Dr. Vonnya Pettigrew Buys Commercial Property For $2.2M, Reportedly Making Her The First Black Woman In Maryland To Own A Block On Baltimore’s Waterfront

Vonnya Pettigrew, Hon.D., is concentrating all her interests in one place — a property building located on Baltimore, MD’s Waterfront.

But that’s just the start. The Baltimore Times reports Dr. Pettigrew comes from a communications background stamped by a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Maryland College Park. During her time in higher education she landed opportunities to intern under President Bill Clinton as a speech writer. She also interned for a television show.

“It was a political show that was produced on Capitol Hill and filmed out of Reuters newswire, and so I fell in love with television and film,” Pettigrew told the outlet.

Root Branch Media Group

Pettigrew also learned scriptwriting and took her skills to create content for TV One and Discovery Channel. Now, she is investing in her own media empire. In 2006, she launched Root Branch Media Group, which she named for her family’s property in South Carolina.

“When I established my business, I wanted it to name it after something with purpose and meaning,” she explained in a statement shared on the website. “Root Branch is my family’s legacy. Our mantra is that we make ‘meaningful media – media that makes a difference.’”

According to the company website, Root Branch Media Group offers video production, motion graphics, creative development, branded content, storyboarding, casting, sound design, cinematography, photography, graphic design, and web design services.

Its mission also entails supporting small business owners and the youth pursuing film and digital media arts. So, the company has partnered with school districts and youth organizations to build pathways into the industry, and it also provides training and education to entrepreneurs.

“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. They appear on a segment of our show,” Pettigrew explained to The Baltimore Times.

Buying The Block

Recently, Pettigrew moved forward with a reported $2.25 million purchase on Baltimore’s waterfront in Canton Harbor that will strengthen Root Branch Media Group, The AFRO reports. The property was financed by the Reinvestment Fund and did not rely on investors, grants, or programs, notes The Baltimore Times.

What’s more, Pettigrew now reportedly makes history with her purchase .

“I bought the old Barcoding, Inc. building, a commercial property that is 14,400 square feet,” Pettigrew explained to The Baltimore Times. “It’s 2220 Boston Street [Baltimore, Maryland]. The building is the length of the entire block, so I have all four sides. In doing that, also, it became noted that I was the first African American woman in Maryland to [own] a block actually on Baltimore’s waterfront.”

The property supports the media production arm and other ventures, including Root Branch Press Coffee & Co., Root Branch Office Solutions, and Root Branch Arts and Outreach Institute Inc.

Looking ahead, she aims to scale her empire, stating she will “continue to acquire properties and build a media arts hub, maybe in other parts of Baltimore, but certainly in other urban communities.” Pettigrew’s hometown of Philadelphia, PA, is part of that possibility, per the outlet.