Oct

2020 Community Enhancement Food Drive Supporting Byrd Barr, Farmer Frog and Mary's Place

Byrd Barr Place was born in the 1960’s from the recognition that the poor Black neighborhoods of Seattle were chronically under-served by existing services. Our founders within Seattle’s Black community, then based in the Central District, were guided by a vision of equal access to resources and a determination to take bold and transformative action. Our agency, then named the Central Area Motivation Program, was part of the first generation of community-inspired organizations funded by the Economic Opportunity Act. For more than 55 years, Byrd Barr Place has been a community leader and advocate in the fight against the effects of racism and segregation on the region’s African Americans. We continue to be instrumental in combating racial inequity and poverty throughout Seattle by providing an integrated array of basic needs and nutritional services, education resources and financial assistance.

Jul

John Pietromonaco of Pietromonaco Jackson Properties has been a NAIOP Washington member for a very long time – 32 years, to be exact – and has enjoyed a distinguished career as a developer in the Puget Sound area. After serving as president in 1999 and spending 20+ years involved heavily in NAIOPWA’s annual Community Enhancement (CE) projects, Pietromonaco is a wellspring of NAIOP memories and institutional knowledge.

A lot has changed since he joined in 1988, between technological advancement and market fluctuations. John says that “real estate is more complicated [now] than it was in the 70s-80s,” but that ultimately, the industry is very reliant on community and connection. “The only way to get the info you need is through contacts… I even talk to people who are competitors (friendly competitors). It makes the job easier than being a lone wolf and doing it from scratch.”