J Magazine Winter 2017

Steve Halverson was recently named chairman and CEO of the Haskell Company.
kell Co. has made a massive civic impact
in shaping the Downtown Jacksonville
we now have — and are dreaming and
forging a path to come.
And that civic, spiritual influence has
been defined by Haskell’s two driving
forces over the past 20 years: Preston
Haskell, the iconic Jacksonville figure
who founded the company in 1965, and
Steve Halverson, who recently became
Haskell’s chairman and CEO after 18
years as president.
Preston Haskell, long hailed as one
of Jacksonville’s leading visionaries,
has made an indelible contribution to
Downtown’s growth.
He’s done so through both his involvement
in civic affairs (as chair of the Jacksonville
Civic Council’s Northbank Redevelopment
Task Force and JEA’s board of
directors, among many other positions)
and philanthropy (a renowned art lover,
he donated $5 million to the Museum
of Contemporary Art in 2015, effectively
preserving MOCA’s place as one of
Downtown’s anchors).
Halverson has made his own civic
mark as he succeeded Haskell. Among
other leadership roles and honors, he
has chaired the Jacksonville Civic Council
and the Jacksonville Symphony, both
crucial to Downtown.
In separate interviews, Haskell and
Halverson provided their insights on
how far Downtown Jacksonville has
come — and what still needs to be done
for it to reach its potential.
On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being poor
and 10 being excellent), how would you
rate Downtown Jacksonville right now?
Haskell: I would give it a 6.
When it comes to a Downtown, I
measure it by its ability to achieve the
virtuous circle of “live, work and play.”
The more people you have working in
a thriving Downtown, the more likely
you will find people also wanting to live in
that Downtown. And the more people are
living and working in that Downtown, the
more the appeal and demand grows for
places to play — entertainment, cultural
offers, etc. — which more and more
restaurants and entertainment venues
and culture organizations will surface and
develop in Downtown to meet.
A great Downtown — a 9 or a 10 — has
all three elements: live, work and play.
We’re strong on the “work” element.
We’re getting better on the “play”
element.
But we’re still lagging overall on the
residential — the “live” part.
Halverson: I wouldn’t assign a number
to it.
I would say Downtown Jacksonville is
still a work in progress, with significant
work that’s already been done — but with
a lot of work still left to be done.
Every great city has a great Downtown.
And to me, a great Downtown has high
levels of residency, activity and safety.
We still, in general, have an insufficient
amount of residency Downtown.
We’re starting to make some movement
in getting a higher level of activity
Downtown.
And the reality is that as far as safety,
Downtown Jacksonville is pretty safe
place to be. That’s a fact that’s not always
well understood by some people in how
WILL DICKEY
96 J MAGAZINE | WINTER 2017-18