Publisher’s Message Earl “Skip” Cooper, II
C
ounting down the days remaining before the November 6th General Election, it comes as no surprise that today’s news and social networking machines are fully ramped up, with the stakes so very high to everyone across the country. Regardless of your political party affiliation or lack of one, the necessity of casting a ballot in a presidential race has never been greater. Small and minority-owned businesses stand to gain or lose a lot, depending upon who will be elected to the next term in our nation’s White House. If only for self-preservation purposes, every eligible voter needs to exercise his or her right to vote. Being an active member of the electorate is not just a right; it’s a sacred responsibility.
Annual Procurement Exchange Summit A plethora of activities will pull our collective attention in different directions this fall season, but the wise among us know to follow old folks’ advice about keeping our eyes on the prize. One important undertaking, in support of its members and supporters in their endeavors, will be the Black Business Association’s (BBA) 9th Annual Procurement Exchange Summit, Workshops and Awards Luncheon on October 11, 2012 at the Omni Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. The Summit commemorates National Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week and this year is
co-chaired by California Public Utilities Commissioner Timothy A. Simon, California State Senator Curren D. Price, California State Assemblyman Steven Bradford, and Los Angeles City Council President Herb J. Wesson. Distinguished honorees at the Summit’s Awards Luncheon will include: Ed Wheeler, Owner, La Louisanne Restaurant, CommunityBased Business of the Year Award; Joe Alderete, Senior Manager of Supplier Diversity and Development, Southern California Edison, Special Recognition Award; Victor Parker, District Director of the U.S. SBA Los Angeles District Office, Special Recognition Award; Sherman Gay, Small Business Outreach Officer , Metro, Supplier Capacity Builder Award; Ms. Garnett Newcombe, Chief Executive Officer, Human Potential Consultants, LLC, Business of the Year; and Special Guest, the Honorable Kendrick Meek, former Member of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Procurement Exchange Summit will feature workshops of vital interest to entrepreneurs, covering doing business with the federal government and leveraging small business certifications for strategic growth, as well as a workshop conducted by Verizon on technological applications that can enhance your business operations (see page 10). Early arrival for these sessions is encouraged, because every year the Summit workshops experience standing-room only participation. To learn more as the date grows closer, contact the BBA office for the most up to date information about the Summit and Luncheon.
Hall of Fame Inductees To close on a personal note, I am pleased to take a moment to acknowledge the induction of three deserving basketball players into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. It strikes me as an unusual coincidence that all three of these players – Don Barksdale, Jamaal Wilkes and Reggie Miller – happen to have attended the same institution of higher learning: UCLA. BBA member Jamaal Wilkes is highlighted in an article in this same issue (see pages 32, 103), discussing his long and successful career in business after retirement from team play in the National Basketball League. Also, I claim bragging rights for having faithfully and well served as an exemplary paper boy to NBA great Don Barksdale, delivering our hometown newspaper to him many years ago when I was a kid growing up in Oakland, California. Check out the article I have contributed on Barksdale, one of my heroes, who was a true pioneer in the realm of professional sports (see page 34). We hope you will enjoy this issue of the Black Business News and that you will be on the lookout for the October 2012 Special Commemorative Issue (see page 2) focusing on the first term of President Barack Obama. We begin our Holiday Shopping Section (see page 90) this month. Make a difference in our collective economic recovery - Buy Black! As always, your readership is highly valued and appreciated.
3 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
About the Black Business News… The mission of The Black Business News is to inspire and inform public and private sector industry representatives on the importance of smart small business growth. As a versatile source of socioeconomic development activity, the Black Business News imparts current local, national and international industry trends related to small businesses across the United States of America (USA), detailing greater access to financial capital, management efficiencies, business education, mentors and networks. The goals of the Black Business News include: •
•
increasing the use of business enterprises owned by USA-based blacks, by advocating for greater access to leading finance lenders and successful business managers. working to merge resources, values, profits, technology throughout the public and private sectors.
•
balancing major public and private sector contracting methods with positive outcomes of black-owned and operated enterprises.
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providing an affirmative influence for emerg-ing entrepreneurs sharing innovative design n and creative cultural content that exposes them to the history of black enterprises and excite them to participate in the USA’s future.
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advocating and promoting on behalf of black-owned businesses by promoting the need for expanding an economic foundation that supports an unfettered and self-sustained urban society with USA job creation and economic opportunity, where blacks work, live and operate viable business enterprises.
www.blackbusinessnews.net
Black Business News P.O. Box 43159, Los Angeles, CA 90043 323-291-9334 Fax: 323-298-5064
PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Earl “Skip” Cooper, II
ASSOCIATE EDITOR Sarah Harris
ENTREPRENEUR EDITOR Kim Anthony
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Belinda Foster
PRODUCTION MANAGER Narishima Osei
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS LaSandra Stratton • Dean Jones • Linda Ware
GRAPHIC DESIGN Sarah Harris • Phallu Morgan
STORY EDITORS Wanda Flagg ▪ Jennifer Marie Hamilton
PHOTOGRAPHY Ian Foxx ▪ Sabir • Narishima Osei
CONTENT ADMINISTRATOR La Sandra Stratton
LAYOUT/TYPESETTING Lion Communications Copyright © 2012 by Black Business News All Rights Reserved. The posting of stories, commentaries, reports, documents and links (embedded or otherwise) on this site does not in any way, shape or form, implied or otherwise, necessarily express or suggest endorsement or support of any of such posted material or parts therein.
FEATURES… September 2012
3
Publisher’s Message
GOVERNMENT… 12 14 19 23 26
Tax Cuts for the Middle Class US Government Response to the Drought MED Week Conference has a New Date Joining Forces Success Announced New Fuel Efficiency Standards Issued
Entertainment… 31
PAFF Calling for Submissions
Entrepreneurship… 36 37 37
Start Up Doubt? Eradicate It! Cathy Hughes - Sucess Story
BUSINESS… 38 40 46 49
Gwen Moore Honored Improve Your Social Media ROI Microlenders as Pipelines to Needed Cash Prep for Crowdfunding Success
PUBLIC INTEREST/COMMUNITY…
COLUMNS 59 - Take A Look! 108 - Books to Consider... 112 - Calendar ACTION ALERTS 61 - AEG Supplier Portal 90 - HOLIDAY SHOPPING SPONSORS 06 - Black Business Association Cover image - Phallu Morgan
65 67 68 73 74
Obamas Participate in World Trade Center Salute Let’s Move Supports “Going for the Gold” African Americans Win at 2012 Olympics Operation Hope Ready to o Reach Worldwide Urban Beekeeping Improve our Environment
INTERNATIONAL… 77
Operation Hope South Africa
79
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Dies
88
eBay has new Export Service
5 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
79
profits, technology and people; •
Promoting development and support of minority business enterprises within the domestic and international economies by encouraging and generating greater access to market opportunities and capital;
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Providing training for entrepreneurial professional development;
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Supporting and contributing to the economic base and progress of the African-American community; and
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Developing coalitions that support our political endeavors to effectively achieve public recognition and political influence for African-American business owners.
Over 40 years of service Founded 1970
About the BBA…
Since 1970, the Black Business Association (BBA), a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization, headquartered in Los Angeles, has been instrumental in the incubation and development of more than 15,000 African-American businesses. Nationally, we have access and influence with more than 85,000 African-American-owned and women/minority-owned firms via strategic alliances with more than 100 women/minority trade associations in more than 42 states nationwide.
___ Our Mission ___ The Black Business Association’s mission is to advocate and promote the development of African-American owned businesses with the goal of creating a firm economic base that support the self-determination and survival of the African-American and urban community by: •
Identifying and creating financial opportunities for the growth and stability of African-American owned businesses;
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Being a community voice that advocates for the success of small businesses;
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Being a conduit for the merging of resources, values,
___ Advocacy ___ The Black Business Association maintains very effective working relationships with elected and appointed officials for the support of African-American business development. Locally, statewide and in Washington, DC, we are constantly aware of pending legislation that might affect our member’s businesses, their growth and even their ability to conduct business. When legislation is being considered that affects our mission, the BBA quickly mobilizes to work with key policy makers to support, defeat or modify the bill and pursue the BBA position. As an organization, we are constantly at the helm, securing innovative means and policies that protect our constituency and their business interests.
Upcoming Event October 11, 2012 Procurement Exchange Summit & Awards Luncheon in recognition of MED Week
Black Business Association P.O. Box 43159, Los Angeles, CA 90043 USA Tel: 323-291-9334 Fax: 323-857-4610
• Call 323-291-9334 for information on sponsorship and participation •
mail@bbala.org www.bbala.org www.facebook.com 7 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
9th Annual Black Business Association
Procurement Exchange Summit & Awards Luncheon › One-On-One Procurement Exchange › Workshops › Awards Luncheon
October 11, 2012 ▪ 9:00 am to 3:30 pm Omni Hotel, Los Angeles
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he Black Business Association (BBA) 9th Annual Procurement Exchange Summit and Awards Luncheon is designed to help African American and minority business owners increase their access to billions of dollars in contract opportunities. The Summit will bring more than 500 minority and womenowned businesses together to network with purchasers from several City and State agencies and public authorities, as well as several private-sector companies and will feature one-on-one contract procurement matchmaking opportunities along with workshops providing valuable business resources for the growth and development of their business. This Summit, which is presented in recognition of National Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week whose annual conference brings together thousands of minority-owned firms across a variety of industries to connect with public and private sector buyers, explore avenues for business expansion, and develop thriving partnerships with firms across multiple industry sectors, is co-chaired by Commissioner Timothy A. Simon, California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), California State Senator Curren D. Price, Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Procurement, Assemblymember Steven Bradford, Chair Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee, and Councilman
Herb Wesson, President Los Angeles City Council. One of our Special Guests will be former U.S. Congressman Kendricks Meek. Also presented will be our Awards Luncheon recognizing outstanding entrepreneurs and individuals who have been most supportive of the growth and development of African American businesses. This year’s honorees are: • Ed Wheeler, Owner, La Louisanne Restaurant – “Community Based Business of the Year” • Joe Alderette, Supplier Diversity & Development, Senior Manager, Southern California Edison – “Special Recognition” • Victor Parker, District Director, Los Angeles District Office, SBA – “Special Recognition” • Sherman Gay, Small Business Outreach Officer Diversity of Economic Opportunity Department, Metropolitan Transportation Authority – “Supplier Capacity Builder” • Human Potential Consultants, LLC Business of the Year to be named This important Procurement Exchange Summit provides an interactive setting for minority business owners to directly interface with procurement and contracting officers of utility, communication, financial institutions and other major corporations and government agencies, who are interested in increasing their annual spend with minority-owned firms. At the Summit key procurement personnel from AT&T can conduct interviews with highly qualified minority business owners to identify and match actual contract opportunities within your corporation. Registration and Information
Registration will begin at 8:30 am and the day will conclude at 3:30pm. For participation, sponsorship or registration information, please contact the BBA office at 1.323.291.9334 or send an email inquiry to: mail@bbala.org. For additional information, visit our website at www.bbala.org.
see 9th Annual Procurement Exchange on page 10 9 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
9th Annual BBA Procurement Exchange Summit - Workshops “Doing Business with the Federal Government” Certified, Now What?: Leveraging Federal Small Business Certifications for Strategic Growth “Because it’s the right thing to do” does not quite inspire quality small business or diversity programs that work. Beverly Kuykendall as President and CEO of Federal and Commercial Contracts, Inc. facilitates relationships between large and small businesses that accomplish three strategic objectives (1) Return on Investment (2) Incremental Increase in Market Share and (3) Strategic Market Advantage. Federal small businesses and larger M/WBE firms who understand how to “leverage” their certifications are winning quality relationships with end customers and large primes. These relationships result in contracts and opportunities to become partners and team members through strategic positioning. Doing Business with the Federal Government: Certified, Now What?: Leveraging Federal Small Business Certifications for Strategic Growth offers a unique perspective for small business, large business and customers in the federal sector by demonstrating, through example, how to leverage certifications for strategic growth.
