Len Forkas

Len Forkas is an, entrepreneur, author, inspirational speaker, athlete and benefactor. He is the founder of Milestone Communications, a Virginia-based company that develops, owns and manages wireless communication towers. He has 25 years experience as an investor and developer of commercial and residential real estate in the Washington DC region. He is a past trustee and member of the board of directors for the Urban Land Institute and the Greater Washington YMCA. In addition, Forkas founded Hopecam, Inc., a nonprofit organization that helps children with cancer overcome social isolation. Forkas has also competed in five Ironman Triathlon events, mountain bike, over 20 ultra-marathon and ultra-cycling competitions and successfully completed the 2012 3,000 mile Race Across America. In 2013 he hiked to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro with his college age son Matthew, a cancer survivor. In June 2014 he published the book and was featured on WJLA-TV ABC, WTTG Fox 5, Fox & Friends and CNN Anderson Cooper 360°.
Career
Early career
After graduating from the College of Architecture and Planning at Ball State University, Forkas attended American University where he earned his Master of Business Administration from Kogod School of Business in 1987. During this time, Forkas worked at Oxford Development Company as an Associate Developer, developing multi-family rental apartments and assisted living communities.
Forkas held management positions at Weyerhaeuser Company and at Bank of America as Vice President of the Special Assets Division where he managed disposition of distressed real estate assets.
In 1996, Forkas founded Milestone Communities, Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based real estate development company. Milestone Communities, Inc. developed commercial and residential real estate projects in both the United States and Canada.
2000-Present
In 2001, Forkas founded Milestone Communications, Inc., where he currently serves as the president and CEO. Milestone Communications, a Virginia-based developer of wireless infrastructure, works with local governments, public school districts and public utilities to develop and build wireless towers on public properties.
Charity work
Founding of Hopecam, Inc
In 2002, Forkas’ nine-year-old son, Matt, was diagnosed with Leukemia. Forkas describes that day as “the worst day of life.” () During treatment, Matt was homebound which often left him feeling lonely and disconnected from his friends. To help ease the social isolation, Forkas arranged a webcam connection with his son’s classroom, allowing Matt to stay connected with his friends while he was out of school.
Forkas was inspired by his son’s own plight and in 2003 founded Hopecam, Inc. to help children with cancer stay connected with their friends and family. To date, Hopecam has connected over 1,000 children to over 10,000 classmates in 46 states and worldwide.
Race Across America
To raise money and awareness for Hopecam, Forkas competed in the 2012 Race Across America, a 3,000 mile race across the continental United States. As a solo rider, he had to finish the race in 12 days, requiring him to ride between 250 and 350 miles a day. An 11-member, all-volunteer team helped him complete the race in 11 days, 4 hours, and 47 minutes. Of the original 46 solo competitors, Forkas was one of the 28 riders to finish the race. He placed tenth overall and first in his division.

Forkas’ original goal was to raise $150,000 but through various personal and corporate donations and sponsorships, he was able to raise over $300,000 for Hopecam, allowing the charity to expand nationwide. On June 13th, 2017 Forkas will compete in Race Across America with the goal of raising $1 million to help support even more children.
Publications
Forkas’ debut memoir, What Spins the Wheel: Leadership Lessons From Our Race For Hope (2014), is based on the challenges that he faced, competing in Race Across America, “the toughest bike race in the world.” The memoir tells Forkas’ story, from California and the scorching heat of the desert to the joint-wrenching cold of the mountains and across the finish line in Maryland.
All proceeds from the book will benefit Hopecam, Inc.

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu