he phrase “the new normal” has been thrown around since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and as America struggles to define—and design—what that is exactly, colleges are paving the way for what it might look like.

After the chaos and uncertainty of 2020, colleges and universities throughout the Baltimore region began to find their groove as they moved into the 2021-2022 school year. Coronavirus safety committees had been erected, new mandates put in place, safety protocols implemented—everything from vaccine requirements to temperature checks to quarantine procedures and wastewater testing that can pinpoint a COVID infection before anyone is symptomatic.

By some counts, colleges may very well be the safest places to live and work.

“Just following simple rules of wearing face masks and social distancing, using wastewater management and testing when we need to, we have, in many ways, been able to return to normal life,” says Goucher College President Kent Devereaux. “Full athletics, student clubs, dining in the dining hall, use of the library—everything that you’d normally have, we’ve been able to return to.”

Despite the challenges and anxieties faced by students, staff, and faculty alike, some unexpected silver linings have emerged.

“It’s just incredible to watch how it’s grown into the vision that we, as a group of students, had.”

The widespread adoption of technology across college campuses has proven to provide more flexibility, efficiency, and innovation—and even accessibility, in some cases. Counseling sessions, for example, began to be conducted remotely during the pandemic and many students found that they preferred it to in-person sessions. Students who cannot, for whatever reason, make it to an in-person class can now study from anywhere.

Challenging times, combined with advances in technology and the general acceptance of it, have also brought more cooperation and collaboration among schools. It’s becoming more common, for example, for schools that offer complementary programs to partner with one another to offer students an educational pathway to continue studies in their chosen areas. That may mean a discounted tuition rate, a transfer of class credits, or an internship through a partner school.

Maybe most importantly though, schools, at their best, foster an environment where students are supported, expand who they are, and connect with like-minded people. At a time when gathering together is not always safe, being in a community has become even more precious, and students have found new ways to connect.

OCA Mocha, a coffeehouse in Arbutus founded by University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) students, is one example of how effective a gathering place can be at a time when people are craving human connection. What started as a class assignment—to design a community center of some sort—has become a gathering place not just for UMBC students and alumni, but the Arbutus community at large.

“We’ve heard a lot of stories from people who are extremely grateful to have this space,” says Michael Berardi, UMBC class of 2019 and co-founder and general manager of OCA Mocha, which stands for Opportunities for Community Alliances. The coffee shop includes a stage, a community room, and an art gallery, employs UMBC students and alumni, and provides internship opportunities for current UMBC students.

“We have local groups and organizations that meet regularly in our community space and are grateful to not have to meet in someone’s living room or church basement,” says Berardi. “We see a lot of connections being made. It’s just incredible to watch how it’s grown into the vision that we, as a group of students, had.”

We checked in with colleges and universities throughout the region to find out what’s new and what campus life and classes look like, two years into the pandemic.

COPPIN STATE UNIVERSITY
A historically Black institution founded in 1900, Coppin State University is situated in the heart of Baltimore City in the Mondawmin neighborhood. Part of the University System of Maryland in Baltimore, the school offers 32 undergraduate and 11 graduate degrees, along with nine certificate programs and one doctorate degree. It’s been rated No. 4 Best HBCU in the Nation (College Consensus), the Top 5 Best Value Online Program (Online School Center), and No. 17 Best Value in the Nation (College Consensus).

In the summer of 2021, CSU announced its Student Debt Relief Initiative, which clears roughly $1 million in student balances and provided a $1,200 credit to every student enrolled in the fall 2021 semester. CSU also created the Freddie Gray Student Success Scholarship, which is available to graduates of Carver Vocational-Technical High School, where Gray was a student.

Coppin also takes esports (competitive video gaming) seriously. In the fall of 2021, Coppin became the first HBCU to open a building on campus exclusively devoted to esports. The Premier Esports Lab opened in September with a guest appearance from Grammy-nominated artist Cordae.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 2,383 undergraduates, 341 graduates
• STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 13:1
• ANNUAL TUITION: $6,809 in-state, $13,334 out-of-state
• ACCEPTANCE RATE: 40%
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Nursing, Business, Biology, Education, and Criminal Justice, Rehabilitation Counseling

DICKINSON COLLEGE
Founded in 1783, Dickinson College is a liberal arts college in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, with a suburban campus that spans 144 acres. The school offers 41 undergraduate degrees within 17 fields of study.

It’s been rated as one of the best schools in the country for its sustainability efforts, which include an 80-acre, USDA-certified organic farm. Princeton Review rated it No. 2 in the Top 50 Green Colleges, and it was rated No. 2 in Overall Top Performers among baccalaureate institutions in the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s “Sustainable Campus Index” in 2019 and 2020.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 2,345
• STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 9:1
• ANNUAL TUITION: $58,708
• ACCEPTANCE RATE: 52%
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: International Business, Economics, Political Science & Government, International Relations & National Security, General Psychology

GETTYSBURG COLLEGE
Gettysburg College, a private, liberal arts school, sits on 225 acres adjacent to the historical Gettysburg Battlefield in Pennsylvania. Many of the buildings on campus are historically significant, so it’s no wonder that it draws students interested in studying history.

The school offers 65 academic programs, more than 120 campus clubs and organizations, and 800 events on campus each year, plus more than 100 study-abroad opportunities open to students.

Its Majestic Theater serves as a venue for the greater Gettysburg community, hosting national acts as well as performances by the school’s Sunderman Conservatory of Music students.

It’s ranked No. 12 for “students who study the most” by the Princeton Review, which also ranked Gettysburg College’s dining hall No. 9 in the country for best campus food.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 2,600
• STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 10:1
• ANNUAL TUITION: $59,960
• ACCEPTANCE RATE: 56%
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Political Science, Economics, Health Sciences, Organization and Management Studies, History, Psychology

GOUCHER COLLEGE
A private, liberal arts college in Towson, Goucher College prides itself on its close-knit community.

Goucher was extremely proactive when it came to COVID-19 precautions, being the first in the state to implement wastewater testing, which is able to isolate COVID infections by dorm.

Also of note: The college recently opened two new residence halls as part of the school’s First-Year Village. One hundred percent of Goucher students study abroad, and the school is committed to sustainability.

Most recently, Goucher has begun exciting partnerships with other schools, such as Johns Hopkins University, Loyola University, and more to come, to provide a pathway for students to continue their education beyond Goucher. For instance, their 4+1 MBA Program allows students to earn an advanced business degree through Loyola via a “Fast Track” admission process, and at a 15% discount on tuition.

SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 1,100
STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 9:1
ANNUAL TUITION: $48,000
ACCEPTANCE RATE: 79%
POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Psychology, International Relations, Economics, Political Science, Business Administration

JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
Johns Hopkins University (JHU) offers nine academic divisions and hundreds of courses of study, with campuses spread throughout Baltimore, including the Peabody Institute, a music and dance conservatory in Mount Vernon. Its main Homewood campus is located on North Charles Street.

The prestigious, world-renowned university has a strong reputation for its public health and medical studies and has been compared to Ivy League schools.

