<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:large"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><img width="537" height="65" src="blob:https://mail.google.com/1dd6d293-7bf2-4395-beaf-e8f07d490c49"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Verdana,sans-serif">Pete Spiropoulos, President                                               Bruce Wernek, Treasurer<span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Verdana,sans-serif">Michael Herman, Esq., Vice President                                  Jeffrey Yorke, Secretary<span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><b><span style="font-size:16pt;font-family:Verdana,sans-serif;color:rgb(34,34,34)"><span> </span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><b><span style="font-size:16pt;font-family:Verdana,sans-serif;color:rgb(34,34,34)">RPBA’s Spiropoulos: ‘It’s Time To Get Back to Business!’<span></span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><i><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Biz association’s president launches group, 2019 business agenda with gusto<span></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif;color:rgb(34,34,34)"> <span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><b><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(34,34,34)">RIVERDALE PARK, MD., Jan. 15, 2019</span></b><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(34,34,34)">– A reconstituted Riverdale Park Business Association will conduct its first public meeting at <u>6 pm on Wednesday, Jan. 16</u>at Riverdale Park Town Hall. President <b>Pete Spiropoulos</b>, who has run businesses in the town for more than 31 years, is one of the association’s founding members. Spiropoulos invites the entire business community– members and non-members -- to attend and participate in this and all future meetings. <span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(34,34,34)"><span> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><img width="114" height="98" src="blob:https://mail.google.com/766a7593-357a-46d7-9a9f-4d9b4de6ec58" align="left" hspace="12"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(34,34,34)"> “It’s time to get back to business and focus on our emerging community,” said Spiropoulos in announcing the regrouping of the town’s premiere business association. He recalled how RPBA was formed nearly three decades ago by Riverdale Park business operators from both sides of the CSX railroad tracks who suddenly faced the threat by CSX that the Queensbury Road crossing would soon be closed. <span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(34,34,34)"><span> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Blocking off the vehicular and pedestrian traffic meant putting the Spiropoulos owned-and-operated <i>Dumm’s Market</i>out of business on the east side of the tracks, and possibly shuttering a handful of businesses in Town Center on the west side, Spiropoulos recalled. (The market was the forerunner to Town Center Market, now operated by his sons, Ted and Jim Spiropoulos.)<span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(34,34,34)"><span> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">“All of the businesses got together and fought the railroad’s proposal. We went to the railroad and we went to the town. And we won! We’ve been working hard ever since to protect businesses and to speak to the town officials in one voice,” Spiropoulos noted. He recalled how, in 2015 the Riverdale Park Town Council passed legislation that immediately doubled the licensing fees for apartment operators. The trickle-down, he noted, meant steep rent increases for Riverdale Park renters. The business association, represented by RPBA VP <b>Michael Herman, Esq</b>., took on the legislation and within months, the Council reversed its legislation, saving renters and apartment owners thousands of dollars in unnecessary fees. <span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(34,34,34)">     <span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Riverdale Park is sandwiched between College Park and Hyattsville along U.S. Route 1, two small Maryland city’s that <i>Washingtonian Magazine</i>in April 2018 predicted were among “Washington area neighborhoods that will boom next.” Spiropoulos said, “Riverdale Park must be part of that BOOM!” <span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(34,34,34)"><span> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(34,34,34)">The purpose of the RPBA is to represent all businesses serving Riverdale Park and the environs, and to work with town officials in regulatory and permitting matters to boost businesses and build a stellar business environment in Riverdale Park.<span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(34,34,34)"><span> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(34,34,34)">RPBA meetings last 60-to-90 minutes and regular feature guest speakers who are selected to help you and your business grow. Wednesday’s meeting will also feature pizza from <i>Dumm’s Pizza & Subs</i>. To get the pie count right, please <u>RSVP by 3 pm Wednesday to Jeffrey Yorke</u>, 301-502-1243 or </span><span class="gmail-MsoHyperlink" style="color:blue;text-decoration:underline"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><a href="mailto:Yorkedial@gmail.com" style="color:rgb(149,79,114)">Yorkedial@gmail.com</a></span></span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(34,34,34)">.<span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(34,34,34)"><span> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><b><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:"Arial Nova",sans-serif">Riverdale Park Business Association, c/o Pete Spiropoulos, 4705 Queensbury Road, Riverdale Park, MD 20737<span></span></span></b></p></div><div><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail-m_-1417872263441668342gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div>Jeffrey Yorke<br>Yorke Property Management, Inc.<br>Yorke Partners<br>Jeffrey@YorkeRents.com<br>(C)301-502-1243<br></div><div>(M)301-832-0000</div></div></div></div></div>