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Friday Night Town Hall: The Multi-Millionaire Next Door
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We will discuss the path to entrepreneurship with some of the nation’s most successful African-American entrepreneurs. Hear the amazing stories of how these professionals started businesses in industries that others have often overlooked and turned them into multi-million dollar international enterprises.
Panelists Include:
- Harold Mills- CEO of ZeroChaos, a leading international information technology staffing and human resources outsourcing firm. ZeroChaos posted over $300 million dollars in revenue last year and was recognized as #14 on Black Enterprise’s 2007 list of Top 100 Industrial/Services companies.
- Carl Highsmith- CEO of the Specialized Packaging Group. SPG is a leader in paperboard packaging design, engineering and manufacturing. SPG is among the top ten folding carton converters in North America. This $135 million top-line company was recognized as #33 on Black Enterprise’s 2007 list of Top 100 Industrial/Services companies.
- C.H. James- CEO of C.H. James & Company, a 125 year old multi-million dollar international wholesale food distribution, food processing, produce distribution and quick service restaurant operations firm. C.H James & Company is often considered one of the nations oldest African-American firms still in operation and was recognized as one of Black Enterprise’s 2007 Top 100 Industrial/Services companies.
Moderator: Ron Mitchell, CEO & Co-Founder of CareerCore, Inc.
Ronald P. Mitchell is the CEO & Co-Founder of CareerCore, Inc. CareerCore provides career management technology and services to consumers, institutions and corporations. Ron has been featured in the mainstream and business media for his success in the area of career preparation services including BusinessWeek Magazine, CNBC, BusinessWeek TV, Harvard Business School Bulletin and the New York Post. He is also a regular speaker at major corporations and leading universities.
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10:00AM: The Billion Dollar Remix
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Do you want to be inspired? Meet the CEOs of America's Most Successful Black-Owned Financial Institutions. This action packed discussion will certainly deliver great insights on what it takes to rise through the ranks of finance and to obtain the top positions at large investment firms. Attendees will be empowered with tangible advice and ideas to help them pursue entrepreneurial endeavors within different areas of finance. The CEOs on our panels have billions of dollars of investing experience to help guide the next generation of young aspiring entrepreneurs.
Panelists Include:
- Chris Williams- Chief Executive Officer of Williams Capital
- Jim Reynolds- Chief Executive Officer of Loop Capital
- Laurence Morse- Chief Executive Officer of Fairview Capital
- Tina Byles Williams- Chief Executive Officer and Chief information Officer of Fiduciary Investments Solutions Group
- Paul Viera- Chief Executive Officer of Earnest Partners
Moderator: Steve Rogers, Professor of Entrepreneurial Finance and Director of the Larry and Carol Levy Institute for Entrepreneurial Practice at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management
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10:30AM: The Leadership Deficit in the Nonprofit Sector
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The non-profit sector is facing a critical leadership crisis. Over the past two decades, the total number of non-profit organizations has tripled as non-profits have come to play an increasingly important role in the creation and preservation of a well-functioning and equitable society. In the next 10 years, the sector will require some 640,000 new senior managers. To put this challenge in context, attracting this many managers will be equivalent to recruiting over 50 percent of every MBA graduating class, at every college and university across the country, every year for the next ten years.
The non-profit sector has historically given rise to many of the Black communities’ most influential leaders; however, recent generations have focused on making strides in the private sector. As the need for non-profit leaders escalates, critical questions need to be answered: Why is the work of non-profits important? Why are African-Americans needed in the non-profit sector? What role do we play in filling the leadership deficit? How can business skills be applied in the non-profit sector? This discussion will explore these critical questions and others with a panel of the Black community’s top non-profit leaders.
Panelists Include:
Moderator: Justin Steele - HBS MBA 2009
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12:30PM: The Invisible Demographic: African-Americans and the Retail & Luxury Goods Industries
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From the early 1990’s Tommy Hilfiger rumor to more recent comments from the president of Champagne Louis Roederer (maker of Cristal) in The Economist magazine, African-American consumers are often treated as “unwanted” customers of luxury products. This panel will discuss how minorities can build a successful career in the retail and luxury goods industry in spite of this perception. We will also discuss how entrepreneurs can create and capture value by meeting the needs of this often ignored demographic.
Panelists Include:
Moderator: Gary Lampley- Professor, Fashion Institute of Technology
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12:30PM: Authentic, Dynamic, & Real: Lessons Learned Outside of the Boardroom
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Take advantage of this amazing opportunity to interact with dynamic leaders who walk the walk and demonstrate that authentic leadership is not about title, tenure, or prestige, but rather passion, sacrifice, and vision. This electric panel is comprised of dynamic leaders who have courageously deviated from the norm and blazed career paths that have greatly benefited and inspired others. From finance, philanthropy, and manufacturing, to sportscasting, marketing, and media this diverse array of panelists is sure to engage in colorful discussion and demonstrate that real leaders do in fact do real things.
Panelists Include:
Moderator: Kelvin Releford
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3:30PM: Can Green Be Black? Leadership for a Sustainable Economy
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What is the role of the African-American business community in environmental sustainability issues? This is becoming an extremely important global issue, and we must place ourselves at the forefront of these discussions. How can we as minorities have an impact? How are people turning their interest in sustainability into profit generating businesses? This panel will discuss the key issues and initiatives regarding this topic.
Panelists Include:
- Maurice Coleman- Managing Director of Cherokee Investment Partners (a real estate private equity fund that develops sustainable projects)
- Greg Watson- Vice President for Sustainable Development and Renewable Energy for the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative
- Omar Friella- Founder and Director of Green Worker Cooperatives
- Hariette Amissah- Arthur, Director of the Kumasi Institute of Technology and Environment
- Carlton Brown- Chief Operating Officer of Full Spectrum (a real estate development company that specializes in sustainable buildings)
- Charles H. Allison, Jr.- CO-CEO, Interstate Biofuels, LLC
Moderator: Barry H. Caldwell
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3:30PM: Entertain or Educate, What is Our Obligation?
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This panel will discuss the intersection of influence, personal responsibility, and entertainment with some of the African-American power players in the media industry.
Panelists Include:
- Richard Gay- Senior Vice President of MTV Networks
- Jacque Edmonds- Writer / Producer for the various sitcoms including: 'Martin', 'Living Single', 'Moesha', 'All about the Andersons'
- DJ Beverly Bond- International award winning DJ
- Dan Reed - President, NBA Development League
- Wendy R. Credle, Esq.- Founder and Managing Partner, Credle & Associates, PLLC
Moderator: Shon Gables, Host of the Black Enterprise Business Report, News Anchor-CBS 2 News This Morning, New York City
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Updates Coming
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Please check back frequently for updates to this year's exciting line-up of panelists and speakers.
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