“Smart Grid Technology Opportunities” This panel presentation will provide an indepth view of the wide range of opportunities in the Smart Grid project. Panelist will also explain the bidder qualifications for Smart Grid projects. Attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions of the panel.
Beverly Kuykendall
“Meet The Primes” This panel of presenters provides attendees an opportunity to discuss with representatives of some of the major prime contracting firms within the public and private sectors how to become sub-contractors and to secure contracts with the primes and the subcontractors.
Smart Grid 10 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
President Obama’s Tax Cuts for the Middle Class
Government
President Obama discusses pushing the House of Representatives to follow the lead of the Senate and extend tax cuts for the middle class before the looming January 1 deadline with members of his cabinet (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)
U
nless the House of Representatives takes action before January 1, 2013, taxes will go up on 114
million middle-class families. Nearly everyone in Washington agrees that’s a bad idea. That’s why President Obama is calling for -- and
the Senate has already passed -legislation that will keep the middle class from paying thousands
12 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
see Tax Cuts on page 12
Tax Cuts from page 13
of extra dollars next year. Republicans in the House of Representatives, however, are refusing to extend middle-class tax cuts without also giving massive tax cuts to the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans. In fact, House Republicans have proposed their own tax plan that would actually raise taxes on 25 million families making less than $250,000, while giving families making more than $1 million an average tax cut of $160,000 next year. We’ve put together an infographic to help you understand some of the details behind the
tax cut extension President Obama is asking Congress to pass, and how it differs with the House Republican proposal. Check it out, and if you agree with President Obama that extending middleclass tax cuts is the right thing to do, share it on your social networks and pass it on to your friends and family. ď ƒ www.whitehouse.gov/ blog/2012/08/09/president-obamastax-cuts-middle-class
An Administration-Wide Response to the Drought
Government
President Barack Obama meets with the White House Rural Council to discuss ongoing efforts in response to the drought, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Aug. 7, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
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hroughout much of the country, communities are struggling with one of the worst droughts to strike the U.S. in decades. The lack of rain and high temperatures have done considerable damage to crops -particularly those in the Midwest. President Obama met with the White House Rural Council to discuss the steps being taken to help farmers, ranchers, and small businesses wrestling with this crisis. As part of that response, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (www. usda.gov/drought) has announced that it will provide millions of dollars in assistance to restore livestock lands affected by the drought. The USDA will spend $16 million on technical and financial assistance for those whose crops or herds have suffered. The USDA has also reduced interest rates on its emergency
loan program and worked with the major crop insurers to allow farmers to forego interest payments on unpaid premiums until November. The National Credit Union Administration also announced that more than 1,000 credit unions are increasing their lending to small businesses -- including farmers. The Department of the Interior announced a plan to provide more relief and flexibility to ranchers whose livestock grazes on public lands, while the Department of the Transportation is working with state governments to provide emergency waivers of federal truck weight regulations and hours of service requirements to droughtstricken communities. The Army Corps of Engineers is working to ensure that the drought doesn’t impede navigation of the nation’s rivers, and the Small Business Administration
is conducting a major outreach program so that farmers, ranchers, and other businesses affected by the drought know about the emergency resources available. The President spoke at the meeting and described the effort as an “all-hands-on-deck response.” “Now, those are the ideas that have already been presented and are in the process of being implemented, but my instructions to all the agencies is we need to keep working and to see if there is more that we can do,” he said. “And we’re going to continue to solicit ideas from state and local organizations, faith-based organizations, not-forprofit groups, the private sector, and most of all, the farmers and ranchers that are directly impacted, to find additional ways that we can help -- because when there’s a disaster like this, everybody needs to pull together.”
14 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
United States Department of Agriculture
Resilience of American Agriculture— Innovation, Diversity and Growing Markets The drought of 2012 is the most serious to impact U.S. agriculture since 1988. The illustrations below help to show the resiliency of the U.S. agriculture sector and how it is better positioned today to endure this natural disaster.
The Farm Economy $98.1 billion
Farm Income Has Grown
147%
$39.6
U.S. Agriculture is Responsible for 1 in 12 U.S. jobs
2011 Farm Debt-to-Asset Ratio Cut in Half Since 1986
billion
1988
Since 1988 nominal*
Productivity 1987-2009 Farms Increased total output by
+50% since 1982
+57% Milk Produced by Average Dairy Cow
+46%
+38%
Red Meat & Poultry
+30% Corn Soybeans
Food Costs: Americans Spend Less* Average Total Household Spending $32,851 $23,754
$
Percent of Household $$ Spent for Food at Home 13.2% 6.4%
$
U.S.
France
U.S.
$ France
*Note: U.S. spends less for food than any other country–2010 data.
Local and Regional Food Production
Number of U.S. Farmers Markets
(13.9 million acres)
340 1970
2012 (265.8 million acres)
billion*
nominal*
$37 billion*
1988
2011
1994
2011
Farm to School Programs
Organic Farmland Acreage
since 1988
1992 to 2008
+2,000 +414% Bioeconomy & Energy
$137 270% growth
*National Center for Appropriate Technology
1,755
85%
*Note: The Federal Crop Insurance Program currently insures 265 million acres, 1.14 million policies, and $114 billion worth of liability on about 500,000 farms.
Farm Exports
1,400
7,175
The Safety Net
Crop Insurance Participation of Total Acres* 25% 1988
Community-Supported Agriculture Organizations*
$42.7 billion Ag Trade Surplus in 2011
2 1986
2001
2010
Marketing of local foods, via both direct-to-consumer & intermediated channels, grossed
$4.8 billion
in 2008
13.8 billion gallons
Ethanol production
837
+3,000 American companies producing +25,000 bio-based products made from renewable sources grown in the U.S. Their innovation is supporting +100,000 U.S. jobs. Ethanol production saved Americans $1.09 per gallon of gas in 2011
million gallons
1988
400
2012
USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
www.medweek.gov
Minority Enterprise Development Week Conference - 30th Anniversary y he National Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week Conference is the Nation’s premier event for minority entrepreneurs and the public and private sectors. The MED Week Conference offers a venue for minority-owned firms to access information, tools and resources to grow their businesses both domestically and internationally. Each year, thousands of minorityowned firms across a variety of industries converge upon Washington, DC to connect with public and private sector buyers, explore avenues for business
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expansion, and develop thriving partnerships with firms across multiple industry sectors. This is done through networking events, workshops and issue forums, including: • Business-to-business matchmaking sessions with corporate procurement officials and capital providers; • Global networking events with embassy officials from Latin America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East; • The MED Week Awards Program honoring some of the fastest growing minority-
Date/Venue December 5-6, 2012 Omni Shoreham Ho te 2500 Calvert Stree l t NW at Connecticut Ave Washington, DC 20 008 Phone: 202-234-07 00 owned firms, entrepreneurs and advocates in the country. Download Awards Brochure (www.medweek.gov/sites/ default/files/AwardsProgram. pdf).
17 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
How Can Organizations Participate? > Employers > Financial institutions > Non-profits and governments > Educators and Youth Organizations > Military > Media
How Can Individuals Participate? > Assess your savings progress > Join America Saves > Test your savings knowledge > Take action to save more effectively > View savings messages > Read saver stories
What is America Saves Week? About America Saves Week Our Purpose Participating Organizations America Saves Week 2011 America Saves Week 2010 America Saves Week 2009
Contact Us | Privacy Policy | America Saves
www.americasavesweek.org
www.TheArtofBidding.com is dedicated to the art and science of moving goods and services to market. This web site is useful to business managers responsible for their companies’ supply chain activities. This information is sponsored by the Southland Partnership Corporation that serves a wide range of supply chain management issues for large and small enterprises. Southland is in place to enhance supplier inclusion through the increased flow of goods and services by providing current information from initial sourcing all the way through to delivery to public and private sector endusers. Southland shares vital information of purchasing opportunities from production planning, order processing and fulfillment, inventory management, transportation, distribution, and professional service requirements. For some, this information on proposal estimating will be a refresher on how to submit an effective pricing plan, however, for other companies this may be just the information to create that winning response. All buyers seek to make the best investment when selecting outside resources. The supplier selection results from demonstrating efficiencies and generating the highest level of customer satisfaction at the most responsible lowest cost. In general all major buying entities look at the strategic, tactical, and operational functions of prospective suppliers. 18 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) 30th Anniversary Minority Enterprise Development Week Conference
W
e are excited about the great opportunity to once again convene the Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs) and MBDA clients and partners, as well as the general
business community, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the National Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week. This milestone celebration is being organized and coordinated in a manner befitting its place in history. However, due to circumstances beyond our control, MBDA is rescheduling the 2012 National MED Week Conference to December 5-6, 2012 in Washington, DC. We are working quickly to launch MED Week’s registration and anticipate it will be up and running in early October. At this time, we are very confident that this MED WEEK event will be an informative, engaging and an excellent vehicle
MBDA National Director Hinson Speaks at Business Roundtable in Brazil irector Hinson addressed a special business roundtable held in conjunction with the two-day technical meeting of the U.S. - Brazil Joint Action Plan in Brasilia, Brazil. Hinson provided an overview of the Minority Business Development Agency’s (MBDA) long history of helping minorityowned businesses become more competitive through greater access to contracts, capital, and markets. The discussion included over 50 Afro-Brazilian businesses, public officials, and representatives from trade groups. The purpose of the roundtable was to engage segments of the Brazilian population, who have been historically excluded from the types of sustainable economic development that promotes growth
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a n d financial security. th host h t off severall Brazil as the international sporting events, including the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, the 2014 World Cup, and the 2016 Olympic Games expects to invest $106 billion in the preparations for these events. These investments, which include expenditures for infrastructure, construction, transportation systems, port improvements, public security, and airport infrastructure upgrades, will present significant commercial opportunities for U.S. companies. MBDA, our diverse clientele of minority-owned businesses, and other key stakeholders are uniquely positioned to provide mutually beneficial mentorships and strategic partnerships that will lead to economic prosperity. There are unprecedented opportunities for business owners in the United States and Brazil – the two largest economies in the Western Hemisphere and MBDA can help build these partnerships. Director Hinson invited the group to attend the 30th Anniversary of the National Minority Enterprise Development Week Conference in December. The conference is a venue for firms to access information, tools, resources to grow their businesses both domestically and internationally and to build lucrative relationships. www.mbda.gov/blogger/globalopportunities-and-new-markets/mbdanational-director-hinson-speaks-businessroundtable-brazil
19 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Government
David Hinson, National Director, MBDA
for MBEs, local officials and federal partners to come together and help ensure continued access to finance, contracts and markets. This year’s MED Week Agenda will offer attendees a host of very valuable opportunities to network, partner and identify contracting opportunities. MED Week attendees can look forward to a Billion Dollar B2B Expo, a CEO Fireside Chat, embassy networking events, and power learning sessions. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this date change may cause our partners and conference attendees. www.mbda.gov/main/events/30thanniversary-minority-enterprisedevelopment-week-conference
New Date December 5-6, 2012
STIMULATING OUR ECONOMY... WELCOMING TOURISTS & CONVENTIONS... CREATING JOBS FOR OUR WORKERS...
