Published April 2001

Baron puts ‘vision’ to work
Lindstrom Development Group creates community center, business hub

By John Wolcott
Herald Business Journal Editor

In 1995, when Sol Baron returned to the rural north Snohomish County area where he grew up, he came to share a vision that his father, Mayer Baron, had for developing a retail center on a 55-acre hilltop farm in southeast Stanwood.

Today, the impact of their $25 million retail, professional, health-care and high-tech community known as the Stanwood-Camano Village is even greater than either man imagined.

“Dad and I share similar visions for this area, but we look at problems differently,” Sol Baron said. “Dad sees concepts that make sense to him; I’m much more analytical and interested in demographics and details.”

It has been his attention to details, dedication to quality and imaginative development of his father’s vision of that “village” that have won him many accolades, a loyal following and The Herald Business Journal’s choice as Snohomish County’s Executive of the Year for 2001.

As President of Lindstrom Development Co., with offices in the Stanwood-Camano Village, Baron has created a multi-segmented business community that includes a Haggen food center; 10 restaurants, including McDonald’s and Burger King; the five-screen Stanwood Cinema; Merrill Gardens’ retirement center; the Sports Club with its sports courts and indoor pool; banks; and even a high-tech company, Index Sensors & Controls, that moved to Stanwood from Redmond last fall.

There are more than 50 businesses in the village, creating some 500 jobs, but there’s still room for a few more, including space in the office building near Haggen, with such tenants as Windermere Realty, Island Title Co., Edward Jones, Susan Nemo Interiors and Alpine Therapy.

Adjacent to Index Sensors, which fills the first building in the village’s industrial park, there are several sites ready for development for offices or high-tech facilities, all with access to Verizon’s SmartPark array of telecommunications and high-speed DSL Internet links. Eventually, the business park will have more than 200,000 square feet of space. Colliers International already is marketing the properties.

“People are discovering Stanwood because we have a unique location, with freeway access, water properties on Camano Island, housing and job opportunities, and a great quality of life that includes a rural setting and mountain views. For CEOs thinking about their employees’ work and lifestyle options, Stanwood is a great place to be,” Baron said.

Developing the village as a community center rather than simply a retail hub has made all the difference in the project’s success and reputation.

Those who shop and work there can walk as well as drive to restaurants, banks, health clinics and the dry cleaners. Stanwood now has a major retirement center, Merrill Gardens, which also offers space for community events.

Baron saw a stream of cars leaving Stanwood each morning and returning each evening, so he included a business park as part of the village, to provide more local employment. The first tenant, Index Sensors & Controls, has 100-plus employees, many of them from the Stanwood-Camano Island community.

The Sports Club at the village is one of Baron’s favorite topics, because it offers Seattle-class recreation facilities at Stanwood-area membership prices and has a mix of 3,500 participants that is a cross-section of the area’s 40,000 residents, from senior citizens to school students, with families of all ages in between. The club’s six-lane, Olympic-size pool has enabled the nearby Stanwood High School to have its first swimming team.

“It’s become a community gathering center, and people are learning to make exercise and recreation part of their daily lives,” he said, enthusiastically. “We don’t see why, just because you live in a small town, you can’t have first-class facilities.”

Baron’s earlier experiences and education prepared him well for the challenge of developing the Stanwood-Camano Village.

A graduate of the University of Washington with a degree in financial disciplines, Baron earned his law degree and an MBA at the University of Denver, then joined Denver’s largest law firm for seven years, later becoming a partner at smaller law firms in the area until 1995. In that year, he accepted his father’s invitation to return home to develop the village project.

Baron’s basic approach to business is to strive for excellence, he said, and “surround yourself with good people,” referring to his father, Mayer, Chairman of the company; Vice President Jim Robertson, experienced in real estate and leasing; and the development team he has formed with BFC Frontier of Lynnwood, the general contractor for the village; CDA Architects of Seattle; and Harmsen & Associates, civil engineers, of Monroe.

He also credits the city of Stanwood for encouraging economic development by being responsive to the needs of new businesses.

Baron can be reached by calling 360-629-3010 or sending e-mail to SolBaron@lindstromdevelopment.com. His company's Web site is www.lindstromdevelopment.com.

Related story: Community leaders: Baron's 'village' a boon for Stanwood

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