I was born and raised in the wonderful city of Rochester New York where I have resided my entire life. I was educated in city schools and am proud to say so. Although the city was short on resources I was raised in a home that was strong in values and that made the difference. Today, I am dedicated to improving not only the urban living experience but the culture and stigma that has eroded the image of urban areas.

As an entrepreneur in the real estate business, I believe in urban revitalization and improving the urban living experience. I believe in the urban environment and those who live there. I am the owner of Rome Management, a small company that buys houses in distressed areas, repair them to above standard quality and rent them out to qualified tenants.

My desire to return to school was to gain the knowledge to better serve my community. I own a small company that specializes in urban renewal. I buy houses in urban areas, repair them to above standard quality and rent them out to qualified tenants. The goal is to create jobs and improve the urban living experience. It has been said to me on several occasion that my interest should be elsewhere if I want to make money or survive in this field. Many reasons were given for this. The main one was that the homes will not appreciate in value. Or that the tenants will tear up my property or wont pay. I believe that the real reason is the perceived element of the people that live in these areas. The stigma that has been applied to these areas is unwarranted and misunderstood.

I believe that the avoidance of these areas are because of the misconceptions of the people that live there.These views  negatively impact the value of the homes. Not only that,  it diminishes the value of the human capital that is available inside these urban areas. In my blog Gold in the Ghetto, I will discuss how the roles of  stereotypes, misconceptions and ignorance have negatively effected the value, perception and condition of the urban living experience. There is direct correlation between the action and thinking of society and the way that America views the product and condition of the urban living experience that has led not only to a deteriorated state of mind but the demoralization of urban inhabitants. This shows in the lower living standards, poor education, poor health and the belief that they have been regulated to stay in position that they are in with no hope of improving themselves.

I have had the privilege to socialize on many different socio-economic stratums and have learned that the only difference between the have and the have nots are dissemination of relevant information, determination andthe belief that the American dream is obtainable. By association, information about jobs, educational opportunities and other important information is shared. If you are not in the position to receive relevant information then opportunities seldom present themselves. Living in areas where all you see is poverty, plight and struggle creates a mindset that your world is a reality and anything other than that is unattainable.

Our company will be the disseminator of the information needed to be a catalyst for social reform. Through carefully structured programs we will began an urban renewal program aimed at the beautification of neighborhoods. This will put pride in neighborhood residents. Construct neighborhood association designed to build dialogue between residents aimed at promoting safety and sharing information about the needs of the community