Born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA, Whitner is the middle child between two brothers. He graduated from West Mifflin High School in 1997 and continued his college education at Edinboro University where he graduated in 2003 with Honors (Cum Laude) in Business Administration.
Shortly after graduation, Whitner ventured into the real estate industry and focuses on providing housing in the Pittsburgh, PA region. As of 2021, He owns and operates over 75 individual housing units for low income families.
In 2005, Whitner continued his entrepreneurial endeavors to create a fashion and sneaker boutique based in Charlotte, NC. Since then, the retail business has grown to 23 locations, along with multiple retail concept spaces that will include a boutique hotel, restaurant and cafe concepts. Currently, the company employs over 200 people across 13 cities in the U.S.
Whitner also owns and operates the Whitaker Group which acts as the consulting, creative and design arm for the retail business and other entrepreneurial endeavors. It is responsible for design, build-outs, strategy and marketing for all retail experience concepts including A Ma Maniere, Social Status, APB, Prosper, A Ma Maniere “Living”, A Ma Maniere Eats and beSocial.
These world-class experiential concepts continue to break new ground in the dynamic retail space complementing the Whitaker Group’s unique and powerful voice in the industry are partnerships with NIKE and Jordan Brand, bringing to life award-winning collaborative projects grounded in forward-thinking design, impactful storytelling and continuing a shared commitment to a legacy of greatness of excellence.
In his free time, Whitner enjoys spending time with his children Jaiden and Trey. He is also passionate about giving back to the community and helping underprivileged children by investing time and resources in the Whitaker Project non-profit organization with an ever-expanding retail network, Whitner and the Whitaker Group remain focused on making community impact an integral part of its mandate, particularly for underserved black and brown communities.