The Maker Economy & Local Manufacturing in the DMV Region

Welcoming Remarks by Christian Dorsey, Arlington County Board Member

Ilana Preuss, Founder of Recast City LLC, which creates coworking manufacturing space for small-scale producers

Ilana Preuss is the Founder of Recast City LLC, a consulting firm that works with real estate developers, city and other civic leaders to integrate manufacturing space for small-scale producers into redevelopment projects and local economic development. She is passionate about making great places and sees that small-scale manufacturers are a missing piece in today’s mixed-use development and neighborhood reinvestment.

Through her work at Recast City, Ms. Preuss works with business leaders to understand the local small-scale manufacturing sector, discover the potential for expansive growth, and tap state and federal resources to support this sector. She works with real estate developers to integrate small-scale manufacturing businesses into new and rehab products to increase a project’s value and draw people to the target neighborhood.

Most recently, Ms. Preuss was Vice President & Chief of Staff at the national non-profit, Smart Growth America. Before that, she led the smart growth technical assistance program in the Smart Growth Division at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and led the Smart Growth Implementation Assistance program.

Ms. Preuss is an experienced speaker, see her presentation “The Coming Revolution: Small-Scale Urban Industrial Development” at Meeting of the Minds 2014 in Detroit, and her TEDx presentation, “The Economic Power of Great Places.” She is a regular press spokesperson featured in the New York Times and USA Today.

Dave McCarthy, Founder/Director, Potential Energy DC & Founder/Managing Partner, Spore 1, LLC

Dave is the Director of Potential Energy DC (PEDC), a non-profit 501(c)(3) operating in Tysons Corner, VA and Spore 1, LLC – a funding platform for the early stage energy+ companies. PEDC is the only DC-area incubator fully devoted to developing energy, efficiency, and sustainability (energy+) companies.

By bringing together solutions-focused entrepreneurs, funding sources, and policy experts, PEDC fills a unique void for early stage energy+ companies in the DC market. At the end of 2015, there were 16 incubator member companies. Dave is also the Managing Partner at Spore 1 – pooling capital and finding grade A deal flow. Spore 1 fills a void for early stage funding needs in the energy+ industry, particular to, but not limited to the DC region.

After successful startups at RunFast.net (online multimedia training) and WindRose Media (webcasting technology and original content development), Dave is now sitting on the other side of the deal table and following his true industry passion: energy.  Dave attended UVA where he studied chemical and nuclear engineering and finished with Systems Engineering major with a computer science minor. Dave spent ten years at Arthur Andersen / Andersen Consulting where he led engagements for clients such as American Express, GE Capital and GE Corporate Audit Staff, Ex-Im Bank and Freddie Mac.

Lifetime TechShop member, Miriam Gennari, President of StyrofoamMom LLC; Co-Owner of MetroMakeover LLC; and working to develop a styrofoam recycling machine.

Miriam Gennari is a 15 year resident of Arlington County. Her activism, along with others concerned about the environment, was pivotal in getting single use styrofoam trays removed from Arlington Public Schools. She has been a reporter on the Arlington Independent Media’s Arlington Weekly News for 5 years. Her show, The SustainableScoop features government, business and citizens concerned about sustainability in our region.

She is President of StyrofoamMom LLC. And Co Owner of MetroMakeover LLC.

She is a lifetime member of TechShop and her dream is to build a styrofoam recycling machine that will design styrofoam out of the waste stream.