Last month, we came across an app called Around the Way, which lists Black-owned businesses nationwide. The app is available in both iOS and Android platforms. All a user has to do to find businesses near them is enter their zip code, or press the ‘Use Current’ button, which automatically finds your location. The app also connects to your phone’s mapping function to give you step-by-step directions to you Black-owned destination. “The goal of Around the Way is to take these businesses from Main Street to mainstream,” explains Around the Way CEO Janine Hasif on her about.me profile. “Mobile technology is the wave of the future. It’s important for Black-owned businesses to remain relevant and competitive in today’s economy.”

We agree. And one way to remain relevant is to get your business listed on the app. You can do that by filling out a form on their website under the ‘Add Your Black Owned Business’ tab, or within the app itself. Their listings include businesses from a variety of fields. Banks, medical offices, and restaurants are among them. Around the Way users also have the ability to share their findings with their friends via Facebook, Twitter, or email. That sounds like free publicity to us!

What are you waiting for? Download the app, and get listed today!

Do you have any apps that you use to help with your business needs? Leave us a comment below!

During the middle, or end, of every month, we will be posting about events that Chambers are having up and down the state. Hopefully, you can check them out and make some connections along the way.

Here’s our first installment!

Friday, May 17^th, 2013 – Business Conference and Madame C.J. Walker Luncheon by the Moreno Valley Black Chamber of Commerce

Time: 9AM-4PM

Location: Canyon Crest Country Club, 975 Country Club Drive, Riverside, CA 92506

At their Small Business Conference/Expo, you can recycle your green dollars with small businesses, gain some knowledge, and build your network. They will be offering seminars on a variety of topics including: being the meat and potato of your community, financial literacy, and how nonprofit organizations can increase employment. You will also be able to congratulate award recipients at the luncheon and hear the renowned speaker at 1:30 PM!

A $65 fee for members and a $75 fee for non-members grants access to the daylong conference, including breakfast, materials, seminars & awards luncheon.

If you’d like to be a vendor, call their office at (951) 443-0226 for an exhibit application. If you have questions or would like more information, check their website, call the above number, or send an email to mvblkchamber04@gmail.com.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013 – Community Diversity Day Summit & Business EXPO by the Regional Black Chamber of Commerce

Time: 9AM-Until

Location: Beverly Garland’s Holiday Inn Hotel, 4222 Vineland Avenue, North Hollywood, CA 91602

The summit is a daylong event filled with informative business workshops meant to educate RBCC members and other local supporters on how to grow their business, through access to capital, use of resources, business certification, procurement/contracts and so much more through hands on interaction with industry and government leaders.

In addition to the summit, RBCC will be providing workshops throughout June and July on topics such as credit building and developing leads. To learn more, contact them by email at events[at]regionalblackchambersfv[dot]info or call them at (818) 464-3484.

If you are a part of a Black Chamber of Commerce in California and would like for your events to be included in future blog posts, like us on Facebook and send us a message there!

For just under half a decade, we have honored leaders in our community at our annual African American Leadership Conference, a three-day forum of national, social, political, and economic leaders joining together to explore the state of the African American community. The outcome of the conference includes connections, solutions, and a deeper knowledge of the work that is being done by leaders in our state, and nation. Since 2010, we’ve acknowledged the work of over fifteen folks who have proven they are phenomenal leaders. Check them out below.

2010 Recipients

Gwen Moore, GEM Communications

This year, we continue the tradition at the 2013 African American Leadership – Economic Issues Forum. Our President, Aubrey Stone had a few words to add:

The California Black Chamber Foundation began their Leaders & Legends awards in 2010 at the African American Leadership Weekend Program. We are proud to continue this tradition because it allows CBCC Foundation the opportunity to recognize individuals throughout the state of California who have rendered unselfish service to make California a better place for all its citizens. All of the past and present award recipients have accomplished tremendous deeds in the face of opposition. That is why we are excited and privileged to recognize the following two individuals in 2013, Pastor Williams and Deborah Robertson.