FARMERSFIELD.COM
A Banner Year for the U.S. Wind Industry by David Danielson is the Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
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banner-year-us-wind-industry 21 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Government
and around the world. Near Minneapolis, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 343 Union facility features a 60-foot turbine tower to help train union members for new construction, installation, and maintenance jobs. In addition to strong gains in domestic wind manufacturing and capacity, the report finds that as wind technology improves, costs are coming down. Technological innovations are helping make longer and lighter wind turbine blades, while improving turbine View all wind energy slides at: www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/08/14/banner-year-us-wind-industry performance and increasing the effi ciency of power he U.S. Energy Department megawatts by the end of 2011 and Lawrence Berkeley and has since grown to 50,000 generation. At the same time, wind National Laboratory megawatts, enough to power 12 project capital and maintenance released a new report (www1. million homes annually. And as costs have continued to decline. Smart investments are paying eere.energy.gov/wind/resources. wind energy capacity has grown, dividends across the U.S. wind more and more wind turbines and html) highlighting strong growth in industry. From Des Moines to components like towers, blades, America’s wind energy market gears, and generators are “Made in Amarillo to Denver, the American in 2011 and underscoring the America.” Nearly 70% of all of the clean energy economy is hard at importance of continued policy equipment installed at U.S. wind work – creating jobs right now and support and clean energy tax credits farms last year came from domestic ensuring our global competitiveness to ensure that the U.S. remains a manufacturers, doubling from 35% in the clean energy technologies of the future. We can’t afford to break leading producer and manufacturer in 2005. This summer, Energy Department this momentum. in this booming global industry. This is why the Obama As President Obama has made leaders have traveled across the clear, we need an all-of-the-above country and seen first hand how Administration is calling for the approach to American energy and American workers and businesses extension of the Production Tax the U.S. wind industry is a critical are helping maintain U.S. leadership Credit (PTC). Our continued part of this strategy. In fact, wind in the growing wind energy industry. support of clean energy policies energy contributed 32% of all new In Iowa, Keystone Electrical like the PTC are mission critical U.S. electric capacity additions last Manufacturing Company has for America’s thriving, competitive year, representing $14 billion in seen orders from the wind industry grow from almost nothing a decade wind industry -- and shows, more new investment. In the USA, domestic clean energy ago to nearly 22% of gross sales, than ever, the promise to create production and manufacturing while, at ACCIONA Windpower’s the high-paying American jobs and competitiveness work hand-in- West Branch assembly plant more nationwide economic growth our hand. The report finds total U.S. than 100 workers are making wind country needs. www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/08/14/ wind power capacity grew to 47,000 turbines to sell here in the U.S.
Announcing 125,000 Hires Through Joining Forces by Megan Slack
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The Chief of Naval Personnel, Vice Admiral Scott Van Buskirk, was there and delivered inspiring remarks. Leaders of businesses who have been hiring literally thousands of veterans were there -- and they brought with them veterans and spouses who they hired in the past year. As several of the veterans testified, Joining Forces has made a significant impact on their lives. Paul Andrews, a Navy veteran, introduced the First Lady. Originally from Texas, Paul joined the Navy and was trained as a sonar technician, where he learned to operate, maintain and repair the Navy’s most sophisticated equipment designed to detect and track the world’s most stealthy submarines. While in the Navy, he was assigned to the Guided Missile
Destroyer USS ROOSEVELT, based right here in Mayport. He deployed twice including a 9-month deployment in eastern Afghanistan after volunteering for duty on a Provincial Reconstruction Team. Earlier this year, Paul transitioned back to civilian life, where he is applying the skills he learned in the Navy into the private sector after landing a job with a company called Sonardyne at a Joining ForcesOrion International hiring event right here in Mayport. Companies like Orion are among more than 2,000 in America who have made commitments on veteran and military spouse hiring
23 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
see Joining Forces on page 24
G Government
arly in August First Lady Michelle Obama travelled to Naval Station Mayport near Jacksonville, Florida where she announced that 2,000 companies had hired or trained an amazing 125,000 veterans and military spouses in the past year through Joining Forces. This effort, combined with policies and legislation put in place by the President have resulted in a 20% decrease in veteran unemployment compared to this time last year. It was an extraordinary event, set among several Navy Seahawk helicopters, that kicked off with a new Joining Forces video telling the story of how we got to today’s announcement. Hundreds of Sailors from the Navy’s premier warships and helicopter squadrons were in attendance along with their families.
Joining Forces
Government
from page 23
through Joining Forces. But more work remains. So seizing on momentum to date, the First Lady also announced that these same companies have committed to hire 250,000 veterans and military spouses in the coming years. Included in this commitment is a pledge by the Military Spouse Employment Partnership to employ 50,000 military spouses in the coming years! We know that America’s post 9/11 veterans have the skills to help lead America’s economic recovery. If you can operate hi-tech sonar equipment like Paul did, or if you can work with sophisticated radars that guide high-speed missiles into outer-space, then you’re ready to succeed in our high-tech industries right here in America. Or if you can repair a helicopter engine like those we saw in Mayport or you can coordinate thousands of pounds of supplies being delivered to villages in Afghanistan, then clearly you have what it takes for a manufacturing or logistics job right here in the U.S. The First Lady often says that Joining Forces will be a success if military families feel the support that they deserve. Two thousand businesses hiring 125,000 veterans and military spouses is a great first step to serving our military families as well as they’ve served us. www.whitehouse.gov/ blog/2012/08/22/first-ladyannounces-125000-veteransand-military-spouses-hiredthrough-joining-forc 24 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Historic Fuel Efficiency Standards for Cars and Light Trucks Ray LaHood, Secretary of Transportation
Government
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he U.S. auto industry and the Obama Administration’s efforts to make our cars more efficient have made great headway. The Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are finalizing national standards for fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions for passenger cars and light trucks built in the years 2017 through 2025. Thanks to their work, the car or light truck you’ll be driving in 2025 will not be your grandfather’s Oldsmobile. The Administration’s combined fuel economy efforts represent the first meaningful update to fuel efficiency standards in decades. By 2025, the average car will achieve a fuel economy performance equivalent to 54.5 miles per gallon, nearly double that of cars on the road today. This will help American families keep more of their hard-earned paychecks into their pockets and spend less at the pump while still preserving the features and vehicle choices consumers want. In total, the Administration’s national program to improve fuel economy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions will save consumers more than $1.7 trillion on gas over the lifetime of a 2025 vehicle. It will also slash U.S. oil consumption by 12 billion barrels, dramatically reducing our reliance on foreign suppliers. President Obama understands that when Americans have the option of using less fuel, everybody
Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson review a fuel economy window sticker on a new car (by U.S. Department of Transportation)
wins. As our cars become more efficient, we spend less money refilling them, we preserve a crucial resource, and we reduce harmful carbon emissions. And he’s exactly right. Consumers have already responded to the Administration’s fuel efficiency standards for Model Years 2011 through 2016, and it shows in the popularity of cars like GM’s Chevy Cruze and trucks like the Ford F-150 equipped with an EcoBoost engine instead of the conventional V-8. The American automobile industry wins as well. With this rule, we have given American manufacturers the regulatory certainties they need to build efficient cars of all types that consumers want today and in the future. That’s why our rule has the support of 13 major automotive manufacturers, who build 90% of the cars sold in the U.S.
We’ve worked with the auto industry--as well as environmental groups, consumer groups and state governments--to develop the rule, so we know that America’s carmakers are ready for these new standards. Many of the tools and technologies that will help them comply with these standards already exist, and we expect automakers to develop even more innovative approaches in the future. Americans will still have the option of buying the kind of vehicle they want--whether it’s a truck, SUV or smaller sedan. At the same time, these new standards will promote innovation and lead to new technologies. And that means even more consumer choices, new jobs, and even new industries. It also means cleaner air and
26 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
see Fuel Efficiency on page 27
Fuel Efficiency from page 26
that use less gas, travel farther, and provide more efficiency for consumers than ever before—all while maintaining safety, protecting the air we breathe, and laying the groundwork for automakers to create jobs, develop advanced technologies, and improve quality of life for America’s families. In energy and emissions, our nation faces two serious challenges, but we don’t shy away from challenges. With these new standards, its allof-the-above energy approach, and a range of other initiatives, the Obama Administration is stepping up to the plate and meeting those challenges head-on.
GM’s Chevy Cruze
www.whitehouse. gov/blog/2012/08/28/ historic-fuel-efficiencystandards-cars-andlight-trucks
27 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Government
an opportunity to lessen our role in climate change. As EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said, “The fuel efficiency standards the administration finalized recently are another example of how we protect the environment and strengthen the
economy at the same time.” Finally, throughout the rule-making process, safety has remained our guiding principle, and it will continue to be our number one priority. We have concluded that manufacturers can meet these standards without sacrificing vehicle safety. Simply put, this groundbreaking program will result in vehicles
www.elceshow.com
Special: Meet Bina48 - The Gynoid A personal humanoid tutor/teacher
http://conference.inc.com www.inc.com 29 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Registration and Education
Call for Submissions from Pan African Film Festival 310-337-4737.
