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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Rob Herrera
The Mill
In 2016, Rob Herrera fought for a vision of a Delaware-focused co-working space and with backing from the Buccini/Pollin Group, he was able to open The Mill. The first concept was 11,000 square feet in the Nemours Building in downtown Wilmington, and a year later, The Mill has occupied the entire floor and welcomed notable start-ups like Ally Financial and nonprofits like Zip Code Wilmington. In the years since, The Mill has added
a second location in the Baynard building in the Wilmington suburbs, and Herrera is planning its first Sussex County location in Seaford as part of
a reimagined Nylon Capital Shopping Center.
ALMA MATER:
Stephanie Johnnie
Pete du Pont Freedom Foundation
Founded in 2003, the Pete du Pont Freedom Foundation is a nonprofit that promotes America’s spirit of private enterprise by collaborating with business leaders, community partners and service providers to invest in business development. Stephanie Johnnie first joined the foundation in early 2021 as a program manager before quickly stepping
into a leadership role. As executive director, Johnnie oversees events
and sponsorship programs like the Equitable Entrepreneurial Ecosystem (E3) that have elevated business ideas across the state. The foundation’s annual Reinventing Delaware program also helps advance transformative ideas in the state.
ALMA MATERS:
Q&A:
Elizabeth Keller
The Committee of 100
The Committee of 100 is a non- partisan, nonprofit association of Delaware business leaders that works to promote responsible economic development and address issues that affect the state’s economic health. Elizabeth Keller serves as its top liaison between the business community and government officials on issues like transportation, land use, education policy and more. Since she has been named to the top post in 2022, she worked on “Ready in 6” initiative aimed at reducing the time it takes
for businesses to get the permitting needed to operate in Delaware as well as county-level ordinances and state- level policies impacting the state’s economy.
ALMA MATER:
BOARDS:
Q&A:
Renata Kowalczyk
Wilmington Alliance
The Wilmington Alliance focuses
on creating a more inclusive and prosperous Wilmington for all residents and businesses. In 2019,
the organization combined with the Wilmington Renaissance Corp. to form an allyship to support the city
in ways unseen or before to support economic development efforts. As CEO of the Wilmington Alliance, Kowalczyk partners with various stakeholders
to create programs and initiatives
to address workforce development, entrepreneurship, placemaking and civic engagement in the city. Most recently, she and the Wilmington Alliance hosted the “Yes! Wilmington” event that geared towards building equitable economic opportunities for the city and its residents.
ALMA MATERS:
BOARDS:
Q&A:
42 DELAWARE 222 | DelawareBusinessTimes.com
