September 12, 2023 • 21 mins
Ayesha M. Hudson
Ayesha M. Hudson is a real estate developer & property manager focused on providing sustainable, resident-centered living experiences. She is a native Washingtonian & graduate of Joel Elias Spingarn High School where she was initially exposed to public service. Ayesha began her career with the District’s Fire & EMS Department & later retired from the Prince George’s County Fire & Emergency Medical Services Department (PGFD) in May 2021. During her tenure with PGFD, Ayesha served as Director of the Equal Employment Opportunity Office where she established a Mediation Program as a first-line tool in alternative dispute resolution among its members. Ayesha continues her work as a conflict management trainer, and executive coach & remains connected to the mediation community.
As Founder & CEO of A-Peace, LLC, Ayesha has grown the company’s rental portfolio over the past 24 years. A-Peace owns & manages it housing stock across 3 of the district’s quadrants & areas within Prince George’s County, Maryland. Ayesha’s intention is to create & preserve housing in under-resourced communities while incorporating resident-centered programming that supports the whole person. She invests in “sustainable” practices through solarization of 70% of the company’s portfolio & hosts a Community Renewable Energy Facility (CREF) as part of the Solar for All Program.
Ayesha established the company’s first onsite urban farm program in October 2022 in honor of her late mother, Lanette A. Burkley. Nettie Farm supports the community-based agroecosystem through partnership, volunteerism & food education. Ayesha gained her farming knowledge from the ECO City Farm’s Beginning Farmer Training Program & enjoys home gardening.
Ayesha holds a Bachelor of Science in Management from the University of Maryl& College Park’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, EEO Investigator & mediation certifications & has completed the LEED Green Associate course. She actively serves on various boards & committees & volunteers at two public schools. Ayesha welcomes travel by plane & bicycle, playing chess & is married with kids.
Ayesha M. Hudson is a real estate developer & property manager focused on providing sustainable, resident-centered living experiences. She is a native Washingtonian & graduate of Joel Elias Spingarn High School where she was initially exposed to public service. Ayesha began her career with the District’s Fire & EMS Department & later retired from the Prince George’s County Fire & Emergency Medical Services Department (PGFD) in May 2021. During her tenure with PGFD, Ayesha served as Director of the Equal Employment Opportunity Office where she established a Mediation Program as a first-line tool in alternative dispute resolution among its members. Ayesha continues her work as a conflict management trainer, and executive coach & remains connected to the mediation community.
As Founder & CEO of A-Peace, LLC, Ayesha has grown the company’s rental portfolio over the past 24 years. A-Peace owns & manages it housing stock across 3 of the district’s quadrants & areas within Prince George’s County, Maryland. Ayesha’s intention is to create & preserve housing in under-resourced communities while incorporating resident-centered programming that supports the whole person. She invests in “sustainable” practices through solarization of 70% of the company’s portfolio & hosts a Community Renewable Energy Facility (CREF) as part of the Solar for All Program.
Ayesha established the company’s first onsite urban farm program in October 2022 in honor of her late mother, Lanette A. Burkley. Nettie Farm supports the community-based agroecosystem through partnership, volunteerism & food education. Ayesha gained her farming knowledge from the ECO City Farm’s Beginning Farmer Training Program & enjoys home gardening.
Ayesha holds a Bachelor of Science in Management from the University of Maryl& College Park’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, EEO Investigator & mediation certifications & has completed the LEED Green Associate course. She actively serves on various boards & committees & volunteers at two public schools. Ayesha welcomes travel by plane & bicycle, playing chess & is married with kids.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
M and T Bank presents CEOs youshould know, powered by Iheartmadia. Let's
meet Aisha Hudson. She is theowner of a Peace LLC based out of
the district, building livapool communities withinfull reach of those with modest means.
Before we talk more about our business, I first asked Aisha to talk a
little bit about herself, where she'sfrom and her origin story. I am
(00:22):
from the nation's capital, Washington,DC. I grew up in Benning Road,
one Benning Road in Northeast I wentto school at Joel Eliots Spingarn,
right across the street from where Igrew up. I spent eleventh and twelfth
grade there. Prior to that,I spent one year at McKinley Tech for
(00:44):
their communications program, so tenth gradeat Tech and then finished up at Spingarn
and grew up in Northeast CDC,right on Benning Road. We get an
opportunity to talk to more and morelife ers from the strick and I'm so
excited because there's something special about beingfrom the district and knowing the area really
(01:04):
well and doing what you're doing nowwhen it comes to real estate. So
we're going to really dig into that, but I do want to talk a
little bit before we get into apsabout the the I guess the origin story
about why you wanted to do thisand what you did before, because all
entrepreneurs and leaders that we talked tohave that epiphany saying, you know what,
(01:27):
I don't want to work for aboss anymore. I want to do
my own thing. But it's evenmore than that. I've got a great
idea and I think there's a holein the industry that I think I can
fill up with something very special.Talk about that if you could. Indeed,
so the spark for real estate camewhen I think, really when I
was born, but it really beganto take off when I need to find
(01:51):
a place to live, and thatwas right around ninety eight ninety nine.
