This Entrepreneur Purchased An Entire Block To Open A Business Hub On Baltimore’s Waterfront, Becomes First Black Woman In Maryland To Do So

A Baltimore entrepreneur launched an innovative business hub after purchasing a massive building that stretches across an entire block. The visionary businesswoman is Dr. Vonnya Pettigrew, CEO of Root Branch Media Group. Pettigrew’s new business center includes her media production venture, along with a coffee shop, property management company and nonprofit, The Baltimore Times reported.

“I bought the old Barcoding, Inc. building, a commercial property that is 14,400 square feet. It’s 2220 Boston Street [Baltimore, Maryland],” Pettigrew told the Baltimore Times. “The building is the length of the entire block, so I have all four sides.”

To purchase the building, Pettigrew, who is actually from Philadelphia, received assistance from the Reinvestment Fund, an organization that supports projects of social impact. Pettigrew said her Root Branch Media Group has now evolved into “ The Root Branch Multiverse.” The goal, she said, is to keep expanding her media business and her other ventures. That includes her property management company, Root Branch Office Solutions, and her coffee brand, Press Coffee & Co., which will be offered at a coffee shop in the new business center. Meanwhile, Pettigrew’s nonprofit, Root Branch Arts and Outreach Institute Inc., will continue to support education and training programs as it operates at the Root Branch Media Group building.

Pettigrew plans to acquire properties and build a media arts hub in other parts of Baltimore, as well as other urban communities, including her hometown of Philly. She’s been exploring various branches of media since earning her bachelor’s in communications from the University of Maryland College Park.

“When I was in college, I wanted to be a speech writer. I had the very, very fortunate opportunity to intern at the White House in the speech writing department under President Clinton,” Pettigrew said.

Pettigrew, who once worked at the Discovery Channel and TV One, now produces a web series titled, Root Branch Marketplace as a way to support her fellow business owners.

“Each month, we train [small business owners] through our Root Branch Marketplace Institute on how to leverage media marketing, and how to leverage digital assets,” she said. “They appear on a segment of our show.”

Pettigrew named Root Branch Media Group after her family property in South Carolina, located on Root Branch Road. She is now the first Black woman in Maryland to own a block on Baltimore’s waterfront.