Taubman
stood at the head of the class-
room at Lawrence Technological
University in Southfield last week and
gave a standing-room-only audience a
quick course in "Business and Life 101."
The Jewish billionaire shopping mall
tycoon and philanthropist received ova-
tions before and after his question-and-
answer session, billed as "Al Taubman
Unplugged." Impetus for Taubman's
appearance at the 5,000-student cam-
pus was his new book, Threshold
Resistance: the Extraordinary Career
of a Luxury Retailing Pioneer (Harper
Collins; $24.95). The book describes how
Taubman rose from humble beginnings
in a Conservative Jewish home in Pontiac
to succeed in businesses as varied as
architecture, land speculation, luxury
housing, shopping malls, chain restau-
rants and fine art.
"Things are a lot different today than
when I started out;' he advised the
enthusiastic students. "You have many
more opportunities today ... and a lot of
Al Taubman: "Sometimes, you learn
even more from the failures — like not
to do it again. A success often inflates
the ego and gives false confidence.
Remember, I once spent 10 months in
prison."
A24
October 25 a 2007
land to be developed in this country ...
with the population on the way to 400
million."
Taubman never graduated from col-
lege, once attending some classes at
Lawrence Tech and the University of
Michigan, but he has given away close to
$150 million to civic, cultural and reli-
gious philanthropies.
"He may not have invented shopping,
but he certainly redefined the way we
now go about shopping;' said Lawrence
Tech President Lewis Walker, in introduc-
ing Taubman, who was the major donor
for the school's $15 million A. Alfred
Taubman Student Services Center.
Taubman revealed he's commission-
ing a new sculpture for the front of the
building.
Sta ff p ho tos by Ang ie Baan
Famed philanthropist talks business, life with Lawrence Tech students.
"Professor" Taubman addresses Lawrence Tech students.
Upbeat On Michigan
Lacing his answers with humorous
anecdotes about his early mall days and
his efforts to help raise $100 million for
the Detroit Institute of Arts, Taubman
also expressed strong optimism for
Michigan's future — despite recent tax
increases imposed by the governor and
state legislature — and gave ringing
endorsements to embryonic stem cell
research and the battle against global
warming.
He also shrugged off the Internet's
effect on retail shopping sales, claiming
Internet shoppers accounted for less than
3 percent of the $1.8 trillion spent by U.S.
shoppers last year. "It's very difficult to
feel the merchandise over the Internet,"
he said.
Mall tenant sales increased by 10 per-
cent in 2006 at the 32 shopping centers in
13 states operated by Taubman Centers
Inc., including Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi,
Great Lakes Crossing in Auburn Hills
and Fairlane Town Center in Dearborn.
Taubman's son Robert of Bloomfield Hills
is company chairman and CEO. The new-
est Taubman venture, Partridge Creek
Mall in Clinton Township, opened last
week, generating 2,000 new retail jobs.
Describing his early successes in mall
development, Taubman said, "You've got
to know the demographics and geophys-
ics of the area before you start building
and who your competition is in the mar-
ket area; then design a concept, get inves-
tors and go with it."
He said the nation's freeway system
was a key factor — and still is — in
any mall's success. "Freeways bring four
times as many shoppers to a mall than
conventional roads;' he said, "and 84
percent of the mall shoppers are women,
who buy an average of six pair of shoes
a year."
Looking Forward
Taubman seemed to enjoy rattling
off statistics, including the fact that
Michigan has about 10 million people
and 23 percent of the world's fresh water
supply. "It also has a high unemployment
rate (7.5 percent in September), but that
will improve, and the economy will turn
around soon," he predicted.
"Everyone seems to think Michigan's
economy is based only on the automo-
tive business, but there also are many
opportunities in the pharmaceutical and
chemical industries and in tourism and
agriculture."
Taubman said he strongly believes in
the threat of global warming and urged
students to help carry on the fight to
slow it down. He also has thrown his sup-
port behind controversial efforts to relax
Michigan's embryonic stem cell laws by
donating $1.4 million to Michigan Stem
Cell Research & Cures, a group trying to
educate the public about embryonic stem
cells' basic science and the state's current
laws which essentially ban research.
A supporter of many medical causes,
Taubman noted, "I've known people
who I've seen die ... and had embryonic
stem cell research been around, I believe
they'd still be alive today. We want to cure
people and give them a chance to live
without suffering."
Asked if he had learned lessons from
his failures as well as successes, Taubman
replied, "Sometimes, you learn even
more from the failures — like not to do
it again. A success often inflates the ego
and gives false confidence. Remember, I
once spent 10 months in prison."
He was alluding to the famous
Sotheby's-Christie's auction house scan-
dal. He was convicted of conspiring to fix
commission rates on sales of fine art. He
always has maintained his innocence.
What does he want to be remembered
for the most? "My legacy is my fam-
ily — my two sons, daughter and nine
grandchildren," he beamed. "I'm proud of
their accomplishments:'
Walking to a book signing after his
remarks, Taubman was asked about any
new philanthropies for the Jewish corn-
munity. "We'll keep looking at future
needs," he said.
Whom does he support for president
in 2008? "I'm still waiting for a better
candidate to come along:' he said.
Taubman garnered his biggest laugh
when a student asked about his future
plans. "I'm 83 — I'm just trying to stay
alive," he cracked, "and I'm trying to give
away a lot more money." Fl