My background didn't allow me to goright a right to college out of high
school. Interesting family story. Lovedmy family story, but it was one
that required me to work right outthe gate. So when I was in
(02:13):
high school, I had a halfa day program. I had half a
day school day rather where I wouldgo to an e MS program that allowed
me to get my National MT certification. I started working for the fire department,
allowed me to make income. Andso while I knew I wanted stability,
I also had always had an entrepreneurspirit. I used to sell candy
(02:35):
at the metro station. I usedto iron clothes, you know, and
other odd jobs to make money.So the spirit was always there, and
I saw the fire service as allowingme to make the money to bring the
entrepreneurship in full fruition. So inlooking for somewhere to live, I decided
(02:57):
instead of buying a condo, Iwent guy a forty unit apartment building.
I had a very gracious and resourcesharing mentor at that time, Gary White.
He was my first realtor. Iended up buying the building right beside
his and immediately when I started collectingrent I knew that this would be something
(03:22):
it could take me to financial independence. At that point, I bought the
building for one oh four. Itwas nineteen ninety nine, prices were way
different. I used my income taxmoney as a down payment to purchase it,
and there I was. I hadmaybe about a seven or eight hundred
dollar mortgage at that time. Oneof the rents was able to pay for
(03:42):
it, and I was able topocket the rest. From there, I
saw that not only was I pocketingmoney? But who I was housing When
I bought my building, it wasa mother and daughter who lived on the
first floor. There was one vacantunit and then the unit that I moved
into, so they lived there.And as I got to know Miss Law
(04:04):
and her mom and their financial struggles, I also came to realize that there
weren't many other places that they couldafford in DC. And so as I
began to consider the money that Iwas making and I continued working for the
Fire Department, I started thinking aboutgrowing and buying more properties. Instead of
(04:25):
buying in Northwest, I decided tobuy in the lower social economic communities,
mainly Deanwood. Those were the communitiesthat I could afford to purchasing. As
well as I knew who I washousing, it felt like people who were
like me. My first building wasabout five minutes from where I grew up
and about ten minutes from the firstfirehouse that I was stationed at. I
(04:48):
started at in DC with the DCFire Department right out of high school in
ninety six, and then I wenton to Prince George's and Oh three and
so I've always in the community,working in the community, serving the community,
and I saw a way that Icould do both make money while serving
(05:09):
the community, and that was throughreal estate. Well, thank you for
sharing all that. And there's acommon theme a show that we hear from
all of our leaders and CEOs,hard work, tenacity, entrepreneurship, and
not taking no for an answer.And I'm gathering that and reading between the
lines of all of those things ofstarting this business. And this is a
(05:29):
couple of decades in the making.So it really is a wonderful success story
because you kind of had one careerand now you've got this second one,
which is extraordinary, and you seemvery happy about it, very excited.
I know there's some growth with constructioncoming up that we're going to talk about
in just a little bit. Butfor listeners that have never heard about apace
LLC, why do we do this? For us? Give us a thirty
thousand foot of view. What themission statement is? Sure, the mission
(05:54):
of apace LLC is to provide accessto quality housing, food, and education.
And so the way that we're doingthat is through urban farming, also
through education at our soon to beconstructed wellness center, as well as renewable
energy solar panels and we're also lookinginto ev charging, so sustainability moving our
(06:20):
properties along with other properties in DC, moving along with the trajectory of some
of the plans that DC has tobe to house a certain amount of people
and itself be sustainable. Net zerois one of the things that we're moving
(06:40):
toward, and so Apiece wants toparticipate in that complete vision in a way
that not only are we housing people, but we also want to help people
to thrive. So since I've beendoing this work, I've always worked with
folks with modest means, so lowerincome, as well as folks coming out
(07:01):
of homelessness and dealing with mental healthchallenges. And what I know this was
it's a hamster will you know.They come into the system, they get
the housing, but there seems tobe oftentimes to disconnect with helping them to
thrive. And so A Piece startedinitially with saying Asia's piece of the world,
(07:24):
Aishia's piece of uh just Aisha's contribution, a piece LLC. And that
has now grown to not just mypeace, but other people's piece of this
world and you know, being ableto exist in it comfortably by thriving and
(07:44):
not just existing. And so wewant to close the loop with education,
access to food because our properties arein food deserts, as well as just
a healthier, happier mentality for ourresidents. We want to contribute have activities
that contribute to that. I thinkthe other thing that I think our listeners
(08:09):
are picking up I am too thatas human beings we always like to relate
and acknowledge each other too. Andwith view growing up right in DC and
moving out very early in life andtaking care of yourself, I imagine that
that knowable thing about you, knowingwhat it's like when it comes to affordable
housing, being able to relate toyour tendants, being able to speak the
language, not only because they looklike you when they experience what you did,
(08:33):
but just that's simple. I've beenthere, I know what you're going
through. Here's how I can helpyou. I imagine that is a really
big factor here, indeed, andas it's a huge factor, very gratifying.
I can see myself in each oneof my residents. And so when
I came out of high school andrealize that I had to create a life
(08:54):
for myself, I didn't have manyresources. My family love me, of
course, and we're around, butas far as financial resources, it was
slim to none, and so youbecome an expert in figuring out how to
do a lot with a little,and so I've I've worked on that for
(09:16):
myself as well as my residence.Even though we have our properties in Deanwood,
some of the neighborhoods that are stillcoming along, we try to do
things to beautify our spaces where weare, you know, working with a
little to make it into a lot. And so yes, I can definitely
(09:37):
connect with my residence on many differentlevels and it helps me to keep doing
the work that I'm doing outstanding.Thank you for sharing all that I did.
Want to ask you about success storiesand also challenges. Let's put a
pen in success just for a second, because I'm sure there's a lot of
them that we're excited to hear about, and maybe one special story that you
want to sharing just a moment.But you've been doing this for two decades
(10:00):
now, and I'm sure that thereare several challenges and they've changed over the
last two decades. But currently,what kind of challenges are you facing right
now? Sure challenges right now wouldbe capacity building and funding. So this
entire time, it's been a companyof one me. I now have a
(10:22):
couple of part time code managers thatare assisting me. But because the company
is growing at the rate that itis and all of the opportunities that have
become available, I am finding myselfneeding more help, so capacity building and
then with the opportunities, obviously youhave to have money to seize those.
I'm very grateful at present to bea fellow and the Housing Equity Accelerator Fellowship
(10:46):
program, and that is with Momentusformerly known as Capital Impact Partners and Amazon
where they are getting us technical assistance, mentorship as well as funding. And
so this is a pivotal moment formyself and my company where you know,
we can take a leap because wehave this program that's behind us. But
(11:09):
again, the capacity challenge is stillvery present and we're working to overcome that.
The recent higher of the two codemanagers less than six months has proven
to be very beneficial and we've madesome really good strides and being able to
look at more acquisitions to include theTOPA where we was known as TOPA here
(11:35):
in DC. We're looking at afew opportunities where we can work with ten
of the associations to help them acquireor stay in their building and so things
like that. I need more helpat this point, and so the more
I professionalize my company, the morehelp that I received. I do believe
the funding will become more available aswell. So it's just a matter of,
(12:00):
you know, building the blocks tokeep going. All right, let's
talk about a success story. I'msure there are numerous ones, too many
to mention, But is there onethat's happened, whether it was you know,
ten years ago or recently, afamily or a person that you said,
you know what, today we knockedthat one out of the park.
That's pretty special. Can you sharesomething with us? Indeed? Yeah,
(12:22):
I think one success story was myparticipation in the Equitable Development Initiative, where
three women came together. We didnot know each other at all, and
we were able to put together notjust a proformer, but a whole program
for a strip of land that mygrandfather passed down to us in Northeast DC.
(12:46):
And I really learned a lot aboutmyself in that program. I learned
that my leadership skills are stronger thanI thought. And I also learned the
power of partnering and the power ofcorralling resources to move projects forward. That
(13:09):
was my first time working on theteam as a related to real estate,
because again I've been a company ofone and so that was a huge achievement
for me, a huge confidence builderand really has set the stage for what
I'm doing now, not just withthat property, but with some of my
other projects. Are We had totease us a little bit in your introduction
(13:31):
about there's something special happening over thenext month here with construction, and the
company also growing share that with uswhat's going on. Indeed, we are
preparing to break around on our firstnew construction project. It's a nine unit
apartmentability in Anacostia. We're also goingto have a wellness censor. As I
mentioned earlier, one most of ourresidents are either low income, coming from
(13:56):
modest means, they are struggling withsome kind of mental health challenge, or
they may be coming from homelessness,or they might just be in between jobs.
So the Wellness center is going toprovide education and enrichment activities and classes,
and we're going to be at themouth of Anacostia Park where we'll also
(14:18):
be able to use that resource forteaching, relaxation, meditation, what have
you. So we're excited to bringthat project to that community, most especially
because it'll have the wellness center thatall of my residents across the portfolio will
be able to come there and takeadvantage of the classes and resources that will
(14:39):
be offering. That's great news andcongratulations. That's a very It's a lot
of fun, especially after all yourhard work over the last couple of decades.
I did want to ask Asha aboutthis since I have the opportunity and
I've had the great fortune, especiallyover the last couple of years in this
series of talking to so many womenand women of color that run their own
businesses, whether it's for profit ornonprofit, that live in the DMV,
(15:03):
that are doing some extraordinary things.There's a lot of young women out there
that look like you and want tobe a leader and an entrepreneur and maybe
run their own company like you aresomeday. What advice do you have for
them? Do it, and doit now, Go for it. Take
a small step toward whatever your goalis, even if it's the most scary
(15:26):
and the most overwhelming thing. Ifind that one small step every single day
really does break down the fear ofdoing something that might be new to you
and be uniquely you when you approachit. Infuse all the elements of who
(15:46):
you are into your projects, becausethat is what it's going to make it
special, not recreating what you mayhave seen, but really infusing the parts
of you that others can benefit from. But do it now. Well,
it's great advice, and I'm goingto read in between the lines because there
is a common theme that all ofour leaders talk about, and that is
(16:08):
a leap of faith. You justhave to go for it. It's going
to be scary, it's challenging,but we hear that from all our leaders
that you just got to take thosechances if you really want to make it
to the top someday and be yourown boss and run your own company.
So thank you for sharing that.I did want to ask you and just
take a little time out from thecompany and talk about philanthropic or charity work.
(16:30):
I imagine with being basically a onewoman band as you are, even
though you've got two part time managersthat help you, that there's little or
no time when it comes to thosekind of things. But when the company
or your family like to be apart of anything charitable, what do you
like to be a part of soLabe. We've been attending cleanup efforts,
(16:51):
me and my husband and our teenagers. We've been going out and helping just
in our neighborhood clean up, sothat has been really gratifying. I also
work with a school called Youth Build, Public charter school in Northwest DC,
and I have enjoyed talking with themabout career building, real estate, the
(17:11):
construction industry development. We are alsopartnering with them at our urban farm in
Deanwood. They constructed our garden bidsand they're also becoming they'll be coming out
on a regular basis for community servicetwice a month moving forward to help us
maintain it. So that has beenreally fruitful. And what I hope with
(17:33):
that program is that we create afull circle with the students where they are
working on our projects and then possiblyliving in our housing. One of the
initiatives that I have taken on ishousing youth. That's something that I really
want to put time, effort,and energy into as I create my development
(17:59):
company. Again, when I cameout of high school, I did not
have a plan for college. Ireally didn't have a secure plan for working,
but I was bright and so Ijust needed a little dusting. That
is the crowd that I want toserve, those that are coming out of
high school that might just need alittle dusting to help them figure out direction.
(18:21):
And I feel like Youth Build mightbe a school where I can do
that. Since they're already in areal estate related field, I want to
create a pipeline where they are workingon the projects and also living in our
housing, not just with Youth Build, but with schools around the nation even
I love that cleaning up and alsomentoring the youth, and those are two
(18:42):
noble causes. So thank you forsharing all that. As we put a
bow on our conversation and a lotof our listeners are introduced to you in
the company for the first time,what takeaway would you want them to have
about APS and take away I wouldlike them to head about A piece is
that we are an emerging, growingcompany looking to partner with like minded individuals
(19:12):
and companies that want to serve underresource communities through food and education. I
also want to want them to walkaway with the idea of urban farming being
infused in our property management model.I want to partner with individuals that can
(19:36):
help support that model as we planto grow seven hundred to eight hundred pounds
of food at one of our sites. I would like to leave the idea
of or. I would like toleave the thought of volunteerism, if you
will. We welcome volunteerism, especiallywith the urban farm, but thoughts of
(20:03):
growth, sustainability, enrichment in service. I love it. It's all great
stuff and it's very special about whatyou're doing. And I know it took
a couple of decades to grow.And speaking of growth, I know that
there's a possibility of some more growththat maybe hiring and a career. But
if people just want to find outabout what exactly you're doing, maybe partner
(20:25):
up with you or anything that they'reinterested. When it comes to Apiece,
what's the website? It's www dotApiece llc dot com as an Apple and
then Peace as in Rest in Peacellc dot com. We're also on LinkedIn.
