Born & raised in an average middle class neighborhood in Baltimore County, Mr. Fuhr did nto start off life with money or connections. Following his dream to be a real estate investor, 3 years ago Craig, along with business partner Keith Dorsey, created 877-YES-FAST a rapidly growing & highly profitable real estate investment company in MD. Initially they performed 4-6 retail projects per year and currently hold 10 cash flowing rentals. In just 18 months the two have acquired over 1.5 million in investments, and have increased their collective net worth by over $300,000.

Since inception, the partners have done over 20 deals ranging from flips, to full scale rehabs. With plans to grow their rental portfolio to over 20 units in 2007 and 40 by 2008, the focus is to create strategic partnerships with banks, other investors, contractors and management companies. In his spare time, Craig like to assist other investors, and is working on the launch of a totally free, information packed newsletter where he will share tips, information, and even cherished contacts. The newsletter is for local investors who wish to learn more about all investing topics. Craig can be contacted at craigfuhr@comcast.net

Jenny Michalak is the a certified Bau Biologist, and the President of Healthy Home Arts, LLC, a consulting business on building biology. Jenny is a Building Biology Environmental Consultant with the Institite of Bau Biologie located in Clearwater, Florida. Building biology is the study of how buildings impact life and the environment and helps people create healthy living environments. 

Bau biologie is a discipline which focuses on creating a healthy interior environment in your home. While a Bau biologist looks at many things, including the exterior of your house, time is spent on your indoor air quality and electrial environment. The discipline considers many issues which affect your house.

Jenny was involved in researching and project management for BLUEHOUSE Coffee House (on Alicenna St), as their "solution strategist" and coordinates the Green Happy Hour for the Chesapeake Sustainable Business Alliance.

Healthy Home Arts, LLC helps clients with their indoor air quality issues and electrical and magnetic fields challenges. If you are trying to decide what products are best for you and the environment then Jenny can help sort the decisions out.

Aaron Seltzer is a Cum Laude graduate of St. Andrews Presbyterian College and graduated with honors from Syracuse University College of Law. Aaron`s focus is primarily on real estate law in the areas of mortgage and tax sale foreclosure and other real property civil actions.

Mr. Seltzer serves as legal counsel to the Druid Heights Community Development Corporation and as pro bono counsel to the National Fund for the Awareness and Prevention of Violence Against Women & Children. Additionally, Aaron is a member of the Fells Point Historic Preservation Society and is also the owner of Advance Realty in Glen Burnie, MD. On a personal note, Aaron is married to a wonderful lady named Sara and they are expecting their first child in late summer 2008.

Ms. Junker currently has a BS in Marketing from University of MD, College Park and an MBA from University of Baltimore. In her past life, Lisa was a global sales & marketing executive for Sylvan Learning Systems.

Since 2001, Ms. Junker has assisted property owners, builders, and developers with zoning appeals in Baltimore City as an independent consultant. Appeal types include additions, and conversion of use for residential & commercial properties. Per the Administration Office of the Board of Municipal & Zoning Appeals. She has processed between 200-300 appeals with an approval rate of 95%-99%. Processing permits in Baltimore City since 2005 and formed a partnership with Michael Coster in June 2006.

Lorraine Jacobs is a former employee of the Baltmore Business Journal, with more than 15 years of sales experience in Baltimore and DC. Ms. Jacobs was consistently in the TOP 25 of sales professionals in the American City Business Journal chain and has won numerous sales awards.

Lorraine Jacobs is the VP of Chase Street Properties and the Chairperson of WIRE Baltimore. Ms. Jacobs has extensive experience in the sales industry and is known in networking circles as the "Networking Queen." She is considered an expert on the topic of networking and is the publisher of "Lorraine`s Networking Newletter."

Dawn Sheehan, Founder of WIRE, is quick to point out that she learned how to be the "Duchess of Networking" through implementing Ms. Jacob`s networking techniques and enthusiasm for meeting new people.

For a more detailed biography on Lorraine visit the "Meet the Board Members" section of http://www.wirep.com/

Tristan O`Connell is a 24 year resident of Maryland having graduated from American University and receiving his Juris Doctorate from the University of Baltimore School of Law in  2000.

After practicing tax law for a regional accounting firm, Tristan and his business partner began historically rehabilitating properties in the Baltimore area, most recently completing the renovation of the H & A Pant Factory located in the Ridgely`s Delight Historic District.

In addition to developing historic real estate, Tristan is one of the founding members of O`Connell & Associates, one of the region`s largest Historic Restoration Tax Credit Consulting firms. With his business partner, Tristan has focused on helping homeowners and investors understand the importance of historic preservation while providing affordable assistance in qualifying for various Federal, State & Local tax incentives.

