Marcus “Polo” Pilgrim Is Building a Bigger Table for Prince George’s County

Prince George’s County has never been short on talent. From athletes and entertainers to entrepreneurs, creatives, executives, and community builders, the county has produced and nurtured an incredible amount of Black excellence. For Marcus Pilgrim, better known as Polo, the conversation around Prince George’s County has always been bigger than what people see from the outside. It is about pride, connection, and ultimately, bringing people together.

A Prince George’s County native, Polo is now putting that philosophy into action through The Gorgeous Prince George’s County Network, a community created for professionals, creatives, entrepreneurs, and business owners across the DMV. The Network is designed to create more opportunities for people from different backgrounds and walks of life to connect, collaborate, and build relationships, with curated experiences like its Prince George’s County mixer serving as one of the many ways Polo and his team bring people together.

Growing up in Prince George’s County, Polo always understood that the area was home to affluence, creativity, and success. Seeing people who looked like him thrive was a normal part of his upbringing. There was, however, a younger and more ignorant mindset that sometimes came with comparing Prince George’s County to Washington, D.C., with being from PG occasionally viewed as “soft” in comparison. As Polo got older, his perspective changed. He began realizing that the experience he had growing up — seeing Black people succeed, build businesses, create, and thrive — wasn’t necessarily the experience for everyone who looked like him across the country. That realization only deepened his appreciation for where he came from and his desire to showcase what Prince George’s County has always represented.

For Polo, the pride in PG County isn’t something new that needs to be created. It has always been there. What he wants to do is continue building on that foundation while creating more opportunities for people within the community to connect with one another. Prince George’s County can simultaneously represent Black excellence while still having areas that need attention, investment, and connection. His goal isn’t to pretend the challenges don’t exist. It is to create more bridges between the people who are already succeeding and the communities that can benefit from those connections.

That mindset has been present throughout his own journey. Sports were a major part of Polo’s upbringing, eventually leading him to play basketball at Shepherd University. He also grew up around some recognizable names who would go on to make their own impact, including Quinn Cook, Shy Glizzy, and Kevin Durant. But sports weren’t the only lane where Polo made his mark. He was also a prominent member of the DMV go-go scene as a keyboardist for XIB, further immersing himself in the culture that makes the DMV so unique.

Those experiences eventually helped lead Polo into hospitality, where he began working at The Park at 14th and met his longtime business partner, Gabrielle Johnson. The two would eventually take the experience and knowledge they developed in that environment and turn it into something much bigger. That became Great Energy Group, which is approaching its tenth year and has become a vehicle for creating premium experiences across different spaces.

Brunches, golf events, yoga, run clubs, and other curated experiences have allowed Polo and Gabby to build something that extends beyond simply throwing parties. They have created environments where people can enjoy themselves while also making meaningful connections, and that philosophy has expanded into several interconnected ventures, including Litty In The City, The NOVA Social Club, and Clean Corners Facility Services, a residential and commercial cleaning company.

While each business operates in its own lane, they all reflect a similar philosophy: create opportunities, build experiences, and find ways for different people to connect. That same entrepreneurial mindset is what makes The Gorgeous Prince George’s County Network feel like a natural next step.

Polo isn’t approaching the Network as somebody simply looking to put another event on a calendar. He is approaching it as someone who has spent his entire life watching Prince George’s County evolve. He knows the natives, the transplants, the nightlife crowd, the entrepreneurs, the creatives, and the people who may live just a few minutes away from one another but have never had a reason to meet. The Network gives those people another reason to come together.

On a personal level, I have also seen Polo’s character outside of the business side. I still remember Juneteenth falling on my birthday when a shooting happened nearby outside of Lost Society, where Polo was promoting at the time. I was dressed about as casually as you could possibly be — sweats, a white tee and sneakers — and after getting myself safely inside, Polo still made sure I was good and even got me a birthday shot.

It was a small moment, but those are the moments that stick with you. Especially because yesterday’s phone conversation reminded me that there is always more happening behind the scenes with people than what the public sees. Polo opened up about a very personal dilemma he has been navigating, and hearing him speak about it added another layer to someone I have known primarily through the professional world.

That conversation reinforced something I already believed: Polo is not just somebody who knows how to put an event together. He’s a good human being and the type of professional who understands that relationships matter, reputation matters, and how you treat people matters.

For Prince George’s County, that mentality could be just as important as the events themselves. The county doesn’t need another person simply telling everyone how great it is. It needs more people willing to connect the people who already know how great it can be.

Polo is trying to build that bridge — one experience, one relationship, and one connection at a time. And for someone who has spent his life moving between sports, entertainment, hospitality, entrepreneurship, and community, The Gorgeous Prince George’s County Network feels like a natural extension of everything he has been building.