Young entrepreneur working to revitalize Baltimore

WBAL TV11
June 30, 2015

BALTIMORE —A bold, young entrepreneur is doing what she can to revitalize east Baltimore one vacant home at a time.

Before developers can renovate houses, the first step is remediating the lead, asbestos and mold. That’s where Aisha Dorn, the owner of Lifeline Environmental, comes in.

“What we’ll do is come in first, completely remediate the house so that the next homeowner or the next buyer doesn’t have to deal with those circumstances at all,” Dorn said.

Dorn, who grew up in Baltimore, got her remediation certifications through the Civic Works program before founding her company three years ago. Lifeline Environmental employs local Baltimore City workers.

“There’s a lot of work that needs to be done in Baltimore City, and this is a good way to start jobs. It’s a good starting salary. Our salaries start at $12 an hour, so it’s a good livable wage for Baltimore City workers, and it’s entry level, so you can work your way up,” Dorn said.

Because of her company and her background with Civic Works, Dorn was recently invited to the White House to speak at a panel on workforce development, sharing her passion for investing in the community and revitalizing Baltimore’s neighborhoods.

“I think it’s very important to give back to the city that you come from because it builds the neighborhoods. Baltimore City, right now, is in desperate need of companies to further the economic development, provide jobs for the city residents and turn some of these neighborhoods around,” Dorn said.

Lifeline Environmental has a $1 million plan to remediate more than 40 houses this year.