Local Development Firm Grows with Guidance from Carey Program

When Alex Aaron, Bus ’24 (MS), started his Baltimore development and construction firm in 2017, he decided to call the company Blank Slate, both because it was a new venture for him, and he planned to work with vacant or blighted properties. He saw this business as a fresh start for his career and the city of Baltimore.  

“We focus on revitalizing neighborhoods that are often forgotten and serving communities that others had disinvested themselves from years ago,” Aaron says. “So, our real estate is a means to serve as a catalyst to hopefully improve the city and leave it better than we found it.” 

With this goal in mind, Aaron still faced the challenge of expanding the business while dealing with day-to-day tasks.  

“When you’re starting a business, typically it’s just you. If you’re fortunate, you can eventually hire some people, but you’re doing a lot of the legwork in the beginning,” Aaron says. “For me, growing Blank Slate and working on the business, and not in the business, was the key to expanding it.” 

Aaron saw the Community Consulting Lab (CCL) at Carey Business School, as the opportunity he needed to get some outside input on how to grow his business. CCL is an eight-week small business accelerator and consulting sprint that pairs Carey graduate students with entrepreneurs from Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Tracy Akinade, Bus ’18 ’21 (MA, MBA), associate director of Community Engagement and Economic Impact at Carey, says the program benefits both sides of the consulting pair. 

“There’s this dual learning pathway where the students are learning how to be effective consultants, and, at the same time, the entrepreneurs are learning how to refine their business model and scale for growth,” Akinade says. 

 Students from CCL looked at the entirety of Blank Slate, from project costs and the building pipeline to how to best source capital. They made recommendations for hires and software to improve efficiency. They also helped to create standard operating procedures and training manuals for new employees. 

 “I knew that I wanted to ramp up and hire people. I don’t know if I’d have the confidence that this was something we could do if not for CCL,” Aaron says. 

 Through CCL, Aaron also learned about Carey’s Community Impact Fund, which awards grants to local small businesses that make a difference in their communities. After applying for funding, he received a $7,500 grant that he used to purchase new software and an online marketing campaign to promote his business. Both CCL and the Community Impact Fund are made possible by philanthropy. 

“Without philanthropy, these programs would not exist,” Akinade says. “The donors create this opportunity for learning and growth for free.” 

“I’m super grateful to Johns Hopkins and the donors that make things like CCL available for small businesses,” Aaron says. “Larger corporations can fund recruitment efforts, expansion, and hiring consultants. If not for these programs, I probably wouldn’t be in the position I am today.” 

Since its start, Blank Slate has redeveloped a little over 100 units and has roughly $20 million of real estate currently in their pipeline. 

“I hope that people start to see that the narrative is changing in Baltimore,” Aaron says. “My hope is we can turn the chapter here, and we can move this city forward and make it stronger.”