Bridging the Gap: In the News

Pittsburgh Magazine’s 40 Under 40: 2016

Derrick L. Tillman
Derrick L. Tillman, President and CEO of Bridging the Gap

Derrick L. Tillman   [36]
President & CEO, Bridging the Gap Development, LLC

Housing and jobs remain essential concerns for Pittsburgh’s minority community, and Derrick Tillman’s real estate company — Bridging the Gap Development — is addressing those needs.

The firm builds new construction and rehabilitates affordable, market-rate, mixed-income housing.

He previously ran a weatherization business that went from zero to $1 million in revenue before he sold his interest.

Since then, he has focused on bringing development projects, both housing and commercial, to parts of the city where they can have the greatest economic impact. One ongoing project includes building and/or rehabbing 36 units of affordable housing in the Hill District and will focus on providing homes and careers to residents.

Success did not come easily, but as he’s pleased to point out, Tillman once was a Section 8 housing resident. Today, he’s a Section 8 housing landlord and a real estate developer.

You’d be surprised to know … I had to deliver my son at our home on the bathroom floor because we didn’t make it to the hospital in time.