Ro uses his knowledge and experience as an entrepreneur and mentor to fortify activism focused on uplifting and improving people and communities of color. He is committed to putting the “neighbor back in the hood and giving violence a job” through grassroots efforts like BOP Project 5000. This vision merges homeownership with small business development, as the driving forces of economic empowerment.
His efforts have resulted in the rehabilitation of blighted properties throughout the South and West sides of Chicago, and sustainable workforces being built through alliances with veterans, at-risk youth organizations, and those with criminal records. In addition, Ro has developed and taught real estate development courses and leveraged his extensive background in real estate finance and residential rehabilitation to acquire and restore dilapidated and dormant assets to promote neighborhood homeownership.
Ro launched the first BopBizCenter, a small business incubator in the heart of Chatham and subsequently launched a second location in the South Shore community in Spring of 2020. Additional BopBizCenters are slated to open in Auburn-Gresham and a neighboring community in the Fall of 2021. BopBizCenters are responsible for providing 300+ small businesses with access to professional addresses, meeting rooms, and office spaces. BopBizCenters have graduated13 businesses to-date into vacant storefronts along 79th Street.