During our Leaders and Legends Luncheon on April 26, 2013, we will honor living legends Dr. Ephraim Williams and Mayor Deborah Robertson.

In 1971, Dr. Williams began leading the congregation at St. Paul Baptist Church in Sacramento, California. Since then, his church has grown fifty fold with over 5,000 members. He is being recognized for his commitment to building on the faith of his church home and consistently striving for economic development in his community.

City of Rialto Mayor Deborah Robertson oversees an ethnically diverse community and is one of the few African American mayors in California. During her time as a government leader, she has been committed to providing residents with business opportunities as applied policy.

We hope you’ll join us next Friday in honoring the work of Dr. Williams and Mayor Robertson as they continue to improve their respective communities, and our community as a whole.

The reception gave individuals and small business owners a relaxed forum in which to meet lawmakers and to build and re-establish business relationships related to critical legislature that will affect the economic well being of minority and African American communities across the state of California.

It also gave the CBCC a platform to publicly recognize those elected officials and business leaders who have performed meritorious service. Such leaders recognized are incoming and outgoing Legislative Black Caucus Chairs, Assemblymember Holly Mitchell and Senator Curren Price, PUC Commissioner Carla Peterman and Timothy Simon.

The Policy Luncheon was held the next day at 11:30 am at the Sheraton. The luncheon offered an opportunity to converse with government and community leaders to discuss the political climate of our state and address the real issues of small minority businesses and underserved communities. This year’s luncheon ‘s keynote speaker was California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones.

For more information go to calbcc.org/leg_registration.php to RSVP or call us at (916) 463-0177.

“In light of the state’s new building retrofit requirements, how can minority entrepreneurs get involved and secure contracts with the state?” Stone, president and CEO of the California Black Chamber of Commerce (CBCC) asked members of the panel organized to discuss clean energy contract opportunities with California government.

Saturday ended a three-day summit focusing on small business opportunities, wealth-building strategies, how to secure contracts on the pending high speed rail projects, green and sustainable living business opportunities, business branding and youth entrepreneurs scholarships and workshops.

More than five hundred African American business entrepreneurs and community leaders from throughout California joined the Chamber for its annual Ron Brown Business and Economic Summit at the Double Tree Hotel here.

Stone expressed his pleasure in sharing critical economic development strategies with high profile leaders and future minority business leaders, “Magic Johnson kicked off the summit by encouraging our youth to work hard for success and we were pleased to give more than $20,000 in scholarships to college-bound students that have already shown exemplary progress in their education experience.”

During the youth workshop version of the summit CBCC board member Tara Lynn Gray led the youth in a critical thinking, mock business ownership exercise.  Students broke off into groups to determine an appropriate business enterprise to determine which group developed the best business plan within a 20 minute time frame.

Olympic gold medalist and former woman’s professional basketball all-star Ruthie Bolton concluded the youth summit with her inspirational tale of overcoming obstacles.She shared with the youth, “I have 19 siblings and wasn’t supposed to be the basketball star.  My sister was slated to go farther than me.  I was injured in 1992 and was unable to play in the Olympics. But I never gave up and returned in 1996 to win a gold medal in the Olympics.”

The summit continued with additional strategies to assist growing business looking for larger opportunities.

California’s pending high speed rail was featured as a workshop to inform participants of the $6 billion worth of opportunities for businesses ready to work towards securing these lucrative contracts.

“If you’re tough enough,” warned former Santa Clara County

Supervisor Rod Diridon. “Bids are being developed now.  The governor signed the legislation to spend the money to begin building the project. It will be complete in multiple phases starting next year and ending in 2029.”

The high speed rail panelists all confirmed the bullet train will consist of more than 800 miles of rail, running at 220 mph on 100 percent clean electric power.

The summit included strategic dialogue on business growth strategies around insurance, bonding, certification, contract compliance, wealth building, business matchmaking, procurement and networking among other small business opportunities.

