This coming Sunday is Super Bowl Sunday. In a candid interview we asked DAE Group partner, Dan Ezra, about the similarities between Super Bowl Sunday and a real estate construction project:
Miley Cyrus is headlining a NFL TikTok Tailgate pregame show. Are you considering any celebrities for your pre-project festivities?
“We work with many architects who think of themselves as celebrities, but no, no celebrities or pre-project entertainment. Although some of the ideas presented to us, that will never pencil or see the light of day, are very entertaining.”
Country singer Eric Church and songwriter Jazmine Sullivan will join forces to sing the Star-spangled Banner” ahead of the big game. And H.E.R will perform “America the Beautiful.” Any plans like this for your upcoming projects?
“We usually have a groundbreaking shovel ceremony with government officials, developers and investors. We haven’t considered live music and choreography, but maybe you are on to something … probably not, though. I couldn’t justify the expense.”
The Weekend is performing at the Pepsi half-time show this year. Have you considered any performers for your project breaks?
“We don’t take breaks. Time is money. As owner’s reps we don’t have a Pepsi half-time show to regroup. We get it right by being prepared. We stay on plan. We do make small adjustments on the fly as the situation changes on the field/site. Weather, COVID, supply chain breakdowns—we deal with it and get it done always keeping our eyes on the prize … win the Lombardi Trophy!
Specifically, how is a Super Bowl like real estate project development?
“What goes into the Super Bowl is a lot like what goes into a construction project: preparation and execution. As the owner’s reps our job is to oversee the preparation and make sure it makes sense. Is this the architect’s dream or the developer’s? Will the plan survive first contact with reality or is it just not feasible? And then we oversee the execution and make sure it goes like clockwork. Sometimes we act as a referee or umpire and throw a flag, tell a GC or subcontractor of an infraction, or that they’ve taken too many timeouts. We even use instant replay to assess the quality of a job and to make sure that clock is set correctly so everyone knows how much time is left.”
Final question: Chiefs or Bucs?
They are both winners in my book.
