A Quiet Resolve

Shesi Xie, Owner & Managing Partner, SXM Strategies

Meet the self-described introvert behind the 2021 Social Infrastructure Deal of the Year.

Even in this digital age you can’t underestimate the power of a check-mark, firmly made the old-fashioned way with pencil or pen on paper. When Shesi Xie gets to put one next to an item on her list, the adrenaline rush and satisfaction are real because she knows she is one task closer to achieving her day’s plans.

When asked what centers her, she replied with alacrity: “Organization. My daily checklist and to-do list. I get nervous if the checklist isn’t checked or if items are carried over to the next day.” It’s this discipline and fastidiousness that have gotten her to where she is today.

Working from an office space she intentionally purchased right down the street from her daughter’s school in New York City, Shesi is the owner and managing partner of SXM Strategies, an independent financial and strategic advisory firm that she founded three-and-a-half years ago. SXM specializes in programmatic and transaction advice for public and private sector entities on large scale transportation and other infrastructure-related capital projects, including airports, social infrastructure, higher education, and real estate assets.

Prince George’s County Public Schools in Maryland is utilizing a Public Private Partnership (P3) design, build, finance, and maintenance model to deliver six new public schools by 2023. PGCPS is the first jurisdiction in the nation to utilize this P3 method to bundle the construction and maintenance of a group of public schools.

“It’s not just a business. It’s about trying to do good,” she emphasized. “As a financial advisor, I get to incorporate small DBEs (Disadvantaged Business Enterprises) and MWBEs (Minority/Women-Owned Business Enterprises) into local projects happening in their communities.”

Shesi is most proud of serving as the financial advisor on the Prince George’s County Public Schools P3 Project in Maryland. Called “Blueprint Schools,” the project won the 2021 Social Infrastructure Deal of the Year and Best Deal in North America, Editor’s Choice by infrastructure finance industry leader IJGlobal.

The K-12 school district is the first in the nation to partner with the private sector to build six schools. The project will help alleviate overcrowding by 2023, improve neighboring property values, engage the local construction market, and create jobs. According to Facility Executive, approximately $174 million in savings is expected in deferred maintenance and construction costs, compared to a traditional construction procurement model.

Simply put: this is smart business and smart infrastructure.

And Shesi, a relatively new entrepreneur and a mother of two young children, is at the heart of it all. “There is no perfect image of a mom; there is no perfect image of a business owner. Doing what you personally think is meaningful is what will motivate you to get up in the morning and do it again. It’s not a fairy tale; it’s messy sometimes. But if you’re passionate, you find a way to integrate it all into your life.”

Her biggest challenge has been her introversion. She doesn’t prefer speaking or presenting. But she pushes herself to do better. “The minute I stop being out of my comfort zone is the minute I feel something is missing. I started this business, in part, to push myself out of that comfort zone. It has been a source of personal pride and professional growth. No one will do it for you. It’s all about action.”

Check.