Dee Brown

Entrepreneurship & development

Dee Brown is a multifaceted entrepreneur, award-winning producer, director, writer, best-selling author, talk show host, and philanthropist. He is the Founder and CEO of The P3 Group, Inc., the nation’s largest African American–owned public-private partnership real estate development firm. Through his leadership, The P3 Group has grown into a national platform encompassing more than 43 companies engaged in real estate development, entertainment, community development, and hospitality.

Dee is also the owner of Brownstone Country Club & Resort, becoming the first African American to own an 18-hole golf course in Arkansas and across the Mid-South region. He serves as Founder, CEO, and Chairman Emeritus of the nonprofit Brown Foundation Community Development Corporation and is the CEO of Self Made Entertainment, Inc.

With more than 32 years of experience in real estate sales, development, and management, Dee has overseen all phases of multimillion-dollar construction, infrastructure, water and sewer, and environmental projects for government and private-sector clients. He holds the distinction of being the first minority U.S. Department of Defense contractor to secure a federal contract with the U.S. Navy Nuclear Power Training Unit in Goose Creek, South Carolina.

Media, entertainment & lifestyle

In the media and entertainment industry, Dee serves as President and CEO of Self Made Entertainment, Inc. and Dee Brown, Inc., producing award-winning television and film projects that have earned more than 150 honors across 14 countries. He is the creator and host of the internationally ranked podcast The Sky’s the Limit: Beyond the Deal, originally launched in collaboration with Forbes Books and now produced by Self Made TV.

He also served as executive producer and host of the PBS television talk shows Self Made with Dee Brown CEO and #HBCYou with Dee Brown CEO.

Dee has expanded his entrepreneurial brand into the fashion and lifestyle sectors as the founder of Self Made Dee Brown CEO Luxury Custom Clothing and Self Made Dee Brown CEO Sipping Tequila, a premium tequila produced, bottled, and imported from Tequila, Mexico. He also served as CEO of P3 Group Charters, Inc., a Fort Lauderdale-based yacht charter company that owned and operated 100-foot and 52-foot luxury yachts, delivering exclusive private charter experiences.

A respected thought leader in public-private partnerships and urban redevelopment, Dee has contributed articles to Forbes.com, Entrepreneur.com, Metro Magazine, and Peoria Magazine. He is a frequent speaker and media contributor and has appeared on major outlets including ABC New York, Fox DC, Fox LA, and other national and international platforms.

He is also the author of Pursuit of the Impossible Dream.

Education, memberships & service

Dee holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Memphis and an MBA from Bethel University, along with numerous professional certifications. He is a life member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. and the NAACP and a member of the Producers Guild of America, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, the International Documentary Association, and the Entrepreneur Leadership Network.

He serves on the Documentary and Nonfictional Committee of the Producers Guild of America and has served on the boards of directors for the U.S. Minority Contractors Association in the Florida, Arkansas, and Tennessee regions.

Honors & recognition

Throughout his career, Dee has received numerous national honors and recognitions. In 1999, he was named Tennessee Entrepreneur of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration. His construction company, Concrete Constructors, Inc., was ranked the 7th fastest-growing inner-city company in the nation by ICIC and Fortune magazine in 2015. The P3 Group, Inc. was recognized by the Mississippi Development Authority in 2019 as a Mississippi business success story.

Dee was selected as a member of the Forbes Real Estate Council (2020) and the Forbes Business Council (2021–2024). In 2021, he received the Congressional Black Caucus Presidential Corporate Philanthropy Award from the National Bar Association and was appointed National Advisor on Public-Private Partnerships and Urban Redevelopment to the 79th President of the National Bar Association.

In 2023, Dee received President Joseph R. Biden’s Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his professional accomplishments and community impact and was honored with the Thurgood Marshall Legacy Award from the U.S. Minority Contractors Association, the organization’s highest distinction. He received the Humanitarian Award from the Orlando Film Festival in 2024 and the Best Rate – Best in Real Estate Development Award in 2025.

Under Dee’s visionary leadership, The P3 Group continues to deliver transformative development projects that strengthen communities, expand economic opportunity, and create lasting impact nationwide.