(Upside) 052: Mark Deutschmann - Building Community

Episode Information

Mark Deutschmann is an entrepreneur, CEO, author and community builder who has worked with neighbors, city leaders and nonprofits for 30-plus years while helping shape development in Nashville and revitalizing the city’s most sought-after neighborhoods.

Mark started selling real estate in 1986 and founded Village Real Estate Services in 1996, which now employs more than 350 agents and staff. In 2003, he started Core Development Services, a company actively developing Nashville’s urban center with adaptive reuse and mixed-use infill development. The Village Fund, the nonprofit and charitable arm of Village Real Estate Services, has provided $2 million in grants to organizations helping to enrich and strengthen Nashville.

Mark is chair of the Urban Land Institute Nashville and recently stepped down after 6.5 years as president of Greenways for Nashville. He served on Nashville Mayor Megan Barry’s Transit and Affordability Task Force.  He received the Community Service award from the Greater Nashville Association of Realtors in 2013 and the Sustainable Tennessee Award from the Tennessee Environmental Council in 2014.

In his book One-Mile Radius – Building Community from the Core, Deutschmann shares what he has learned about activating Nashville’s neighborhoods, connecting them and helping them become sustainable, and using business as a tool for positive social change.