One of its points of pride is its financial aid program, which covers 100% of calculated need for every admitted student, without loans. This means JHU works with families to calculate what they can afford to contribute toward the total cost of attendance—including meals, books, travel, and other expenses—and JHU covers the rest with grants that don’t need to be repaid.

This school year, JHU added two new minors: Latin American Studies and Writing Seminars.

It also announced new efforts this year to move toward a broader, more flexible undergraduate educational experience that will include a required first-year seminar and the streamlining of major requirements to allow for greater intellectual exploration.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 6,333 undergraduates, 22,559 graduates
• STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 6:1
• ANNUAL TUITION: $56,313 for Peabody Institute, $58,720 for the School of Engineering and the School of Arts and Sciences
• ACCEPTANCE RATE: 9%
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Computer Science, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Neuroscience, Economics, Public Health Studies, International Studies

LOYOLA UNIVERSITY
This private, Jesuit institution offers undergraduate and graduate programs on a beautiful urban campus in northern Baltimore City. Education at Loyola is based in the Jesuit tradition of scholarship cura personalis, or care for the whole person. Loyola is known for its academic rigor while helping students lead purposeful lives. Seventy percent of students study abroad. It currently ranks fourth in best universities in the North region according to U.S. News & World Report.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 3,787 undergraduates, 1,353 graduates
• STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 12:1
• ANNUAL TUITION: $53,430
• ACCEPTANCE RATE: 80%
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Business, Management, Marketing, Journalism, Social Sciences, Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Psychology, English Language and Literature, Engineering and Education.

McDANIEL COLLEGE
McDaniel College sits in a bucolic setting near Westminster in Carroll County. The private, four-year liberal arts college offers more than 70 undergraduate programs of study and more than 20 graduate programs. McDaniel’s most recent addition to its curriculum is a National Security Fellows Program that provides students with knowledge, skills, and experience in national security as well as the ability to specialize in an area of interest, such as interstate conflict, intrastate political violence, cybersecurity, ethics, and human rights.

Also new this year, McDaniel appointed an inaugural associate provost for equity and belonging who provides vision and leadership to the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and works in collaboration with the provost to co-lead the college’s diversity, equity, and inclusion administrative committee, and guides the Bias Education Response Support Team.

The school also launched a new STEM Center to serve as a physical hub to support students studying the sciences. It hosts workshops and other events while also supplying online and hybrid support.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 1,757 undergraduates, 1,324 graduates
• STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 13:1
• ANNUAL TUITION: $46,336
• ACCEPTANCE RATE: 81%
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Kinesiology, Business Administration, Psychology, Biology, Political Science, International Studies

MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
The largest of Maryland’s HBCU’s (Historically Black Colleges and Universities), Morgan is a public institution founded in 1867. It is situated in northeast Baltimore. As a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution, Morgan provides instruction to a multiethnic, multiracial, multinational student body and offers more than 140 academic programs at undergraduate and graduate levels. As Maryland’s Preeminent Public Urban Research University, Morgan fulfills its mission to address the needs and challenges of the modern urban environment through intense community level study and pioneering solutions.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 6,270 undergraduates, 1,364 graduates
• STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 15:1
• ANNUAL TUITION: $8,008 for in-state and $18,480 for out-of-state
• ACCEPTANCE RATE: 73%
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Civil Engineering, Communications Engineering, Business Administration and Management, Social Work, Biology/Biological Sciences, Architecture, Finance, Psychology, Sociology

NOTRE DAME OF MARYLAND UNIVERSITY
A private, Catholic liberal arts university in northern Baltimore, Notre Dame of Maryland University offers programs from undergraduate through PhD, as well as Maryland’s only women’s college. It recently launched the first master’s of art degree in Art Therapy program in the state.
The beautiful, wooded campus is just steps from the bustling downtown Baltimore culture. With values rooted in Catholicism, the school focuses on service to others and social responsibility.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 783
• STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 7:1
• ANNUAL TUITION: $39,675
• ACCEPTANCE RATE: 88%
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Nursing, Education, Biology, Art Therapy, Pharmacy

TOWSON UNIVERSITY
One of the largest public universities in the state, Towson University offers more than 60 undergraduate majors and continues to draw students from other states, though it remains part of the University System of Maryland.

Its campus continues to expand, with a huge new dining hall, a 23,000-foot recreation and fitness facility with an indoor swimming pool, and its 5,200-seat arena for sporting events and concerts. In 2021, it opened its new Science Complex, the largest academic building on campus at 320,000 square feet.

In September, Towson opened its StarTUp at the Armory, a space for startups and new businesses to engage with the broader community and larger businesses. It serves as a home to Towson’s entrepreneurship programs, as well as student competitions and events.

While Towson remains the largest supplier of medical professionals and educators in the state, the university has also built a strong reputation for its College of Fine Arts and Communication, as well as its Asian Arts & Culture Center, both of which bring students into the wider community and the Baltimore community to Towson for enriching performing arts, music, and visual art programs.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 17,907 undergraduates, 2,949 graduates
• STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 16:1
• ANNUAL TUITION: $7,100 in-state, $22,152 out-of-state
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Business Administration, Education, Nursing, Exercise Science, Psychology, Sociology and Anthropology, Biology, Computer Science, Information Technology

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, BALTIMORE
University of Maryland, Baltimore is Maryland’s only public health, law, and human services university. Located in downtown Baltimore, it offers 86 degree and certificate programs through its six nationally ranked professional schools—dentistry, law, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and social work—and an interdisciplinary graduate school.

The school’s 14-acre BioPark is Baltimore’s biggest biotechnology cluster, employing 1,000 people, and remains on the cutting edge of new drugs, treatments, and medical devices.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 7,244
• ANNUAL TUITION: Varies by school
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Medicine, Law, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Nursing, Social Work

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, BALTIMORE COUNTY
University of Maryland, Baltimore County educates a campus of more than 10,000 students in programs spanning the arts, engineering, information technology, humanities, sciences, preprofessional studies, and social sciences. Located on the edge of Baltimore County, it allows easy access into the city and all the conveniences of suburban life and housing. It also offers plenty of opportunities for study abroad.

In the fall of 2021, UMBC opened the Center for Well-Being, a new two-story complex that houses Retriever Integrated Health, Student Conduct and Community Standards, and i3b’s Gathering Space for Spiritual Well-Being. UMBC’s already significant NASA partnerships have continued to grow. In October, NASA announced a major award of $72 million over three years for the new Goddard Earth Sciences Technology and Research II center. UMBC is leading the national consortium and will receive over $38 million. The GESTAR II consortium will support over 120 researchers, creating extensive opportunities for breakthroughs in Earth and atmospheric science research, and providing major opportunities for students to conduct research and be mentored by NASA scientists and engineers.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 13,638
• STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 17:1
• ANNUAL TUITION: $12,280 in-state, $28,470 out-of-state
• ACCEPTANCE RATE: 81%
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Social Sciences, Psychology, Visual and Performing Arts

Cited tuition costs exclude room and board and books.

