Drafting Partners is run by Annie Arnest out of her office in Virginia. Established in 2024, she utilizes her connections near and far to support brand development and creative projects.

FORMAL & INFORMAL EDUCATION
Annie was raised by the river in Kinsale, Virginia - usually barefoot, diving into adventures with her brothers. With a strong interest in projects, history and the built environment from an early age, she attended the Architecture School at the University of Virginia, focusing on Architectural History and Historic Preservation.

Following college she worked as a graphic designer before joining an international retail real estate firm, The McDevitt Company, based in Philadelphia, PA. Working at McDevitt allowed her to take part in the real estate world in a number of roles – first as a project manager, later as Director of Operations, and eventually moving to New York City to open a new office for the company.

Annie has traveled extensively both in the US and abroad scouting retail locations for brands like Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, and Carhartt and identifying emerging neighborhoods for investment. She has experience in marketing, site selection, deal negotiation, operations, and management.

She returned to Kinsale in 2019, taking a job as a Community Revitalization Specialist with the State of Virginia, helping to funnel funding and assistance to neighborhoods in need across Virginia, while spending time with her grandmother in her final years. In 2020 the marina in town that her grandparents had started and sold many decades before went on the market and it’s been Annie’s biggest project since.

RECENT PROJECTS
Annie established The Slips at the old marina property in 2020, guiding it through a massive renovation and rebranding. A year later she founded the Yeocomico Club, a non-profit club based at the marina that hosts educational, recreational, and social events throughout the year while promoting waterfront access and activities. Most recently she’s formed the Kinsale Waterfront Fund to further the educational and charitable initiatives of the club.

Along with these community based projects, sailing camps and marina operations, Annie takes on consulting assignments with non-profits, real estate development companies, and small business owners to help build their brands, tell their stories, and advance their projects.