You can find us at under aPiece llc, as well as on
(20:49):
Instagram outstanding a Shia. This hasbeen such a pleasure to talk to you,
and you're an angel for the workyou're doing. I know that it
is a for profit business, butif it weren't for people like you when
it comes to affordable housing and allthe other things that you're part of.
What especially when it comes to sustainability, which has been a big buzzword over
the last decade and is becoming veryimportant to the earth, not to mention
(21:12):
domestically and right here in our ownneighborhood in the DMV. It's it's a
very special work that you're doing andit sounds like there's some great things ahead
for you. So continue success,and thank you so much for joining us
on CEOs, you should know,we really appreciate it. Thank you,
Thank you for having me. Jennishas been a pleasure. Our community partner,
M ANDT Bank supports CEOs, youshould know, as part of their
(21:33):
ongoing commitment to building strong communities,and that starts by backing the businesses within
them. As a Bank for communities, M and T believes in dedicating time,
talent, and resources to help localbusinesses thrive, because when businesses succeed,
our communities succeed.
M and T Bank presents CEOs youshould know, powered by Iheartmadia. Let's
meet Aisha Hudson. She is theowner of a Peace LLC based out of
the district, building livapool communities withinfull reach of those with modest means.
Before we talk more about our business, I first asked Aisha to talk a
little bit about herself, where she'sfrom and her origin story. I am
(00:22):
from the nation's capital, Washington,DC. I grew up in Benning Road,
one Benning Road in Northeast I wentto school at Joel Eliots Spingarn,
right across the street from where Igrew up. I spent eleventh and twelfth
grade there. Prior to that,I spent one year at McKinley Tech for
(00:44):
their communications program, so tenth gradeat Tech and then finished up at Spingarn
and grew up in Northeast CDC,right on Benning Road. We get an
opportunity to talk to more and morelife ers from the strick and I'm so
excited because there's something special about beingfrom the district and knowing the area really
(01:04):
well and doing what you're doing nowwhen it comes to real estate. So
we're going to really dig into that, but I do want to talk a
little bit before we get into apsabout the the I guess the origin story
about why you wanted to do thisand what you did before, because all
entrepreneurs and leaders that we talked tohave that epiphany saying, you know what,
(01:27):
I don't want to work for aboss anymore. I want to do
my own thing. But it's evenmore than that. I've got a great
idea and I think there's a holein the industry that I think I can
fill up with something very special.Talk about that if you could. Indeed,
so the spark for real estate camewhen I think, really when I
was born, but it really beganto take off when I need to find
(01:51):
a place to live, and thatwas right around ninety eight ninety nine.
My background didn't allow me to goright a right to college out of high
school. Interesting family story. Lovedmy family story, but it was one
that required me to work right outthe gate. So when I was in
(02:13):
high school, I had a halfa day program. I had half a
day school day rather where I wouldgo to an e MS program that allowed
me to get my National MT certification. I started working for the fire department,
allowed me to make income. Andso while I knew I wanted stability,
I also had always had an entrepreneurspirit. I used to sell candy
(02:35):
at the metro station. I usedto iron clothes, you know, and
other odd jobs to make money.So the spirit was always there, and
I saw the fire service as allowingme to make the money to bring the
entrepreneurship in full fruition. So inlooking for somewhere to live, I decided
(02:57):
instead of buying a condo, Iwent guy a forty unit apartment building.
I had a very gracious and resourcesharing mentor at that time, Gary White.
