Andre Bryan is managing partner for BridgePort Group LLC, a minority and veteran-owned small business that provides innovative solutions for global supply chain, logistics, warehousing and distribution services. Andre is a combat decorated officer in the Unites States Marine Corp.  Andre’s firm has been recognized as the Small Business of the Year by the Ohioan Minority Supplier Development Council. Recently, Andre was selected to be a panelist on the U.S. Congressional Roundtable Briefing addressing the potential opportunities and challenges for small businesses under the President’s Infrastructure Bill.  Andre is a combat decorated officer in the Unites States Marine Corps. 

Jimmie Hicks III is a board member and project director for housing rehab for Start Right Community Development Corporation, a family operated non-profit in the Caledonia neighborhood of Cleveland Heights. He is committed to equitable development in underserved communities. In September 2022, he was named Deputy Director for Responsible Gambling for The Ohio Lottery Commission. He also serves as a minister at Start Right Church of God in Christ. He received his master’s degree in Urban Planning and Development from Cleveland State University last year. 

Tiffany L. Hollinger owns Hollinger Financial LLC. She is an entrepreneur, realtor, real estate investor and financial advisor with more than 25 years of financial service and 10 years of real estate experience. She returned to Cleveland, her hometown, in 2011 and entered the local real estate market which had not yet recovered from the Great Recession and housing bust. She is committed to taking an active role in improving her community.

Khalid Hawthorne serves as senior development manager at Famicos Foundation, where he is working on the development of $66 million in affordable and workforce housing apartment and community buildings. He has worked in the community and economic development field since 2003, working on both the east and west sides of Cleveland at Fairfax Renaissance Development Corporation and Tremont West Development Corporation. His prior experience includes working in Durham, NC, where he led neighborhood revitalization initiatives that resulted in a 75% reduction in vacant and dilapidated housing. Khalid came to Cleveland to attend the Weatherhead School of Management, but says “he stayed here on purpose.”

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Ariane Kirkpatrick is president and CEO of the AKA Team, a full-service commercial construction and facilities company. The 10-year-old multimillion dollar firm partners with clients to provide collaborative management and construction services. AKA’s larger projects include work for the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, the Cleveland Museum of Art, Horseshoe Casino, Cuyahoga Community College and the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse transformation. Ariane is also CEO of companies with provisional large-scale medical cannabis cultivation, dispensary and process licenses in Ohio.

Hosanna Mahaley founded and serves as CEO of Legacy RED (Real Estate Development) Group, a woman- and minority-owned general contracting and construction management firm. Legacy has completed more than 200 real estate projects and held construction contracts with numerous public entities in Northeast Ohio, Chicago and Dallas. She is a former teacher and public education leader, eventually serving as the State Superintendent of Education for the District of Columbia. After retiring from education work, she has been leading her family construction business, which she relocated to Cleveland.

Jimi Oluwabiyi, is a real estate developer with Lael, LLC. He began his real estate development career in 2002. His residential work has expanded to multi-family development and he has also worked on property management, contractor management risk assessments, financial analysis and stakeholder management. His goal is to contribute positively to the development of his community. His civic work includes being appointed to the New African Immigrants Commission of Ohio.

Dominic Ozanne II is a project manager for Ozanne Construction Company, a family-owned multi-disciplinary construction management firm. He manages multiple projects throughout Northeast Ohio, ensuring their completion on time and on budget. He first worked for the company’s team in New Orleans as a member of the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office Recovery Program following Hurricane Katrina. He has also worked with several other companies in banking and consulting.

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Evin Peavy is a real estate developer with DC Kelly Investments in Cleveland, focused on transforming communities through inclusive projects. He has a passion for revitalizing urban landscapes and promoting inclusiveness within neighborhoods. He has been recognized as a Spotlight Borrower with Ground Floor Investment Group. Peavy has experience in multi-family and commercial mixed-use project developments.

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Christopher D. Roberts is a CPA who has worked for a number of Fortune 500 companies and now leads financial strategy for global procurement and supplier diversity & inclusion at Amazon. His work has equipped him with a versatile skill set, allowing him to make significant contributions in both corporate finance and community engagement. He has been involved in various aspects of real estate, including serving on a non-profit board providing low-income housing for senior citizens and the acquisition and development of multiple mixed-use buildings.

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Dontez Sanders founded DS Group Real Estate Investments, a property management group that has managed more than 1,000 units in Northeast Ohio. Sanders is a former Cleveland Browns and University of Wisconsin football player. He started his first real estate investment company after his career with the Browns. In addition to his real estate work, Sanders coaches varsity football at Villa Angela-Saint Joseph and youth football and basketball. Dontez has sold over 100 units worth over $2.5 million.  He currently owns and operates over 100 apartments and single-family and two-family condos and houses.

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Khrystalynn Shefton serves as chief of growth and expansion at Birthing Beautiful Communities, which is working to build the first Black-led free-standing birth center in Northeast Ohio. Her desire to impact Cleveland and its neighborhoods led to urban planning and development education, and she has served as director of real estate and development planning for the Famicos Foundation. She was recognized by Crain’s Cleveland as a Notable Woman in Real Estate and in 2019 as a Notable Woman in Non-Profits.

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