SUZANNE M. Graham remembers being captivated by city planning and urban development event when she was young. While sitting in traffic jams on her way to St. Andrew High School for Girls, she would envision a way to eliminate the congestion and make the city more liveable.
So, Graham pursued her vision about city planning and architecture by earning an undergraduate degree in city planning from the renowned Howard University in Washington, D.C., and a graduate degree in real estate from Columbia University in New York City. With the drive and ambition inherited from her parents, business owners George and Beatrice Graham, she has turned her interest into a successful career. She left Jamaica in 1985 and has been living in the U.S. going on 19 years. As vice-president of METROVENTURES/ USA, Inc., a prominent real estate development company in Baltimore, Maryland, Graham has established her name as a notable developer and has been triumphant in rebuilding many communities on the United States eastern coast.
DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT
METROVENTURES, where Graham has been since 1994, offers development management to mixed use and specialty projects, including educational institutions, entertainment venues and parking garages. The company and Graham also have implemented projects for office and residential locations, housing and community development, and shopping centres and retail stores. Its projects include Gladeview Marketplace in Miami, Florida; the Algonquin Center in Louisville, Kentucky; and Cherry Hill Plaza and The Brokerage, both in Baltimore.
METROVENTURES is particularly noted throughout Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia for making substantial differences in numerous communities and for the families who live there. Many of the company's projects, on which Graham has served in many capacities, have had a direct impact on improving declining neighbourhoods. One noted project is the renewal of Sandtown-Winchester in Baltimore, Maryland.
CREATE ANEW
Graham and her experienced project team successfully rehabilitated more than 600 vacant properties in the Baltimore community, as a result of a comprehensive redevelopment plan that they created. Graham's leadership and abilities also helped to create the new Avenue Market in the inner city of Baltimore by transforming the once deteriorating property into a thriving community marketplace.
Currently, Graham is working on one of the most exciting ventures of her professional career - the development of Camden Crossing, a US$30 million residential project comprising 150 townhouses that are being built on a previously vacant nine-acre lot in Baltimore City. The lot will be developed into market rate homes valued at more than $200,000 each with a minimum of 1,800 square feet, including numerous upscale amenities. "We conceptualised Camden Crossing as the premier downtown residential community in Baltimore City," she said. "METROVENTURES has secured the capital to finance the project, selected the architects and contractors, brought together all of the key players, business executives, city officials and community leaders and is selling the property to potential homebuyers."
How difficult was it for her to break into mainstream America... to the point where she is so successful? "Not very difficult due mostly to my educational background and establishing good working relationships," Graham said.The site was acquired from the city of Baltimore, and it is anticipated that over US$700,000 will be generated annually in property tax revenue as a result of the new homes at Camden Crossing. "Camden Crossing, because of its scale, is a remarkable initiative that will have a far-reaching impact for both downtown Baltimore and METROVENTURES as a company," said Graham. "The project will provide the platform for METROVENTURES to undertake more significant projects both locally and internationally."
GOAL
In fact, Graham's goal is for METROVENTURES to begin developing in her homeland. Each year, Graham returns
to Jamaica for an extended stay with her family, and she holds a strong affinity for her Caribbean heritage. It is her hope to combine her two passions: real estate
development and the grand splendour of Jamaica. Graham feels that Jamaica is an idyllic setting for property development and a place where she would delight in building up-scale residential property.
So does she have any plans to return to Jamaica permanently? "Yes, I would definitely like to retire there," she said. "But for the near future I would like to establish a Jamaican operation and implement projects which would allow partial residence in Jamaica."
She shares her zeal for real estate development with her husband of 12 years, Raymond Agnant, who heads up his own architectural and planning firm in Maryland. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, swimming, and interior decorating.
