Capital Campaign spotlight

Q&A about the new building with Marc Saperstein

Lending his considerable career experience to spearhead the capital campaign building project, Marc Saperstein and his wife of 48 years, Joan, split their time between Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Naples.

Professionally, Saperstein retired from General Electric after a 33-year career with the company, during which he held human resources positions in nearly every major GE business, including aircraft engines, appliances, entertainment, financial services, power systems and transportation. He also served as senior executive vice president of human resources and communications for NBC and, later, NBC Universal.

Saperstein was GE’s first vice president of corporate citizenship, responsible for the company’s overall volunteer initiatives and for developing its innovative $20M+ philanthropic effort to bring enhanced health care to Africa.

Since retiring in 2007, he has served on the BBYO International Board of Directors. Locally, he initiated and co-chairs BBYO Naples, is the current secretary of the Contessa condominium board of directors and is vice chair of the Jewish Federation of Greater Naples (JFGN) board of directors.

We asked Saperstein some questions about the new building, the answers for which are shared below.

Q. Where did the idea for a new Jewish Federation building come from?

A. In early 2016, it was clear that the expanding number of programs offered by the Jewish Federation and its stakeholders required far more room than the 4,000 square feet of office and community space it had to offer. In November 2016, the JFGN board of directors held two visioning sessions to develop a five-year strategic plan. One of the key elements of those sessions was finding a new facility with space for the growing needs of key stakeholders (MCA, WCA, Jewish Book Festival, BBYO and the Federation staff.). This was confirmed by a demographic study conducted by Brandeis University in mid-2017.

Q. How did you determine how much space was needed?

A. We met with our key stakeholders to determine their current and future needs for space. The results suggested that we needed at least 18,000 sq. ft. to accommodate program and membership growth as well as that of the overall Jewish Community of Greater Naples.

Q. What were the biggest needs that were identified by the key stakeholders?

A. They wanted a large community room with flexible seating for close to 400 attendees, a large board room accommodating 25-30 participants, two additional conference rooms, flexible program space for up to 75 participants, a teen lounge and office, a minimum of eight staff offices, plenty of storage space, a caterer’s kitchen and sufficient parking for at least 175 cars.

Q. What did you consider as the best location for a larger facility?

A. After reviewing the results of the Brandeis University study, we determined that 30% of our community lived in lower Lee County or Marco Island. We also knew that many new residential communities were being developed east of I-75. Thus, the area between U.S. 41 and Logan Blvd. and between Immokalee Road and Golden Gate Blvd. was identified as central to most of our community.

Our new planned home at Temple Shalom is close to this “sweet spot,” avoids the heavy in-season traffic west of I-75 and collocates us on the same campus as the largest synagogue in Greater Naples.

Q. What options did you consider in looking for a larger facility?

A. We worked with Investment Properties Corporation, a well-regarded commercial real estate broker in Naples, to identify potential options. Four approaches were explored: land to build, existing facility to renovate, new or existing space to lease and commercial condo space, such as the Holocaust Museum found. We looked at approximately 40 properties over a four-month period in 2017 and came up empty, because they were in the wrong location, had insufficient parking and/or were not large enough. Several large, vacant buildings were considered, but those landlords only wanted retail businesses.

Q. How did Temple Shalom’s property come under consideration?

A. Rabbi Miller and I were meeting, and he asked how the property search was going. When I expressed my disappointment with the available options we had seen, he mentioned that Temple Shalom had 4.3 acres of undeveloped land west of its parking lot that we should consider. This land met our space needs and location requirements. Shared parking addressed both organization’s needs, with approximately 380 combined spaces. In addition, since Temple Shalom and Jewish Federation tend to have their highest in-season activity at counter cyclical hours and days, it looked like an excellent fit from a traffic flow standpoint.

Q. What arrangement has been worked out between Temple Shalom and Jewish Federation?

A. After we jointly received an appraisal on the property, Temple Shalom decided it would rather lease than sell the land. A letter of intent was negotiated, which the vast majority of Temple Shalom members and the entire Jewish Federation Board of Directors supported. Temple Shalom graciously offered us a 50-year lease with a 25-year renewal option. This very generous offer made this project financially viable.

Q. How were the architect, civil engineers, design firm and other key consultants selected?

A. All the consultants and potential partners considered went through a rigorous process of interviews, reference checks and comparative project quotes. All key consultants recommended by the core project team were also reviewed and approved by the Jewish Federation Board of Directors.