He was my first realtor. Iended up buying the building right beside
his and immediately when I started collectingrent I knew that this would be something
(03:22):
it could take me to financial independence. At that point, I bought the
building for one oh four. Itwas nineteen ninety nine, prices were way
different. I used my income taxmoney as a down payment to purchase it,
and there I was. I hadmaybe about a seven or eight hundred
dollar mortgage at that time. Oneof the rents was able to pay for
(03:42):
it, and I was able topocket the rest. From there, I
saw that not only was I pocketingmoney? But who I was housing When
I bought my building, it wasa mother and daughter who lived on the
first floor. There was one vacantunit and then the unit that I moved
into, so they lived there.And as I got to know Miss Law
(04:04):
and her mom and their financial struggles, I also came to realize that there
weren't many other places that they couldafford in DC. And so as I
began to consider the money that Iwas making and I continued working for the
Fire Department, I started thinking aboutgrowing and buying more properties. Instead of
(04:25):
buying in Northwest, I decided tobuy in the lower social economic communities,
mainly Deanwood. Those were the communitiesthat I could afford to purchasing. As
well as I knew who I washousing, it felt like people who were
like me. My first building wasabout five minutes from where I grew up
and about ten minutes from the firstfirehouse that I was stationed at. I
(04:48):
started at in DC with the DCFire Department right out of high school in
ninety six, and then I wenton to Prince George's and Oh three and
so I've always in the community,working in the community, serving the community,
and I saw a way that Icould do both make money while serving
(05:09):
the community, and that was throughreal estate. Well, thank you for
sharing all that. And there's acommon theme a show that we hear from
all of our leaders and CEOs,hard work, tenacity, entrepreneurship, and
not taking no for an answer.And I'm gathering that and reading between the
lines of all of those things ofstarting this business. And this is a
(05:29):
couple of decades in the making.So it really is a wonderful success story
because you kind of had one careerand now you've got this second one,
which is extraordinary, and you seemvery happy about it, very excited.
I know there's some growth with constructioncoming up that we're going to talk about
in just a little bit. Butfor listeners that have never heard about apace
LLC, why do we do this? For us? Give us a thirty
thousand foot of view. What themission statement is? Sure, the mission
(05:54):
of apace LLC is to provide accessto quality housing, food, and education.
And so the way that we're doingthat is through urban farming, also
through education at our soon to beconstructed wellness center, as well as renewable
energy solar panels and we're also lookinginto ev charging, so sustainability moving our
(06:20):
properties along with other properties in DC, moving along with the trajectory of some
of the plans that DC has tobe to house a certain amount of people
and itself be sustainable. Net zerois one of the things that we're moving
(06:40):
toward, and so Apiece wants toparticipate in that complete vision in a way
that not only are we housing people, but we also want to help people
to thrive. So since I've beendoing this work, I've always worked with
folks with modest means, so lowerincome, as well as folks coming out
(07:01):
of homelessness and dealing with mental healthchallenges. And what I know this was
it's a hamster will you know.They come into the system, they get
the housing, but there seems tobe oftentimes to disconnect with helping them to
thrive. And so A Piece startedinitially with saying Asia's piece of the world,
(07:24):
Aishia's piece of uh just Aisha's contribution, a piece LLC. And that
has now grown to not just mypeace, but other people's piece of this
world and you know, being ableto exist in it comfortably by thriving and
(07:44):
not just existing. And so wewant to close the loop with education,
access to food because our properties arein food deserts, as well as just
a healthier, happier mentality for ourresidents. We want to contribute have activities
that contribute to that. I thinkthe other thing that I think our listeners
(08:09):
are picking up I am too thatas human beings we always like to relate
and acknowledge each other too. Andwith view growing up right in DC and
moving out very early in life andtaking care of yourself, I imagine that
that knowable thing about you, knowingwhat it's like when it comes to affordable
housing, being able to relate toyour tendants, being able to speak the
language, not only because they looklike you when they experience what you did,
(08:33):
but just that's simple. I've beenthere, I know what you're going
through. Here's how I can helpyou. I imagine that is a really
big factor here, indeed, andas it's a huge factor, very gratifying.
I can see myself in each oneof my residents. And so when
I came out of high school andrealize that I had to create a life
(08:54):
for myself, I didn't have manyresources. My family love me, of
course, and we're around, butas far as financial resources, it was
slim to none, and so youbecome an expert in figuring out how to
do a lot with a little,and so I've I've worked on that for
(09:16):
myself as well as my residence.Even though we have our properties in Deanwood,
some of the neighborhoods that are stillcoming along, we try to do
things to beautify our spaces where weare, you know, working with a
little to make it into a lot. And so yes, I can definitely
(09:37):
connect with my residence on many differentlevels and it helps me to keep doing
the work that I'm doing outstanding.Thank you for sharing all that I did.
