CEO Stories: Re-imagining Baltimore’s 19th Century Buildings for the 21st

PARTNERS IN VISION

Thibault and Lola Manekin are using their shared passion for entrepreneurialism and social change to create spaces that bring together disparate parts of the community. For immigrant Lola, it’s taken form in her Movement Lab, which she is using to help redefine the conversation around physical activity and fitness. For Baltimore native Thibault, it’s about developing properties that do everything from providing housing for teachers to creating a space to launch the city’s up-and-coming chefs.

TEARING DOWN WALLS, NOT BUILDINGS

With his father, Thibault co-founded Seawall Development in 2006, with the conviction that real estate development could be a means of uniting people rather than dividing them. Their first project was to help Teach for America participants acclimate to Baltimore with affordable housing. Their novel approach to rent—letting teachers decide how much they could afford, rather than charging market rates—proved to be a critical lesson in giving stakeholders more ownership in a project. Among Seawall’s other missions: To preserve and restore historical buildings rather than replace them, and to provide affordable or free space for nonprofits. Next on their agenda: Their most Lexington Market, a multi-use space in a challenging part of downtown Baltimore.

THINKING DIFFERENTLY

Seawall has always prided itself on doing things in a nontraditional way, whether it’s financing, renting, or rescuing buildings other people have abandoned, either literally or figuratively. They use that approach to employment as well. Rather than look for people with experience in development, they seek out people who aren’t bogged down be legacy thinking and can bring fresh perspectives and new ideas.