Q. What is the overall project going to cost?

A. Current cost estimates for the entire project, including site development, the building, security, landscaping, furniture, consultant costs and county fees, are between $8.2 and $8.6 million. However, we are still working through our reviews with Collier County, which could increase our cost projections. Final project cost will not be known until mid-December, when we receive our “guaranteed maximum price” from our construction manager, DeAngelis Diamond, after formal bidding of all the project elements.

Q. How will this project be paid for?

A. We have a Capital Campaign underway to cover the costs of the project and to create an endowment to help cover operating costs. We have had a very successful “quiet phase” of the Capital Campaign, which has resulted in more than $7 million in commitments from 65 donors, thus we are more than halfway towards our goal of $14 million!

In October, we rolled out the Capital Campaign to the entire community, mailing more than 3,300 brochures to all Jewish Federation members. We held two Zoom presentations to update the community and will continue to have monthly articles on the project in this paper.

Q. Why does the project require rezoning the property?

A. The site needs to be rezoned from residential use, to one compatible with Temple Shalom’s approved usage on its developed tracts where the synagogue, school and parking lot are located. The rezoning process requires the approval of the Collier County Board of Commissioners, who will vote on our applications on Nov. 10.

Q. What is your expected timing to start construction?

A. In addition to seeking rezoning approval, we are concurrently going through the site development and permitting approval processes, which we hope to complete by the end of January 2021. Construction would then commence in February and should be completed by the end of December, allowing us to open the new Jewish Cultural Center in January or February 2022.

Q. Who has been working on this project over the past two years?

A. We have a very engaged Building Committee that meets monthly with our architect, James Knafo, Project Vice-chair Merlin Lickhalter and me. We have a small Temple Shalom/Jewish Federation subcommittee—Ed Alexander, Ed Kaufman, Deborah Fidel, Jane Schiff, Jeffrey Feld and me—working on security, parking, landscaping and other areas of mutual concern. We have the full support and involvement of the Temple Shalom leadership and the Jewish Federation Board of Directors.

We have retained well-regarded local rezoning and legal consultants to guide us through this complex and time-consuming process. Our construction manager, DeAngelis Diamond, has been involved in our planning from the beginning to assure their input on the best value engineered design possible. Wegman Design Group, our interior designers, have done many large, well-recognized projects locally and have been great partners. Finally, our key stakeholders have been involved throughout the process as well, given their members will be the primary users of our new building.

Q. What are some of the other aspects of this project that you feel the community should know about?

A. From a security standpoint, we have utilized both the Collier County Sheriff’s Office and a security consulting firm associated with Jewish Federations of North America to develop our plans. The building will have extensive security aspects, including a badging system to enter. Members will be required to wear their badges, with their names and pictures on them, while in the building. Security cameras will be located both inside and outside the building.

The campus frontage along Pine Ridge Road will have decorative fencing. Security gates at both campus entrances will be open during normal business hours and closed during other times. Additional security protocols will be in place prior to the opening of the building.

Other elements of our plan include electrical vehicle charging stations on the campus. The caterer’s kitchen will be able to accommodate food demonstrations. The BBYO Lounge will be utilized by our adult members during the day for programming, yoga, mahjong, canasta and/or book groups.

The community room will hold approximately 400 attendees with theater seating and approximately 200 with banquet seating. When divided in half, it will accommodate multiple functions at the same time. State-of-the-art audio/ visual and internet capability will enhance member enjoyment.

The building, as well as the covered and uncovered patios, will provide for a wide and diverse array of programming, receptions and just casual lounging. The plaza area, lined with 12 royal palm trees and donor-engraved pavers, can also serve as reception space or a quiet place to meditate.

Q. Overall, how do you feel about the progress that has been made thus far on the building and site?

A. A large community project like this takes lots of time and resources. We have moved forward in a thoughtful, methodical and informed way, utilizing the expertise of our Building Committee and the many volunteers who have shared their knowledge on various aspects of the project.

We feel terrific about our progress to date, but we are not over the goal line yet. Rezoning approval and the Capital Campaign are key to our ultimate success. We hope that the Jewish Community of Greater Naples will rally around this beautiful “cultural center,” which will be a tremendous asset to our growing Jewish population and the general community.

Q. How can we make a donation or review naming opportunities that are available?

A. You can contact Marcy Friedland, Capital Campaign Director, by email at mfriedland@jewishnaples.org or call her at the Jewish Federation office at 239-263-4205.