A native to Bellevue Washington, Derrick moved to his adoptive home of Atlanta in March of 1996. There he first started a Welfare to Work staffing agency, where he helped to transition more than 200 families from welfare to jobs.
Derrick got his real estate license in 2005 and soon heard of a project to bring new attention to forgotten Intown areas, interconnecting 45 Intown neighborhoods and new resources – the Atlanta Beltline Project.
In 2006-2007 he started volunteering for the Beltline, making it his focus in 2008, and the Beltline now has over $2,000,000,000 in development to date, in year 15 of a 25 year project.
In 2011, trying to bring attention to forgotten communities, Derrick created “Committed to Communities”, an Open House Event showcasing Southwest Atlanta homes and Neighborhoods, and in 2016 Committed To Communities became a non-profit to help renters and 1st time homebuyers. Derrick and his “Beltline Team” have helped hundreds of families, and he has even been interviewed by the New York Times and CNBC for his efforts.