Greater Prince George’s Business Roundtable Celebrates 20 Years And Beyond

By Raoul Dennis // PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAOUL DENNIS AND AMIR STOUDAMIRE

Over 160 influential VIP guests from county, state, federal, business and military walks gathered at MGM National Harbor’s Bellagio Ballroom May 11 to celebrate the Greater Prince George’s Business Roundtable’s 20th anniversary. See photos here.

Led by Greater Prince George’s Business Roundtable Founder, President & CEO M.H. Jim Estepp and Chair Michael Chiaramonte, the business advocacy organization gave award presentations to the Hon. Sheila Tillerson Adams and Dr. Monica Goldson. Tillerson Adams is the first African American woman to serve as Chief and Administrative Judge of the Circuit Court for Prince George's County. Goldson, a career veteran of the Prince George’s County School system left a pioneering mark on the institution where she raised her own family. Both women retired from their positions within the last six months.

A proclamation presented to the Roundtable by the county’s chief executive: (l-r) Michael Chiaramonte, the current Chairman of the Greater Prince George’s Business Board, County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (center) and M.H. Jim Estepp, Founder, President & CEO of the Greater Prince George’s Business Roundtable and Andrews Business & Community Alliance. PHOTO: AMIR STOUDAMIRE // PRINCE GEORGE’S SUITE MAGAZINE & MEDIA

“We were so honored to host a veritable who’s who of leaders from government and the community at MGM for our recent 20th Anniversary Celebration,” said M.H. Jim Estepp, Founder, President & CEO Greater Prince George’s Business Roundtable and Andrews Business & Community Alliance. “The success of the organization can be measured by its growth, the value our elected officials and others place on the work we do and the actual improvements we have observed in county resident’s overall Quality of Life. During the next 20 years we expect to work tirelessly to recruit more young members, enhance our technology and outreach and continue our support for reductions in crime and greater access to quality education and housing among other endeavors. With our incredible members and the community, working together, nothing is impossible. God Bless you all.”

Estepp’s message was echoed by Michael Chiaramonte, the current Chairman of the Board.

“I was so pleased to see the community celebrate Jim Estepp for forming the Greater Prince George’s Business Roundtable, 20 years ago,” Chiaramonte said. “Jim had the vision to form a different kind of organization- one that includes in its membership all of the elements of a well-functioning community.”

The Roundtable is recognized as one of the most influential non-partisan business organizations in Maryland. GPGBR is “a non-profit, business alliance of chief executives… composed of concerned and active business leaders from the county and region, whose companies employ nearly 60,000 people.” It hosts the annual State of the County Address. The GPGBR also founded and publishes the annual Quality of Life Index, a demographics and research guide that illuminates the social and economic status of the county. GPGBR created the Andrews Business & Community Alliance, a county based bridging platform between the county community and Joint Base Andrews. It “is a means to aid in impacting the lives of the men and women who serve our nation in the United States Air Force and all of our Armed Services,” according to the GPGBR site.

Former NBC4 News Anchor Pat Lawson Muse hosted the elite luncheon and Prince George’s County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks attended and provided keynote remarks. The County Executive also issued a proclamation denoting May 11 as a day of recognition of the Greater Prince George’s Business Roundtable. It was attended by notables such as Col. Todd Randolph, Commander of the 316th Wing, Joint Base Andrews, recently retired PEPCO President Donna Cooper, Dr. Falecia Williams, president of Prince George’s Community College, Tom Graham, president of Thomas Graham & Associates, State Senate President Bill Ferguson, Steve Proctor of G.S. Proctor & Associates, Pastor John K. Jenkins of First Baptist Church of Glenarden, Maryland Senator Hon. Melony G. Griffith, Bowie State University President Dr. Aminta Breaux, Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha N. Braveboy, Betty Hewlett of the National Parks and Planning Commission, and Melonie D. Johnson, president and COO of MGM National Harbor among dozens of others.

“I’m really proud to be a board member of the Roundtable. It’s a great group. It has accomplished so much and I’m proud to be a member,” says Geoff Pohanka of the Pohanka Auto Group. Pohanka is the original visionary for the board’s Quality of Life Index. “Prince George’s has accomplished so much and a key is having a metric that could track that progress,” he said of the need for the QOL annual report. “It also helps to hold government accountable to standards. You can’t get better unless you have measurements and now [with the QOL] we have a measurement and I’m so happy that it’s so well received.”