Mchael A. Pollack just doesn’t renovate shopping centers; he helps renew communities.
“The Renovation King of Distressed Properties,” Pollack is in his 40th year in real estate development and is widely known, and appreciated, for acquir- ing and refurbishing deteriorating commercial and industrial properties. “Aside from its financial benefits, I enjoy this business because I can make a difference in the communities I serve,” says Pollack, who lives in Chandler with wife Cheryl and family. His Mesa-based Pollack Investments, one of Arizona’s largest independently owned and operated real estate companies, also manages and constructs projects.
“These are centers that have been forgotten by time – some in deplorable condition – and by turning them around and by providing something for the neighborhood, I feel proud,” says Pollack, who has been involved with 11 million square feet of renovation and new builds in his career – about half of that in the Valley of the Sun. “That contribution means a lot to me.” “When I walk down our halls and look at the before-and-af- ter pictures of all of our projects over the years, I’m happy to see what we’ve done, and as long as I keep receiving emails from people and messages commending our company for what we’ve accomplished for neighborhoods, I’ll keep doing this for as long as I am able,” he says with characteristic optimism.
Those picture-filled walls are in the company’s 31,000-square-foot headquarters, 1136 W. Baseline Road – a former well-worn retail showroom that, during the last 13 years, Pollack and his associates have transformed into gilded offices, with hallway showcases documenting the company’s success and, uniquely, one of the great advertising-collectibles showcases anywhere in the world: The Pollack Advertising Museum. “In my 40-year career, I’ve never been an arm-chair contractor,” he says. “I have walked all 11 million square feet of my projects to ensure quality and value to my tenants, who trust in us to provide them opportunities to build their businesses and serve our area.”The company writes from 350 to 400 leases annually – national companies as well as local mom and pop businesses.
Most of these centers are in East Valley cities — Tempe, Chandler, Mesa — but Pollack has also completed them in Phoenix, Peoria, Glendale and Tucson. The work is extensive, reinvigorating the interior spaces as well as completely refacading the exteri- ors for overall cohesiveness. The Pollack result: neighborhood centers with “check-me- out” curb appeal – and high-occupancy rates.
FAMILY, FAITH, FUN
Pollack is three generations removed from his European roots, Russia, perhaps. His great-grandparents probably arrived in the United States in one of the great immigration waves of the mid-19th century. As with so many Jews from Europe, they came optimistically looking toward the great lamp of opportunity and freedom from oppres- sion. His grandfather began as a rancher and meatpacker in California; his father went into the scrap metal business in the San Jose area. Then, sometime in the 1940s, his dad and grandfather entered the real estate development business, specifically, multi-family and industrial.
In 1973, Pollack began independently developing apartment complexes and commercial projects in California and later worked in Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Nevada and other states as well as throughout California. In 1990, he came to Arizona, envisioning its great future. “My faith is important to me,” he says. “But I don’t pray for money; I may pray for health but not for prosperity. I was born a Jew and will die a Jew, and that isn’t going to change. But that doesn’t mean I believe in everything Judaism offers,” he adds. “In one way, I believe in all religions to the extent that God gives us each a mind to make decisions according to the dictates of our hearts and consciences.”
While his parents were building their businesses, they would take him to flea markets and antique stores; they collected antiquities. Quickly picking up on that passion, he began acquiring advertising curios and collectibles. Mostly, these are display pieces as far back as the18th century for merchandising wares in stores and storefronts — from diamonds to soap, tea and tires to lingerie. He also has a world-class collection of slot machines as far back as the late 1800s and metal lunch boxes. His collection totals more than 8,000 items – many one-of- ones when they were created, others the only example remaining, as far as is known.
Today, tours of The Pollack Advertising Museum are available by appointment: Here, you can see manikins of Mr. Magoo, Tom Corbett and the Frito Kid; a penny slot machine that was set aside at the Flamingo in Las Vegas for comedian Jack Benny, known for his parsimony; and numerous one-off hand-carved slot machine figures by Arizonan Frank Polk, including one of legendary cowboy-actor John Wayne. Of particular note is a collection of Beranger mechanical vignettes used in jewelry stores beginning in the 1930s to sell diamonds, bracelets, watches and other luxuries; they depict in intricate moving scenes, for example, Santa’s elves making presents or people skating. He has amassed, through phone calls, the Internet and personal visits to collectors, 135 of the 165 of these pieces made in the original Pasadena factory, some with runs of just 30. And they all work – a pains- taking process for both the craftsman and for Pollack. Are you looking for the other 30? “Every day,” he says, with a smile.
A CHABAD IN THE EAST VALLEY?
You’re Kidding! The Pollacks contribute widely to local charities and arts organizations, financially and with their time. A superb drummer, Pollack volunteers his band, “Corporate Affair,” for events such as parades and fundraisers. And, almost 13 years ago, he renovated an obsolete six-plex cinema in one of his centers as the Pollack Tempe Cinemas. Here, at maybe break-even revenues, he plays current movies amidst an environment of arcades, cinemabilia and manikin and figurine assemblages such as characters from “The Wizard of Oz” and “Star Wars” movies. What’s out in the lobby is as much fun as what’s inside on the big screen.
His current project is particularly dear: a 13,000-square-foot Chabad Center that will serve the East Valley for services, education, social events and other functions. About 14 years, ago, Rabbi Mendy Deitsch approached Pollack and told him his vision for the building. “‘We are going to do this,’” the rabbi said to me. “Well, with all respect, I replied to him, ‘Who’s we?’” Pollack added: “You are kidding? A Chabad in the East Valley?” Most of the Jewish population in the Valley of the Sun lives in Phoenix, Scottsdale and Paradise Valley.
But Pollack thought about the rabbi’s idea. “I’m a bacon- and-eggs-on-Saturday person,” he says, with a laugh. “When we were children, we had a Hanukkah bush.” (Pollack Investments, by the way, annually decorates its headquarters in grand holiday lights that attract families and tour buses Valleywide.) “More and more, I liked the idea and the fact that the rabbi didn’t expect me to accept all of his beliefs,” Pollack says. The local Jewish population had to catch up to the vision, and the recession, which lasted almost five years in Arizona, kept the building on what Pollack calls “Gilligan’s Island, shipwrecked and sitting.” Meanwhile, the Chabad of the East Valley acquired the land and completed the onsite infrastructure.
In May or June, with the help of Pollack’s monetary contributions and his leveraged influence, the multi-purpose Pollack Chabad Center of the East Valley will be dedicated, with its chandeliered entry rotunda, a social hall, six classrooms, chil- dren’s play area, library, gift shop, kitchen, rabbi’s office and a Doug fir-domed sanctuary housing an ark for three Torahs, one scribed in Jerusalem.
“It’s coming to fruition now,” says Pollack, who provided many of the design details such as the Mediterranean styling, cornice moldings, gold-leaf work, sconces, domes and entry columns. “I’m excited about seeing it finished.” Rabbi Deitsch has already marked a place for Pollack in the blessing service.
“Michael has a great appreciation for the continuity of Judaism, and for this I am forever grateful to the Almighty for allowing us to meet and become good friends,” he says. “He knows that the future is met with optimism and strength. “He is a deeply committed person with a passion for doing the right thing and making a positive impact in the community,” he adds. “A brilliant businessman, he has a deep understanding of the way things work – and from where all blessings come.”
David M. Brown (azwriter.com) is a Valley-based freelancer.
