Who We Are
CIVIC ENTERPRISE
DEVELOPMENT/CED FOOD
We created our real estate development firm, Civic Enterprise Development LLC (CED), in 2003 with a focus on revitalizing emerging urban neighborhoods.
All of CED’s projects are founded on a deep commitment to releasing the untapped potential of great communities. CED’s founders, Mott Smith and Brian Albert, have a passion for urban places. They lead a highly skilled team with extensive experience planning, structuring, financing, entitling, building and operating complex urban real estate projects. Their built work has been honored by the Urban Land Institute, the L.A. Conservancy and Architectural Record Magazine, among others.
CED Food, an affiliate of CED, develops and operates facilities that lease premium commercial kitchens to a broad range of food companies. Our mission is to empower food businesses across the spectrum to grow, enter new markets and develop products faster and with less capital than ever before. We own our properties, invest heavily in improvements and hold for long-term value. We have been profitable since our launch and our expansion plans are based on prudent growth into established markets with proven demand.
LEADERSHIP
Mott Smith
CO-OWNER & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, AMPED KITCHENS
MOTT@AMPEDKITCHENS.COM
Mott Smith is an urban problem-solver with a passion for creating spaces that nourish communities — literally and figuratively.
As co-founder and CEO of Amped Kitchens, he helped pioneer the first large-scale multitenant kitchen facilities in the U.S., clearing the path for food entrepreneurs to grow without prohibitive costs or red tape. He's also principal of Civic Enterprise, a development firm that builds urban infill projects, turns underused buildings into vital spaces, and helps craft policies that make cities more livable, layered, and alive — not through top-down grand schemes, but by getting the basics right and cultivating organic growth.
An adjunct professor in USC's Master of Real Estate Development Program and longtime instructor in the Ross Minority Program in Real Estate, Mott also serves as Vice Chair of the L.A. City Small Business Commission and sits on the advisory boards of the UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies and Restore Neighborhoods LA, an affordable housing developer. He led planning for LAUSD's multi-billion-dollar construction program and co-founded New Schools • Better Neighborhoods, rethinking how civic infrastructure could support stronger communities. Earlier in his career, he was editor of The Planning Report, served as president of the Westside Urban Forum, and played bass in All Day Sucker, an Interscope Records band from L.A.'s Viper Room era.
Mott has been an early mover on regulatory tools like L.A.'s Small Lot Subdivision Ordinance and the New Markets Tax Credit Program — often stepping in before the frameworks are fully formed, and helping prove out what's possible.
He holds a BA in Linguistics from UCLA and a Master of Real Estate Development from USC — a fitting combination for someone who sees cities not just as physical or economic places, but as living venues for connection, improvisation, and possibility.
He's also a dad, a husband, a lover of puns, and someone who believes to his core that great rhythm — in music, language, and neighborhoods — is the foundation for everything we love.
Brian Albert
CO-FOUNDER & CHIEF MANAGING OFFICER, AMPED KITCHENS
BRIAN@AMPEDKITCHENS.COM
Brian Albert is a co-founder of Amped Kitchens and principal of Civic Enterprise. He has a broad-based background in real estate development, finance, law and corporate strategy. Prior to Civic Enterprise, Brian oversaw the development of affordable residential projects at New Economics for Women. Earlier, Brian was general counsel for NetScaler, a networking infrastructure company. As an attorney, Brian counseled some of Wall Street’s most sophisticated real estate and hedge fund investors including George Soros’ Quantum Funds, Leon Black’s Apollo Funds Group and Highland Capital Management. Brian currently serves as Board Chair for Proyecto Pastoral, a community based organization located in Boyle Heights and on the Advisory Board of the Los Angeles Development Fund. He received a J.D. from Harvard Law School and an A.B. from the University of California Berkeley in Urban Anthropology.
GENERAL MANAGERS
EACH AMPED KITCHENS LOCATION IS RUN BY AN ONSITE GENERAL MANAGER WITH EXTENSIVE FOOD INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE. ALL OUR GENERAL MANAGERS ARE SEASONED PROFESSIONALS WHO WORK TIRELESSLY FOR YOUR SUCCESS.
