Power Panel Series: Level Up With Economic Development

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Save the dateJuly 12, 20217:00 PM - 9:00 PM (EDT)

Organizer

Organizer: Black BRAND

Phone: +1 7577980590

Contact Person: Marcia Patterson

Email: marcia@blackbrand.biz

Event Details

Meet with Economic Development authorities from around the Hampton Roads and Dan River Regions and learn about:

Grant and loan programs
Availability of commercial space
Improving relationships with other city departments

Speakers

Yuri Adams

Economic Development Specialist at Williamsburg, VA Economic Development

Yuri Adams

Economic Development Specialist at Williamsburg, VA Economic Development

Yuri Adams is a born and raised Virginian, a William & Mary alumna, and has lived in Williamsburg for the past 11 years. Since 2017, she has served as the Economic Development Specialist for the City of Williamsburg. In this role, she serves as a liaison between the City of Williamsburg and its existing businesses, offering customized concierge services based on business needs. Whether a downed tree limb is blocking a sidewalk entrance, or a business wants to explore rezoning their commercial space for another use, or just about anything in between, Yuri serves as a one-stop shop for business assistance. She also administers all of the EDA’s grants and incentive programs, manages the department's social media and website presence online, and just like any other public servant – performs “other duties as assigned”. Yuri’s passion lies in connecting business owners with the resources, tools, and funding opportunities needed to grow their business, and in her role as Economic Development Specialist, she gets to do just that.

Elizabeth McCoury

Redevelopment Housing Manager at City of Newport News

Elizabeth McCoury

Redevelopment Housing Manager at City of Newport News

https://www.nnva.gov//

As Redevelopment Project Manager, Elizabeth serves as the City’s principal contact and resource for major redevelopment projects. Elizabeth brings over 30 years of redevelopment and nonprofit management to her role.

Before joining the City of Newport News, Elizabeth was the founding President and Chief Executive Officer of The U District Partnership (UDP) in Seattle, WA. The UDP operates a Business Improvement Area (BIA) adjacent to the University of Washington for the City of Seattle. She gained her nonprofit expertise while serving as Executive Director of Coliseum Central Business Improvement District, Inc., in Hampton, VA, one of the largest BIDs in the United States encompassing over 1,900 acres and representing over 650 property owners and businesses. Before joining Coliseum Central, Elizabeth served as Assistant to the City Manager for Downtown and Village Development for the City of Suffolk and was instrumental in many successful public-private partnerships including the development of the Hilton Garden Inn and Suffolk Conference Center and the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts. In addition to her nine years of service with the City of Suffolk, she worked for the City of Portsmouth for 14 years and coordinated the Vision 2005 initiative.

Elizabeth is a graduate of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia.

Kelvin Perry

Project Manager at Office of Economic Development for the City of Danville, Virginia

Kelvin Perry

Project Manager at Office of Economic Development for the City of Danville, Virginia

Kelvin Perry as Project Manager for the City of Danville, Virginia is responsible for the recruitment and retention of businesses and developers to the River District, assisting with the
management of grant and loan programs, assisting with industrial and technology-based recruitment, managing properties owned by the Industrial Development Authority and enterprise zone administration. Kelvin is also an independent consultant with the Longwood Small Business Development Center where he assists small businesses in southern Virginia with business and financial planning

In addition to his responsibilities for the City of Danville and Longwood Small Business Development Center, Kelvin actively supports and lead seminars for the Danville
Redevelopment Housing Authority for the new homebuyers program. He also serves on the Opportunity Neighborhoods panel through the Danville Regional Foundation. Opportunity
Neighborhoods is focused on three separate communities in the city to create a unified roadmap to help them shape their own future and make decisions that focuses on the well being for
everyone in the neighborhood.

Perry is a graduate of the University of South Carolina with a B.S. degree in Banking and
Finance. He has over 32 years in banking and for 16 years he was employed as the president and
chief executive officer of First State Bank in Danville Virginia. Kelvin is a community activist
and serves on a number of board and commissions throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Lavera Tolentino

Program Administrator, SWaM Business Office at City of Virginia Beach

Sean Washington

Assistant Director, Department of Development at City of Norfolk

Sean Washington

Assistant Director, Department of Development at City of Norfolk

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-m-washington-5a9a3550/

Sean Washington is a results-oriented business professional who excels in attracting, retaining, deepening, and developing relationships in the Hampton Roads community. As Assistant Director of Economic Development for the City of Norfolk, Sean provides leadership, innovative ideas, and insight on new and/or emerging industries while managing complex real estate development transactions.

Before joining the City of Norfolk’s Department of Economic Development in 2017, Sean helped small
businesses grow as an Assistant Vice President with BB&T Bank. During his seven-year tenure at BB&T, he managed a $34.5 million deposit portfolio and a $15 million lending portfolio.

Sean balances his passion for helping small businesses thrive while giving countless hours of his time to the community. Currently, Sean serves on the board for Parents Against Bullying VA and he is a past president of the Urban League of Hampton Roads Young Professionals and past co-chair for BB&T’s Multicultural Committee. Sean has also volunteered with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Roc Solid Organization, THRive, Toastmasters International, and Norfolk’s Bank-on Your Success Program. Sean holds a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Hampton University. He spends his
downtime reading, exercising and traveling with his wife of 5 years, Jessica Larche Washington.

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