ELIGIBILITY:
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COMPETITION: The PAFF competition categories are: Best Narrative Feature, Best Narrative Short, Best Documentary, Best Director -- First Feature, plus, Audience Favorite Awards for Narrative Feature and Favorite Documentary. Films in competition must be copyrighted no earlier than 2012. With the exception of Audience Favorite Awards, all films are judged by industry professionals, selected by PAFF. In addition to competition awards, other programming and festival special prizes will be awarded.
SUBMISSION: For information about the festival, submission procedures, fees and registration, visit www.paff.org or call 310-337-4737. Submissions will be accepted from July 2, 2012 through October 15, 2012.
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hose three words are the mantra of This is My Vote. They represent the most effective way to fight back against voter suppression and to make your voice heard in November. Over and over again we see the impact lawmakers can have on our lives. By registering to cast your ballot and educating yourself on the requirements for voting, you can have the effect on our country that proponents of these these laws are seeking to prevent. Registering to vote takes only 5 minutes. Head to the This is My Vote site, fill out your application, and mail it in today:
http://action.naacp.org/ voter-registration I know you’ve heard it before but I will keep on saying it: There is strength in numbers. We proved this in Sanford, Florida, and I’ve seen it proven all over the United States in the 100+ campaigns I’ve worked on. I know what can be achieved if our nationwide effort to register voters is successful: Elections will be swung, civil rights and social justice will take their rightful place on the policy agenda, and voter suppression laws will be rendered useless. Don’t overestimate the time it takes to register to vote. It only takes 5 minutes, the same amount of time it takes to send our registration link to your family and friends if you’re already registered. Together, we can have a monumental impact. Register to vote, or send our link to your family and friends: http:// action.naacp.org/voter-registration.
31 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Entertainment
Ayuko Babu, PAFF Executive Director he Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) has announced its call for submissions. The 21st annual PAFF will be held on February 7-18, 2013 in Los Angeles. The film festival is the nation’s largest and most prestigious Black film festival. Over the years, it has showcased films from all parts of the world, representing such countries as Angola, Austria, England, Bermuda, Canada, Egypt, Ethiopia, Brazil, Kenya, Mexico, South Africa, Nigeria, and of course, the United States. With the pulse on the international film market, PAFF has opened the minds of its audiences, and transported them to lands far away and back home again. Last year, more than 40,000 folks attended the festival. “This is certainly proof that Black audiences will respond to good stories and positive depictions of ourselves on the big screen,” added Olatunji. Currently, PAFF is accepting submissions of independent features, shorts, narratives and documentary films made by or about people of African descent. Applications are available via the PAFF website at www.paff.org, by emailing ao@paff.org or calling
The PAFF is currently accepting applications for films and videos made by and/or about people of African descent. (Please note: the filmmaker(s) need not be of African or African American descent.) Films should preferably depict positive and realistic images and can be of any genre -- drama, comedy, horror, adventure, animation, romance, science fiction, experimental, etc. PAFF accepts features and shorts both narrative and documentary. The film festival will accept submissions of works in progress; however, the final version of the film must be completed no later than January 5, 2013.
BBA Member Jamaal Wilkes to be Enshrined at NBA Basketball Hall of Fame
investments, products and services at odds with one another. In short, JWFA help clients minimize financial fragmentation and solve the client’s most pressing financial challenges. In addition to investment and
by Earl “Skip” Cooper, II, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, Black Business News
Entertainment
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lack Business Association member, entrepreneur and four-time NBA champion, Jamaal Wilkes, is one of 12 basketball legends set to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Springfield, Massachusetts. Wilkes’ was the 1975 NBA Rookie of the Year, a three-time NBA AllStar, a two-time NCAA champion under John Wooden with the Bruins, and had such a smooth jump shot that he was given the nickname “Smooth as Silk.” Legendary Lakers announcer Chick Hearn famously referred to his corner jump shot as the “20 foot lay-up.” Wilkes won an NBA title in his rookie season with the Golden State Warriors before joining the Lakers later in his career, with whom he won NBA titles in 1980, 1982 and 1985. In Game 6 of the 1980 Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers, Wilkes put up 37 points and 10 rebounds. This was the same game that then-rookie point guard Magic Johnson started at center in place of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and scored 42 points with 15 rebounds and 7 assists. Wilkes converted to Islam in 1975 and legally changed his name to Jamaal Abdul-Lateef, but still uses his birth-given name for publicrecognition purposes. Also being inducted in the 2012 class are Reggie Miller, the NBA’s all-time winningest coach Don Nelson, three-time National College Player of the Year Ralph Sampson,
two-time Olympic gold medalist Katrina McClain, basketball official and coordinator Hank Nichols and the first women’s professional basketball team, the All American Red Heads. The induction ceremony is scheduled for September 7th, 6:30 p.m. ET and can be seen on NBA TV.
A Champion in Entrepreneurship Upon retirement from the National Basketball Association in 1985, Mr. Wilkes had a seven year career as a mortgage and real estate consultant. He obtained his securities licenses (series 7, 63 & 65) and life insurance license and became a registered rep with AXA Advisors in 1999. JWFA was formed in 2003 upon his realization that many people experience “financial fragmentation”. Successful in their chosen businesses and/or careers, they are usually overwhelmed with keeping abreast of volatile financial markets, changing tax laws, fluctuating interest rates, a complex variety of financial products/ services and other developments. They accumulate assets due to the conventional wisdom, a hot tip, and/or to help a friend with no comprehensive planning. “Many financial advisors are more product-driven rather than solution-driven,” said Wilkes. “As a result, most people own a portfolio of scattered and unrelated assets,
retirement planning, we add value due to our tremendous wealth of experiences in sports, business and life in general.” Wilkes obtained his BA degree from UCLA in 1974, and also completed advance studies in general business at UCLA in 1988. Jamaal Wilkes has three children: Sabreen, a graduate of UCLA; Omar and Jordan, both recent graduates of UC Berkeley. Along with being one of the coauthors behind the book and audio course, “Success Under Fire: Lessons For Being Your Best In Crunch Time”, Mr. Wilkes is a highly sought after motivational speaker for national organizations and Fortune 500 corporations. Wilkes has also long been charitably active in the Southern California community. Among other charities, Mr. Wilkes has hosted and sponsored for the last 17 years the annual Jamaal Wilkes - UCLA UniCamp Charity Golf Tournament, which sends nearly 1,000 children from low income-
32 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
see Jamaal Wilkes on page 33
Entertainment
Jamaal Wilkes
from page 32
families to its residential outdoor camp every summer. The Lakers have already shown appreciation for Jamaal Wilkes’ induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame by planning to retire his No. 52 jersey at some point next season. They’re also doing so in words, releasing a statement on behalf
of Lakers owner Jerry Buss. “Anyone who truly knows and loves the game of basketball surely recognizes what a special and gifted player Jamaal Wilkes was. A rare combination of selflessness and grace, Jamaal made the game look effortless. It’s easy to forget that Jamaal averaged 20-plus points during our 1980 and 1982 championship seasons. Many also don’t recall that he scored 37
points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the decisive Game 6 of the 1980 NBA Finals. He was overlooked by some because he put the team first, the individual second and let others shine. It is now time for Jamaal to shine, and we congratulate him on this long overdue and much deserved honor.” And, so does the BBA.
33 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Basketball Pioneer Don Barksdale also to be Enshrined at Basketball Hall of Fame by Earl “Skip” Cooper, II, Publisher/Editor, BBN
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Entertainment
t is with great pride that I extend posthumous congratulations to former Boston Celtics forward
and African-American basketball pioneer Don Barksdale, who will be inducted this month into the 2012 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. On a personal note, Don Barksdale served as a role model and source of pride for me, as his “paper boy” delivering the Oakland Tribune in my youth, growing up in Oakland, California. Barksdale, also an Oakland native, accomplished many firsts during his career, including becoming the first African-American to be named a consensus NCAA All-American in 1947, as a 6’6” Center at UCLA. In 1948 he became the first AfricanAmerican to play with the U.S. Olympics basketball team, and was the first African-American to win an Olympic gold medal in basketball. Additionally, Barksdale was the first African-American to play in an NBA All-Star Game in 1953 as a member of the Baltimore Bullets.
Don Barksdale averaged 11.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game over his four-year NBA career that was cut short due to ankle injuries, although his biggest achievement is the fact that he blazed the way for African-Americans in the NBA.
In 1949, the personable Barksdale was hired to be the San Francisco Bay Area’s first black television host, moderating a program called “Sepia Revue” that featured the leading black entertainers of the day, such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Nat “King” Cole, Sammy Davis Jr. and Louis Armstrong. In 1950, Barksdale was one of the first four black players selected in the NBA draft. However, he was doing so well financially — by then, he had also opened a beer distributorship — that he didn’t sign with the Baltimore Bullets until 1951, when he doubled as a 28-yearold rookie forward and host of the Bullets’ postgame radio show.
While with the Bullets, Barksdale became the first African-American to appear in an NBA All-Star Game (1953). Shortly after, he was traded to the Boston Celtics. Two years later, his playing career was cut short by ankle injuries. After leaving professional basketball, Barksdale returned to radio, started his own recording label, and opened two nightclubs in Oakland. In 1983, he launched Save High School Sports Foundation, which is credited with helping to save Oakland school athletic programs from collapse. Don Barksdale passed away in 1993.
34 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
by Linda Ware
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ovie audiences met him for the first time at the theaters in his first major role in Jerry Bruckheimer’s hit film, Armageddon, where he starred alongside Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton. After discovering his true professionalism and natural acting abilities while working with him on the set, film legend, Bruce Willis, was so impressed that he recommended him for an upcoming film that would transform his destiny as a screen star: The Green Mile. It was this film that established his career as a box office star where he worked alongside Tom Hanks standing 6’4” bringing to life his most memorable role as “the
Gentle Giant”. Motion picture actor, Michael Clarke Duncan, was truly one of America’s most respected film stars revered amongst top film directors and his peers off stage as a natural, grounded, talented acting professional. He received s e v e r a l top acting nominations including Best Supporting Actor at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, The Golden Globes and the Academy
Awards all from his successful role in Green Mile. With an impressive roster on his resume of over 40 hit films including Talladega Nights, Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes, Michael Bay’s The Island. Michael Clarke Duncan truly achieved success as one of America’s most endeared film actors in the entertainment industry making his mark in top cross over films with the respect of film critics and fans around the world.
Entertainment
The Grace & Genius of Film Actor Michael Clarke Duncan 1957-2012
Tips to Eradicate Self Doubt in Your Startup Business Are you still stuck in neutral, assessing and reassessing every imaginable risk?
Entrepreneurs
every day. Some of them fail, but obviously not all of them. You aren’t landing on a new planet. As long as you stay tuned in and benefit from the experience of others, your possibility of success is very real.