A tall slender man in a red baseball hat cruises around the roller rink alone at Shake & Bake Family Fun Center in Upton. The music is loud and a crowd of onlookers chats and sips their drinks. In time, once the beer kicks in, a brave dozen or so will join him. Their business-casual suits and summer dresses will look odd paired with his jean cutoffs and bandana, but no one will care.

The man is Patrick Rife, co-founder of Startup Soirée, a regular event that brings the local business community together. After he completes a final loop, he invites Innovation Village’s Richard May onto the rink. Rife introduces May and outlines the concept behind Innovation Village, a program designed to bring economic growth to Central West Baltimore, before the pair launches into an off-the-cuff discussion about race, class, entrepreneurship, and access to technology through the lens of May’s project. The rapt crowd leans against the walls of the rink, too engaged by the conversation to remove their skates first.

This is just one example of Startup Soirée functions, which also feature food and drinks from local vendors and a town-hall style discussion between Rife and a featured speaker. The networking events are free and the discussions don’t focus simply on how to be successful in business, but how to be successful in business in Baltimore.

Startup Soirée’s origin story is fairly simple. Rife is the co-owner of the now ubiquitous Pixilated photo booth company. (If you’ve been to a party with a photo booth, that’s probably them.) He and his business partner, Nicolas China, saw that local business owners (themselves included) needed a way to connect, and knew they had the skills to do it better than they’d seen it done so far.

“We built Startup Soirée because we didn’t like being mowed down by people doing sales networking,” explains Rife over rooftop beers. “We wanted to build something that had a greater inherent value for the attendee. We have a different perspective on the market and see the value in the young creative and entrepreneurial class of Baltimore getting together.”

The discussions don’t focus on how to be successful in business but how to be successful in Baltimore.

It’s not that surprising that Rife and his team thought they could build a better networking model. He thought he could build a better photo booth, too. After seeing an early-concept photo booth at a wedding, Rife and China believed it could be improved upon, and designed the prototype of the stand-alone concept they use now. They opened Pixilated in 2012. Their first office was near Belvedere Square, but they have now moved to a 2,600-square-foot warehouse off Caton Avenue on James Street (also the original event space for Startup Soirée).

Pixilated’s initial focus was weddings, but they quickly realized there could be no real growth if they only worked on weekends. China and Rife began to explore other opportunities for growth and turned to the business-to-business world. Through dedicated social media and networking efforts, Pixilated started building its brand—and people took notice.

Specifically, Jessica Gignac and Rachel Robinson. Acquaintances since high school, the duo worked as event planners at Medifast, but left their jobs to found Intrinsic Events, an event management and planning company. In a digital-age meet-cute, they discovered Pixilated on Instagram and watched its rise through the app. Intrinsic, like Pixilated, relied heavily on the wedding industry and was looking to depend less on brides and more on business clients. By the time the four entrepreneurs met in real life, both of their companies were expanding, and they were already well versed in the challenges of making meaningful connections in Baltimore’s B-to-B universe.

“When [China and Rife] approached us about becoming their Startup Soirée business partners it was a no-brainer to get onboard,” says Robinson. “Startup Soirée is about building a community through relationships and looking out for one another. It’s not about how many business cards you can hand out in an hour—it’s about getting to know like-minded people, sharing ideas, and helping one another grow.”

The connectivity and lack of sales networking are two of the things that set Startup Soirées apart from other networking events and organizations. Though the events are sponsored by big names like Smartlogic and InvestEd, the corporate sponsors are not offered carte blanche access to the attendees. The model exists around the belief that by quietly showing their support of local startups, the community will turn to those sponsors if their services are required. Rife says it’s an unusual concept, but one that has paid off.

“Many of us have been through the same struggles, the highs and lows of growing a business.”

Their effort to eschew the traditional mainstays of networking successfully seeps into other facets of the Soirees—like the fact that the nametags handed out at registration are blank. Despite being at a gathering specifically designed to make business connections, the majority of networkers tend to fill in only their name and business, not job title. In nearby status-conscious D.C., that detail is worth mentioning. Obviously career data emerges eventually, but in Baltimore, an impressive nametag subtitle isn’t the typical conversation starter. The need to feel deeply connected and to connect with others in ways beyond the superficial is palpable.

“I love the small-business community in Baltimore,” says Carlee Pipitone, founder of wine importer Tenth Harvest, and a partnering sponsor of Startup Soirée. “Many of us have been through the same struggles, the highs and lows of growing a business. It’s inspiring to hear stories and connect with people in a wide range of industries who come as guests or speakers at Startup Soirée.”

Across town, a month after the Shake & Bake event, a fresh batch of 60 or so professionals gather in the Morgan Stanley building at the office of Horsetail Technologies, a company that provides information technology services for credit unions. Tonight’s speaker is Horsetail founder and CEO Chris Sachse. The company’s work isn’t sexy, and the conversation dips its toes into the jargon pool a few too many times, but the information seems relevant to nearly every person in the room.

By a show of hands, more than a third indicate they’re working to build software for their companies. Sachse and Rife discuss Horsetail’s fundraising efforts, how to discover an untapped market, and changing perceptions—broad, arching themes pertinent to anyone in the business world. Unlike the Innovation Village discussion, this talk isn’t emotionally powerful, but it drills down into practical applications.

Startup Soirées vacillate in this way each month. Rousing, affecting conversations meant to inspire give way to frank dialogues about how to actually go out and make things happen. And in the ultimate display of “show, don’t tell,” the events themselves are bolstered by local businesses that are thriving in Baltimore.

“It was the first place I got to meet people my own age, who were choosing a similar career path.”

The Soirées rely not just on corporate sponsors, but also on the symbiotic relationships formed with their partner sponsors—local outfits that use the platform to share their goods with the crowd. Dana Sicko, founder and CEO of Gundalow Juice and Nutreatious (sister companies that offer cold-pressed juice and professional chef catering services, respectively), has known the Soirée team since they all shared space in the building on James Street.

“I wouldn’t be where I am without Startup Soirée,” she says. “It was the first place I ever got to meet people my own age, who were choosing a similar career path. People who come to the events start their businesses because they want to help people in Baltimore.”

There is something almost parental in Startup Soirée’s compulsion to put Baltimore startups first. Each decision is calculated to place the spotlight onto a fledgling business or concept and to foster collaboration.

Remember Light City Baltimore, that weeklong display of lights, music, and art? Well, Startup Soirée was a big part of it.

When Intrinsic Events was approached by the Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts (BOPA) to helm the conference portion of Light City’s inaugural year, Gignac and Robinson jumped at the opportunity, even though it meant having only four months to pull together a massive, days-long event with no preexisting blueprint. They tapped into their Startup Soirée community, successfully courting companies like Whole Foods Market and local talent like DJ Al who offered in-kind services. Pixilated jumped onboard to run registration and make connections, and the team started planning a massive Soirée for the citywide festival.

“Light City was six days of everything falling into line,” says Gignac of the community’s response.

Their success with the event came, in no small part, because Soirée and Intrinsic didn’t hesitate to share their spotlight. And, like any startup entrepreneur, they were able to alter their plans on a dime to turn potential adversity into an advantage.

Enter Moms as Entrepreneurs (MAE), a team of local women who offer affordable business training to mothers in Baltimore and who planned a launch party the same evening as the Light City Startup Soirée event at the Columbus Center. Rife knew that a major faction of the startup community would be attending the Light City event, which meant MAE and its event host, Impact Hub Baltimore, would likely have a low turnout. The Startup Soirée team reached out and invited MAE to be a part of the Light City event. The result: Moms as Entrepreneurs was given a platform of hundreds from which to launch its endeavor, Impact Hub was given a sponsor nod, and Startup Soirée had an additional business to highlight for its crowd.

“We love the multiple-win scenario and we find it super easy to do,” China says. “We deal in karma.”

William Burgess always wanted to start a community business in Baltimore to give back to his mother’s hometown, but it wasn’t until the Long Island native visited Fells Point two years ago that he settled on the waterfront neighborhood for his bucket-list venture.

Burgess, who has a background in IT and patent development, wanted to help budding entrepreneurs but realized that most startup companies lack the resources to grow their business. So he decided to build a mixed-use space to support them. “In order to fix communities, you have to encourage people to be producers,” says Burgess.

As a 30-year vegan, Burgess wanted to focus on assisting businesses whose products promote a healthy and organic lifestyle. In November 2017, he launched the Fells Point Culinary Incubator, a Fleet Street facility that provides retail space for startups to display and demonstrate their products to customers.

For $15 per hour for a minimum of three hours, up-and-coming companies can use the incubator’s storefront to test out their business model on a small, temporary scale. With a kitchen, food preparation equipment, and refrigeration units, the incubator specializes in supporting culinary-based clients, but it also houses cosmetic, wellness, and jewelry brands.

Burgess’ first client, Juan Nance, a former Baltimore City schoolteacher and owner of the social enterprise Healthy People Juice, credits the incubator for upscaling his juice recipes and providing access to distribution networks. “Working with Mr. Burgess and the culinary incubator has allowed me to grow my brand awareness and get my product retail-shelf ready,” says Nance.

Burgess views his project as a model for “specialized incubator spaces” that will help entrepreneurs transform their startups into self-sustaining businesses and, hopefully, connect with local investors to further benefit the community. “When you’re empowering and helping other people do good in the world, you never lose,” says Burgess.

Think you have a great retail idea for a hip, up-and-coming ‘hood, but you’re a little short of cash? How does free rent sound? Or what if we throw in a fully finished space?

Okay, the rent’s only free for a while, but that’s the come-on that civic leaders in Remington are using to attract proposals from entrepreneurs to keep the neighborhood on track to a revitalization that’s been gaining speed in the past few years.

In a partnership with Johns Hopkins University and Seawall, a real-estate development firm founded by Thibault and Donald Manekin that specializes in readaptive use of Baltimore’s old structures, The Greater Remington Improvement Association (GRIA) is accepting applications for the Remington Storefront Challenge (RSC), a search for local entrepreneurs to launch temporary retail concepts in two storefronts in what’s becoming one of Baltimore’s hottest affordable neighborhoods.

The best big idea, as decided by the association, will get free rent for 12 to 24 months in one of two refurbished storefronts it has to work with, funding to help deck out the new spaces, plus technical assistance to get up and running.

But your plan for Baltimore’s first Scotch-tape store probably won’t fly. That’s because the project—which enjoys additional support from sponsors Central Baltimore Partnership, Howard Bank, and Younts Design—isn’t just looking for any retail business.

The RSC seeks businesses that are viable to Remington—specifically what the neighborhood says it needs and wants, according to board member and land-use committee member Joshua Greenfeld. Applicants with young businesses and new ideas will be asked to demonstrate their experience, passion, and ability to execute their business plan, including how their concept will increase foot traffic to the area, and complement existing businesses.

And, yes, the GRIA has had a few initial bites: “We have started to receive some really exciting applications,” says Greenfeld, “including some health and wellness providers with interesting community-based ideas.”

There’s no indication yet, though, that the pilot program will be expanded if it proves successful. “I hope there will be others, but I can’t say one way or the other,” says Greenfeld. “We’re trying to be very careful not to overpromise anything.”

The two RSC locations being offered up are fairly prime, location-wise: One is a 1,240-square-foot space at 300 W. 29th Street, on the corner of Remington Avenue, currently occupied by a Pizza Boli’s that’s about to relocate. The other is a 900-square-foot space with floor-to-ceiling windows at 2700 Remington Avenue, Suite 1100, in Remington Row, a mixed-use building with 108 apartment units, as well as retail and wellness businesses.

“We are looking to increase the diversity of business owners and retail options in the neighborhood,” said K.C. Kelleher, a member of GRIA who’s been active in the program. “We want to find the two concepts that best support the values and needs of our community.”

For an entrepreneur, consultant, or freelancer, one of the biggest overhead costs of running a business is leasing office space. Whether you’re a one-person team or a business with a small staff, a traditional office might not be right for you. Fortunately, Baltimore is home to dozens of co-working spaces with a variety of membership options to fit your needs.

“Being based from a co-working space has undoubtedly helped our business. It provides a collaborative environment with others who have unique skill sets,” said Edwin Winfield, co-founder of Homies, which is based at the Emerging Technology Centers. “If you’re facing a problem with your business, there’s a good chance someone else in the office has experienced it.”

Whether you’re a writer who wants a quiet space but likes to catch up over coffee or a maker who needs access to state-of-the-art tools for fabrication, one of Baltimore’s co-working spaces will have your desired amenities.

The Beehive at Emerging Technology Centers
101 N. Haven St.

The Emerging Technology Center has provided an incubator for companies since the 1990s and launched the Beehive as its co-working hub. In addition to free parking, a coffee, tea and popcorn bar and gym space, members also enjoy monthly happy hours. Individual memberships start at $70 per month and scale to $350 per month for access for 2 to 3 team members and daily unlimited access.

Betamore
101 West Dickman St.

Betamore launched in 2012 as one of the first co-working spaces in Baltimore. Originally at 1111 Light Street, the entrepreneurial hub has expanded and upgraded to 8,000 square feet at City Garage. It offers 34 dedicated co-working spaces and access to coffee, a fridge stocked with local beers, unlimited conference room usage and free parking. Betamore sits at the edge of Port Covington with easy access to 95.

Brewer’s Hill Hub
3700 O’Donnell St., Suite 200

Bridging the gap between incubation and a traditional office? Brewers Hill Hub opened in 2017 in the the former Natty Boh tower and offers spaces from hot desks to multi-purpose suites. Perks include free soda and beer, parking, donuts on Friday and a roof deck with views of the Canton waterfront. Flexible leasing terms range from one month to a year.

Charles Village Exchange
2526 St. Paul St.

