Why Bernadette Clay's Spacing Out Is Good For You

Office Space Pro Bernadette Clay is Helping Local Businesses Thrive

By Marc Hopkins

Bernadette Clay's newest office recently opened in MGM National Harbor, MD.

Bernadette Clay is able to drive business growth all on her own.

In 2007, the Largo-based entrepreneur launched BLE Executive & Virtual Office Suites LLC. The company offers affordably priced office space and other services to help small businesses thrive.

Clay said she was motivated to start the venture by her own frustrations with the paucity of business space in Prince George’s. “I worked in my basement for several years and once I decided to look for office space it seemed cost prohibitive,” she says. “I knew there were other home-based businesses in my local area,” she says. “And I thought, why don’t we connect and share office space?”

BLE started with just 900 square-feet of office space and grown to over 20,000 square-feet by 2017.

BLE Executive & Virtual Office Suites’ growth spurt continued with an additional 10,000 square-feet of space at National Harbor, near the new MGM casino. The building features 25 rental units, three board rooms and a training room.

But this entrepreneur’s business acumen doesn’t end with providing quality spaces for new companies. She also helps young businesses stay afloat by offering additional services like administrative support, payroll, bookkeeping and accounting and consulting.

Clay sees her business expanding beyond Prince George’s, and reaching into locations outside the state of Maryland. "The goal is to make BLE national and global," she says. "In the next five years, I envision BLE in 10 plus locations."