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t began with an idea. Maybe the idea was yours alone, or maybe it came to you during a conversation with someone else. Maybe you saw an existing product or service that could benefit from a few strategic improvements. In any case, the idea for your startup business came first. Then you crunched a few numbers and discovered that your idea might actually be sustainable and profitable. Then you started assembling the pieces in your mind, and as you did so, you began to realize that your dream could very well become a living, breathing reality. You took a closer look at the potential obstacles and didn’t see a single one that couldn’t be knocked down by a little hard work and strategy.
Your start-up business plan should have gone into motion by now. But…here you are. You’re still stuck in neutral, still assessing and reassessing every imaginable risk. You should be filling out forms, visiting the bank to discuss loan options and applying for a business license. But you’re not. There’s a little voice in your head won’t let you take the first step. It’s the little voice that won’t ever let you fail, even if it means you never act. So what’s next? How can you silence that voice and move forward, taking on risks as they arise instead of letting them ground you before you even begin? Here are a few tips: 1. First, remember this: people like you start small businesses
2. Second, it’s often (though of course not always) true that banks don’t make ill-advised loans. Nobody loses money on purpose. If your bank believes you can do it, and has enough faith to invest in you and expect a return, you can do it. The same applies to your other investors, be they family, friends or strangers. 3. Finally, just as you’re not the first person to take this step, you aren’t alone as you take it. In this age of rapid communication, you don’t have to go blind into any important business decision. Surround yourself with information, mentors and competitors you can study as role models. These resources are all around you. But the best resource—even though you can’t see it right now—is within you.
36 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Cathy Hughes’ Radio One Empire is the Classic American Success Story Founder of Radio One and Wildly Successful Entrepreneur atherine Hughes is the allAmerican success story. Through hard work and determination, she overcame severe financial constraints and founded the media company Radio One, Inc, the largest AfricanAmerican owned and operated broadcast company in the U.S. She later expanded into TV One, a national cable and satellite television network for African American adults. Noting that there are too many negative portrayals of Black women in mainstream media, she says of Radio One and TV One programming, “We’re interested in the positive side of being African American.” When Radio One went public in 1998, Hughes became the first African American woman to head a publicly traded corporation. She is also famous for creating The Quiet Storm – a format of sexy music and chatter that revolutionized urban radio in the 1980s.
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Born in Omaha, Nebraska, Hughes moved to Washington, DC, in 1971 and became a lecturer in the School of Communications at Howard University. She ventured into radio in 1973 as the general sales manager at WHUR, the university’s radio station, and two years later, she became the first female vice president and general manager of a station in the DC area. In 1980, she bought her first station, WOL AM, and changed the programming to an all news and talk format presenting issues from a Black perspective. She was the morning show host for 11 years; her theme “Information is Power.”
The NAACP In February 2012, Hughes received the NAACP Chairman’s Award in special recognition of her efforts to utilize her profession to promote diversity and community involvement. NAACP Chairman Roslyn M. Brock lauded Hughes for being “an advocate for small business entrepreneurship”, as well as an example of “the NAACP’s quest to celebrate and uplift individuals who model principles of hard work, perseverance and community empowerment.” For her part, Hughes was truly touched, noting that “those who have received the Chairman’s Award in
the past are counted among the very best that America has ever produced”. She went on to remark that she was honored and humbled to be included in their ranks. In 2011, Hughes was appointed as chair of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Council on Underserved Communities (CUC). Hughes, who received an SBA loan in the 1980s, is thrilled that she can “help entrepreneurs in communities across the country take advantage of those same opportunities for success.” During her journey to corporate executive, Hughes has had her share of challenges in an industry with few opportunities for Black women in business. Despite her considerable success, though, she refuses to be complacent. “The reason I have to keep driving forward is the reality that my community seems not to be making the progress for the masses we should be making considering how blessed more of us are each year.”
37 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Entrepreneurs
The Beginning
Hughes, who laments that she has “no musical talent,” says of radio that she loved “the commercials, not the music”. She points out that Radio One is a case study for the Harvard Graduate School of Business, who told her, “Well, no wonder y’all did OK, because your love of radio was not the music, it was the commercials.”
Gwen Moore “First Lady of Corporate Diversity” Honored by InvestorOwned Utilities and Small Businesses by Joy Atkinson
(l-r) Earl “Skip” Cooper, II, President/CEO, with Gwen Moore, Board Chairman, Black Business Association
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he Black Business Association’s Chair of the Board, Gwen Moore, was honored by energy industry leaders and minority businesses for a lifetime of achievement in advocating for minority, women and disabled veterans businesses. A
who’s who in energy were on hand at the beautiful Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena, California to give tribute to Gwen Moore for her historic legislation that influenced utility companies in California to open contracting opportunities to minority businesses going from less
than 1% contracting to 25% with these firms. The Black Business Association presented Moore with a Certificate of Recognition proclaiming her the “First Lady of Corporate Diversity.” ‘Skip’ Cooper, President of the BBA, explained the significance of the Gwen Moore recognition. “Gwen Moore’s legislation which was implemented by the California Public Utilities Commission and became the historic General Order 156 encouraged utility companies to create supplier diversity programs that opened the doors of business opportunity to so many minority business vendors. Utility companies have now done business with minority companies amounting to $7 billion –that is significant and worth celebrating and honoring Gwen Moore.” General Order 156 has become a model across the country and state utility regulatory agencies have implemented the Moore model of supplier diversity. Corporate sponsors joining the celebration to honor Gwen Moore included: AT&T, Sprint, Southern California Gas Company, Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas and Electric Company, The California Water Association, California American Water Company, and Pacific Gas and Electric Company. WMBEDVE company major sponsors included: SL Hare Capital, Visage Energy Corporation, Act 1 Group, Elite SDVOB Network, EastWest Bank, Mischlee Financial Group, and Progress Investment Management Company. Syngon L. Hare, Chairman and CEO of SL Hare Capital, Inc. enthusiastically served as master of ceremonies. Long time Moore friend, President of Visage Energy, Will Smith gave touching comments on his 22 years of working with Moore on diverse supplier
38 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
see 18 Tips on page 39
Moore Honored
from page 38
diversity programs. Thurman White, President of Progress Investment Management spoke not only as
of opening doors for minority vendors, eloquently introduced Moore to the rousing applause of the audience. Moore, expressed being overwhelmed by the gratitude expressed by the audience and
(l-r) Anne Smith, President, Southern California Gas; Michael Peevey, Chairman, California Public Utilities Commission; Gwen Moore, Chairman, Black Business Association Board of Directors
(l-r) Tim A. Simon, Commissioner/CPUC, with Gwen Moore, Board Chairman, Black Business Association
participants on the program. She introduced her family and friends who have meant so much to her in her career path. She also made timely mention of the advancement of so many minorities within leadership positions in the administration of the utility corporations. Moore has been cited for her continued tenacity in insuring parity in the administration of utility companies. She announced the elevation of Ann Smith to Chairman and CEO of the Southern California Gas Company; and Walter Rhodes ascendancy to senior management. Gwen Moore had a distinguished career as a member of the California Assembly for 16 productive years. She served as Majority Whip and gained a national reputation as Chair of the prestigious Assembly Utilities
jurisdiction included all investorowned utilities including water, telecommunications, and energy. Now as Founder and Chief Executive Officer of GeM Communications Group, she continues her work in advocating for supplier diversity among minority, women-owned and disabled veteran businesses. She works with clients to develop and implement public affairs, legislative strategies, and community outreach programs. Drawing on her experience as a legislator, Moore develops grassroots lobbying efforts, advises clients on legislative and regulatory issues to frame responses and offer solutions. She formulates public affairs programs for clients with marketing, political, cultural and charitable agendas
39 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Business
a minority business entrepreneur but as a former Gwen Moore staff member with her Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee. He eloquently expressed the Gwen Moore commitment to family, to service to community, and her determined work with minority business enterprises. A highlight of the festivities was the tribute by the President of the California Public Utilities Commission, Michael R. Peevey who has worked diligently to continue the implementation of General Order 156 in consultation with Gwen Moore. He clearly expressed to continue her vision of expanding opportunities for minority businesses. Commissioner Timothy Alan Simon of the California Public Utilities Commission, with humor, in friendship, and the shared vision
and Commerce committee which besides utilities, had jurisdiction over the California cable television industry, international trade and tourism, California ports, trucking issues, rail and rail safety. Utility
18 Tips to Accelerate Social Media and Digital ROI by Megan Leap
Business
Digital Marketing Strategy Summit speakers share their favorite advice for accelerating digital and social media ROI in 2013. 1. Align your SEO efforts with cross functional marketing team strategies. “In a recent online marketing industry report, one of the interesting findings was that search marketing continues to grow worldwide and that search marketing represents a key channel for digital marketers. Search spend in the United states grew by 13% while ROI steadily improved. Additionally growth rates for search spend are strong in the UK and Germany representing an 18% and 12 % increase respectively YOY (year over year). This highlights that that there is a significant potential ROI opportunity for companies to align SEO with cross functional marketing strategies, especially between SEO and paid search. Warren Lee, SEO Manager, Adobe 2. Focus on measuring quality, not just quantity. “It’s a common pitfall in digital marketing– success is often measured by the old direct mail perspective of eyeballs, rather than level of engagement with the right audience. Companies will commonly judge social media
