MANILA, Philippines - At 28, Kevin Tan has sold condominiums, opened a couple of commercial centers, among them the hip City Walk 2 in Eastwood City, and is overseeing several commercial developments.

It helps that his father, Andrew Tan, founder and CEO of Megaworld, gave him work. But he has to pay his dues.

As head of Megaworld?s Commercial Division, he?s into marketing, leasing and property management of Megaworld?s commercial centers.

Aside from handling the family-owned Eastwood malls, Tan is also overseeing the rise of commercial centers in Bonifacio Global City, Newport City in Pasay, Binondo and Iloilo.

In December the Eastwood Mall, the core of Eastwood City, will rise. To him, this flagship project brings Megaworld?s development to new heights as it is a reflection of the elder Tan?s vision of continuous growth.

Tan recalls how his father started the business from scratch. He was only 10 when his father would bring him to properties under development.

?When we started with Megaworld, there were only 10 people. My dad would go to the provinces to choose the properties and take the whole family. We didn?t have a big capital,? he says.

?My dad shielded us from the challenges. It was an uphill battle for a company with small capital and no track record.?

Megaworld was a neophyte alongside seasoned developers, yet it made tremendous strides in growth in the past 19 years.

Its success formula is nothing new, ?He (Andrew Tan) always said 60 percent is hard work and 40 percent luck,? Kevin says.

It?s also the Chinese prudence that motivated the father, which in turn has rubbed off on the son.

?You can have money today, but it doesn?t mean you can have it tomorrow. You have to work for it. You can?t stop,? says Tan.

Bullish

Tan cites the example of Eastwood City which laid its groundwork during the Asian crisis 10 years ago.

Libis was grasslands, factories and warehouses. While other developers had a wait-and-see attitude, Megaworld was bullish.

?We took a gamble. Others were skeptical. Erecting high-rises in Libis was unthinkable then since most were two-level structures.?

By 2000, in a vast open space, the lone Citibank Tower was already standing, piercing the sky. Other buildings slowly rose after Citibank?the IBM Plaza, and City Walk, which is known for its night life and restaurant row.

In the past eight years, Eastwood City has evolved into a 19-hectare self-contained community, catering to a hip, young upwardly mobile population.

In a polluted and chaotic metropolis, Eastwood City seems like a modern oasis where strolling outdoors is just as pleasurable as shopping or dining.

With Eastwood, Megaworld, sealed its reputation in the industry despite being a relative neophyte.

Tan is proud the community is alive, people feel safe and that Megaworld has contributed to the economy.

Some 27,000 people work in three shifts at the business profit outsourcing (BPO) centers. ?People like the idea of a 24/7 community. They feel safer. Even in the early morning, lights are up,? Tan says.

He adds Megaworld has awarded 3,000 residential units in 18 residential towers.

New concept

Tan refers to the soon-to-rise Eastwood Mall as a community center not just a commercial center.

?We don?t want to build malls as such. We build communities. Megaworld pioneered in the live, work and play environment,? he says.

The concept of the new Eastwood Mall centers around a park where people converge.

Targeting families, the park will have a lagoon, a bird sanctuary and a botanical garden.

As the mall serves as a podium, the upper floors are devoted to residential condominiums and a five-star version or Megaworld?s 200-room Richmonde hotel, making it the only deluxe hotel in Quezon City.

Like any big mall, Eastwood Mall has its anchor supermarkets, drugstore and appliance center.

The entire ground floor is devoted to international fashion brands from Store Specialists Inc. The second floor has foreign brands and mixed premium local labels for a younger market.

The third floor is dedicated to mothers and children while the fourth floor has all the entertainment, including cinemas, large-format video arcade, karaoke, gadget showrooms and a large bookstore. The mall connects to City Walk which is the teen culture hub and the brands for sportswear.

For its tenant mix, Megaworld conducted focus groups to determine the brand preferences of its market.

?Some malls target women shoppers. Our community center wanted a mall that had activity for everyone. It becomes fun. In this country malling is like family bonding.?

Tan adds, ?Eastwood is a city of adventure. You won?t be just hanging out but you go around without any need for a car. Completeness is what people are looking for. This is what we can offer.?

Paying his dues

Malls never entered Tan?s mind. He dreamed of becoming an investment banker or an advertising executive. But his father insisted that Tan should get a job related to the family business.

Like most young people, he wanted to explore the world and go to the US with friends. While working on his travel documents, his father asked him to train in one of Megaworld?s affiliates.

His first job was to vend condominiums by giving out fliers in the mall.

?In selling condos, you never let go of the potential customer,? says Tan on his learning experience.

For a low-ranking position, he received two percent commission from selling units worth P5 million to P6 million.

Eventually he moved to the company?s commercial side, doing a one-man job of wooing potential tenants and management.

?In retail you need connections. You must get invited to functions and business clubs because the potential clients are entrepreneurs,? says Tan. ?I would just go to the store and ask for the company?s number. I had to buy something for the salespeople to talk to me.?

A natural charmer, he met success. His first mall was Paseo Center in Makati. He joined Eastwood City in 2004, developing City Walk 2 which included the cinemas.

He was absorbed into Megaworld only two years ago?not such preferential treatment for a COO (child of owner).

Sink or swim

His father, naturally, is the biggest influence in his career. Tan credits his negotiation skills to experience. Through the sink-or-swim method, he mastered the art and has closed big accounts in the new mall.

?The essence of my job is service,? Tan says. ?We pride our selves in this. Our customers, the tenants, are the life of the company. When we forge a deal with a tenant, it?s not just signing a contract for a lease but a partnership. We are in this together.

?My dad taught me to be very hands-on and understand every detail.?

This explains why he could be relentless as a manager. He insists on weekly reports and regular updates. ?I never leave anything to chance. I want to know everything. I ask questions that may seemingly look ridiculous to the engineer. Like how does an air conditioner, exhaust or toilet work? Understanding helps you make better decisions.?

Sometimes the elder Tan chides his son for wearing leather shoes when he should be wearing rubber shoes instead to do his rounds. ?He told me it?s not a glamorous job. The manager doesn?t manage from the office.

He has to get out and get his hands dirty.?

He also takes pride in the security of the area. Once a female customer left her car window open. The vehicle contained valuables including her laptop. When the security guard saw the car, he watched it for eight hours to make sure that no one would steal it.

Tan considers himself lucky to be in his position, experiencing the fruits of the previous generation?s labor. Yet, he?s paying his dues. ?When you?re young and you have no family, you spend more time working. I take advantage of that since there?s no one complaining yet.?