If a comfortable Baltimore rowhome is your preferred working space, then Charles Village Exchange may be a fit. A 20-foot-high tower of windows lets in ample natural light and the Exchange is in the middle of restaurants and shops on a tree-lined stretch of St. Paul Street. Memberships start at $275 per month and include lockable storage, a full bathroom with shower and discounted Zipcar memberships.

Co_Lab Workspace
2209 Maryland Ave.

If you’re a fan of biking or running to the office, Co_Lab (located on the Maryland Avenue cycle track) may be the right co-working space for you; part of its 4,000-square-foot space houses a shower and clothing storage. Additional amenities include a lactation room and an on-site bookstore and gift shop. Co_Lab is operated by the architects who designed it and works best for those who prefer a dedicated space.

The Cube
6905 York Rd.

The Cube is Maryland’s first co-working space to offer pay-as-you-go childcare services. Founded by two mothers, the 1,100 square-foot has space for 60 members and includes unique amenities like wine and monthly manicures. Plus, for every three paid memberships, The Cube donates a six-month membership scholarship to a parent who is starting their own business.

The Foundery
101 West Dickman St.

The makerspace at City Garage is outfitted with desks, workstations, 3D printing, laser and fabrication workshops within 19,000 square feet. With complimentary coffee from Zeke’s, hot dogs and popcorn, members are well-fed and caffeinated. Located in West Covington off the bike path that connects the area to Federal Hill and Port Covington, The Foundery has ample free parking. The space offers no memberships; access is only available with day passes and spaces can be rented for projects.

Function Coworking Community
4709 Harford Rd.

Fans of Zeke’s coffee may want to consider Function, the first co-working space in Baltimore’s Hamilton-Lauraville area. Its location in a 100-year-old rehabbed building with an open-air atrium and 1,500 square-foot gallery and performance space is only one block from the beloved brewer. There’s enough space for 50 people with free parking and memberships start at $30. Function will use its space to host community events and members will receive discounts.

Homebase
300 W. Pratt St. and 2002 Clipperpark Rd.

With plans starting at $35 per month, Homebase’s two locations in downtown Baltimore and Clipper Mill provide flexible options for entrepreneurs. Amenities include a lobby concierge, car charging station and locations close to I-95 and I-83 and many local restaurants. Plans start with basic unreserved desk space with 8 a.m.-6 p.m. access and scale to reserved offices for multiple people with additional perks.

Hub Baltimore
217 N. Charles St., 5th floor

Hub Baltimore is unique in that it’s owned by Profiles, the management and recruitment agency, so all members have access to the teams. Private workspaces with exposed brick walls in the city’s central downtown area start at $350 per month and scale to dedicated corporate offices starting at $750 per month. Five parking garages are located within the immediate vicinity and Hub’s location allows for easy access to I-83 and I-95.

Impact Hub
10 E. North Ave.

In 2017, the team at Impact Hub restructured its membership to better align with its mission to advance equity and economic opportunity in Baltimore. The team hosts bi-weekly educational lunches, provides local visual artists opportunities to exhibit work in the space and curates a monthly market with local vendors. The 8,600-square-foot building includes offices, dedicated desks, phone booths and event rental space. Members have access to street parking and the Sweet and Savory Pop-Up Shop.

Johns Hopkins University FastForward
1812 Ashland Ave. and 301 W. 29th St.

Johns Hopkins University has two public co-working spaces; its original is near Johns Hopkins Hospital and the other is above R. House’s food hall in Remington. (Hopkins’ Homewood co-working space is reserved for students.) FastForward 1812 offers 8,000 square feet of co-working, office and lab space, and its R. House location has 9,000 square feet. Both offer legal, accounting and fundraising experts and, for those doing scientific work, access to a lab.

Open Works
1400 Greenmount Ave.

Housed in 34,000 square feet in the Station North Arts and Entertainment District (which allows tax breaks for art- and design-related businesses), Open Works offers 115 co-working spaces ideal for makers and small manufacturers. In addition to lot and street parking, the space includes storage and an on-site coffee shop. Seven staffed workshops provide state-of-the-art equipment, including the Stanley Black & Decker contract services and teaching shop.

Spark
8 Market Place, Suite 300

Located in the heart of downtown Baltimore overlooking Power Plant Live!, Spark’s 70,000-square-foot co-working space offers day passes for non-members as well as dedicated desks, private offices and customized private suites. The list of amenities includes beer, wine, coffee and tea, a lounge and game area, dedicated meditation and a space for nursing mothers, storage, a complimentary fitness center and an on-site garage.

The Startup Nest
1401 Severn St.

Southwest Baltimore’s Pigtown neighborhood got its first co-working and incubation space with the opening of The Startup Nest in 2016. Day passes start at $25 and include on-site parking and scale to dedicated desks at $450 per month with conference room access and discounts on classes and workshops. Private offices are also available and include mentorship from entrepreneurs involved with the community.

Last year, Red Bull came to Baltimore to host its first-ever Amaphiko Academy to help entrepreneurs in the city. No one quite knew what it was or what they were doing. It turns out that the company known for its energy drink that “gives you wings” spent 10 days with 15 fellows—six from Baltimore—in an immersion of lectures, entertainment, innovation workshops, and creative collaboration. The fellows went on to participate in an 18-month mentorship program that is still ongoing.

“It was like a business 101 breakdown,” said Walker Marsh, 2017 fellow and owner of urban farm Tha Flower Factory. “I was so deep into the farming and gardening world, but when it came to the business side, I didn’t know what I was doing. It’s really helped change me in so many different ways.”

In the spirit of continuing to “give wings” to local social innovators, beginning on August 17, the Amaphiko Festival—which is the Zulu term for “wings”—will return to Baltimore for three days of workshops, performances, and events celebrating the innovation and creativity in the city. While the Young Entrepreneurs Workshop, led by Baltimore-based entrepreneurs, is not open to the public, it will feature skill-building courses for more than 150 young Baltimore entrepreneurs.

“We have serviced close to 3,000 students, been able to hire 8 dirt bike riders to serve as instructors and placed riders in stem education careers since working with Red Bull,” said Brittany Young, a 2017 fellow and founder of B-360—which uses dirt bike culture to teach STEM education—who is speaking at the workshop. “Having the festival annually here also allows communities to come together and showcase all of the local talent and genius in a fun way.”

There are a few events that are free and open to the public and here’s a rundown of what festival goers can expect:

August 17: The Medicine Show at Arena Players
This event will feature local artists sharing the stories of the city’s most inspiring social entrepreneurs—including Valeria Fuentes of Roots & Raices, Ava Pipitone of Host Home, Kyle Pompey of Perspective Baltimore, Liliane Merkol of Mera Kitchen, Nicholas Mitchel of Noisey Tenants, Michael Battle of The Rich Program, and Red Bull Amaphiko Academy alumni Young and Marsh. Think Stoop Stories with a twist. Each social innovator has been paired up with an artist who will tell their story using a specific medium.

“I lucked up and got the comedian,” Marsh said. “He’s telling my story and Tha Flower Factory story. It’s going to be dope, he’s going to tell it in a way that I never could.”

