OUR ALUMNI
Patricia Dockery
Cohort 9 (2020)
"No group or individual can do it alone. They need to connect with other people and share resources."
Kija Gray
Cohort 8 (2019)
"The time to build community is now, not just in crisis."
Corey Williams
Cohort 6 (2018)
"Our mission is to make urban communities more safe and more comfortable to live."
Damon Dickerson
Cohort 5 (2018)
"My goal as an architectural designer is to understand how to make the project function the best & look the best from the moment someone enters the space until they exit the space."
Doron Elliott
Cohort 6 (2018)
"I was fortunate that I chose a Detroit-based bank that was familiar with the upward trajectory of the neighborhood. When I encountered an appraisal issue due to the lack of available sales, the team opted to consider other factors for loan approval."
Jason Cole
Cohort 1 (2015)
"My future as a real estate developer is helping others to achieve greatness."
Barbara Wynder
Cohort 5 (2018)
"This is our fourth project. We were able to completely finance it ourselves. We were able to hire Black contractors who hired from within the community."
Marcel Pearl
Cohort 4 (2017)
"Bringing more retail diversity to Detroit's neighborhoods will enhance walkability & raise values in some of the most dense areas the City has to offer."
Amelia Duran
Cohort 5 (2018)
"The lessons learned growing up here fuels my desire to continue to develop opportunities for self-actualization through our collective sweat equity, unique talents & arts & cultural heritage."
Ekanem Obong
Cohort 5 (2018)
"We wanted to expand this neighborhood into a community that welcomed Black immigrants, Black immigrant culture & development."
Barbara Luna
Cohort 8 (2019)
"I envision us making a sustainable, generational wealth building neighborhood by bringing back the village mindset."
Corey Johnson
Cohort 8 (2019)
"When I take on a project my job is to give it life and make each property somewhere a family can be proud to say "I live here."
Raquel Thomas
Cohort 5 (2018)
"BCV provided all the resource tools needed for beginning developers & was a source of inspiration for Interior Property Selections, which I co-founded after I attended. I saw a business case for a company that would assist the new & seasoned developer with material & finish selections."
BreAnna Plummer
Cohort 5 (2018)
"Blessings come in disguise. I currently rent this home, but the owner put it for sale around the time COVID hit. I am now in the process of finalizing a loan to purchase."
Darius Smith
Cohort 5 (2018)
"I started by buying a third of my grandmother's block in 2016 and sold it for a large profit. I look forward to doing more development projects."
Michelle Lee
Cohort 10 (2020)
"My interest in housing & community development was born of faith. Faith initiated by family & faith shared throughout the Black churches that aligned with the hopes & struggles of our communities. The faith that one has to have to develop & desire to work within their communities for the better."