The summit ended with an electrifying performance by the legendary soul band Confunkshun. The group dazzled the crowd, decked out in formal black attire, as they stepped through the night reminiscing on three days of self-attained business opportunities.

With a beaming smile Stone said, “I’m just happy to know these entrepreneurs, our members and our family, received such valuable information this weekend.  It certainly gives them an advantage and a leg up on the competition. I am proud to lead the chamber as we continue to equip our members with the necessary tools to build and grow their business enterprise.”

A staunch consumer activist, Anderson’s speech so inspired the dapper-dressed breakfast participants at the 2012 Ron Brown Business and Economic Summit that chatter and acknowledgement continued throughout the remainder of the day and into all the other workshops, luncheon and plenary sessions.

A Chicagoland resident, her call to encourage African Americans to support African American businesses so inspired former San Jose Supervisor Rod Diridon, Sr., an Italian-American to compare his community’s efforts toward self-sufficiency.   “It used to be in the Italian community,” he explained, “If you were an Italian and did not buy from Italian businesses you ended up dead.”

In all seriousness, the lack of support by African Americans of black-owned businesses continues to result in the death of these small, struggling enterprises.

Anderson’s tale of working with her family to spend one full year (2009) engaged in a social experiment to reinvest in the black community and buy from only black-owned businesses, ends with the sad truth of death to the majority of black businesses she patronized during that one-year period.

Anderson didn’t kill these businesses.  They closed shop because more African Americans didn’t provide the support necessary for them to survive.

“We (Anderson’s family) focus on uplifting Black businesses and empowering the Black community.” Anderson told more than 100 Summit participants, “This community suffers disproportionately economically because it does not engage in self-help economics – like everyone else. Due to this problem, Black businesses do not get the same level of support as other minority-owned businesses.”

Her speech was most appropriate during the California Black Chamber of Commerce’s annual business and economic summit, organized to provide support in the form of education, networking and direct access to resources.

CBCC President, Aubry Stone emphasizes self-help and support of quality black-owned business enterprise. “It is imperative that we seek out black-owned businesses to support ourselves.” He added, “Every other community but us keep a majority of its dollars in its own community.  Why not us?”

That question continued to be debated throughout the remainder of the three-day Summit.

Financial Manager, AubryCurrington of Merrill Lynch said, “It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.  If we don’t support black businesses then they will no longer exist.”

Since her one-year experiment, Anderson continues to tour the country telling her story and posting her experience on the internet at www.eefortomorrow.com/EE_Home.html, for the sole purpose of avoiding black business demise by lack of support among her own ethnic community.

This year, the nation-wide Chamber  had its second annual USBC School of Chamber Management. Over the course of three days, Chamber leaders and business owners from coast to coast came together to learn, network, and grow together.

CBCC President and CEO Mr. Aubry L. Stone was in attendance and would like to share his experience with you.

On Thursday morning, two events helped kick off the weekend-long event. The CBCC Foundation Youth Scholarship Classic, which took place at the Riverwalk Golf Club, was a space for Chamber members, supporters, and sponsors to enjoy time together and swing their golf clubs. Down the road, other Chamber affiliates joined together for the annual Youth Entrepreneur Summit. This portion of the conference is aimed at equipping youth with the tools necessary to become entrepreneurs so that they have more options in their futures. This year, Tara Lynn Gray, President and CEO of Yadari Enterprises, facilitated the summit as she has for over 15 years. Joining her were Fred L. Moore, Patrice Baker, and Earvin “Magic” Johnson. Toward the end of the summit, youth participated in a business plan competition, in which Johnson offered guidance and advice. The youth enjoyed their interactions with seasoned business people and were excited by their broadened horizons by the day’s end. Following the summit, twenty youth were awarded scholarships for their upcoming school year at the Chairman’s Scholarship Luncheon.

