The Repository | CantonRep.
com | Sunday, June 26, 2016 M1
THE BUILDERS
David Baker (right), president of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, laughs with Stu Lichter, president and chairman of Industrial Realty Group, at the Hall of Fame on May 19, 2015 during the
announcement of the Village plan.
Villages odd couple make each other better
By Todd Porter
Repository special projects editor
W
ith classical
music play-
ing in the
background and a steady
beep, beep, beep
sounds from work vehi-
cles piercing the walls
around him, Stuart Lich-
ter sits behind a desk
made for the billion-
dollar developer. This
office, on this particular
day, lies in the heart of
a flurry of construction
around Hall of Fame
Village.
It is appropriate that Lichter
is in the thick of the activity.
After all, his company is the
master developer changing
the landscape of the Hall of
Fame.
There is only one issue: This
isnt Lichters office.
An artists rendering of the completed Hall of Fame Village project.
SPECIAL REPORT: HALL OF FAME VILLAGE
Lichter, Baker develop friendship beyond
bricks and mortar of huge project
In fact, the desk he is sitting
behind was made for a man
about a foot taller.
Still, Lichter fills the office
of Pro Football Hall of Fame
President David Baker as if it
were his own. The two men
have known each other for
less than three years, but have
become more than business
partners in the $500 million
Hall of Fame Village proj-
ect. They are two men with
homes in California who seem
to have left their hearts in
Canton, Ohio. Theyre more
than business partners now.
Theyre friends.
Baker, who lives in Stark
County with his wife, Colleen,
has a place in Orange County.
His property sits about an
hour south of Lichters place
on Redondo Beach, which is
about 8 miles south of Los
Angeles International Airport.
We both have homes in
California, but our hearts are
in Ohio, Lichter said.
Lichter is president and
chairman of the board of
Industrial Realty Group (IRG),
a company he has grown into
a development and real estate
empire. In Northeast Ohio
alone, IRG is in the midst of
about $1 billion in develop-
ment between the Hall of
Fame, work on the old Hoover
Co. plant and the redevelop-
ment of the former Goodyear
headquarters in Akron. Lich-
ter estimated that, depending
on the month, he spends as
much time in Ohio as he does
in California.
My wife and I have actually
talked about building a house
in Ohio, Lichter said. It
might happen at some point.
I love it here. I love the people
here. I just think this area has
great potential. I am happy
that Ive been able to play my
little part. This is, in effect,
my second home.
Physically, the pairing of
Lichter and Baker would seem
like Cantons version of The
Odd Couple. They are not,
however, Oscar and Felix.
Interviewed separately
for this story, both men
expressed appreciation for the
other. Both are in the twilight
of their careers. Lichter, 67, is
4 years older than Baker.
No one would mistake
them for brothers. Baker
stands about 6-foot-10 and
describes his weight as a
biscuit shy of 400 pounds.
Lichter is about 5-10 and of
slight frame.
I think there are simi-
larities in our personalities,
Lichter said. I dont mean
this to sound egotistical, but
everything Ive done in my
life, there arent too many
people I feel like I can learn
REPOSITORY FILE
from at this point. I think
David has taught me a lot. He
has had a big influence on me.
Hes an inspirational man.
Baker is a highly respected
sports administration leader
and developer. Before
coming to Canton, he was
a partner among three men
building an integrated health
care village in Henderson,
Nev. He is still involved with
the project as an investor.
Before that, Baker was
commissioner of the Arena
Football League, where he
formed a friendship with an
NFL executive by the name
of Roger Goodell. The two
men remain friends and,
consequently, Hall of Fame
leadership might have a
closer working relationship
with the NFL than ever.
What some people might
not know, despite his
imposing frame, Baker is a
soft-spoken leader who often
talks of love during weekly
huddles with employees at
the Hall of Fame.
SEE BUILDERS, M5
PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME