Minority Business

MED Week 2006 highlighted by new programs and activities

Thousands of business people and future business leaders from throughout the River Region attended Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week 2006 activities Sept. 11-14 in Montgomery.

MED Week is a celebration of minority enterprise on national, regional and local levels. MED Week recognizes minority business owners and provides an opportunity for them to expand their network of business associates and obtain information and strategies needed to further develop their business. This year’s local MED Week activities were expanded to include such new events as a golf outing, blood drive, and youth entrepreneurship workshop.

U.S. Congressman Artur Davis was the featured speaker at the Chamber’s Eggs & Issues Breakfast, which kicked off MED Week activities Monday, Sept. 11 at 7:30 a.m. Congressman Davis addressed the record crowd at the RSA Activity Center regarding Montgomery’s potential for future success. He cautioned the assembled leaders to avoid focusing on racial division, and to put their energy into making the city better for everyone, in all areas.

“All great cities have to decide what it means to be great,” he told the audience. “It’s not just about your size, about numbers, but about who gets to share in the benefits.”

Davis pointed out that as Alabama’s Capital City, Montgomery sets an example, and reminded the assembly to keep that in mind. “As Montgomery goes, hasn’t Alabama always followed?” he asked. “This is a trailblazer. This is a city that sets trends. My goal is to see Montgomery and Alabama want prosperity and progress enough that we put aside all the things that divide us.”

After only three years in Congress, Alabama 7th District U.S. Representative Artur Davis already is earning recognition as a productive and effective legislator who has set a new standard of service for his constituents. Congressman Davis serves on the exclusive Financial Services Committee, with seats on three subcommittees: Capital Markets, Housing and Oversight Investigations. He also serves on the Budget Committee, which sets the annual blueprint for government spending practices.

Tuesday’s MED Week activities included a Blood Blitz Blood Drive in partnership with Clear Channel Radio and the American Red Cross at the Small Business Resource Center, and a MED Week Mixer sponsored by Cochran, Cherry, Givens and Smith at Mission House, 461 South Court Street, that evening. On Wednesday, MED Week participants enjoyed a golf outing at Montgomery’s new Gateway Park.

The local MED Week general assembly, workshops and luncheon were held Thursday, Sept. 14 at Alabama State University’s Joe L. Reed Acadome. A highlight of the morning was a special Youth Entrepreneurship program, facilitated by Dr. Robetta McKenzie, Executive Director, Augusta-Richmond County Community Partnership for Families and Children. Students from the Montgomery Public Schools’ Carver and Lanier high schools attended the workshop from 9-10:30 a.m. In addition to Dr. McKenzie, students heard from the Honorable Sam Jones, Mayor of Mobile, Ala., and Robert Smith, owner of Heritage Southern Beverages company. The speakers impressed on the young people the importance of planning for a future in business.

“You are in a position now where if you start thinking business-minded, you can succeed,” Mayor Jones told the young people. “Someone sitting here today will be one of the most successful business people in Alabama. Let that person be you.”

Mr. Smith told the students about overcoming negative attitudes to succeed. “Being successful and being in business is an attitude,” he explained. “It is easy to quit, to make an excuse not to do something, to listen to someone who tells you that you can’t do it. But it’s not where you come from, it’s where you want to go. Learn how to solve problems and create your own opportunities,” he said.

Dr. McKenzie led the students through a series of exercises to help them think about the qualities of an entrepreneur, and to recognize those qualities in themselves. She called on students in the audience and asked them to share their goals and dreams, and to identify the people that inspire them.

“You have to get yourself prepared,” Dr. McKenzie told them, “so when somebody knocks on the door and says, ‘Here’s an opportunity,’ you will be ready.”

The MED Week luncheon featured keynote speaker Ken Brown, author of From Welfare to Faring Well, and the youngest owner of McDonald’s restaurant franchises in the state of Michigan. He shared the story of growing up in poverty as one of five children born to teenage parents, who he credited with inspiring him to succeed despite the challenges the family faced.

“We lived in poverty, but never let poverty live in us. Life happens, but you don’t have to happen with it,” he said. “You can create your own path. No matter how big, mo matter how small, how radical, your dreams are possible.”

Brown’s parents emphasized education, he said, and even when the family had to go without electricity or a phone or gas, they worked to send the children to a good school so that they could get a solid educational foundation.

