Event details:
An overview of Baltimore’s Public Markets/Effects on Community Development
During this presentation, Robert Thomas, Executive Director of the Baltimore Public Markets Corp., and Michael Seipp, Executive Director of Southwest Partnership, will give an overview of public markets in Baltimore. Mr. Thomas will give a more in-depth look at various plans for physical and program improvements of the markets. In addition, Mr. Seipp will discuss specifically, the importance of the Hollins Market Plan, for the community development objectives in Southwest Baltimore.
Robert Thomas, Executive Director
Lexington Market, Inc. & Baltimore Public Markets Corporation
Robert Thomas is a “leader-learner” with experience in for-profit and non-profit environments, in operations and on Boards. As the Executive Director of Lexington Market, Inc. & Baltimore Public Markets Corporation, Robert has overall ongoing management responsibilities for the public market system in Baltimore consisting of 2 corporations, 6 properties throughout the city, 200 commercial tenants and 80 employees, all serving over 3 million customers per year. Robert oversees development and implementation of strategies to re-position each property to compete more effectively in the overall food retail marketplace and to respond more effectively to surrounding communities, to the region and to industry trends. Mr. Thomas has a degree in Architectural Design from M.I.T., with graduate work in Nonprofit Organizational Management from University of MD University College.
Michael Seipp, Executive Director
Southwest Partnership, Inc.
Michael has been working in Baltimore neighborhoods since 1969. He has held positions as a community organizer in several different organizations, has served as Deputy Commissioner of Housing and Community Development for the City of Baltimore and Assistant Secretary of Housing for the State of Maryland. He led the effort to write the Empowerment Zone application which was funded for 100,000,000 dollars. He created the Greater Baltimore AHC, Inc., a non-profit development corporation. Previous to Southwest Partnership. he worked as Executive Director of The Baltimore Station, a residential program for homeless men who are primarily veterans of the Armed Services. A lifelong resident of Baltimore, he currently lives in the Lauraville neighborhood with his wife, Jennifer Williams, a hospice chaplain. He is helping to continue the Baltimore folk art of screen painting, supports the Baltimore City Municipal Golf Courses and gardens in his free time.