Gina Champion-Cain Photos courtesy of Gina Champion-Cain
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There are some people who you meet for the very first time and feel as if you have known them a lifetime. Gina Champion-Cain is one such person. Upon meeting her, it was obvious from her big smile and intelligent banter that this woman was not only beautiful, but someone I wanted to get to know better: I was impressed with her kindness and concern for those around her, and her selfless love for this community she calls home. Gina Champion-Cain is a woman who has done some remarkable things in her life. Born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, she first came to San Diego to attend law school at the University of San Diego. She graduated from USD with an MBA instead, realizing that she really was not cut out to be an attorney. Having grown up with a father who was a real estate developer, she found herself drawn to the field and decided to pursue a career in Real Estate Development. Unfortunately, times were not ideal for this choice, but as Gina would do throughout her life, she managed to take lemons and make lemonade. With an economy that was less than ideal for a real estate professional, she decided to concentrate on the large number of distressed properties
By Judith A. Habert
in San Diego. She would focus on purchasing these properties, rehabbing, and flipping them. It didn’t take long for her to become the go-to-person for distressed properties. Her command of this area of real estate did not go unnoticed. Before long Gina was swept up by a major international real estate company and placed in charge of their international retail development program. This division concentrated on purchasing distressed malls and repurposing them. In 1994, La Jolla Village Square Mall was one of her first endeavors. With a title conferred upon her of Executive Vice President of her firm’s Asian division, she would soon be traveling internationally to help design mega malls in places such as Osaka and Tokyo, bringing the “American Mall” concept to Japan. In 1997 the Japanese economy was faced with tough times and Koll, the company for which Gina worked, closed down its Asian division. Never being one to wallow in pity, Gina brushed herself off and realized that this was an opportunity to start her own business and American National Investments was born. Her most noteworthy purchase was of the Woolworth Building in downtown San Diego. The purchase was one that Gina had long dreamed of, and she knew exactly what she wanted to do with this property. As a frequent traveler, Gina loved to visit music venues across the country, her favorite being ’The House of Blues.’ She took a step back and looked at our downtown area and felt it was sorely lacking in good restaurants and music venues that would draw crowds and liven up the downtown area. After much negotiation with The House of Blues, her dream was realized and downtown San Diego would begin to shine. She subsequently bought other buildings downtown, doing what she could to further build up this blossoming area. “At the time, the Gaslamp was in its infancy. Its growth came with the help of such pioneers as Ingrid Croce, David and Lesley Cohn, Jack Berkman, and Bud Fischer to name a few. These were just some of the people we can thank for San Diego having a downtown area that attracts tourists and residents alike.” Although she would never say it herself, Gina too holds a spot in the development of the Gaslamp. Bringing the House of Blues to San Diego was a huge plus for the downtown area. In addition, Gina sat on the board of directors of the former Centre City Redevelopment Corporation and the Redevelopment Agency of Southeast San Diego. She does however admit to her love of the Gaslamp, “I have a passion for neighborhoods. I am not a suburban developer. I love downtown neighborhoods.” Three years ago, in Gina’s continued effort to revitalize San Diego neighborhoods, she came upon a site on Lamont Street in Pacific Beach. Her original plans for this property were to tear it down and create a mixed use project, but a problem soon reared its head when the residents of this neighborhood admitted to being devastated at losing their beloved Lamont Street Grill - the property she had purchased and planned to tear down. Gina, always mindful of the residents in communities where she builds, soon realized that she could not take this landmark restaurant away from its patrons. As she thought about this problem she decided there was only one person who could help advise her with this crazy idea that was creeping into her head, could she really open her own restaurant?