She keeps San Diego classy

For years, Gina Champion-Cain has worked behind the scenes with the goal of turning San Diego into a world-class city.

As a developer, she brought the House of Blues to town in 2005. She owns two restaurants, The Patio on Lamont Street and The Patio on Goldfinch, which just opened last month.

And now, Champion-Cain, 49, is developing her own hospitality company, LuvSurf. It includes vacation rentals, boutique hotels and even casual women’s’ clothing.

Champion-Cain first moved to San Diego from Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1987. The Mission Hills resident, who seems perpetually on the go, takes a break to tell us about creating a growing lifestyle brand.

Q: When did you first become interested in redevelopment?

A: At a very early age. My father was a real estate developer, and he was very concerned with the environment even way back when that wasn’t a sexy thing to be. I respected the type of work he did, which was always building things to fit within their surroundings and nature.

Q: What are some projects of which you’re most proud?

A: There are several of them for many different reasons. The first project I did completely on my own was buying the old Woolworth store and fighting for years to bring the House of Blues to town. To see an old, rundown building in the center of town become a completely different type of venue was quite rewarding for me, especially because it was a heck of a lot of work and no one thought I could pull it off. I’d then say my first restaurant, The Patio on Lamont Street in Pacific Beach, is my other project of which I’m most proud. Instead of ripping down this once iconic restaurant in the heart of a very densely populated beach community, I figured out a way to redevelop this challenging site and keep a neighborhood eatery for the community. Also, my sustainability approach to its redevelopment is very important to me and has set the standard for all my future development projects.

Q: What was the business climate like for women when you first started out?

A: I never really thought about how hard it was doing what I was doing as a woman when I started. I didn’t realize until much later that I was one of the only women developers that I knew. None of that ever really mattered to me, because I was always taught that if you worked extremely hard and never gave up on your dreams, anything was possible to achieve.

Q: Why is it important for women to be involved in business and how do you help them?

A: Women add a very different perspective in business, and that is why it’s important to have a healthy mix in any business environment. I think how I help women more than anything is by helping them believe in themselves and instilling confidence.

Q: Tell us about your restaurants and what makes them stand out?

A: They are extensions of my own hospitality. If you came to my home, I would feed you good, sustainable food in a sweet environment. I love the earth, the sun, my pets. My garden is very important to me, what I eat is very important to me, and I love sharing all of that with friends. When you are in one of my restaurants, I like to think that you are in an extension of one of my homes.

Q: What kind of work hours do you keep? What do you do to relax?

A: I work a lot. I am embarrassed to say how many hours a day I work because people shake their heads and feel sorry for me when they hear it. Seriously, work is not a four-letter word for me; I love what I do and it’s what I want to do every chance I’m awake, which is most of the time since I don’t sleep much! I relax by taking my beautiful golden retrievers to work with me every day, and by running along the beach for exercise.

Q: What’s been the most surprising thing about running your own brand?

A: The extreme pride I feel. I never thought I could feel so good about something that I have helped to create and that I watch others enjoy, whether it is in one of my restaurants, one of my beach rentals, wearing some of my apparel, etc.

Q: What is one thing people would be surprised to find out about you?

A: That I am really not a social person ... that would shock people. I actually love just being home, working in my garden with my dogs, listening to great music and thinking of more concepts to develop.

Q: What’s the best advice you ever received?

A: My grandfather taught me that competition is the best thing you could ever have in business. He put a store on a corner outside of Detroit, Michigan. A few years later, a bigger, more corporate store went on the opposite corner. His dearest friend was over one night and was very concerned with this new competition coming in. My grandfather’s response was, “Are you kidding me? This is the best thing that could ever happen to my business! It means I made a good decision and came to the right place to open a business.” My grandfather was right. His business grew and it was the best thing that ever happened to him. I just don’t understand people who are jealous and always looking over their shoulder at their competitors. Like in golf, play your own game to the best of your ability and you will always remain in the top 10.

Q: Please describe your ideal San Diego weekend.

A: Eating great food, exercising, working in my garden, playing music, and working. Yes, working, I love to work!