The Early Years

Michael McCall's early employment and entrepreneurial years were pivotal to his career, introducing him to destination real estate development, and providing the inspiration and professional grounding for his work with landmark developer Jim Rouse.

Wilson Learning Corporation
Michael McCall's first job out of college, from 1978 to 1980, was working for Wilson Learning Corporation, of suburban Minneapolis. Wilson Learning provides human resource performance consulting and training to Fortune 500 companies. Working directly for Larry Wilson, the company's founder and then its Chairman, introduced Michael to the world of mixed-use real estate development. (Larry Wilson is known throughout corporate America as an entrepreneur, author, speaker, motivator, and trainer of executive and sales teams.)

In his work for Larry, Michael's responsibilities included managing lawyers, architects, market and economists, and working with public agencies and other private companies to explore options to develop a new Wilson Learning headquarters, conference center, hotel and wellness center at the site of the abandoned Milwaukee Road depot along the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis

The Depot Development Team

From left to right: Morris Levy, developer of L' Hotel Sofitel hotels; Wheelock Whitney, prominent Minnesota businessman, politician, philanthropist and investor in Depot Development Co.; David Bennett, (turned toward Michael McCall) Principal of BRW Architects; Michael McCall, Co-founder and President of Depot Development Co.; Warren Beck, Principal of Gabbert & Beck, retail developer; Irene Whitney, prominent Minnesota businesswoman, philanthropist and investor in Depot Development Co.; Larry Laukka, residential developer; and, Steven Shapiro, Co-founder and Chairman of Depot Development Co.