Ron Boji started his first business when he was in third grade, selling popcorn he got for free from his dad's grocery store at school. He knew he had to differentiate to compete with the popcorn already being offered for a dollar, so he came up with his own special seasoning — Lawry's salt and Parmesan — and undercut the school by 25 cents. "I would sprinkle it on at the perfect time, wrap it all up and I think it was 75 cents I was selling it," he said. "I had to sell mine more on the playground." It should come as no surprise that when Boji went to start his own development company alongside his father 25 years ago, he already had the special seasoning to become a successful entrepreneur. "You have to have a passion for it. And I feel at a very young age, that passion resonated with me," he said. "Whether selling poporn, buildings, wholesale, hotels, or anything else, I've got a huge passion for what I do." Boji is now the president and CEO of the Boji Group, a development, construction and property management firm with more than 3 million square feet of space. Among other properties, the company owns the tallest building in Lansing, the former Michigan National Tower, which it rechristened the Boji Tower after its 1998 purchase. Boji Group has more than 50 properties in Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina and California. Boji started the company with his dad, Louie Boji, 25 years ago, and he’s done a lot of development using public-private partnerships, in particular. He's also spent time serving in various appointments in the nonprofit world, including with the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, Lansing Regional Chamber and the YMCA of Metropolitan Lansing. Boji has a long history of donating money to political causes and candidates. He's planning to vote in Tuesday's primary for GOP gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon. But when it comes to the general election, he admits he is likely to cross the aisle. "I look at the candidate and then I look at where to invest my dollars...," he said. "Not to give anything away, I think Governor Whitmer has done a spectacular job of leading this state forward."
3:10 - Why he goes after public-private partnerships in his projects
5:00 - How he dealt with criticism in his Royal Oak project
6:40 - What his plans are for Birmingham development
12:35 - What other areas he feels are ripe for development
13:55 - The status of United Wholesale grocery
15:20 - How being an immigrant impacts his business philosophy
16:55 - What it was like working with his father and whether his daughters will join the business
21:00 - Why he's selling his family's $10 million estate in San Diego
23:20 - His politics and why he keeps an open mind
26:45 - His biggest failure in business and how he overcame it