Jonathan Dodson of Pivot Project | Adaptive Reuse and Community Revitalization in Oklahoma City
Medley Marketplace Rendering
Courtesy of Pivot Project
Inside OKC’s Newest Adaptive Reuse Development
When's the last time a ping pong game determined whether you could close a $350,000 loan? For Jonathan Dodson, it happened during his first major development project after walking away from a banking career. His moral stand against workplace harassment led him to launch Pivot Project, an Oklahoma City-based development firm specializing in historic preservation and community revitalization.
In this episode, we talk through Medley Marketplace, which exemplifies Jonathan's approach to adaptive reuse projects. The 24-unit mixed-use development with a market hall and rooftop pickleball courts required navigating investor fraud, underground drug operations, and a five-part capital stack including historic tax credits and C-PACE financing. Instead of walking away from the chaos, Jonathan saw a unique opportunity.
The conversation reveals Jonathan's philosophy of transparent compensation and community relationships. He shows team members exactly how their contributions translate to development fees, pays consultants what they're actually worth, and gets the greenlight from neighborhood decision-makers before starting projects. It's an approach that treats development as relationship-building rather than financial engineering, creating lasting value for both investors and the communities Pivot Project serves.
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“The greater the complexity in a project, the more value there is to create.”
Courtesy of Pivot Project
About Jonathan Dodson
Jonathan Dodson is a founding Partner and CEO at Pivot Real Estate Development. Pivot Real Estate was established in 2015 through a collective vision of revitalizing our city and bringing back historic buildings and communities that were once forgotten. Through resiliency and joyous disruption, we have developed over 380,000 square feet of development totaling ~$100 million in value.
Jonathan’s creative vision for the company has driven to significant growth in assets and building out a fully integrated, real estate development company which includes brokerage, construction, property management and development. Jonathan has put human flourishing at the center of everything Pivot does - from financing, to tenanting, to development itself - which has led to beautiful projects that create long-term value for all of Pivot’s stakeholders and have won both local and international awards.
Prior to working in the development space, Jonathan was a banker for over 9 years. He is able to bring this knowledge to the development team and creatively approach the financial structure of each project.
Outside of Pivot, Jonathan has held several leadership roles in his community. He is a founding member of the ULI Oklahoma Chapter and currently sits on the Small Scale Development Product Council at the National level. He has served on the Bricktown Design Board for 8 years. Jonathan is also on the board of the Oklahoma State Alumni Association, board member of the Collaborative Advisory Fund Committee.
Tower Theatre
Courtesy of Pivot Project
Tower Theatre
Courtesy of Pivot Project
Episode Timestamps
(03:56) The workplace harassment incident that led to an entrepreneurial pivot
(13:07) The legendary ping pong game that secured crucial construction financing
(20:15) Acquiring Medley Marketplace: uncovering investor fraud and recapping the deal
(32:51) Managing construction costs and tariff impacts in today's development market
(38:26) How to turn valued consultants into true partners
(45:30) Upcoming hotel project fundraising and Medley Market expansion
Sunnyside Diner
Courtesy of Pivot Project
About your host:
Atif Qadir is a licensed architect and entrepreneur, interested in solving big problems through innovation and technology. He has founded two proptech companies and a real estate development firm, building products ranging from software to workforce housing.
His work has been covered by Technology Review, The Real Deal, Commercial Observer, and Propmodo. He’s also a frequent speaker on the future of buildings and cities on popular industry podcasts and at conferences, including this past year at the Commercial Observer National DEI Conference, Yale AREA Conference, Columbia Real Estate Symposium, Open Data Week NYC and Austin Design Week.
About Michael Graves
The world-famous design firm Michael Graves is also a founding sponsor of American Building. Its namesake, the iconoclastic designer Michael Graves, FAIA was a fierce advocate for people-centric design. His work defines a generation of American architecture and includes the Portland Building, the Humana Building and the Denver Public Library. The 1st season of American Building was filmed live at The Warehouse, his historic home in Princeton, New Jersey:
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