success by the raw number of friends or followers they have, harkening back to the days of high school and wanting to be the most popular person in the class. Social media is about creating better ways to engage with the people who have an affinity for your brand. Not everyone on social media sites is going to LOVE your brand, but through authentic engagement, you have an opportunity to give them a positive perspective on it. Don’t focus on how many, focus on the conversation and type of people who want to let you into their personal community.” Ryan Phelan, VP, Strategic Services, BlueHornet 3. It’s not always about the sale. “Think about your favorite company or product. Now, mentally list out the top 3 reasons you love that brand. I am betting that none of the top 3 reasons were “because it’s cheap.” If this is true, why do we believe that the only message we have for our subscribers or customers is “It’s on sale!”? If you’re only communicating a sale or promotion, then you have a very limited relationship with your social connections. But if you start to have an authentic conversation with your social connections and form a real relationship, you can occasionally mention a sale or promotion, and also start to talk about the really cool things that are going on with your brand and company. Being
that loved brand with your social fans and followers is work, but it has more long-term payoff than sales or promotions alone.” Ryan Phelan, VP, Strategic Services, BlueHornet 4. Claim and optimize your Google+ Local page. “Local search is growing fast and it’s important that your Google listing is claimed and optimized so your business can be seen in the local results. When you optimize your page by adding categories, a keyword-enhanced description, photos, store hours, etc. you make it more attractive to search engines as well as your potential customers. Add an Offer to grab the attention of consumers and help you stand out from the rest of your competitors. According to comScore, 60% of a local searchers use offers and most return to businesses they’ve visited in the past. Also, encourage your customers to leave reviews. Good reviews help your rankings and inspire new customers to try your business.” Steve Yeich, CEO, Local Splash 5. Align social data with CRM. “Social marketing will continue to gain focus into 2013 and brands will face increasing pressure to (1) differentiate themselves across social channels and (2) demonstrate a repeatable social marketing ROI. Differentiation is difficult because on the social web brands don’t only complete with their direct
40 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
see 18 Tips on page 41
www.onlinemarketinginstitute.org
18 Tips from page 40
6. Collect and leverage social data to make more intelligent, data driven decisions. “The concept of social CRM is finally able to come to life with the technology advances over the past couple of years. There is so much data that can be collected from listing, social login and by monitoring the behavior on your website. All of this data can and should be analyzed to better understand your customers so that you can enrich their experience and ultimately build a better relationship with them. For example if John Smith connects to your site via social login you can pull down his social graph information and leverage his likes and interests to personalize your marketing messages. You can also broaden that view by brining in
7. Build a social media command center. “If you’re still struggling with getting executive buy-in consider a social media command center. The visualizations bring the customer conversations to life in a way that no executive can ignore. For whatever reason when they see it in lights something clicks and they want to understand more.” LaSandra Brill, Social Media Marketing Manager, Cisco 8. Harness multi-attribution modeling with web analytics. “Multiple customer touch-points before you close a lead or sale is the rule not the exception these days. Are you using multi-attribution modeling with your web analytics so that you have a full picture of your sales funnel? You already understand what digital channels directly bring in sales/leads. Now understand how each digital channel serves to assist in that conversion. Knowing this will allow you to create an integrated digital marketing strategy and spend your money more wisely.” Jamie Duklas, Director of Social Media,
Booyah Online Advertising 9. Think email series, not email blasts. “If you’re structuring your email marketing program as a rapid-fire deployment of oneoff communications, you’re hindering email ROI on at least two fronts. First, conventional marketing wisdom tells us it takes at least seven touches to convert a cold prospect to a customer, and whether the magic number is seven or not, it’s definitely true that new prospects need multiple chances to familiarize themselves with a brand, gather information and build trust before buying. Basically the more touches you have with a prospective customer in as many ways as possible, the more likely you are to build strong relationships and in turn sell your product or service. Email can play a major role in this process. Second, not only should you think in terms of matching email messages to customer life stage, but structure your email program as a series of messages per stage rather than a single “blast”. For example, new subscribers should be welcomed, and while one welcome message is better than none, an onboarding series of emails that welcome, educate and invite new prospects to make
41 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
see 18 Tips on page 42
Business
competitors but with every other brands competing for the attention of the audience. Brands that will truly stand out on social channels will be those who leverage data to target and drive meaningful interactions with their audience. Aligning that data with CRM (or other customer management systems) will become a requirement to demonstrate repeatable and provable ROI across the social web.” Mike Lewis, VP of Sales & Marketing, Awareness, Inc
conversations he’s having on the social web to better understand his interests and mood which can help build a better rapport.” LaSandra Brill, Social Media Marketing Manager, Cisco
18 Tips from page 41
Business
a first purchase (or advance the relationship toward purchase) is up to three times more effective than a single welcome message. For better email ROI, structure your program as a series of email “conversations” vs. one-way messages, and your subscribers will be far more engaged, confident and loyal in the long run.” Karen Talavera, Synchronicity Marketing 10. Deploy triggered email and dialog tracks. “While you’re thinking in terms of email series vs. single messages, it also pays to think in terms of email conversations. One size does not fit all when it comes to your list, so “blasting” everyone the same message without customized follow-up leaves money on the table. True, some subscribers will convert instantly (especially if they are existing customers who’ve bought before), while others need coaxing and incentives in the form of further messaging – or “conversations”. Designing triggered follow–up email sequences for different response actions (open, click, or conversion) becomes a key way to continually nudge the undecided toward a clear yes or no response, nurture prospects into customers, and encourage customers to buy again.” Karen Talavera, Synchronicity Marketing 11. Create landing pages that seduce and convert. “Landing pages are a critical component to the generating quality leads from PPC. You want to direct potential customers on their next steps. Do you want them
to order? Contact you? Download more information? This is achieved by having a strong call-to-action (CTA) on the landing page that matches the messaging on PPC ad the visitor just clicked on. Make the primary CTA stand out visually with the use of a button or other eyecatching graphic. Think size, color, and placement of the CTA graphic for maximum benefit. It’s amazing how many advertisers miss this important step, and it can make or break a campaign!” Lisa Raehsler, Big Click Co 12. Take control of your data. “Understand what data you have access to is good. But what is great is to appreciate all the data collected on your site. From widget companies to free analytics tools, there are many companies that collect data and which you don’t necessarily can act upon. Run an inventory of data collected on your site and try to see what value they can bring to your web site and campaigns” Dax Hamman, Chief Revenue Officer, Chango 13. Be smartly efficient about campaign testing. Test only those elements which will net you the maximum ROI of time, energy and money. For small companies and/or those with limited resources, I’d focus on headline and calls-to-action testing (both copy and design.) Roberta Rosenberg, Director of Marketing, Business Resources and Education, American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), 14. Connect to the search psyche of your potential buying customer. “Digital Marketing often becomes about speaking and communicating to robots, the search engines and the algorithms. My session is going to re-connect your marketing efforts, whether you are a small business or an agency, to the search psyche
of your potential buying customer in Social Media Sites. You must know them first, write content to what they want and only then will conversions show up one tweet, follow, like or comment at a time!” Heather Lutze, CEO and Founder, Findability Group 15. Always test your landing pages. “Testing pays off. No matter how much you “think” you know your audience, always challenge what is working. Testing can be as easy as a multi-step page versus a single landing page – and the results can be significant. Know your results. They will sometimes surprise you.” Sally Lowery, Director of Revenue Marketing, ion interactive 16. Develop a video marketing strategy. “Video offers greater retention and recall: up to 5 times greater than the written word. So how to get started? Below is a list of recommendations to consider when developing a successful video marketing program, from strategic planning to measurement. • Benchmark the competition (analyze profile design, overall content and level of interaction) • Based on analysis of existing videos, the ideal duration to maximize engagement is 30-120 seconds • All videos should include a closing call-to-action (visit a website, subscribe, comment, share, etc.) • For trademarked or copyrighted content or improved measurability, consider digital watermarking • Create a text transcript for all videos (good for search engine optimization and ADA compliance) • Create an audio-only “podcast” for distribution on iTunes and other audio websites • Create still images from HD
42 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
see 18 Tips on page 43
New, Interactive iStart Business Profiles Connect Entrepreneurs to Startup Community
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site to skyrocket now that iStart prominently features shared ideas.” Aspiring entrepreneurs can now showcase more of their business ideas and what they need to start or grow their companies — such as partners, mentoring, marketing analysis and legal help. The ideas and plans vetted through competitions and listed on the site can include videos or slides and provide information about the business’s customer base, the solution the product provides, and the key features and competitive advantages the product or service offers. Mentors, advisors, entrepreneurs, funders and corporate venture directors can view the business profiles and have additional contact with the entrepreneurs through the website. In addition to showcasing thousands of innovative business ideas posted by entrepreneurs in
18 Tips
“So you’ve struggled to secure digital marketing budget to optimize your website, build out a pay-perclick advertising campaign or build a social media presence. Fear not. Even if you shared the benefits of digital marketing outlined above without success, there are three effective sales strategies you can use: appealing to logic, ego or simply begging for forgiveness.” Kent Lewis, President, Anvil Media
from page 43
videos to post on Pinterest, Flickr, Facebook and other profiles • Don’t forget to set default sharing option to “public” or “allow all” • Use Comments, Hot Spots and A/B Testing as your virtual focus group (to determine future content and format ideas) • Based on new posting rules recently released by YouTube, be sure to use your Google+ profile when commenting on videos” Kent Lewis, President, Anvil Media 17. Secure proper budget for digital campaigns.
