Marva Smith Battle-Bey
President and Executive Director
Vermont Slauson Economic Development Corp.
Claim to Fame: Vermont Slauson Shopping Center
For nearly two decades, Marva Smith Battle-Bey has been leading the charge for urban development.
Under her leadership, the non-profit Vermont Slauson Economic Development Corp. opened a 10-acre shopping center in an area that was sorely lacking in retail amenities for residents.
Anchored by Ralphs and McDonald’s, the $10 million Vermont Slauson Shopping Center created more than 450 jobs and has been a significant force in revitalizing the community since opening in 1981.
“Putting together those kinds of dollars back then was a massive undertaking,” said Battle-Bey, president of the organization. “At that time, urban development wasn’t the sexy issue it is today.”
The center has led to a string of deals, including the rehabilitation of more than 1,000 housing units for low-income residents and the construction of two, 20-unit affordable housing complexes.
Current plans call for a 10,000-square-foot business incubator to house 33 start-up firms. In addition, the organization is working on a four-acre shopping center anchored by a Rite Aid, Denny’s restaurant and market located across the street from the Vermont Slauson Shopping Center.
However, money for those developments never comes easily.
“We’re always trying to recruit dollars, which is still difficult since a lot of people don’t understand community development,” Battle-Bey said. “You say arts, health and education, and that resonates with people. But people are still learning community development.”
Battle-Bey’s broad community involvement has been a factor in raising that money. She is currently involved with 26 professional and civic organizations.
“I’m Superwoman. I’m always busy, but it all gets done,” said the Detroit native. “In this business, we have to keep opening opportunities, keep moving policy forward, and you can’t do that staying in your office. You need to get out there and create synergy.”
“She looks at things not strictly in the dollars sense,” said shopping center developer Andy Natker, senior vice president of the Hagen Co. “Then she delivers on her promises, (earning) the trust of those who work with her both in the private and the civic sectors.”
Before moving to L.A., Battle-Bey spent two years at Michigan State University before abandoning her physical education major in favor of urban planning.
“I could have entered private real estate,” she said. “But there’s tremendous gratification in what we do, a feeling of completeness in assembling these projects to make positive impacts on people’s lives and inspire them to succeed.”
Nola L. Sarkisian