Other performers include Nia June, Kondwani Fidel, David Fakunle, Joy Postell, Amy Reid, Ezee Jackson, Sir Alex R, and Hoesy Corona.

August 18: Luv’s Art Project Block Party
The community party in Hollins Market will feature an all-female lineup of performers including DJ Diamond Kuts, TT The Artist, and DJ Trillnatured with free food from Viola’s Southern Cuisine. New Beginnings barbershop will also be open for patrons to kick back and relax and the City of Gods clothing store will have some retail available for sale.

August 19: The Sunday Summit
With programming curated by Motor House, Impact Hub, Pipe Dreamz, ArtsCentric, and GRL PWR residents will be able to join in on a series of conversations and performances detailing the connections between arts and social innovation at YNOT Lot. The event will also feature lectures from Red Bull Amaphiko alum Changa Bell of the Black Male Yoga Initiative and Dominic Nell of City Weeds.

With as little as $100, you can own a part of your favorite local company. Thanks to equity crowdfunding, several Baltimore-based startups are turning to user-focused funding options to help accelerate their businesses in exchange for a portion of company ownership.

Traditionally, only accredited investors with greater amassed wealth or income could invest in private companies, but the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act was created in 2012 to increase investment in small businesses after the recession. Patrick Rife and Nicolas China, co-founders of Baltimore-based photo booth and marketing technology company Pixilated, are running their first equity crowdfunding round through June 27.

“It’s imperative to tap into your tribe,” China says. “Our fans shout our praises and help us spread the word, so activating your customer base is crucial. Our customers validate everything that we’re doing.”

Rather than traditional perks of sites like Kickstarter, like early access to products, an individual investor hopes to see the value of their initial investment appreciate. If the company goes public through an IPO or is acquired by a public company, individual investors can see a return. If the company folds, the entire investment is lost.

Rife and China are using Indiegogo’s platform, MicroVentures, and set Pixilated’s investment minimum at $25,000 with a $100 buy-in per investor. (Should the company not reach its minimum, investors’ dollars will be returned.) To date, the largest individual investment is $5,000 and they feel confident that shareholders will see their investment grow. “If you look at our month-over-month growth and track record, you’ll see operators who have the capacity to take dollars and make them more than they should be,” Rife says.

Erin Lord has known the Pixilated founders for years and her investment is her first in equity crowdfunding. “Any company bound for success starts with the people who lead it and the team they grow. [Pixilated’s team is] rock solid, incredibly creative, and roll-up-your-sleeves hard workers,” she says.

Pixilated isn’t the only Baltimore company turning to equity crowdfunding. Single-serve coffee company MoJoe Brewing Co. is currently hosting a round that closes on June 22—the largest investment is $5,000 to develop its patent-pending portable single-serve coffee maker. Polling and analytics app Arbit saw a $15,000 investment from one shareholder and raised $700,000. And Artichoke, a client-management service for appointment-based businesses, received a $5,000 single investment and almost $52,000 in total funds.

“The idea of democratizing access to capital markets and allowing actual subscribers to become investors was very much in line with our core belief in including customers in the process at every stage [of growth],” Artichoke founder Justin Shelby says.

Equity crowdfunding may not be right for an individual and may not be the right funding route for a company. Campaigns have to be built within the structure of the selected platform, which can mean reworking executive summaries, exposing financial records and creating additional collateral. Sharing that level of information means that competitors can also see financial statements.

“You’re putting everything about the company out there for the world to see,” MoJoe Brewing Co. co-founder Joseph Hyman says. “If you don’t strategize the dissemination of your intellectual properly, competitors could use the information or you may breach your rights to intellectual property protection.”

“The risks of equity crowdfunding are the same as angel investing,” Canty Ventures founder Jedd Canty says. (Canty has invested in Baltimore-based startups Hungry Harvest, ReThink Water and Parkofon.) “You should go into every deal thinking there is a 70-80 percent chance you will lose your entire investment.” Canty notes that equity crowdfunding investors may also pay a fee to the funding platform and for the management of the investment.

Despite the risk, Maryland investors are taking interest. To date, 26 percent of Pixilated’s investments have come from Maryland. Nine percent of its investors are Baltimore-based and MoJoe Brewing Co. has seen as much as 10 percent of its investments from Baltimore. Utilizing the platforms also allows for global exposure—Arbit saw investments from England, Dubai, and India.

A Baltimore connection did play a big part in Arbit’s success. When the co-founders of Baltimore-based investment newsletter, Early Investing, recommended the company’s equity crowdfunding to its readers, Arbit saw $200,000 in investments in one day. “Rather than having a few institutional investors, we now have 1,300 people who are supporting the growth of Arbit,” founder Alex Bullington says. Those shareholders own 14 percent of Arbit’s business.

“I think equity crowdfunding works particularly well in Baltimore because there are a lot of entrepreneurial venues like City Garage and Emerging Technology Centers and venture capital and private equity isn’t as prevalent,” Hylete founder Ron Wilson says. (Wilson is the co-founder of Baltimore-based 180s, which was acquired in 2006.) Wilson shares that Hylete’s equity crowdfunding investors spend up to four times as much on products, becoming true ambassadors of the brand.

Rife and China had hoped to see the investment rise more quickly but know that as much as 40 percent of total funds can come in the final week, according to MicroVentures. “We’re scrappy. We’re from a challenging city to build the type of product that we’ve built,” Rife says. “We’re consummate underdogs.”

As a consummate storyteller, Devlon Waddell’s mediums range from memoirs to mudcloth, as he stands on stages and also stages beautiful spaces. The founder of furniture company Knot You Vintage, Wadell works out of his home studio to create one-of-a-kind furniture from repurposed fabrics and uses those functional art pieces as a way to tell stories up and down the East Coast.

Your life’s work has been about storytelling. How did you get the point where you began telling stories through designing furniture?
What I have found in learning that I was creative only about 10 or 15 years ago, is that I do the things and then I backtrack and figure out why. Find that narrative thread that led me to wherever I am. So, with the furniture, it was about opening a vintage clothing shop and instead of doing the traditional retail fixtures I was like, ‘Why not buy old stuff and make it suit my need?’ It started with bookcases and a couple of chairs and my wife, who works in public health, would get fabric from programming folk who worked in places like Tanzania, Nigeria, Egypt, and I am like, ‘Well, I have this, what can I do with it? Let me put it on furniture.’

In terms of the storytelling, I guess the idea that the pieces tell me when they are done or ‘right’ is what leads me to believe it’s about the story because several pieces of furniture will have four or five iterations so I will have posted a piece fully and then feel that something isn’t right about it, strip it down, and do it again. I am not sure what the bigger story I am telling is. It may be as organic as the right person for this piece of furniture is out there and the universe is telling me that I haven’t created what that person needs.

You are commissioned to do work for some of the most talented and powerful people in Baltimore. Tell me the most interesting story you have come across when designing for someone’s home. 