18. Focus on the right social media metrics. “While social metrics like growth in # of fans, followers or likes can certainly help set a baseline and provide trending for general reach and frequency, they can
more than 100 countries, www. istart.org has hosted more than 125 competitions to date, including the Rice University Business Plan Competition, the world’s largest and richest competition. Rice recently released a report detailing cumulative outcomes of its 12 years of competitions (http://alliance.rice. edu/uploadedFiles/RBPC/2012_ RBPC_ImpactReport.pdf). www.kauffman.org/newsroom/ new-interactive-istart-businessprofiles-connect-entrepreneursto-startup-community.aspx?utm_ source=Newsletter&utm_ medium=Opticast&utm_ campaign=Ideas_At_ Work_8_23_2012 be misleading or misinterpreted as absolute values. One way to minimize the limitations of these metrics is to track them as ratios instead. The benefit of a ratio is that it focuses on relationships and relativity. For example, marketers shouldn’t care as much about the total number of Likes on Facebook; rather, they should care about the level of quality and engagement with those individuals. One way to do that is by looking at relationships like the average number of comments or shares-per-post.” Kent Lewis, Anvil Media . www.onlinemarketinginstitute.org/ blog/2012/08/18-tips-to-acceleratesocial-media-and-digital-roi
43 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
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etworks are the most important tools entrepreneurs have for starting and growing their companies — next to their business ideas. iStart (www.iStart.org), a global online resource for business competitions, has unveiled its new website designed to make it easier for entrepreneurs to build a stronger network, get constructive feedback and connect with potential partners. “Entrepreneurs have been sharing business concepts on iStart since it launched in 2010, and there currently are more than 8,000 innovative ideas and companies posted,” said Katie Petersen, manager of iStart. “Hundreds of those entrepreneurs have made connections with other people seeking opportunities, such as mentors, advisors and corporations looking for venture ideas. We expect those connections on the
GRANTS.GOV LISTINGS The following grant opportunity postings may be found on the Grants.gov Find Opportunities service: DOS Department of State Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs U.S. Embassy Islamabad PAS Grants Program, Modification 8 www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=114273
Business
USAID Agency for International Development Afghanistan USAID-Kabul Public Private Innovative Development Initiative, Modification 3 www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=129593 USAID Agency for International Development Kazakhstan USAID-Almaty Development Through Regional Cooperation, Modification 5 www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=172393 DOT Department of Transportation DOT/Office of Small & Disadvantaged Utilization Notice of Funding Availability for the Small Business Transportation Resource Center Program, Modification 3 www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=177273 HHS Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Immunization and Vaccines for Children Program, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=178334 DOI Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service
Assessing Management Needs to Enhance Recovery for the Eastern Massasauga, year four Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=178353 HHS Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health Population Architecture Using Genomics and Epidemiology (PAGE), Phase II Study Investigators (U01), Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=178354 HHS Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health Population Architecture Using Genomics and Epidemiology (PAGE), Phase II, Coordinating Center (U01), Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=178355 HHS Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Cooperative Agreement for the Development, Operation, and Evaluation of an Entertainment Education Program, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=178356 DOI Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management BLM CA Lassen Land and Trails Trust LLTT Modoc Line, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=178357 ED Department of Education Upward Bound Math and Science Program - CFDA 84.047M, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=178373
ED Department of Education National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR)-Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers Program-RERCs--Recreational Technologies Exercise Physiology Benefiting Individuals Disabilities, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=178393 NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA Headquarters E.2 Leading Edge Aeronautics Research for NASA (LEARN), Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=178394 ED Department of Education National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR)-Disability Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers Program-Disability, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=178413 USDOT Department of the Treasury Community Development Financial Institutions FY 2012 Bank Enterprise Award Program, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=178433 DOI Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service University of California, Davis Species Project, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=178453 NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA Headquarters COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT ON ASTROPHYSICS EXPLORER MISSIONS OF OPPORTUNITY, Grant
44 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
GRANTS.GOV LISTINGS from page 44
www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=178473 DOI Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management BLM NV Nevada Ecological Site Descriptions State and Transition Models Development, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=178474 DOI Department of the Interior National Park Service Estimating grizzly bear use of large ungulate carcasses with GPS telemetry data, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=178493
DOI Department of the Interior National Park Service Developing Chesapeake Youth Corps Network, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=178496 DOI Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management BLM WY 2012 Challenge Cost Share Program, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=178497 DOI Department of the Interior National Park Service Signage and Related Interpretive Media Along the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail in Metro DC, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=178513
DOI Department of the Interior National Park Service War of 1812 in Southern Maryland: Traveling Exhibit and Traveling Trunks, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=178515 DOI Department of the Interior National Park Service Assisting in Development of Potomac River Segment of the Captain John Smith Chesapeake and Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trails, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=178516 DOI Department of the Interior National Park Service Interns CLI/LCS, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=178517 DOI Department of the Interior National Park Service Development of LandScope Chesapeake, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=178533
Irrigation Water Delivery Metering Project, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=178573 DOI Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Mark Processing, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=178574 DOI Department of the Interior National Park Service Technology Enhanced Interpretation Development, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=178593 DOS Department of State Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Middle East Partnership Initiative Tomorrow’s Leaders Scholarship, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=178594 DOI Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service DURHAM DAM, Modification 1 www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=178613 DOI Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Chumstick Barrier Removal Phase 4, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=178633
DOI Department of the Interior National Park Service Cooperative Agreement for the identification of sites and structures significant in Hispanic heritage, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=178553 DOI Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation Bureau of Reclamation - Pacific Northwest Region
45 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
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DOD Department of Defense Air Force Academy STEM Outreach to K-12 Schools in Southern Colorado, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=178494
DOI Department of the Interior National Park Service Heritage Partnerships Program 3D Digital Documentation, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=178514
Microlenders Provide Financial Lifeline to Online Enterprises
Business
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rik Jimenez needed $1,000 right away to buy 200 used guitars he could sell from his online store. He couldn’t get a conventional loan or line of credit from a bank because his business of selling vintage and custom music instruments was too small. But the Bellflower, CA, resident knew how to use social media to generate sales — and that’s what was important to a company called Kabbage, Inc. The Atlanta microlender, which provides small online businesses with funding ranging from $500 to $40,000, signed the deal. Jimenez got his cash. “For me, the more money I have access to, the more money I can potentially make,” a delighted Jimenez said. The explosion of online sellers through sites such as eBay, Fab, Etsy and Pinterest has been a boon for entrepreneurs looking to sell a broad assortment of items including used CDs and handmade scarves. But finding a traditional bank to make small-business loans to virtual stores has been a tough sell — and has opened the door to niche players. Kabbage is one of a number of new lenders that look beyond credit scores to make an assessment, and put more weight on UPS shipping information, Amazon and PayPal records to assess the probability that they’ll get their money back from a particular loan applicant. The lenders also look at how much potential borrowers use Twitter and Facebook to promote their
products. R o b Frohwein, K a b b a g e ’s c h i e f executive, said all those data p o i n t s help give Kabbage a “360-degree view” of how online merchants operate their business. “The more we know about you, the less risk there is for us and the more capital we can lend at more attractive rates,” he said. Other microlenders targeting online merchants include On Deck Capital Inc. and Capital Access Network Inc., which specialize in high-interest, short-term loans. “If the local bank wasn’t so riskaverse, and if they understood technology better, they would be doing this lending,” said Stephen Howard-Sarin, eBay’s head of marketing in North America. “But they don’t understand.” Technological innovations and the opportunity for online sellers to avoid a sales tax have allowed online commerce to transcend the economic problems that have punished some bricks-and-mortar operations. Growth in online purchases is expected to continue, according to a report by EMarketer, a digital media and commerce data collector. The report states that consumers
have shown confidence in online commerce, with 58% saying they will spend more money online in 2012. And 70% of all Internet users ages 14 and older made at least one online purchase last year. E-commerce grew 16.1% in 2011, and sales are expected to grow to $361.9 billion in 2016 from $194.3
billion in 2011, or about 13% a year, according to the report. Investment firms Robert W. Baird and JPMorgan expect e-commerce to grow more than 12% this year. Small businesses are hungry to latch on to the e-commerce momentum, and microlenders are casting a wide net to reel in as many customers as possible. Lenders such as On Deck Capital and Kabbage attract these small businesses because getting a loan from them is quick and easy. But the interest rates can be high. On Deck’s interest rates run 18% to 36%, but Chief Executive Noah Breslow said they are able to remain competitive with traditional banks because the loans are typically up in three to eight months. “I think the bottom line is people value speed and convenience,” Breslow said. “A business owner can go online with us and get approved basically within minutes and then get funding in their account
46 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
see Microlenders on page 47
Microlenders from page 46
as an option. “Down the road, if I were to borrow more money, the interest rate is something I’d have to scrutinize,” he said. Source: MCT Information Services
Kim Anthony is a crowdfunding coach, consultant and author of “Crowdfund Your Dreams: The Definitive Guide to Raising Capital Through Crowdfunding.” She is also the producer of Crowdfund L.A. Summit and founder of Urban Angel Ventures, which provides crowdfunding education and advocacy for urban communities. For more information call 310-773-6140.
Caltrans Construction
Money for You Can
MEAN
El Camino College offers the training and advising you need to enhance your ability to bid for and WIN state highway construction contracts. Now is the time to get bid ready with assistance in the areas of procurement, personnel, cash flow, marketing and more!
Appointments with a business advisor are available at the SBDC at no charge to you. For more information, call the SBDC at 310.973.3177. Be sure to attend the free Economic Stimulus event on Thursday, November 19, 2009, in the City of Compton to learn more about stimulus opportunities available from Caltrans and other state and federal agencies. Visit californiasbdc.org for details.
Small Business Development Center Hosted by El Camino College 13430 Hawthorne Blvd. Hawthorne, CA 90250 310.973.3177 southbaysbdc.org
47 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Business
the next day.” His company, which has lent money in all 50 states, has provided more than $250 million to merchants. Kabbage has a similar strategy. The company said it gives advances — not loans — and expects a 2% to 7% fee over a six-month period and charges a higher fee in some cases for speed and convenience. The need for quick cash is what brought Jimenez to Kabbage. Jimenez secured the loan at 5% interest and paid it off in the first month with the proceeds from the guitars. He made about $38,000 last year and has around $35,000 in sales in 2012. In 2004, Ed Harmon also struggled to get loans from traditional lenders. He said banks turned him down flat because his online store, which sells water sports equipment such as wake boards and boat supplies, had just started and was based online. “They basically told us, ‘You guys are such a new business it’s hard for us to really get behind that and jump in with a big line of credit because you’re Internet, and Internet scares us,’ ” he said. Harmon was eventually able to secure a loan from a bank, but he found the hours of traditional lenders sometimes made it hard to get money when he needed it. Last year, one of Harmon’s employees suggested the company take advantage of a good deal on some skateboards. It was late at night on a weekday and all the banks were closed, but he needed money right away to cash in on an attractive wholesale deal. He borrowed about $4,000 from Kabbage. “Using that Kabbage money did jump-start us to selling the 2,000
skateboards,” he said. “Being able to grab the Kabbage money allowed us to do it then instead of waiting until later.” If Harmon needs more money in the future, he’d consider Kabbage
County of Los Angeles Supervisor Mark Ridley Thomas, 2nd District
SMALL BUSINESS CONTRACTING CONNECTIONS September 12, 2012 8:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. University of Southern California Campus Ronald Tutor Campus Center – Grand Ballroom
RSVP online at: osb.lacounty.gov (Click on Events & Training Courses Link)
x Workshops! x Resource Tables!
x Networking!
Sponsored by: County of Los Angeles Internal Services Department Office of Small Business & Procurement Technical Assistance Center USC Supplier Diversity Services
Selling to the Mexican Maquiladora Industry The U.S. Commercial Service will host an all day event providing an overview of selling to the Mexican Maquiladora Industry. Learn about: • • • • •
Maquila border opportunities and best prospects Update on Mexican Law and Financing exports to Mexico’s Maquilas Strategies for a successful cross border business relationship Company overview of Maquiladoras and their needs B2B meetings with Maquila representatives
Following the presentations, firms will have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with Maquiladora representatives from Juarez, Nogales, Tijuana, Guadalajara (To Be Confirmed), and Monterrey (To Be Confirmed). Venue: Chaffey College Chino Community Center, Chino CA Date/Time: Wednesday, October 10, 2012; 8:30am-3:30pm Learn more/register: http://export.gov/california/ie/tradeevents/ chinob2bmaquilaevent/index.asp For questions, please contact: Erica Ramirez, Senior International Trade Specialist Tel: (909) 390-8491 Email: Erica.Ramirez@trade.gov
How to Get Ready for Crowdfunding 2.0 New rules for equity- and debt-based crowdfunding
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Be realistic. Crowdfunding isn’t for every company. Before you invest time in it, consider how long it will take for you to bring your product or service to fruition and deliver a return to investors. That will affect how many takers you get for your offering. In the past, many small backers of
crowdfunded ventures have been attracted by the small rewards that they get for making a donation, such as a signed CD by an artist they have supported. Entrepreneurs should consider “whether their product would be attractive as a reward.”
Create a communication strategy. Small-fry investors’ questions, complaints and suggestions can consume vital company time, so it’s critical to manage their expectations. Keep them in the loop with monthly emails and quarterly newsletters, and assign a point person to handle investor relations. “You want to always speak with one voice.”
