“When I look at communities, I envision the potential for positive change we can make to improve the landscape for its residents.”

Alexis McSween is the founder and CEO of Bottom Line Construction & Development, LLC (BLCD). A 100% woman-and minority-owned construction and development company, BLCD embodies the ingenuity and grit-and-grace that characterize Alexis’ life. 

Alexis brings over eighteen years of practical and professional experience— with twelve years in real estate development and construction, including public works—to cultivating community. She combines human-centric community development and entrepreneurial problem-solving with hard-core real estate development and construction management. In doing so, BLCD can fulfill market demand, minimize financial risk, leverage transferrable models, and maximize municipal incentives while making a broader and lasting impact.

Alexis practiced nursing full-time for 13 years—she remains an RN to this day, sometimes donning her RN hat when needed—and was also a first responder, with her EMT background, with the New York City Fire Department. She made her foray into real estate while she served as a nurse in various communities in the Greater New York area. She has an eclectic professional background, but when she speaks about her commitment to cultivating community, the common threads of service, quality, and hard work shine throughout.

At age 24, she acted on her passion for real estate after she sought funding (a SONYMA loan) which she used to purchase and renovate her first multi-family unit in Queens, NY. Alexis also owned the end-to-end life cycle development and construction of a $7 million, 7-unit, boutique condominium development named “Baldwin Park” in honor of Harlem poet and author James Baldwin. While earning her Master’s, she worked as a project manager for a women-owned business enterprise (WBE) construction and management firm in Harlem on public projects valued at $4 million. Alexis was honored with the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2020 New York Female Entrepreneur of the Year, a testament to her success, 

A key element of her approach to cultivating community is identifying talent potential from the communities Alexis works with and connecting them more broadly to her networks. From design, architecture, and engineering to trades to management and leadership, Alexis is known for developing talent in alignment with the core values of respect, collaboration, accountability, and professionalism. This approach enhances the quality and value of BCLD’s work and contributes to the community’s social and economic vitality and resilience. In her words, “grit.” 

Alexis is also the founder of Youth Construct, a Harlem-based non-profit that trains local high school youth in construction administration. She hopes that Youth Construct will help to diversify and transform the future of construction leadership by equipping NYC’s underserved youth with the skills needed to build and develop their communities.  

Alexis has a Master of Science in Real Estate Development, with a minor in Construction Management from New York University’s Shack Real Estate Institute. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Management and is affiliated with several professional organizations.

Today, Alexis leads a $6.3 million Tier 1 construction management project in Harlem—The Victoria, a $180 million 28-story mixed-use complex. She continues to pursue strategic real estate development and construction opportunities that share her community ethos.