What is interesting to me is the deals that don’t happen. There are often conversations, sometimes they get very specific, sometimes they get to the point of invoices being generated and they just don’t pan out. The conversations are hilarious because it’s all about ‘supporting artists’ and ‘supporting black business’ and doing all of those things to edify community. But when it comes down to brass tacks, folks don’t want to come off the bread—and that’s fine. I am not one who believes that everyone has to have my work.

I do believe sincerely that, if you do work with me, you will get an experience that is broader than just a piece of furniture being delivered. But the idea that folks somehow feel like they are doing me a favor by some superficial engagement that doesn’t result in the business being done is just fascinating to me. Everybody likes to be affirmed. Everybody likes the ‘like’ button on social media but when it comes down to it, what business is happening? You know, folks talk about ‘support black business.’ I’m all about doing business with black business.  

Your main demographic is people of color. Is that because you are located in a 64-percent black city?

So, my best client in terms of dollars and cents and also giving me a certain freedom is not a person of color. This is interesting because I am unapologetically black and I have no qualms about expressing that, but my goal is to work with people who appreciate, truly, what I do and the effort that I put into making things for them as individuals. Wherever you land on the racial spectrum matters little when you are authentic and you understand what I do.

Do I enjoy working with black folk? Yes, because I understand throughout the different iterations of my creative career that there are things that need to exchange broader than the tangible. There are energies that need to be exchanged more between black folk just because of the trauma we suffer specifically in this city, because this is where I am from. I think a big part of my work in that storytelling or that narrative approach is about making connections toward deeper understanding and general healing.  

Are you operating in your full power and capitalizing on your capacity in the stage you are in now with your art and your entrepreneurship?  
Absolutely not. One, in terms of entrepreneurship, it is challenging for me given my personal demons to give myself the credit to take myself seriously enough. Until I can work from a place of ‘yes,’ will not be operating at capacity. I am getting better. Am I getting better at a rate that satisfies me? Not necessarily, but there is growth. Creatively? I believe that if you feel like you are working at capacity creatively not only are you not growing, you are regressing. I feel like you should always be pushing yourself to do more, to do better.

Where would you like to see yourself in 10 years?
I would love to be able to say, ‘being a designer of things.’ Maybe having a shop, maybe having multiple shops, but designing the furniture and not having to do the work. In 10 years, I want to embrace the fact that I am not only a storyteller in the things that I do but also in the most literal sense, being on stages and sharing my stories.

Experts advise to never mix business with pleasure—let alone with friends or family. But Robert and Tammira Lucas aren’t your average couple. Since marrying in 2011, they’ve built five businesses, attributing their success to hard work, sacrifice, and faith.

“You have to stay strong and focus on your goals,” says Tammira, who was named one of the Baltimore Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” in 2016. “The biggest thing for us is that we support each other.”

Both of the Lucases discovered their entrepreneurial talents early on—Robert in high school, with a successful custom T-shirt business, and Tammira in college, where she ran a mobile kids’ spa. “You have to fail a lot in order to grow,” says Robert. “You don’t always strike gold, but when you jump off that cliff, you build your wings on the way down.”

So it was no surprise that these natural-born business people started working together, especially in light of another shared interest: their daughter, Ryann. After launching a successful kids’ accessories line in 2010, the couple saw what they could achieve in tandem, and went on to open a home maintenance company, a co-working space, pictured, a car dealership, and a business-consulting firm.

“We saw that there were opportunities out there to better the African-American community while still working as a family, and we wanted to help others do the same,” says Tammira, who also co-founded Moms As Entrepreneurs to teach business skills to low-income women. To share that message, the couple recently launched a podcast called “The Lucas Brand,” available on iTunes, where they share the ins and outs of working as a team.

“Hopefully,” says Tammira, “we can inspire other young, black couples to strive for their dreams.”

Chris Wilson takes a seat at a long wooden table in the University of Baltimore law library, 12 floors above Mt. Royal Avenue. He has the bright, airy space almost to himself in the mid-afternoon. Wearing a dark business suit, dress shirt, and wide-knotted, royal-purple tie, Wilson is all business as he lights up a MacBook Pro and bows his clean-shaven head to concentrate on the screen. His boyish face and alert brown eyes make him look younger than his 36 years, which is fitting because Wilson isn’t an attorney or law student, but an undergrad at UB’s Merrick School of Business, where he’ll complete his degree in business administration this December. Specializing in entrepreneurship, he has won business plan competitions, been named a Ratcliffe Scholar, and earned a place in the school’s rigorous Entrepreneurship Fellows Program.

In addition to his course load, Wilson is the founder, owner, and operator of the Barclay Investment Corporation—a small general contracting company—as well as the House of DaVinci, a startup furniture repair and upholstery business.

In short, he’s a busy man because he’s making up for lost time. In fact, Wilson isn’t supposed to be here at all. At 17, he killed a man. Tried as an adult for first-degree murder, he was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. By all odds, Wilson should still be serving time at Patuxent Institution in Jessup, where he served more than a decade of the 16 years he spent behind bars.

However, less than four years after his release following a reconsideration of his sentence by a new judge, Wilson is now employing other ex-offenders at both of his enterprises, building on experience gained as a community organizer at the Greater Homewood Community Corporation. He also has become an advocate for juvenile justice and sentencing reform, and counts best-selling author Wes Moore and the former NAACP head Ben Jealous among his friends and clients.

Inside the law library, he takes time to appreciate the sweeping view of Baltimore from the floor-to-ceiling windows.

“I like being high up over the city,” he says. “I can look out and see The Belvedere Hotel, where I restored furniture. I can also see Station North and Barclay, where I do a lot of my work. Across the street is the business school, which is really important to me. It’s where I turned my life around.”

As a boy, Wilson grew up mostly with his grandparents in Northeast Washington, D.C. He loved to read in bed at night, even risking his grandmother’s wrath by crossing a busy thoroughfare to check out books from the East Capitol branch of the D.C. Public Library. But by the start of the 1990s, as crack and killings swept the nation’s capital, he was doing his reading—everything from books on dinosaurs to Aesop’s fables and Greek myths—curled up on the floor where he slept as a precaution against stray bullets.

Eventually, after the shooting death of a cousin, Wilson went to live full-time with his mom, a single parent of five in suburban Prince George’s County. “A nice neighborhood,” Wilson recalls, but not the refuge it appeared to be. His mother fell under the control of a physically abusive boyfriend, who was later convicted of sexually assaulting her. In the process, she turned to alcohol and drugs. Meanwhile, the violence in D.C. began spilling over into P.G. County.

“How can you expect a kid to be normal when people are dropping like flies?”

Against this backdrop, Wilson stopped caring about school, tuning out through booze, weed, and other substances. “I buried a friend every couple of months,” he says, reflecting on his teenage years. “How can you expect a kid to be normal when people are dropping like flies? I’m arming up,” he remembers telling himself. “I’m going to start carrying weapons.” Quickly, he accumulated charges for gun possession, assault, and a string of robberies. His descent was so rapid that the court system had not locked him up for any length of time before he made the worst decision of his life.