Want to ask you about success storiesand also challenges. Let's put a
pen in success just for a second, because I'm sure there's a lot of
them that we're excited to hear about, and maybe one special story that you
want to sharing just a moment.But you've been doing this for two decades
(10:00):
now, and I'm sure that thereare several challenges and they've changed over the
last two decades. But currently,what kind of challenges are you facing right
now? Sure challenges right now wouldbe capacity building and funding. So this
entire time, it's been a companyof one me. I now have a
(10:22):
couple of part time code managers thatare assisting me. But because the company
is growing at the rate that itis and all of the opportunities that have
become available, I am finding myselfneeding more help, so capacity building and
then with the opportunities, obviously youhave to have money to seize those.
I'm very grateful at present to bea fellow and the Housing Equity Accelerator Fellowship
(10:46):
program, and that is with Momentusformerly known as Capital Impact Partners and Amazon
where they are getting us technical assistance, mentorship as well as funding. And
so this is a pivotal moment formyself and my company where you know,
we can take a leap because wehave this program that's behind us. But
(11:09):
again, the capacity challenge is stillvery present and we're working to overcome that.
The recent higher of the two codemanagers less than six months has proven
to be very beneficial and we've madesome really good strides and being able to
look at more acquisitions to include theTOPA where we was known as TOPA here
(11:35):
in DC. We're looking at afew opportunities where we can work with ten
of the associations to help them acquireor stay in their building and so things
like that. I need more helpat this point, and so the more
I professionalize my company, the morehelp that I received. I do believe
the funding will become more available aswell. So it's just a matter of,
(12:00):
you know, building the blocks tokeep going. All right, let's
talk about a success story. I'msure there are numerous ones, too many
to mention, But is there onethat's happened, whether it was you know,
ten years ago or recently, afamily or a person that you said,
you know what, today we knockedthat one out of the park.
That's pretty special. Can you sharesomething with us? Indeed? Yeah,
(12:22):
I think one success story was myparticipation in the Equitable Development Initiative, where
three women came together. We didnot know each other at all, and
we were able to put together notjust a proformer, but a whole program
for a strip of land that mygrandfather passed down to us in Northeast DC.
(12:46):
And I really learned a lot aboutmyself in that program. I learned
that my leadership skills are stronger thanI thought. And I also learned the
power of partnering and the power ofcorralling resources to move projects forward. That
(13:09):
was my first time working on theteam as a related to real estate,
because again I've been a company ofone and so that was a huge achievement
for me, a huge confidence builderand really has set the stage for what
I'm doing now, not just withthat property, but with some of my
other projects. Are We had totease us a little bit in your introduction
(13:31):
about there's something special happening over thenext month here with construction, and the
company also growing share that with uswhat's going on. Indeed, we are
preparing to break around on our firstnew construction project. It's a nine unit
apartmentability in Anacostia. We're also goingto have a wellness censor. As I
mentioned earlier, one most of ourresidents are either low income, coming from
(13:56):
modest means, they are struggling withsome kind of mental health challenge, or
they may be coming from homelessness,or they might just be in between jobs.
So the Wellness center is going toprovide education and enrichment activities and classes,
and we're going to be at themouth of Anacostia Park where we'll also
(14:18):
be able to use that resource forteaching, relaxation, meditation, what have
you. So we're excited to bringthat project to that community, most especially
because it'll have the wellness center thatall of my residents across the portfolio will
be able to come there and takeadvantage of the classes and resources that will
(14:39):
be offering. That's great news andcongratulations. That's a very It's a lot
of fun, especially after all yourhard work over the last couple of decades.
I did want to ask Asha aboutthis since I have the opportunity and
I've had the great fortune, especiallyover the last couple of years in this
series of talking to so many womenand women of color that run their own
businesses, whether it's for profit ornonprofit, that live in the DMV,
(15:03):
that are doing some extraordinary things.There's a lot of young women out there
that look like you and want tobe a leader and an entrepreneur and maybe
run their own company like you aresomeday. What advice do you have for
them? Do it, and doit now, Go for it. Take
a small step toward whatever your goalis, even if it's the most scary
(15:26):
and the most overwhelming thing. Ifind that one small step every single day
really does break down the fear ofdoing something that might be new to you
and be uniquely you when you approachit. Infuse all the elements of who
(15:46):
you are into your projects, becausethat is what it's going to make it
special, not recreating what you mayhave seen, but really infusing the parts
of you that others can benefit from. But do it now. Well,
it's great advice, and I'm goingto read in between the lines because there
is a common theme that all ofour leaders talk about, and that is
(16:08):
a leap of faith. You justhave to go for it. It's going
to be scary, it's challenging,but we hear that from all our leaders
that you just got to take thosechances if you really want to make it
to the top someday and be yourown boss and run your own company.
