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Martin Schwartz

Vehicles for Change
President
Detroit also MD and VA

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Martin SchwartzPresident, Vehicles for ChangeBS in Accounting and MGA in Information Systems Design – University of MarylandMartin started Vehicles for Change (VFC) in April 1999 with a $30,000 grant. The program awarded its first car in Carroll County, Maryland awarding 5 cars per month. Martin has directed an expansion that including MD, VA, MI, PA, NY, MA and NH. VFC has changed the lives of more than 13,000 individuals through the awarding of more than 5,300 cars. Today 35 to 50 cars are awarded monthly. VFC was selected as a “best practice” organization in a national study completed by the “National Economic Development and Law Center”.  Martin has served as a program planner for the annual Low Income Car Ownership Practice and Policy Convening and served on a national committee created to broaden the opportunity of car ownership programs for worthy families. In 2005 Martin started Freedom Wheels a retail used car business. A fully owned subsidiary of VFC Freedom Wheels generated over $2M in overall support for VFC. He was selected as the 2007 Social Entrepreneur of the Year by the University of Baltimore and co-authored Effective Social Enterprise: Practical Advice and Best Practices from Leaders in the Field.In 2013, Vehicles for Change opened the Center for Automotive Careers. The Center training detailers since 2013 and training mostly exoffenders to be auto mechanics since June 2015. Both operations were created as social enterprises providing detailing and auto repair services. In the first year of operation the Repair program will generate over $120,000 in revenue. Martin directed the NCAA Lacrosse Men’s Championship in 2003, 2004 and 2007 held in M & T Bank Stadium. Spearheading a team of over 50 volunteers, the event attracted record crowds each year. The 2007 event set and still holds the all-time attendance record and had an estimated economic impact of $30 million dollars. Prior to Vehicles for Change, Martin started two other businesses, one for-profit, the Student Athlete Information Link, an online recruiting service for high school student-athletes and a nonprofit, Cars for Careers a low-income car ownership program in Howard County. He served as Associate Athletic Director, while teaching accounting and information systems and coaching baseball at Baltimore County Community College and was the Associate Athletic Director for Development at UMBC. Awards2007 – University of Baltimore Social Entrepreneur of the Year2007 – Visit Baltimore “Sales Person of the Year”2011 – Daily Record Influential Marylander2011 - MassMutual Citizenship Award 2012 – SmartCEO Circle of Excellence Award2014 - SmartCEO Circle of Excellence AwardBoard ServiceGovernors Workforce Investment BoardBaltimore City Community College – President’s Advisory BoardConsumer Federation of America – Automobile Insurance CommitteeGreater Baltimore Committee – Education and Workforce Development CommitteeBaltimore Workforce Investment Board – Chair Transportation Committee
Wednesday, May 25
 

12:00pm EDT

12:30pm EDT

1:00pm EDT

3:00pm EDT

4:00pm EDT

4:30pm EDT

 
Thursday, May 26
 

9:00am EDT

11:00am EDT

12:00pm EDT

2:00pm EDT

4:30pm EDT

5:30pm EDT

 
Friday, May 27
 

9:00am EDT