President of the Central San Diego Black Chamber Michael Allen welcomed conference attendees during the Welcome Reception on Thursday evening. The reception that was meant to allow people to get acquainted was filled with laughs, delicious hors d’oeuvres, and beautiful music, provided by KDEE 97.5 FM, the Chamber-owned radio station.

The following day, Maggie Anderson, Author of “Our Black Year” and President and CEO of The Empowerment Experiment, opened the second day of the conference with a talk on how to create community wealth. While attendees enjoyed a Power Breakfast, she spoke about how she and her family spent a year buying from only Black-owned businesses. The Anderson’s learned a lot about Black buying power in America. During breakfast, she encouraged people to think about where their money is going and make more informed decisions. If Black Americans supported more Black businesses, more of them would still be opened and in the black. Did you know Hennessey makes about half of their profit from Black Americans? Imagine if Hennessey was Black-owned. That would mean Black money being recycled back into the community, instead of recycled out.

Throughout the weekend, vendors including our sponsors and local businesses were available to speak to attendees about their products. Some even sold their good on site! Following the opening of the exhibitor pavilion, summit attendees took part in one of two workshops: How to Create A Big Brand That Earns You Big Money with Gerry Foster or Socialize & Vibe: Using Mobility to Thrive with Tara Lynn Gray and Kristene Smith.

Shortly after, business owners met with corporation representatives for Face-to-Face Small Business Matching. This was followed by the end of the day wrap up during the Cool Breeze Summer Raffle Party, which was sponsored by the CBCC Council of Chambers.

Saturday’s Power Breakfast was presided over by Raynard Jackson, political consultant and President and CEO of Raynard Jackson & Associates, LLC. His talk ranged from his thoughts on the upcoming election to how business owners can help and benefit from expanding their work to Africa. Like the previous day, attendees were able to choose between two workshops. This time, they had the choice to join Leonard Robinson, Chair of the CBCC Environment & Energy Committee in the Green Economy & CPUC panel. Or they would take part in the Innovations In Capital Access with Sharon Evans, President and CEO of Business Resource Group.

The workshop sessions preceded the Town Hall Luncheon about The Cost of an Overweight and Unhealthy Workforce to Employers and the State. The discussion was derived from a HBO Documentary called “The Weight of the Nation.” Toward the end of the meal, CBCC passed out The Small Business Health Initiative Toolkit. The kit included guides to building healthy eating habits, incorporating exercise into your workday, managing stress, and putting an end to smoking. Inside the kit, attendees were also given a workout playlist, compiled by KDEE 97.5 FM.

To end the conference, CBCC members, supporters, and sponsors joined together for one last time at the Ron Brown Memorial Banquet & Gala Concert. Businesses were recognized for their works and commitment to their communities over the last year over dinner. Music was provided by KDEE and ConFunkShun performed before the After Banquet Soiree began.

The conference ended on a great note. We would like to thank everyone in attendance for taking time to fellowship with us, and learn how to improve your business. Next year, there will be all this and more at the 2013 Ron Brown Commerce Summit & Gala, in conjunction with the Fresno Metro Black Chamber of Commerce.

Photos from this year’s conference will be posted soon!

The conference started off with the Youth Entrepreneur Summit. It was a great day for young entrepreneurs and future leaders in San Diego, in which a lot of gold in the form of knowledge was earned. Yesterday at the Youth Entrepreneur Summit in San Diego, Yadari Enterprises President & CEO Tara Lynn Gray facilitated the main session with Earvin “Magic” Johnson delivering the Keynote Address. Johnson is a retired Los Angeles Laker and Olympic Gold Medalist with the first “Dream Team”. Since his retirement, Johnson has used his wealth and star status to become one of the most prominent business people in the last decade.

Throughout the Thursday morning and afternoon, youth were able to learn about the ins and outs of creating a business and were met with positive words from seasoned entrepreneurs. Patrice Baker, founder of Patrice Baker Enterprise and author of “Life Ain’t Nice, Get Over It”, delivered the first presentation of the event. The speaker and trainer told summit attendees about the importance of bouncing back after falling down. After all, one must overcome failure before achieving success. San Diego Urban League Project Manager Fred L. Moore also spoke to the youth. His message was simple. He believes that if we as a people survive and prevail, it will be because we have taught our children well.