So thank you for sharing that.I did want to ask you and just
take a little time out from thecompany and talk about philanthropic or charity work.
(16:30):
I imagine with being basically a onewoman band as you are, even
though you've got two part time managersthat help you, that there's little or
no time when it comes to thosekind of things. But when the company
or your family like to be apart of anything charitable, what do you
like to be a part of soLabe. We've been attending cleanup efforts,
(16:51):
me and my husband and our teenagers. We've been going out and helping just
in our neighborhood clean up, sothat has been really gratifying. I also
work with a school called Youth Build, Public charter school in Northwest DC,
and I have enjoyed talking with themabout career building, real estate, the
(17:11):
construction industry development. We are alsopartnering with them at our urban farm in
Deanwood. They constructed our garden bidsand they're also becoming they'll be coming out
on a regular basis for community servicetwice a month moving forward to help us
maintain it. So that has beenreally fruitful. And what I hope with
(17:33):
that program is that we create afull circle with the students where they are
working on our projects and then possiblyliving in our housing. One of the
initiatives that I have taken on ishousing youth. That's something that I really
want to put time, effort,and energy into as I create my development
(17:59):
company. Again, when I cameout of high school, I did not
have a plan for college. Ireally didn't have a secure plan for working,
but I was bright and so Ijust needed a little dusting. That
is the crowd that I want toserve, those that are coming out of
high school that might just need alittle dusting to help them figure out direction.
(18:21):
And I feel like Youth Build mightbe a school where I can do
that. Since they're already in areal estate related field, I want to
create a pipeline where they are workingon the projects and also living in our
housing, not just with Youth Build, but with schools around the nation even
I love that cleaning up and alsomentoring the youth, and those are two
(18:42):
noble causes. So thank you forsharing all that. As we put a
bow on our conversation and a lotof our listeners are introduced to you in
the company for the first time,what takeaway would you want them to have
about APS and take away I wouldlike them to head about A piece is
that we are an emerging, growingcompany looking to partner with like minded individuals
(19:12):
and companies that want to serve underresource communities through food and education. I
also want to want them to walkaway with the idea of urban farming being
infused in our property management model.I want to partner with individuals that can
(19:36):
help support that model as we planto grow seven hundred to eight hundred pounds
of food at one of our sites. I would like to leave the idea
of or. I would like toleave the thought of volunteerism, if you
will. We welcome volunteerism, especiallywith the urban farm, but thoughts of
(20:03):
growth, sustainability, enrichment in service. I love it. It's all great
stuff and it's very special about whatyou're doing. And I know it took
a couple of decades to grow.And speaking of growth, I know that
there's a possibility of some more growththat maybe hiring and a career. But
if people just want to find outabout what exactly you're doing, maybe partner
(20:25):
up with you or anything that they'reinterested. When it comes to Apiece,
what's the website? It's www dotApiece llc dot com as an Apple and
then Peace as in Rest in Peacellc dot com. We're also on LinkedIn.
You can find us at under aPiece llc, as well as on
(20:49):
Instagram outstanding a Shia. This hasbeen such a pleasure to talk to you,
and you're an angel for the workyou're doing. I know that it
is a for profit business, butif it weren't for people like you when
it comes to affordable housing and allthe other things that you're part of.
What especially when it comes to sustainability, which has been a big buzzword over
the last decade and is becoming veryimportant to the earth, not to mention
(21:12):
domestically and right here in our ownneighborhood in the DMV. It's it's a
very special work that you're doing andit sounds like there's some great things ahead
for you. So continue success,and thank you so much for joining us
on CEOs, you should know,we really appreciate it. Thank you,
Thank you for having me. Jennishas been a pleasure. Our community partner,
M ANDT Bank supports CEOs, youshould know, as part of their
(21:33):
ongoing commitment to building strong communities,and that starts by backing the businesses within
them. As a Bank for communities, M and T believes in dedicating time,
talent, and resources to help localbusinesses thrive, because when businesses succeed,
our communities succeed.
Popular Podcasts
1. Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
2. Stuff You Missed in History Class
Join Holly and Tracy as they bring you the greatest and strangest Stuff You Missed In History Class in this podcast by iHeartRadio.
3. Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.