Penn's top real-estate officer is leaving to start his own firm, however he has no plans to sever ties with the neighborhood -- or the University.
Blaik, senior vice president of Facilities and Real Estate Services, has announced that he will resign at the end of March to create a real estate and community development business.
But he does not plan to leave West Philadelphia. The office for his new firm is now located in the basement of his home in the area, and he will remain on the board of International House.
Though he will resign as chairman of University City District -- an organization that seeks to make the area more attractive -- and will no longer serve as Penn's representative to several other organizations, he has volunteered his continued services to these groups.
Teaching a community-planning course at Penn's School of Design and serving on University advisory boards are also a possibilities, he said.
"Penn has given me the best nine years of my life, so I'm indebted for that," Blaik said.
But although he may work with Penn again, Blaik is eager to prove that the "Penn model" for urban development can be applied to a broad variety of universities through his new business.
Blaik plans to forge partnerships with other urban universities to develop their campuses.
And his colleagues are confident that he is up to the task.
"He will be able to bring a lot of the knowledge and experience that he's had here in West Philadelphia to a lot of similar communities," University City District Executive Director Lewis Wendell said.
Ira Harkavy, founding director of Penn's Center for Community Partnerships, added that Blaik's ability to form partnerships and build a greener campus with cultural destinations will be missed.
"His work will be continued by others within the University and will be built upon," Harkavy said. "He has a great group of colleagues who will do so in the same spirit of cooperation with students and faculty."
Blaik said that since Penn is now on a firm track of progress, his resignation will not have as big an impact as it might have. He added that he expects other administrators will continue his community-based projects.
And he said he is excited to contribute his experience and vision to urban growth nationwide.
Though other businesses have begun to develop partnerships with universities, these ventures are largely limited to student housing, Blaik said.
He added that he hopes his business will enable risk-wary universities to undertake more projects. He aims to raise $50 million to finance a variety of projects, from cultural development to retail.
"Going at it with just a single product is not something I want to do," he said.
Working as an independent agent will also allow Blaik to take more risks and work more nimbly without being burdened by a large institution, he said.
But for his successor, Blaik would advise that the administrator "build relationships and networks with Penn and the community. Take some risk, as long as you can understand how to mitigate it."
