Photography by Stephen Buchanan
Standout volunteers like Ben Wechsler are the backbone of nonprofits. Wechsler goes above-and-beyond the typical volunteer. Maybe like none other.
Wechsler, a real estate and environmental lawyer with an Annapolis firm, helped the Chesapeake Bay Trust raise its visibility and extend its outreach by finding the organization a $3 million, environmentally-friendly “Green” home on Severn Avenue in Eastport.
“It is immensely satisfying to help an organization manage growth,” Wechsler says. “To not only grow the balance sheet, but also to grow the organization. And grow the number of employees, the grant making, and the internal governance structure. All this has allowed the organization to flourish and make progress toward achieving its mission.”
The new headquarters is one of many things that Wechsler, an Arnold resident, has accomplished as a volunteer and long-time board member. His eight-year stint on the board included two years as chairman and two years as vice chairman. He joined the organization in 2012.
It is significant that since then, the organization’s grant giving has nearly doubled under Weschler’s time on the board. It went from $5.8 million to $11.1 million.
Looking back, current board chairman Gary Jobson is amazed at Wechsler’s determination and persistence over the two years that it took to plan and complete the new office.
The green building, which opened in 2019, is an environmentally friendly showplace. That made it an incredibly complex project. The run-down property cost $2 million and the drastic renovations to the existing building ran about a $1 million.
“I don’t think Ben anticipated the intense pressure on him to deliver,” Jobson says of the 48-year-old’s tireless efforts to shepherd the project through completion. “It just became a cascading series of events, and challenges, but to his immense credit, he pulled it off. Once he got into it, he was going to make sure it was going to happen. I just marveled at him. He was the guy who did it all.”
The new facility has enabled the 26-year-old Trust to significantly enhance its operation and mission, which is improving the watersheds of Maryland’s bays and rivers through grants, environmental education, community engagement, and other initiatives.
“He saved a tremendous amount of legal fees and consultants,” Jobson says. “It would be six figures if you had to pay someone for that kind of work.
Trust Executive Director Jana Davis says the impact of the facility has been profound.
“Ben had a vision and saw a property in Eastport that he thought could carry the Trust forward until the next phase of our existence,” Davis explains. “It has solidified a presence for the Trust in the community. It has allowed us to put down roots and has brought more positive attention to the organization. Now, we are really a productive pillar of Eastport.”
The Trust had outgrown its old office on West Street that it rented in more ways than one. It was a less than an ideal location while space and parking was limited.
“It really wasn’t compatible with its mission,” Wechsler says. “It didn’t have ventilation. You couldn’t get outside. You weren’t really close to the water. It was kind of a sterile office space. As the Trust began growing and adding staff, the space got to very, very crowded.”
As board executive, Wechsler played a major role in updating the Chesapeake Bay Trust’s license plate program, which is a major source of revenue. The new plate, with a slogan “Protect the Chesapeake,” was rolled out in 2018 and won an international award.
“We needed to get permission from the motor vehicle administration and the political will to do it,” Davis says. “Ben was with me in many of those meetings to make sure that happened. He created the environment in which were able to get that done.”
Wechsler no longer serves on the board, but he is an active volunteer. There’s no doubt his impact will be long lasting.
“He was an amazing board chair and amazing board member,” Davis says. “He took the role incredibly seriously. He dove in. He did everything you would want him to do. He was just a perfect chair.”
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