Events like the Youth Entrepreneur Summit are an avenue in which we can achieve this. The annual summit is aimed at creating the next generation of entrepreneurs by connecting them with seasoned business leadership. Youth ages 14-25 hear from dynamic speakers, participate in a business plan competition, and network with each other before lunch. The 2012 Youth Summit was more specifically geared toward providing insight and exposure to the 3 Ps – People, Profit, and Planet, as well as plant the seeds for innovation and economic development on the part of young entrepreneurs.

With the basics of business planning fresh in their brains, youth spent about an hour creating a business plan for their chance to use their newly learned knowledge. Coaches Fred Moore, Patrice Baker, Ken Ashford, Al Darnell, Jr., Nasara Gargonnu, Erica Noble, and Marne Foster assisted them. The competition was judged by Linda Wright, Edwin Lombard, and Mr. Woolridge. The winning group received Android tablets. This was their gold for the afternoon. During the luncheon, scholarship recipients were awarded. More gold!

There is a lot more to come on Friday and Saturday beginning with keynote from Maggie Anderson, author of “Our Black Year” and founder and CEO of the Empowerment Experiment and the Empoerment Experiement Foundation, at our Power Breakfast. If you are not in attendance this year, check out footage from her talk on our youtube channel, CBCC TV. Subscribe now for direct updates.

Leonard Robinson hosts a weekly talk radio show called “Going Green With EnviroBro” that broadcast on Sacramento radio station KDEE 97.7FM and streams world-wide on the internet at www.kdeefm.org (click on listen live). His show is the only “green” radio show on an urban radio station in the nation. Every week, he is joined by the movers and shakers in the environmental world.  He is dedicated to providing his listeners with the opportunities and challenges of the “green economy” information that will affect them; their families and their pocketbook.  Prior to “Going Green” he was a daily radio talk show host on radio station KTIE 590AM in Riverside and San Bernardino.

He was appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2004 to work for the Cal/EPA Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTS).  He is the highest-ranking African American at Cal/EPA first serving as Chief Deputy Director and later as Federal Liaison.  The mission of DTSC is to protect human health and the environment.  While at DTSC he was the chief architect of the California Take It Back! Partnership. The Partnership is a state-wide awareness campaign to encourage California residents to avoid putting household hazardous waste (i.e. fluorescent lights; batteries) in the trash. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Robinson was the Environmental/Safety Manager at TAMCO Steel.  Located in Rancho Cucamonga, it is California’s only steel mill.  While at TAMCO Steel, Mr. Robinson started a program that recycled used oil filters into steel reinforcing bar (rebar) for use in the construction industry.  Another recycling program started by him was named “Project Isaiah”, a program where confiscated firearms delivered by southern California law enforcement agencies were melted and also recycled into rebar.   An informal poll revealed that he had the toughest environmental job in California.

Stephanie Green has been with the California Public Utilities Commission for four years. She comes to the CPUC from the private sector. She has an extensive communications background. She has worked at AT&T both in the Consumer Long Distance and Wireless Divisions. In addition, she spent time at SBC (previously Ameritech and Pacific Bell) in their consumer local service division. Her responsibilities included product management, business development, and marketing. She also worked as a strategy and policy consultant for KPMG specializing in the energy and communications area. She rounded out her background with positions at an internet music start-up (LicenseMusic.com) and with a multimedia firm (Taste TV) specializing in food and lifestyle programming. She holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Northwestern University and she is an active member of the community and she sits on the board of the League of Women Voters. In her spare time she enjoys traveling, horse back riding and is an avid bicyclist.

Leonard Robinson & Stephanie Green are presenting “Green Economy & Working with the CPUC” on Saturday morning from 9:30am – 11:30am.