One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned in both business and life is that location matters.
When I was 21, I landed my first job that wasn’t as a waitress, cashier, or in retail. I became a call center rep for a company I had never heard of growing up: T. Rowe Price.
On my first day at 100 East Pratt Street, sitting in the call center answering phones, I knew I had found my calling – business.
I felt at home, even as I was starting at the bottom.
It was just a few miles away from where I grew up on a street in a redlined neighborhood in Baltimore City. It was a different world.
People in my community didn’t talk about working at a financial services firm.
My childhood mentor, at nine years old, taught me how to shoplift a swimsuit (though I didn’t follow through) and how to sneak into the public pool after hours. By fifteen, she was on welfare.
Yet here I was, in an office with people in suits, discussing the stock market. It wasn’t just a job – it was a window into what was possible.
Although I didn’t climb the corporate ladder there, it gave me a glimpse of a world I hadn’t known existed.
That’s why I wanted my current cohort of Maryland Business Opportunity Center (MBOC) entrepreneurs to experience something similar – a beautiful office space that reflects the success they can achieve.
They’re underrepresented in the business community, but part of climbing the ladder is feeling like you belong.
A big thank you to COPT Defense Properties for making this vision a reality! And a special thanks to Lawrence Twele CEcD for making the connect.
Not only did COPT provide an incredible space, but they also did so free of charge.
It took some time to work out the details – special thanks to Omoré at MBOC for helping with that process – but the support from COPT, including CEO Stephen Budorick who was quick to say yes, and VP Krysta Herring who handled the details, was truly outstanding.
COPT is a great example of community leadership. They understand the power of building an ecosystem and giving back. Let’s continue to support and invest in anyone who has the courage to follow their entrepreneurial dreams.
Thank you, COPT, for being a partner in real change!
