Guest Blog: The Power of Sports, Strategy, and Partnership in Economic Development
This blog was written by MEDA Young Leader, Dr. Candace Pruett, Assistant Director, Corridor Region, Maryland Small Business Development Center
At this year’s MEDA Annual Conference, the Opening Keynote from Fran Weld, CEO and Co-founder of Baltimore-based Canopy Team, set an inspiring tone for the event. With the theme “Maryland’s North Star: Regions Coming Together,” Weld’s remarks showcased how visionary leadership, community partnerships, and even baseball can come together to drive inclusive, long-term economic growth.
Drawing from her role as Chair of the Board of San Francisco’s SPUR and her time as Senior Vice President of the San Francisco Giants, Fran offered a behind-the-scenes look at the $2.6 billion Mission Rock development project. The project transformed underused waterfront property into a thriving mixed-use neighborhood. More than a real estate win, it became a masterclass in civic-minded development, anchored in shared values, sustainability, and equity.
One of the most striking parts of Fran’s story was the project’s complexity. After the Giants were selected through the city’s RFP process in 2008—not as traditional real estate developers, but as long-term civic investors—the real estate market collapsed just two weeks later. Fortunately, the selection committee had prioritized community impact over short-term financial return, choosing a partner that wasn’t seeking quick profits or planning to exit in a few years. This foresight proved essential as the project weathered the Great Recession and the Covid Pandemic.
Against this backdrop of uncertainty, the Giants’ on-field success fueled the project’s momentum. World Series wins in 2010, 2012, and 2014 sparked deep community excitement and re-energized belief in the neighborhood’s potential. Weld highlighted how this energy helped unite stakeholders, further galvanizing public-private cooperation to see the development through.
Mission Rock was built on four foundational pillars: building sustainability, fostering health and well-being, creating connections, and advancing economic vitality. Weld detailed how the project went beyond construction—it created a model neighborhood with 40% affordable housing, a blackwater recycling system, district energy sourced from the bay, and meaningful participation from local and minority-owned businesses. Equity and inclusion weren’t afterthoughts; they were embedded in the framework from the beginning.
Fran also reflected on how these lessons are informing her work back home in Maryland. At Canopy Team, she’s helping communities leverage the unifying power of sports to create place-based economic development with lasting impact. Drawing inspiration from visionaries like Janet Marie Smith—who designed Oriole Park at Camden Yards—Fran reminded us how thoughtful design and intentional partnerships can transform underutilized spaces into community assets.
“The future starts right here, together,” she concluded—a line that perfectly captured the spirit of her keynote. Fran Weld’s story is a testament to what’s possible when civic institutions, private partners, and the community share a common purpose. It’s also a powerful reminder that economic development isn’t just about buildings—it’s about building trust, building equity, and building a future we can all be proud of. It has the power to transform not just places—but lives.
