D.C. Entrepreneur Makes Women’s History
Real Estate Developer Gail Montplaisir Crosses State Lines to Invest in Underserved Syracuse Community, While Thriving in a Male-Dominated, Construction Industry Syracuse, NY (March 23, 2023)- Gail Montplaisir, President of Taurus Enterprise Group and Partner of Salina 1st is making history. For over 36 years, Taurus Development Group, under Montplaisir’s direction, has been revitalizing neighborhoods in Washington D.C., purchasing rundown, under-utilized properties, and revamping them into lovely, well-designed homes, while investing in the community. “I have spent much of my career to giving back to communities in which I live and work, including those that have been underserved and underrepresented – communities that have been left behind and left to fend for themselves,” said Montplaisir. “I believe in prioritizing the needs of the members of local communities and employing local residents to construct every project I embark on.” As a woman in a male-dominated industry, Montplaisir said, “Early on, the challenge was to learn the industry and then prove to all the older men, by whom I was surrounded, that I knew the trade. Today as then, I am usually the only woman in the room full of men. The challenge in that is that as all the men in the room often compete to be the leader, I need to be able to get a word in that keeps us on target and minimizes competition. That can be an advantage, too. The work Montplaisir leads in D.C. increases the number of residential homes across the city, as well as the employment rate among local citizens (many from underserved communities). In 2017, Montplaisir reinforced her commitment to racial and financial equity when she partnered with Black entrepreneurs Emmanuel B Henderson III and Eli Smith to create Salina 1st. Salina 1st is the first woman and minority-led real estate development project in Syracuse, New York. Salina 1st is a mixed-use community development project that is intended to revitalize a historically under-served community located on the south-side of Syracuse where the poverty level is among the highest in the country, and, the population is primarily Black. The project creates two adjoined buildings on an almost two-acre piece of land. On the first level of these buildings, there will be retail and office spaces, conference rooms. Additional office space will be located on the second floor, and residential apartments will comprise the 3rd, 4th, and 5th floors. Salina 1st utilizes a full circle approach to minimize gentrification with their project motto, “embrace, not displace.” The project is intended to create a model that can be used by developers across the country. “I am honored to have the opportunity to work with my visionary partners to help them create a model that creates greater racial, environmental and financial equity to their Syracuse community. I am confident that Salina 1st has the potential to impact the Syracuse community and inspire developers across the nation to work with their communities to develop spaces within them.”