With the dream of one day owning his own restaurant, Brown, at the encouragement of his wife, took a job in a restaurant advertising for help, and found himself waiting tables. At first, he said, he resisted the idea of serving, because he wanted to be in management, but he realized that he had to experience all aspects of the business, and found joy in the job. One of his regular customers turned out to be an executive with McDonald’s, who spotted Brown at a job fair and, impressed by his work ethic, put him on track to own a restaurant. He recalled having to borrow $200 from his sister in order to open a commercial checking account in which to deposit $3 million – a loan co-signed by McDonald’s – to open his first restaurant franchise.

“People who don’t have a vision end up working for people who do,” he told the luncheon audience, which included students from the morning’s youth workshop. “Your vision has to be bigger than your current situation.”

MED Week 2006 activities concluded with a Business After Hours and Business Expo, held from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 14, at the ASU Acadome, which was open to MED Week conference participants, Chamber members and the public.

MED Week 2006 was sponsored by State Representative John K. Knight Jr., the City of Montgomery, Clear Channel Radio, WVAS 90.7, The Advertiser Company, Alabama Gas Corporation, Alabama Power Company, Alabama State University, Montgomery County Commission, Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama, Mercedes Benz, Aliant Bank, Autauga Water Bottling Company, AUM University Outreach, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama, Colonial Bank, GE Advanced Materials-Plastics, Jenilyn’s Creations, Sterling Bank, We Finance Auto Sales, and Thomas Construction.

For more information about the Chamber’s Minority Business Development initiative, contact Marion Winn at 334-240-6899.

MED Week 2005 Recap!

The 2005 MED Week conference, held Sept. 21, drew a full house for its luncheon event, which featured keynote speaker Milton Davis, an attorney who played a pivotal role in the Civil Rights movement, and a special guest appearance by International Recording Artist Lionel Richie. The theme of the MED Week conference was The Art of the Deal: Making it Happen, and other conference activities on Wednesday included an open forum and panel discussion, as well as smaller group workshops.

Davis spoke on the theme of Emotional Intelligence and how empathy is a component of leadership. “Emotional intelligence is a social skill, and it is not as simple as it sounds,” Davis told the rapt audience. “It is not just a matter of friendliness. It’s friendliness with a purpose - to move people in the direction that you want them to go.”

He emphasized the value of empathy as a tool that allows business leaders to work effectively as part of a global community by giving them a deep understanding of cultural and ethnic difference, and how to embrace them. Empathy, he said, helps leaders to build a strong network that supports them in their success, and which allows them to remain optimistic even in the face of setback or failure.

Richie expressed his excitement with the opportunities in Montgomery and Alabama, and his desire to help young people succeed. He said that he would like to use his academic background - degrees in Accounting and Finance from Tuskegee University and Auburn University - to create a type of internship program for students preparing to enter the workforce.

“There are kids coming out of school, and they have the degree, but they don’t know how to ‘deal,’” he said. “I’d like to establish a kind of bridge between corporate America and schools, a kind of intern program, that allows students to gain experience and also allows companies to see what kind of new talent is available.”

Richie also expressed an interest in dealing with younger students as well, at the high school level. “There’s so much talent. We’ve got to find a way to reach them earlier and motivate them and really get them going,” he said. “We’ve got to set a model for them early and show them an opening, an opportunity. Let them visit the future. If you can educate your workforce, you’ve got magic. They will change a city, change a state, change this nation.”

Richie said he is interested in returning to Alabama, where he grew up in Tuskegee, to look for corporate partners in his new venture. “Now that I’m an elderly statesman in the music business,” he said with a chuckle, “I’m interested in exploring that opportunity.” Creating a mentoring program appeals to him because it allows him to be personally involved with creating the future, he said.

“I want to teach, as well as be a fulltime businessman. Teaching is so rewarding, because these kids will come back and surprise you with what they can do,” Richie said.

MED Week is a celebration of minority enterprise. The Chamber believes that entrepreneurial diversity is key to the long-term success of Montgomery and the River Region. The Chamber’s Minority Business Development initiatives work to promote activities and relationships, in both the public and private sectors, to increase business ownership, market, education and training opportunities for minority-owned businesses. Minority Business Development is a critical component of Small Business Development and part of the Chamber’s Small Business Incubator.

MED Week 2005 concluded Sept. 22 with a Business After Hours and Business Expo from 5-8 p.m. at Embassy Suites Hotel & Conference Center.

For more information about MED Week or the Chamber’s minority business development programs, contact Marion Winn at 334-240-6899 or email mwinn@montgomerychamber.com.