Tristan has most recently opened a neighborhood coffee shop in the retail storefront of the historically rehabilitated H & A Pant Factory and is looking to bring similar endeavors to other historic districts in Maryland.

Barbara Klaput is an experienced real estate investor in the Baltimore area. Her specialty is pre-foreclosures, foreclosures, and short sales. She has 11 years of experience in property management as well as 8 years of accounting experience. She has been successful in assisting property owners with keeping their homes while facing foreclosure through securing reinstatement of their mortgage through forbearances, special forbearances, partial claim,VA refunding, loan modifications and securing financing for their loans.

Only about 40% of loans facing foreclosure qualify for reinstatement--this means the remaining 60% are valuable possibilities for investors to acquire before they reach the auction block. Knowing when and how to approach the owners and the banks in these situations is key.

There is a new law in Maryland that affects how investors can purchase property facing foreclosure. Violation of this law can result in felony arrest, jail time, and huge monetary penalties. Ms. Klaput has assisted investors in being able to purchase these properties in compliance with the new law without the risk of prosecution for violation.

Clay & Jean Miller are real estate investors in Baltimore City. In 2005, Clay wrote a program to gather absentee owner information in Baltimore City to utilize as an investment tool. Using this tool with their direct marketing strategy, their real estate business generated an income of $124,000 within one year while both working FULL TIME.

Quickly realizing that investors have limited options in how to locate out of town property owners, the Millers decided to launch MotivatedLeads.com to offer their secret of success online to all investors at low cost. They have launched their pilot programs in Baltimore City and are currently expanding MotivatedLeads.com to include data for other counties in MD and beyond.

Mr. Albert is a shareholder and Director of Tax Services for Glass Jacobson, a Certified Public Accounting and Professional Services firm with offices in Owings Mills and Columbia, MD. Mr. Albert`s responsibilities include providing a wide range of accounting,tax and management consulting services to business and individual clients. His consulting experience includes: tax planning, purchase and sale of businesses, business reorganization, estate planning, business succession planning,divorce planning, retirement planning and representation before Federal & State governments.

Steve Albert holds an MS in Taxation from the University of Baltimore, a BS in Accounting from University of Baltimore and became a Certified Public Accountant for the State of MD in 1977. He is a frequent speaker, radio guest, and publisher on a variety of tax related topics and the winner of numerous awards for Certified Public Accountants.

A native Texan, Ann-Marie Wargo began her career in real estate while still in High School with the purchase of her first building lot. Within a year, she personally assisted in each stage of the construction of her first home. By 23, she had built and project managed the construction of five new homes within Maryland. Eventually, her knowledge and skills expanded to include commercial property management to complement her construction background. She opened her own contracting company in 2002 with a potfolio of real estate to almost $2 million dollars.

Ms. Wargo`s background includes raw land development, permitting and variance hearing processes, construction loans and inspections, estimate preparation, new home construction, general home renovation, historic renovation, commerical leasing & property management, residential rental property management, as well as & breakfast management.

Ann-Marie is one of WIRE`s new board members. She lives in Pasadena with her husband, three children and two border collies. When she is not looking for real estate deals, she jet skis, cooks & bakes, enjoys gardening, travel and personal fitness. In her past life, she was a pastry chef.

Ms. Glassberg is the Vice President of Trammell Crow Company, Baltimore, MD, concentrating predominantly on the corridor between Washington and Baltimore, primarily in Howard County. She works on a variety of project types, such as office and industrial as well as landlord and tenant rep. assignments. Involved in commercial real estate for more than 10 years, she has a broad level of experience in tenant representation involving negotiation with both private and institutional ownership.

Her professional and community involvement includes : NAIOP, Board of Directors, since 1995, (formerly President of the MD Chapter, 1998-1999); Community Homes Board Member, Commercial Real Estate Women Executive Committee 1990-1992; Columbia Foundation Director 2000-present, and even includes being a Volunteer for Pets on Wheels.

Ms. Glassberg`s expertise begins with the indentification of the requirement and concludes with the successful negotiation of the lease/sale document. She has conducted numerous lease and sales transactions on behalf of tenants and buyers in the Baltimore/Washington Corridor.

Notably, Ms. Glassberg is one of the very few female high level executives in Maryland in the commercial real estate industry.

Jane M. Brewer`s career as a tax specialist began in 1975. She has been with KAWG&F for 20 years and a shareholder with the firm since 1990. She is the chair of the firm`s tax department.

Ms. Brewer graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Baltimore in 1980, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Adminsitration with a concentration in accounting. She also received her Masters of Science Degree in Taxation in 1987 from the University of Baltimore.

Her specialties are int he areas of small business, individual, estate, partnership, limited liability company and real estate taxation and planning.

In 1997, 1999, and 2001 Ms. Brewer  was selected as one of Maryland`s Top 100 Women; she also received the Accountant Advocate of the Year Award for the State of Maryland from the Small Business Administration in 1997.

She is past president of the Rotary Club of Towsontowne and the Baltimore Regional Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners. She is the treasurer for the 2005 year of CREW Baltimore.

Jane Brewer lives in Lutherville with her husband, Roy. They have 3 children and 9 grandchildren.

Lisa Malory Hodge is the Managing Director of Policy and Consulting at the Fannie Mae Foundation. In that capacity she leads efforts to assist civic leaders in bulding healthy communities. She also oversees the consulting group charged with providing technical assistance and problem solving skills to the Foundation`s external partners. She was formerly the Director of the Center for Innovation and Reform in District Columbia and beforehand a senior partner at the Public Strategies Group, Inc, a private corporation dedicated to government reform. Prior to PSG, she was Chief of Staff to former Vice President Al Gore`s National Performance Review and a domestic policy advisor to the Vice President. She has over 15 additional years of leadership and management experience in the private, public and non-profit sectors.

Lisa provides performance coaching and strategic planning guidance to individuals and teams. She is a certified Coach of Leaders and received her MBA from George Washington University and is pursuing her doctorate in Public Policy.

Mr. Caruso is the principal with Harvest Associates, a business intermediary and commercial real estate brokerage firm located in Annapolis, MD. Greg has been negotiating real estate and business transactions for over 20 years. Greg`s experience includes 10 years working as a principal of a homebuilding company, 6 years as a transactional attorney, and the last 4 years working as a real estate and business broker.

Formerly a Development Director for Struever Brothers, Eccles & Rouse, Ms. Blair developed W.L. Blair Development, LLC in 1995. She completed Spicer`s Run in Bolton Hill as her first development project in Baltimore.

Ms. Blair is a Graduate of Amherst College & NY University Graduate School of Public Administration. As one of the few female developers in Baltimore, Ms. Blair is currently involved in the redevelopment of the former Northern District Police Station in Hampden with Keyser Development Corporation and a condo/apt complex on Eden St. in Fells Point with Elm Street Development.

She is a much sought-after public speaker, and is featured frequently in many business and women`s publications and events.

"You are stronger than you think, never give up!" is a sentence Melissa Allen uses frequently. She puts this ethic into action daily as Director of Marketing for WFT Engineering. During her 6 years as part of the management team at WFT Engineering, she helped grow the minority engineering firm`s staff by 60%, increased the revenues by over 100%, expanded their services and made them a valuable asset to the design and construction industry. In recognition of her dedication, in 2004, she received WFT Engineering`s annual Most Valuable Employee Award.

In 2003, Melissa started her own firm, MAN Consulting, Inc. The business is located in a Development Zone in Washington, DC and is certified as a woman-owned, LSDZ (Local, Small, Disadvantaged Business Enterprise). Her new venture offers a broad range of marketing, teaming, consulting, and project management services for the real estate and construction industry. MAN Consulting`s specialties are in the areas of Architectural/Engineering Services, Construction Management and Administration, Minority and Community Outreach Programs and other Turn-Key, Design/Build teams for government projects.

MAN Consulting recently completed LSDZoutreach services for a large construction contract for the National Cathedral renovation and additiona project in Washington, DC and is currently part of the team for a planned retail development in the Columbia Heights/Adams Morgan sections of the city.

Her current focus is the DC Nationals Baseball Stadium as well as the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative. Melissa has been quoted on the DC Baseball Stadium Project in the Washington Business Journal. (February 11-17, 2005)

Ms.Valarie Scott is a native of Baltimore, MD. She is a graduate of University of MD, Baltimore County, with a B.A. in Psychology. Ms. Scott is a skilled negotiator with over 12 years experience as a Claims Adjuster in the insurance industry. She began her entrepreneurial journey in 1994 when she founded Legal Aspects, a personal injury consulting company. In 2000, Ms. Scott began investing in real estate part-time.

With great success in buying and selling houses, she founded Beneficial Property Solutions and now specializes in Short Sales and No Money Down deals. Ms. Scott is passionate about helping people become financially independent through real estate investing. She is a mentor to students in locations across the U.S., including MD, VA, Texas, NY, FLA, and NC. This success is just the tip of the iceberg...Ms. Scott has set a long term goal to own commercial properties in the U.S. and Caribbean.

has spoken regionally and locally at numerous real estate and other group meetings as an expert on the subject of "Short Sales." A short sale is a way to create equity with properties purchased from banks (foreclosures).

Ms. Scott has students all over the country and is also a real estate mentor.

Visit www.mariaboren.com for information on the speaker.

