CEMDI Connects: Design Services + Developers
CEMDI: Connects offers education and relationship building opportunities for minority developers and professional services firms.
Thursday, June 17, 2021 12:00 – 1:30 pm
About the Event
Chicago Emerging Minority Development Initiative (CEMDI) launched in 2020 with the goal to increase the number of minority developers active in Chicago. Led by Gwendolyn Hatten Butler, Graham Grady, and Leon Walker, CEMDI aims to enrich the local real estate development community ecosystem by advancing opportunities for equitable development and inclusive growth. Over the past year CEMDI has hosted nine events nine events aimed at supporting the real estate ecosystem and making connections. This event marks the launch of the CEMDI Connects series with the aim of providing unique learning and relationship building events for minority developers and professional services firms. We are pleased to host this event with Chicago Architecture Center, I-NOMA, and Arquitectos.
CEMDI Connects is designed to encourage meaningful connections between emerging minority designers and development firms. CEMDI recognizes it is critical to source and build a pipeline of community-focused developers from African-American, Latinx, and other minority communities to participate in commercial real estate development projects citywide.
Cultivating new collaborations is key to our collective success. Making informed connections is complicated as we continue to navigate in virtual spaces. With this in mind, we have curated a targeted list of firms to participate in this Meet-Up. With a spirit of active participation and a willingness to engage, together we can foster a gathering space that is welcoming, conversational, and mutually informative.
Agenda
Welcome and Setting the Stage
12:00 – 12:15 pm
Moderated Discussion: Creating Meaningful Partnerships
12:15 – 12:45 pm
Kimberly Dowdell, AIA, LEED AP Marketing Principal, HOK and Immediate Past President, National Organization of Minority Architects (Moderator)
Leon Walker, Managing Partner, DL3 Realty
RaMona Westbrook, AIA, LEED AP President, Brook Architecture
Breakout Rooms
12:45 – 1:30 pm
Breakout Session Round One: Creative ideas to problem solve. This session allowed participants to share how they’ve addressed financial, site specific, or programmatic design challenges in past projects.
Breakout Session Round Two: Community engagement. This session allowed participants to share a past project in which they managed input from local residents or community organizations that contributed positively to the final product.
Breakout Session Round Three: Leveraging existing assets. This session allowed participants to share one project they were part of that effectively leveraged an existing community asset—a building, a public space, a funding or zoning opportunity, etc.
Thank you to our event partners
The Illinois Chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects
