GREENBELT, MD (July 15, 2020) – Brandon Bellamy, CEO of Velocity Companies, will deliver the keynote address at the Maryland Economic Development Association (MEDA) Summer Conference on Wednesday, July 29, 2020. The virtual conference, scheduled from 9:00 A.M. to 12 P.M., will highlight leaders from both the public and private sector sharing insight on how economic developers can assist business owners and the unique challenges that they face in the midst of COVID-19.

Bellamy, a successful real estate entrepreneur, has worked for many years to locate and build opportunities where it is needed the most. But his success, and that of his projects, have not been without their unique challenges, many of which are not apparent to everyone working in economic development.

“Communities that were distressed pre-COVID-19 are even more distressed today, and many of these communities are comprised of minority business owners and entrepreneurs,” said Bellamy. “I look forward to sharing my journey at this year’s Summer Conference and hope that it benefits those working to create jobs and investment in the state of Maryland.”

Brandon will provide examples of challenges he has met and overcome and share how he is not alone when it comes to being faced with these unique challenging hurdles. He has a story that exemplifies how to put together a recipe for success using hard work, community support, and economic development.

The MEDA Summer Conference is sponsored by Maryland Department of Commerce, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), and Maryland Association of Counties (MACO). For more information about the MEDA 2020 Summer Conference and to register, visit www.medamd.com. ###

Media Contact: Veronica Jeon | VSJ, Inc. | vjeon@vsjinc.com | 202-803-3303

The Hampton Mall used to be a vibrant space, and this project will bring it back to vibrancy, Davis said.

He called the Central Avenue corridor the transportation artery and the center of the county and, along with the Regional Medical Center and Metro station located nearby, Hampton Park will be “a vibrant community development.”

Following a dance performance by the Divine Dance Institute of Capitol Heights to the song “A Brand New Day” from “The Wiz” signifying the theme of the event, Alsobrooks took to the stage to address the importance of what this new space will mean for the county.

With Prince George’s County being in the top 4% wealthiest counties in the country, Alsobrooks said, this means the county has buying power and there is a great return on investment within the county.

“The best is yet to come,” she said. “Today is a glorious morning, but put on your seatbelts because the best is yet to come starting here and it’s moving all across the county.”

After giving her speech, the county executive was given the honor of starting the construction. Everyone gathered around as she climbed into a bulldozer and, with the help of a member of the construction team, partially knocked down an old credit union.

Velocity Companies formed a joint venture with ARCTrust, a New Jersey-based full service vertically integrated real estate company, to bring the Hampton Park development to fruition.

While Velocity started putting together the first feasibility studies of the project in 2009 and had the site plan fully approved in 2017, Bellamy said it was not easy getting to this point.

“My biggest challenge in this project has been the perception that people have had about the county,” he said. “Hampton Park was a microcosm, so it was the same exact problem. We had difficulty getting people to see that it was a self-imposed perception.”

The real estate was good, he said, but one of the reasons it took so long to get the project off the ground is because it was passed over because the people who had the capacity to invest were not interested due to their of the perception of the area.

However, redeveloping this area is the first step to changing what people think of Capitol Heights, Maclin said, and it will be the kind of place that the people of Prince George’s County deserve.

“People will no longer be afraid of Hampton Mall, and people will be no longer afraid of Capitol Heights,” Maclin said. “People will no longer find reasons to avoid coming to Capitol Heights, they’re going to want to come here.”