Baye Muhammad

Baye Muhammad is the CEO of Rochester Economic Development Corporation (REDCO), appointed to this position in August 2019.  REDCO is a nonprofit economic development corporation with a mission to bolster commercial growth in the City of Rochester while reducing wealth disparities in middle income and poor Rochester neighborhoods. This is accomplished via the creation and support of locally owned micro and small neighborhood businesses, urban entrepreneurs, and established enterprises.  Prior to August 2019, REDCO was a division of the City of Rochester’s Neighborhood and Business Development Department.

​Prior to joining REDCO as CEO, Mr. Muhammad severed as the City of Rochester’s Commissioner of Neighborhood and Business Development.  During his tenure he was responsible for overseeing a $23 million budget which included Community Development Block Grant funding from HUD.  The Department of Neighborhood and Business Development oversees buildings and zoning, business and housing development, and planning and neighborhood preservation.  Notable projects that were accomplished during Mr. Muhammad’s service were the City of Rochester’s Comprehensive Plan ROC2034, redevelopment of Midtown Plaza and the Sibley Building, the groundbreaking of La Marketa, and several new affordable housing communities and commercial development of the Inner Loop East.

Mr. Muhammad sits on multiple boards in the community including Visit Rochester, Greater Rochester Enterprise and ROC2025 Leadership Group.  He has also served as an advisor for the Urban Land Institute and was a 2016 Daniel Rose Fellow.  He is a graduate of the University of the District of Columbia with a degree in Political Science.

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