Daniel S. Krakower is a partner with the law firm of Shulman, Rogers, Gandal, Pordy and Ecker, P.A. Mr. Krakower concentrates on corporate and business law, including coporate and business law aspects of real estate transactions, such as sales and acquisitions, financing transactions, partnerships and joint ventures.

Mr. Krakower graduated cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center in 1985 where he was an Associate Editor of "The Tax Lawyer," and he received his B.A. in Economics from Tulane University in 1981. He has also lectured for the Maryland Institute for Continuing Professional Education of Lawyers and the Montgomery County Bar Association.

Ed Rutkowski is Executive Director of the Patterson Park Community Development Corporation that he founded in 1996. With Marcus Pollock, Ed co-authored "The Urban Transition Zone--A Place Worth a Fight," a strategy for urban revitalization that promoted a variety of often counterintuitive strategies for preventing neighborhood collapse.

The Patterson Park CDC employed those strategies in the dramatic revitalization of the neighborhoods north of Patterson Park. The CDC has bought over 400 of the coommunity`s 3,000 houses to prevent acquisition by slumlords. With the help of responsible developers, area houses that once sold for $50,000, if at all, are now retailing over $200k.

Prior to entering community development, Mr. Rutkowski spent 22 years in the field of software development for IBM and UPS. He grew up in East Baltimore.

Peter Giardini is a founding member of the Mid-Atlantic Real Estate Investors Association based in Baltimore, MD.  A real estate investor for just over three years, in his prior life Peter was a senior executive in a small information technology services firm where he learned the importance of clients, products, banking relationships and repeatable processes, procedures and methodologies.

Leveraging his vast knowledge and lessons learned, he has built Community Real Estate Investments into a Real Estate Investment Machine, which has produced numerous successful results, including owning over 65 rental units with a combined market value of approximately $4.5 million and acquires properties on average of 3 per month ; developing a property management company to internally manage the expanding rental portfolio, collecting 90% of all rental income within the first 5 days of its due date and experiences on-average positive cash-flow per unit of over $300 per unit and creating a one-on-one mentoring program to assist new investors.

Mr. Giardini says he has the good fortune of being able to work with a small group of highly motivated real estate partners who understand the need for sound business plans, achievable goals, and accountability. A rare and delightful experience in today`s "Whats in it for me?" environment.

Montressa L. Washington has been an active real estate investor for almost 10 years and her passion for the business grows each year. In addition to her profession as a Management Consultant with the IBM Corporation, she is an adjunct instructor at Morgan State University, Johns Hopkins University and several other adult learning institutions. She lectures on topics such as general business, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, marketing and real estate investing.

Ms. Washington holds an MBA with concentrations in marketing and international business from Johns Hopkins University and a BA in English from the University of Maryland, College Park. She lives in Columbia, MD and loves to participate in community service activities such as Junior Achievement of Maryland and Leadership Howard County. She enjoys attending seminars on the topics of spirituality, finance, entrepreneurship and of course, real estate!

 Mark Herbkersman is an experienced architect and designer and has worked on a variety of project types and sizes ranging from custom single family homes to large scale mixed-use projects that could be considered small cities. Mr. Herbkersman`s work includes a broad range of responsibilities such as designer, project architect, project manager and principal in charge.

He has worked on projects nationally and internationally and his work has resulted in many awards. The project types he has completed include commercial, retail, office, interior, master planning, graphic design, wayfinding, residential design and historic renovation.

Mr. Herbkersman`s design work has been published in several professional trade journals and he has been featured as a speaker at professional conferences regarding architectural design and urban economic development.

Numerous awards include Home Builders Association of Maryland Remodeler`s Counceil Award, 1991; Masonry Institute of Maryland/Best Design 1990, and Maryland Home Improvement Contractors Association, 1991.

Having attended such prestigious universities like Coppin State, College of Notre dame and Harvard, Ms. Hall has been employed with the Michael Companies for twp years, with experience in office and retail commercial leasing and sales, multi family land sales, commercial shopping centers, religious facility leasing and sales, and mixed-use development projects.

Ms. Hall`s expertise in commercial real estate can be attributed to her ten years experience in developing community outreach strategies to foster positive local involvement in community development issues, neighborhood stabilization/revitalization, business development and community planning. Additionally, Ms. Hall has twelve years experience in economic development, working with small and minority businesses, public/private partnerships and non-profit organizations.

Some notable transactions have included CURVES of Clinton, Brown & Company CPA, and 1st Friends Early Childhood Development Program.

Ms. Hall participates in a number of professional affiliations such as NAACP National Board of Directors, Prince George`s Community Foundation Board of Directors and Prince George`s County Polic Chief`s Advisory Council.