'Pitch for a Million' Competition, Set for June 23, to Spotlight Baltimore's Middle-Market Developers
June 9, 2022
Contact: Office of Advancement and External Relations
Phone: 410.837.5739
Six finalists in The University of Baltimore’s "Pitch for a Million" competition will compete on June 23 for a chance to win up to $1 million via a Guidance Line of Credit from Baltimore Community Lending. The finalists in the University's 2022 cohort of the M&T Bank Real Estate Fellows Program include three current UBalt students and three alumni, each of whom will present their ideas for strengthening the city via neighborhood development during a live/virtual event. (Attendance details listed below.)
The finalists are:
- Thomas Anderson, who is expected to earn his degree in business administration with a specialization in real estate and economic development in 2023. The Baltimore native is part of the University's Second Chance College Program. Anderson has a passion and purpose for transformative housing that was ignited from his past experiences.
- Bob Ezumah, who is pursuing a Master of Arts degree in Global Affairs and Human Security from UBalt's College of Public Affairs and expects to graduate this fall. Ezumah also has a B.S. in Government and Public Administration and an MBA focused on management and strategy.
- Na'Quon Willett, a business administration major specializing in entrepreneurship and a member of the Ratcliffe Entrepreneurship Fellows Program, with an expected 2023 graduation date. Willett, who is also a Bob Parsons Scholar, assisted Tribeca Management in the rehabilitation of a three-building, 48-unit apartment complex in Washington, D.C.
- Wesley Hawkins, B.S., '18, a retired correctional officer who currently works as a property manager, business owner, and CEO of a nonprofit, The Nolita Project Inc. Hawkins serves as a mentor to underprivileged youth in Baltimore, and is the author of the book Dear Nolita.
- Amber Jones, B.S.B.A. '18, whose degree specialization in The University of Baltimore's Merrick School of Business's real estate and economic development is serving her in her work with ReBuild Metro's Vacant House Stabilization Program, which is set to launch this year in East Baltimore.
- Lamar Purnell, B.S. '17, who is leveraging his UBalt Jurisprudence degree from the Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences as he pursues a J.D. in The University of Baltimore School of Law. Purnell is responsible for starting a behavioral health clinic in the city.
For 10 weeks, these finalists have been hard at work on their middle-market neighborhood concepts, part of an intense immersion into the finer points of property development, led and mentored by some of the region's top real-estate professionals. This cohort represents the third in the University's M&T Bank Real Estate Fellows program, and has focused on finding solutions to critical development needs existing within Baltimore's middle-market neighborhoods. On June 23, the group will apply their learnings to present their concepts to an expert panel of judges from the city's real estate community, including:
- Zed Smith, Chief Operating Officer, The Cordish Company
- Clarance Snugg, Chief Operating Officer, Baltimore Community Lending
- Antony Gross, Senior Vice President, JLL
- Barb Simmons, Group Vice President, M&T Bank
- Sid Roros, Senior Vice President, M&T Bank
- Scott Dempsey, Senior Vice President, Associate Director of Affordable Housing Vertical, M&T Bank
- Mark Davis, Vice President, Specialty Lending, M&T Bank
The University of Baltimore's Real Estate Fellows and Venture Challenge is sponsored by M&T Bank, Baltimore Community Lending, and the UBalt Real Estate and Economic Development Advisory Board.
"This cohort of Real Estate fellows has come with so much drive and passion for community development, that everyone attending their pitches will be inspired and motivated to help them succeed," says Seema Iyer, associate director of the University's Jacob France Institute, research associate professor in the Merrick School of Business and director of its Real Estate and Economic Development program. "I am very proud of what they have accomplished and look forward to seeing their passions come to fruition."
"Baltimore's middle-market neighborhoods are the foundation of our communities," says Augie Chiasera, Greater Baltimore Regional President of M&T Bank. "We look forward to seeing the creativity, focus and determination of these up-and-coming real estate developers applied to spur the development of our neighborhoods in the Baltimore region."
This free event is open to the public and begins at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 23 in the H. Mebane Turner Learning Commons, 1415 Maryland Ave., on the UBalt campus. It will also be livestreamed; a link will be made available shortly before the event. Attendance registration is available here. This is the first year the winner will have $10,000 in equity put towards the project thanks to a fund sponsored by industry executives and the Reznick Foundation.
Learn more about the selection process for the Real Estate Fellows program.