Around 10 p.m. on June 29, 1996, Wilson—who’d been smoking marijuana—was walking less than 500 yards from his mother’s house on Allentown Road in Camp Springs when someone came up and told him they had “a message” for him. “Another street dude,” Wilson says. “That’s all I knew him about him.”

A brief, threatening conversation ensued. “I didn’t think,” he says. “I just started shooting.” He was 17 years old.

On June 16, 1997, the Circuit Court of Prince George’s County sentenced Wilson to life and referred him to the Patuxent Institution, a prison with educational and therapeutic opportunities for young offenders. For months afterward, he sat in a haze of smuggled marijuana available at the Baltimore prison where he awaited his transfer to Patuxent.

Although communication from his remaining family members quickly tapered off, a phone conversation with his grandfather, dying of cancer, would stick with him. “I don’t understand how somebody that’s smart would purposely do stupid stuff,” his grandfather told him. “That’s not you, man. Promise me you’ll turn your life around.”

With a life sentence, his grandfather’s advice seemed absurd. But just a few months later, alone with his memories and thoughts, a moment of clarity pierced through the fog. “I saw what I had become,” Wilson says. “I started to have an honest conversation with myself.”

He wrote out what he calls his “master plan” of self-improvement. He traded cigarettes to get a spot in a woodworking class. He devoured the prison library, studied Spanish, and earned his GED, as well as a degree from Anne Arundel Community College. With the help of counselors, he also began to untangle his past and face what he had done. In victim impact group meetings, he rediscovered a capacity for compassion. He wanted to learn more about the man who he’d killed and tried to reach out to his family. “All I did was study, go to therapy, and exercise,” Wilson says.

Though it seemed like a pipe dream, he imagined one day starting his own business and employing other ex-offenders as a means of repaying his debt to society.

On November 3, 2006, after a decade of incarceration, Wilson returned to court to meet with Judge Cathy Serrette, newly assigned to his case for a review and potential reconsideration of his sentence based on what he’d accomplished while imprisoned.

“Even if you don’t give me a chance, I’m going to be 77 years old, still learning another language, running the yard, still running my programs,” he told Serrette. “That’s who I am. But if you give me that chance, just watch what I do.”

“I’ll be watching you,” he recalls Serrette telling him. “That master plan is law.”

“I saw what I’d become,” Wilson says. “I started to have an honest conversaton with myself.”

Wilson eventually re-emerged into the outside world six years later, in 2012, at 33, after spending almost half of his life in prison, and not long after learning his mother had died. His biological father had been killed a number of years before. He had been moved into a halfway house in Baltimore and, drawing on connections made in prison, UB became his refuge. Professor Elizabeth Nix quickly took note of Wilson in a class on civil rights. “He never missed a class and always elevated the discussion,” she says. “Chris was an intellectual sponge. I also saw him around campus all the time,” Nix continues. “He told me later he stayed on campus all the hours he was not required to be back at the halfway house, so he could stay focused.”

Nix was contacted by Karen Stokes, executive director of the Greater Homewood Community Corporation, who was looking for someone to organize dialogue between the community and developers. Nix suggested Wilson, who later began recruiting unemployed men and women, often with criminal backgrounds, into job training programs.

“Chris was personally committed to trying to find jobs for these people, or create the jobs himself,” says Stokes. “[It was] his frustration in finding jobs for people with limited skills and work history, who also might have a criminal record and no high-school diploma, that led him to forming his own company that employs people with this background.”

Two of the men Wilson has hired are Tony Hartley, 42, who has been working home-improvement jobs with Wilson for more than a year, and Derick Lilly, 21, who has been with Wilson’s general contracting company for four months.

“I didn’t really learn about [Wilson’s criminal] record until later,” says Hartley, who shares Wilson’s sense of mission and now helps recruit new employees for the business. “I probably have more convictions than him. We learned about our backgrounds around the same time. It brought us a lot closer.”

Lilly says Wilson gave him an opportunity no one else would. “I’m a hard worker, but I’ve been through the system,” he says. “That’s why we get along.” Lilly began working on clean-up, moving, and janitorial service jobs, and now is also taking responsibility for newer hires. “Chris said leadership is what he wants us to do,” Lilly explains. “I teach other people: Use up all the space in the truck so we don’t have to make as many trips—time is money—but don’t be careless and scratch up furniture.”

Jealous, the former NAACP president, first met Wilson as a customer when he needed help with a move. “He and his guys did great work,” says Jealous, who still works and resides in Baltimore. “When he told me he has a furniture-restoration business, I entrusted to him antiques from ancestors who had been born slaves, very precious stuff.”

Jealous says he found he and Wilson had a lot of interests in common, and admires his drive and ability. “He builds teams from people the rest of us, well, people we have seen fit to discard,” Jealous says.

Today, it’s more difficult for other offenders to follow Wilson’s path. Maryland law changed after Wilson’s conviction and now requires judges to rule on sentence modifications within five years of the original sentencing. In Wilson’s case, as his lawyer, Harry Trainor Jr., points out, “Five years in, it would not have been apparent to a judge that he had changed so much.”

At the same time, justice and sentencing reformers have begun to find support for more flexibility in the way juveniles are charged and sentenced, and Wilson has been sharing his story in Annapolis and Washington. When the General Assembly considered bills to expand juvenile offenders’ access to sentencing review and eligibility for parole, the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth invited him to testify before the state House and Senate judiciary committees.

Wilson later summarized his testimony in an opinion piece, “Allow Children Sentenced to Life a Second Chance,” published this past March in The Baltimore Sun.

“He certainly had an impact,” says Nikola Nable-Juris, policy counsel at the campaign. “As a mentor, speaker, and skilled businessman, Chris represents the loss of talent sitting in prison. Several legislators said at the hearing and in person that Chris’s story is one of the most powerful stories they’ve ever heard.”

The legislation did not succeed last session, but Wilson sees incremental progress. “I felt there was a lot of traction,” he says. “People do care.”

“He had an impact. Chris represents the loss of talent sitting in prison.”

Returning to his hometown, he has also shared his story on Capitol Hill with members of Congress.

To Jealous, Wilson demonstrates that “there are individuals who can redeem themselves, and that our society can redeem itself from its addiction to mass incarceration.”

“I hope that people will look at Chris and think of how much more good he could do, how much faster, if we helped,” Jealous says.

Ultimately, says Wilson, who currently will remain on parole for years to come, he’d like to build a coalition of socially conscious companies that employ people, make money, and have an impact in Baltimore.

In the meantime, he draws strength from a vote of confidence he received after speaking at a 2013 national conference focused on helping prisoners re-enter society.

After hearing his story, many attendees crowded around Wilson with questions, including one woman who waited patiently for an opportunity to greet him.

She shook his hand and smiled, needing no introduction.

“‘I didn’t have to let you out,’” Wilson recalls Judge Serrette saying.

“‘I could have just left you in there,’” she told him. “‘But I had a feeling in my gut, and I believed you. I made the right decision. I am proud of you.’”