Celebrating 45 years!

The Start of Something Big

Long before Orchard Development Corporation and Armiger Management Corporation began, Earl and Mary Armiger had each established successful business careers.

After graduating from the University of North Carolina with a Master of Regional Planning degree, Earl worked for a prestigious civil engineering and land planning firm. This provided him with a broad range of planning and land development engagements with private ventures as well as state and local governments around the country. From this strong foundation of experience, Earl was well positioned to embark on his own development consulting, home building and eventual large scale development projects. Mary Armiger distinguished herself with an impressive career in the real estate title business, real estate brokerage, land development, as well as residential sales and marketing with international homebuilder Costain. Along the way she also earned a BA and a Masters degree at the Notre Dame of Maryland University. Thus, Mary was also well positioned to pivot to the next level of leadership as an entrepreneur.

Now it was time for the next chapter. With an opportunity to take on a large scale land development project, Earl founded Orchard Development Corporation in 1979. Soon after, building upon success in the residential land development arena, Orchard Development Corporation expanded
into rental apartments.

With that move, Mary founded Armiger Management Corporation, to provide leasing and management services for what would become a large portfolio of rental apartment communities.

The Foundation (literally!)

Orchard Development Corporation has had great success in the land development business, developing residential lots and selling the finished lots to home builders. Orchard Development Corporation’s homebuilding customers includes Ryan Homes, Diversified Homes, Firetti Builders, NV Homes, Ryland Homes and Patriot Homes, among others. At one point in the 1980’s, Orchard Development Corporation was the2nd largest developer of residential lots in Howard County. Only the Rouse Company (HRD) sold more finished lots to home builders at that time.

Some of the more notable residential land development projects included:

• Orchard Hill, Columbia (first project!) – 118 lots
• Sewell’s Orchard, Columbia – 570 lots
• Rockburn Commons, – Columbia 310 lots
• Kingsbrook, Frederick – 945 lots
• Grand Oaks, Tampa, FL – 800 lots

All in, Orchard Development Corporation has developed over 3,800 residential lots for builders!

And Then Came Apartments

Earl and Mary made the strategic decision to move beyond residential land development and seek opportunities in rental apartments. The first opportunity was a project called Castletree Apartments. It was a small deal, only 32 units. But it was a start, and it gave Armiger Management Corporation the springboard to begin crafting the procedures and corporate culture that evolved into today’s successful management company.

At the opposite end of the spectrum is The Metropolitan in Downtown Columbia, Orchard Development Corporation’s largest apartment project. Developed in partnership with the Howard Hughes Corporation and Kettler, The Metropolitan has 380 units plus 14,000 sf of retail space (pictured below).

Orchard Development Corporation has developed over 2,800 apartment units in Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia. They include market rate, affordable and housing for seniors. Armiger Management Corporation has a portfolio of 1,800 units currently under management.

Teamwork

Mary and Earl had the vision and took many risks to build two successful and sustaining companies. But they didn’t do it alone!

From the beginning, they knew that they needed good people who shared their vision, their values, and were willing to work hard. The team started with Earl, Mary, a secretary/bookkeeper, a development manager and a property manager.

Now totaling 58 team members and going strong, there are a handful of principles that have guided the growth of the companies:

• Treat all residents with respect and never forget that we are trusted with caring for their homes.
• Respect your co-workers, we are in this together, working toward the same goals. We are a team!
• Seek innovation, embrace new ideas and better ways to get things done.
• Always do the right thing. That is never the wrong choice, no matter what the challenge.

These guiding principles have been the platform for growth, success, and in retaining some of the best people in the business!

Service to the Community and Giving

The philosophy of giving and community participation have long been of the utmost importance to Mary and Earl Armiger. On both the personal as well as the corporate levels, they have served in leadership roles of numerous charitable, educational and professional organizations. Enthusiastically giving their time, expertise and contributions to better the lives of their community. A small sample of some organizations that have benefited from their charitable contributions includes:

• Grassroots Crisis Center
• The Domestic Violence Center
• The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
• Howard County General Hospital
• Howard Community College
• Archdiocese of Baltimore
• Howard County Arts Council
• Columbia Center for the Theatrical Arts
• Community Action Council
• Local food banks

Among the many organizations that have benefited from their leadership are:

• Howard Community College Education Foundation
• The Howard County Chamber of Commerce
• The Howard County Arts Council
• National Association of Home Builders
• Home Builders Association of Maryland