The NoMa Business Improvement District has named Brian Smith as its new Director of Planning and Economic Development. In this role, Smith is responsible for attracting and retaining businesses and residents to the neighborhood, and undertaking new initiatives to enable NoMa’s continued growth.
“We’re excited to welcome Brian Smith to NoMa,” said Maura Brophy, President & CEO of the NoMa Business Improvement District (BID). “Brian has a successful track record of helping businesses scale and ensuring equitable access to business development opportunities. His talent, creativity, and passion will be a true asset to NoMa, one of DC’s fastest growing neighborhoods, a fact confirmed by the newly released 2020 Census Redistricting Data.”
Prior to joining the NoMa BID, Smith served as the Senior Economic Development Coordinator for the City of Durham, North Carolina’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development. In this role, he led the city’s small business development program, focusing specifically on small, minority-owned and women-owned businesses, by connecting them to procurement opportunities, networks, and business education to scale for success. Earlier in his career, Smith worked as the Economic Development Project Manager at Atlanta’s Midtown Alliance, a coalition of Atlanta’s top business and civic leaders. Smith has a unique understanding of business needs and challenges, for he was a successful entrepreneur who renovated two historic buildings in downtown Fayetteville, North Carolina, which he transformed into a café and events venue.
“NoMa is a vibrant, energetic, and exceptional neighborhood that continues to attract new residents, businesses and people wanting to explore our parks, restaurants, shops and murals,” says Smith. “I look forward to collaborating with local businesses, residents, property owners, DC government agencies, and the arts community on current projects and future initiatives.”
Smith received a Bachelor’s of Business Administration degree from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School in Atlanta, Georgia. He serves as Board Chair for the Community Empowerment Fund, a non-profit organization which supports people experiencing homelessness or financial insecurity in Durham and Orange Counties, North Carolina. Businesses interested in meeting with Smith can reach him at bsmith@nomabid.org.
About NoMa BID
The NoMa Business Improvement District (NoMa BID) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to create a clean, safe and welcoming environment for residents, workers and visitors and to promote the redevelopment of NoMa. The NoMa BID encompasses 35 blocks just north of Union Station in Washington, DC. A former industrial area of the city, the NoMa BID is the fastest-growing neighborhood in Washington, DC, and is comprised of more than 16 million square feet of new development. Thirtyfive hundred new residential units are recently completed or currently under construction. In total, over 30 million square feet of mixed used development is planned within the NoMa BID. There are more than 42,000 households within ½ mile radius of K Street and 1st Street, NE who are served by the amenities in the commercial core of NoMa. The area is supported by unparalleled public transportation access with two Red Line Metro stations and VRE, MARC and Amtrak connections at Union Station. The “Walkscore” for the neighborhood is 92 and the neighborhood has 22 LEED-certified and Energy Star buildings. For more information, visit nomabid.org and sign up for our newsletter. Follow us on Twitter (@NoMaBID), Instagram (@noma.bid) and LinkedIn and like us on Facebook (@NoMaBID).
