Brooklyn native Paul Prager has been a major driver in revitalizing Easton, turning it into a high-end lifestyle and dining destination. This week Prager and Maryland Governor Wes Moore were on hand as the town honored its first responders. Delmarva Public Media's Kevin Diaz was there and reflected on Prager's legacy.
Gov. Wes Moore:
Thank you so much everybody. Good morning. Good morning, Paul. Thank you so much for the leadership, for your consistent support for you and Joanne and the entire family for the consistent support for our first responders.
Kevin Diaz:
That was Governor West Moore, praising millionaire businessman Paul Prageryesterday at the sixth annual first responder celebration in downtown Easton. The occasion? Prager was giving away $60,000 worth of gift cards to Maryland first responders.
Gov. Moore:
I do want to thank you and Blue Point Hospitality for not just the consistency, but for that today is the sixth annual first responder celebration, [and] you're absolutely right for supporting those who are our best, Maryland's best. The ones who know that when their phone rings, they're never about to get good news.
Kevin Diaz:
Thanking first responders has become an annual ritual in Easton since 2021, when the pandemic raised the stakes for police, firefighters, and emergency medical service workers whose duties require them to be out in the community, especially during COVID-19. Prager called the giveaway a token of his gratitude for those who unconditionally render aid during vulnerable times.
Paul Prager:
First responders are the people who answer the call at all hours in all conditions, often with very little recognition, and they do it because they care deeply about the people and community they serve. Whether it's along the Chesapeake Bay, some rural road, or right here in town. Talbot County's first responders represent professionalism, courage, and an incredible sense of duty.
Kevin Diaz:
With that, Prager would be distributing gift cards to more than 600 first responders. That's state troopers, sheriffs and police officers, EMS workers and Talbot County Volunteer Firefighters. Each card comes in the name of Blue Point Hospitality, a collection of 14 properties spread across Easton's. Historic red brick downtown. That includes Bar Rouge, an elegant, Viennese inspired restaurant with a world-class wine list, a single malt scotch bar, a shop selling fine crystal, silver and porcelain, and the reopened Washington Street Pub, which is always a fixture in downtown Easton.
As Prager built up his food and drink empire, he also bankrolled a long roster of civic causes, from Little League and Talbot Hospice to the University of Maryland Shore Regional Health Golf Classic, the Chesapeake Film Festival, For All Seasons, Flags for Heroes, Talbot County schools and more.
Blue Point Hospitality has made Prager one of the town's biggest employers, sometimes earning him, the moniker ‘Mayor of Easton.’ And his philanthropic sense goes with that. After all, this is a community where he wants to live, eat, and play.
Paul Prager:
Over the many years that we've been in Talbot County, one thing has become very clear to me. People here understand service. They understand sacrifice, and most of all, the community understands what it means to show up for your neighbors when they need you most.
Kevin Diaz:
A native New Yorker, Prager says he first fell in love with Eastern Shore during his years at the Naval Academy. After founding Beowulf, a New York energy and infrastructure company, he returned to build a retreat for his family in Easton. Since then, he's also found a TeraWulf, a Bitcoin mining company. His net worth is now estimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars. So on Thursday, as on many other days, historic town of Easton seemed delighted to share in that abundance. Here is former Easton Mayor, Bob Willie:
Former Mayor Bob Willie:
Jumped right in and he's helped all the groups that I know of in Talbot County and in the town of Easton. He's been very generous with his money and he's been a good citizen.
Kevin Diaz:
For Delmarva Public Media, this is Kevin Diaz in Easton, Maryland.
