BRIGHT CENTER is a 38,000 square feet creative office building located at the heart of Winchester on the historic walking mall.  Bought in 2005 by Marilyn Finnemore and Aldo Bello, it has been consciously renovated to be a creative, colorful, collaborative space that attracts the kinds of bright, innovative minds that will make Old Town Winchester thrive.  We have attracted many of those bright minds and are actively seeking others to join us.

“The innovative cities of the coming age will develop a creative union of technology, art, and civics.”  — Sir Peter Hall

MARILYN E. FINNEMORE is the owner and mastermind behind Bright Center.  Because of her strong passion for revitalizing downtowns, Marilyn consciously renovated Bright Center, as she did another office building in DelRay, Alexandria, to be a place where the creative class can collaborate, innovate and thrive.  She has become a voice in the field of Place and Placemaking through her blog, The Importance of Place (www.theimportanceofplace.com).

As a member of the Old Town Development Board since 2008, she has helped establish a vision for Old Town Winchester as the vital, humming center of Frederick County and Winchester City, and has worked consistently to help make this vision a reality.  Additionally, she spearheaded the development of Bright Cowork (www.brightcowork.com) as well as Old Town’s Web 2.0 site www.oldtownwinchesterva.com.

Marilyn is also CEO of Mind & Media (www.mindandmedia.com) , a creative media firm she established in 1994 with her husband, Aldo Bello.  Developing public information, training, and branding campaigns for their Federal government clients, Mind & Media has won 195 awards for creative excellence.

Marilyn holds a Doctorate of Arts in English from Idaho State University with a focus in pedagogy and rhetoric.  She also holds a Masters in English and a Bachelors in Finance from Virginia Tech.