From the Ground Up with Marc Weller

In this episode of From the Ground Up with Marc Weller, Matt Rienzo sits down with Steve Siegel and Marc Weller to discuss the exciting developments within the company, their proudest moments from Port Covington, and upcoming projects on the horizon. They explain the company’s recent expansion of its development team, their plans to finalize the Port Covington project in the next year, and the process of transitioning the project into the hands of new developers. Marc Weller describes his excitement to progress the company forward into its next phase and thanks his team and its partners, who played an essential role in the development of Port Covington. Listen to learn more about new projects, including one in Grand Bahama, and Marc’s goals to invest in the community, create experiences, nurture partnerships, and continue to deliver on promises made for many years to come.

This episode of From the Ground Up with Marc Weller brings you an inside look at the life and career of Baltimore restauranteur, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, Alex Smith. Owner of some of Baltimore’s trendiest and most well-known fine-dining restaurants, Smith has an impressive repertoire of lifetime achievements, lessons, and insights to pass on to those interested in the business of hospitality. Among the restaurants his company owns are Loch Bar, Bygone, Maximón, The Choptank, and Ouzo Bay. Smith discusses his experiences creating and maintaining a successful business in Baltimore, why to build a strong team, and how every aspect of a restaurant’s design is so crucial to its success. Smith takes us through his Rising Tide Moment: his quarterly city-wide clean-up with hundreds of Atlas Group members and employees to impact the city positively, and the programs he creates for hospitality students to experience working a summer at an Atlas Group restaurant.

In this episode of From the Ground Up with Marc Weller, we’re back with hosts Marc Weller and Matt Rienzo kicking it off with entrepreneur, environmentalist, and philanthropist, Scott Plank. Plank takes us through the evolution of his influential career, from his beginnings at Freddie Mac, where he started out digging ditches and swinging hammers, to managing a $1.3 billion portfolio as an asset manager in five years. After graduating from business school in the late 90s, he transitioned to Under Armour, founded by brother Kevin Plank, and helped grow the company into the robust global retailer it is today. Now, he start-ups and invests in various companies that focus on strengthening communities. Plank discusses one of his current companies, MissionGo, and the unmanned aircraft technology it manufactures to improve supply chain issues, avoid environmental threats, increase safety and sustainability, and more. From developing commercial real estate and public service programs with War Horse Cities to his focus on some of Baltimore's most significant community enhancement projects, Plank’s remarkable work leaves an imprint on the world that will be utilized for generations. Tune in for some of his favorite projects in Baltimore and the insights he’s gained.

Today's episode of From the Ground Up with Marc Weller is Part 2 of Development 101. Your hosts are Matt Rienzo and Steve Siegel with guest Jeff Baker, Managing Director of Development at Weller Development Company. If you're a young professional interested in or beginning a career in real estate development, listen up. Matt, Steve, and Jeff continue their discussion about the phases of development. They take a deep dive into topics such as the pre-development stage, the design process, price-checking, conceptualizing a building's idea, bidding with contractors, phases of construction, and more.

Today's episode of From the Ground Up with Marc Weller is Part 1 of an educational series called Development 101. Your hosts are Matt Rienzo and Steve Siegel with guest Jeff Baker, Managing Director of Development at Weller Development Company. If you're a young professional interested or just starting out in a career in real estate development, this series is for you. This episode is chock-full of detailed information with direct examples from the Port Covington Development experience. Listen in to hear some of Baltimore's leading professionals in commercial real estate discuss each exciting and challenging phase of development, such as the decisions they face in the pipeline process of landing a deal, acquisitions, navigating the due-diligence period, gaining approval, the design and construction process, leasing, and more. Stay tuned for part 2.

Matt Rienzo and guest-host Steve Siegel interview Marc Broady in the first episode of an educational series focusing on hot topics in the real estate industry. Today, they talk about affordable housing and why cities need to invest in them, how they get developed, and the impact affordable housing has on communities and families. Marc Broady, a West Baltimore native, talks about the challenges of rent for low-income single families and takes listeners through his time working as an attorney with Congressman Elijah Cummings on housing issues on national, state, and local levels that sparked his interest in starting a career in affordable housing development. Also in this episode, Steve Siegel gives insight into how he brought his experience in Washington D.C. development over to Baltimore and provides crucial knowledge about what affordable housing really is, how it began, how it works, and who benefits. Both Broady and Siegel tie their backgrounds and knowledge into how and why Port Covington is bringing affordable housing to Baltimore. Tune in to hear their perspective on how affordable housing aims to tackle issues of inequality and maintain the character of America’s great cities.

This week, Matt and Marc sit down with Tim Regan, the President and CEO of Whiting-Turner, one of the country's largest and most reputable construction companies. Tim and his team have worked with Weller Development on various successful projects, including Sagamore Pendry, and currently with Port Covington.

Tim stays loyal to his values, which enabled him to carve out his path at Whiting-Turner. Raised in a blue-collar household in Northeast Baltimore, Tim learned the importance of humility and treating every day as a gift. His primary source of strength is his family, and he firmly believes the majority of his career's success stems from building it around his loved ones. His “rising tide” moment is to advise young professionals passionate about forming a successful career to show up, stay focused, make connections, and not be afraid to ask questions.

Dan Mullen is a Detroit-based commercial real estate mogul whose innovative mind and creative expertise influenced Marc Weller and other real estate developers during a “meeting of the minds” that helped inspire Weller Development to bring Baltimore’s new Port Covington to fruition. Now the founder and CEO of Future & Main, a venture development group, Dan is adapting his company to the COVID-era workplace, expanding to new markets, and continuing his efforts to combine art, culture, and technology into public experiences.

In this episode, Dan takes us through his extraordinary career journey, self growth, the impact he’s made in Detroit, and what drives his passion for creative development. His mission is to create experiences in cities that connect people to new opportunities, and describes his #RisingTide moment as always taking the initiative to help others and change lives through his work by creating access to jobs and seeing his employees thrive.

Steve “Monty” Montgomery is a renowned Mid-Atlantic restaurateur, a leader, and visionary on Delaware’s culinary coast. Whether he's in one of his bars or out in the community, Monty is an instantly recognizable and celebrated face. His restaurants and bars have become town staples, the most notable being the famed Starboard in Dewey Beach. As the owner of Nicks Fish House in Port Covington, Monty has become a close colleague of Marc Weller & Matt Rienzo.

On this episode of From the Ground Up with Marc Weller, Monty joins to discuss core values, commitment to community, and what it takes to be successful in the restaurant industry. Take a trip to the seaside as Monty shares a few of his own “Rising Tide” moments.

David Manfredi is a legend when it comes to the architecture, design and master planning of real estate development projects. From The Grove in Los Angeles, to Boston’s revitalized Fenway neighborhood, work in Boston Landing, and The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, David’s projects are impactful, inventive, inclusive and sustainable.

His firm, Elkus Manfredi Architects, specializes in mixed-use placemaking that fosters community and creative innovation, as well as strategic workplace solutions that engage users and enhance performance. Their mission, to create common ground that brings people and communities together, is one that resonates with Marc Weller.

In this episode, Manfredi shares how he got his start, his outlook on what makes projects successful and the current state of cities, along with a bit of advice for young professionals. It’s a conversation that every real estate development pro will enjoy!