Do background checks. The law requires corporate officers to submit to securities-fraud and criminalrecord checks, so companies need to do their own due diligence first to ensure there are “no bad actors” involved in the firm’s crowdfunding efforts. Prep the paperwork. To drum up investors, you’ll need to be prepared with financial statements, a comprehensive business plan that includes how much capital the firm needs to achieve its objectives and a budget delineating how the money will be allocated, according to Sang Lee, founder and CEO of Return on Change, a Long Island City, Queens, firm with an equity crowdfunding site geared to socially conscious ventures and technology startups. “Transparency is key,” said Mr. Lee. “If you are spending money on nice monitors because your graphic designer needs them, put it out there. Don’t try to be coy.”
Kim Anthony is a crowdfunding coach, consultant and author of “Crowdfund Your Dreams: The Definitive Guide to Raising Capital Through Crowdfunding.” She is also the producer of Crowdfund L.A. Summit and founder of Urban Angel Ventures, which provides crowdfunding education and advocacy for urban communities. For more information call 310-773-6140.
Craft a compelling pitch. On crowdfunding websites, pitches abound—but investors are drawn to those that focus on the “why” of a new product and its impact on “society and the world,” said Brian Meece, CEO and founder of the 2-year-old RocketHub.
49 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
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ince mid-June, Ben Powell’s Manhattan firm, Motive LLC, has attracted more than $12,500 from 370-plus backers for its product, a stylus to handwrite notes and draw on the iPad. Like other small businesses that have won over supporters through Kickstarter, a crowdfunding site for companies seeking to raise money online from individuals, Mr. Powell rewards backers with small gifts. Motive, for example, provides everything from a single black stylus for a donation of $20 or more to 10 styluses in a choice of four colors and a black leather Apple iPad Smart Cover for $500 or more. With the passage last April of the Crowdfund Act, startups and small businesses now have the option of luring investors to back them by selling stock or raising capital through debt in their firms. The Securities and Exchange Commission is currently working on the rules for equity and debtbased crowdfunding, including how companies can use social networks to promote their capital-raising drives. The SEC is slated to present the new regulations in mid-January. Considering the new options in crowdfunding? Here are some tips.
com, a Harlem, NY-headquartered crowdfunding site. Providing such information “will resonate” with contributors..
Tech Tools: A Personal Business Mobility Tale
Mobile Changes Everything by Samuel Greengard
Business
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just spent a week with my sons travelling iCloud t h r o u g h Southern Utah. We visited three national parks and spent time in Moab. I didn’t inform any of my clients or editors that I would be traveling. I wanted to see if it’s really possible to put a mobile office to work. I forwarded calls from my office phone to my mobile phone. I grabbed my iPhone, iPad and a MacBook Pro. I hit the road and used a combination of 3G and 4G cellular, as well as WiFi, to stay in touch. Remarkably, the entire week passed without a single hiccup or meltdown. Nobody suspected that I was out of the office, and I never felt hamstrung by the technology. Yes, I had to fit work into the early mornings and late nights in order to have uninterrupted time with my kids during the day. And it was stressful at times, but such is the nature of a working vacation. The point is that I pulled it off. Let’s face it, this would have been impossible a few years ago. I recall using an early Kyocera smartphone that seems like an antique by today’s standards. Syncing data to a computer required a cable. It was a terrifying and gut-wrenching process as contact and calendar items duplicated themselves and sometimes vanished into thin air. Transferring databases and application
files between d e v i c e s required the expertise and patience of a bomb squad specialist. Fast forward to the present. G o o g l e C h r o m e displayed all my open browser tabs from different devices. I was able to create documents on an iPad using Pages, download the document through iCloud (www.icloud.com) and import it into Word on the MacBook Pro. I did all that while key project management files and other data stayed current via the cloud syncing features built into my programs. And when a client requested specific documents, they were all right there in Dropbox (www.dropbox.com). Of course, the Holy Grail of mobility is to be able to move a computing state from one device to another, and to start, stop and resume work without even thinking about exchanging files and syncing. We’re nearly there. For organizations and individuals who truly understand the technology, the laws of conventional business physics no longer apply. Mobility has truly arrived. http://blogs.baselinemag.com/ mobility/mobile-changes-everything. html?kc=BLBLBEMNL08272012BLOGOP
50 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Tech Tools: HDMI Stick Turns your
Dumb Screen into a Smart TV by Mari Silbey he IMJ Corporation out of Tokyo has introduced an HDMI Wi-Fi stick called MGS (www.marlin-community. com/content/imj-introduces-otttv-stick-connected-tv-experience) that promises to turn almost any television with an HDMI (high definition multimedia interface) port into a smart TV. Once connected, the tiny device runs the Android operating system on your television, and can be controlled with an Android smartphone. It supports multiple video codecs, as well as digital rights management technology, and can reportedly stream Internet video, music, games, and numerous mobile applications to the larger television
T
company says it already has deals in place with several hardware manufacturers including Hitachi, Mitsubishi Electric, and Best Buy’s Insignia brand, among others.
screen. IMJ isn’t the first company to announce an HDMI streaming stick. Most notably, Roku introduced its own similar device back in January, and today the
www.smartplanet.com/blog/ thinking-tech/hdmi-stick-turnsyour-dumb-screen-into-a-smarttv/12656?tag=nl.e660 Images courtesy of IMJ Corporation
However, at least on paper, IMJ’s MGS stick sounds like a more flexible solution. The Roku stick needs a “Roku-ready” TV, and provides access to Roku-specific applications. The MGS device
51 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
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HDMI Stick
(again, in theory) works with nearly any TV sporting an HDMI port, and opens up access to a much broader range of applications in the Android ecosystem. While we have little to go on with MGS beyond a press release and a few specifications, the new product did recently get a vote of confidence from the Cable standards group known as CableLabs. IMJ Corporation was chosen as the company with the product most likely to succeed at the CableLabs Summer Conference last week. The IMJ website says the new HDMI Wi-Fi stick and related software development kit will be available this summer, and will sell at a price point between $50 and $90. That’s a pretty cheap upgrade for your living-room flat screen.
Tech Tools: The Future of Mobile for Retailers?
Amazon Windowshop
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the grid of product images and be presented with the detailed product screen including the pictures and videos related to that product (which includes 30 second samples for the music items). Included are tabs for product details and description, user reviews, and related products. Take advantage of Amazon Prime membership by easily discovering which products qualify for Amazon Prime. Get a close-up view of the product by tapping on the product image and leverage the iPad capabilities to zoom into the hi resolution images. Complete purchases quickly by taking advantage of Amazon 1-Click checkout. Share items you have discovered via e-mail, Facebook, or Twitter. Save an item for later by adding it to your Wish List.
• Access all of your wish lists. • Continue your Amazon shopping as the Windowshop application uses the same Amazon account, cart, wish, list, authentication, etc. The categories within the Amazon Windowshop App browse experience include: Books, Textbooks, Kindle Magazines & Newspapers, Movies, Music, TV Episodes, Games, CDs, Electronics, Home & Garden, Automotive, Baby, Beauty, Camera & Photo, Cell Phone & Services, Clothing, Computers, Grocery, Health & Personal Care, Home Improvement, Industrial & Scientific, Jewelry, Kitchen & Dining, Magazines, MP3 Music, Music Instruments, Office Products, Patio & Garden, Shoes, Software, Sports & Outdoors, Video, & Watches. http://itunes.apple.com/us/ app/amazon-windowshop/ id398554270?mt=8
53 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Business
he Amazon Windowshop app is a rich media shopping experienced optimized for the iPad and provides a flowing and intuitive Amazon.com (also .de, .fr, .co.uk, and .co.jp) browse experience. It is an amazing new way to shop Amazon’s millions of items. Same selection, same low prices, same fast delivery, same benefits of your Amazon Prime membership – just a completely new fluid interface designed specifically for lean-back, touch screen tablets. With the flick of a finger you will be able to visually browse across many best selling product categories. Windowshop invites you to discover and browse products within popular lists like “Featured”, “Bestsellers”, “Recommendations”, “New Releases”, “Most Wished For”, and “Most Gifted”. Windowshop for iPad allows you to: • Discover more products within a category by touching the category (column) heading and be presented with all of the subcategories with hundreds of additional, related products. • Explore the deep Amazon.com (also .de, .fr, .co.uk, and .co.jp) catalog by selecting the Browse button and picking the list type desired (Best Sellers, New Releases, Recommendations, etc…) then browse the categories and subcategories to find the products you are looking for. • Learn more about the products by selecting the product from
DARPA to Crowdsource Amphibious Vehicle Design by Reena Jana
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challenges” to come up with a new amphibious vehicle for Marines. The tank concept is intended to be used on beaches. The challenges would be part of a competition that the Journal reported could award designers up to $2 million in prizes. As Hagerty explained, the idea to look for design help outside of DARPA’s immediate network reflects a need to find an inexpensive alternative to recently proposed Marine-tank plans. He wrote, “DARPA got an opening to test its crowdsourcing theories after the Defense Department in early 2011 canceled another project to create a replacement for 1970s-era Marine amphibious vehicles. The military concluded the project, led by defense contractor General Dynamics Corp., would be too
www.smartplanet.com/blog/ design-architecture/darpa-tocrowdsource-amphibious-vehicledesign/8250?tag=nl.e660 Image: Photo by U.S. Department of Defense/Casey H. Kyh
55 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Business
he Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), is an arm of the U.S. Department of Defense (www.defense.gov) known for its forward-thinking research and development–namely the roles it has played in creating the Internet and other groundbreaking innovations. And now DARPA is about to engage in a phenomenon that’s been trendy in design circles for the last several years: “crowdsourcing.” In the case of DARPA, the agency is tapping the public for their ideas on improving the design of military tanks used by Marines on beaches. So reported James R. Hagerty in The Wall Street Journal. DARPA’s vehicle crowdsourcing program is scheduled to kick off within the first half of 2013 with a series of “design
expensive—after sinking in more than $3 billion toward development. Pursuing the program ‘would essentially swallow the entire Marine vehicle budget,’ thenDefense Secretary Robert Gates said at the time.” Of course, one of the biggest and most obvious risks of crowdsourcing design for the U.S. military is that top-secret information related to American security could get into the wrong hands. A DARPA official, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Nathan Wiedenman, is quoted by Hagerty as saying that the technology details won’t be “fully open.” Yet, thankfully, the new initiative to develop amphibious vehicles via a design competition will be truly open–meaning it actually won’t just be a gimmicky freefor-all among amateur inventors. Unknown tank designers will also compete alongside companies (perhaps even including General Dynamics) and academic labs with deep military experience, too. As Hagerty suggested in the Journal, the initiative will likely be a fascinating test not only of the many crowdsourced concepts to surface, but also of the concept of crowdsourcing itself, too.
SERVING THE INDUSTRY and the TRADE PIPE - VALVES - FITTINGS - METALS - TOOLS PROCESS CONTROLS - INSTRUMENTATION - WATER WORKS
Brandon Supply Corporation is a world class distributor of industrial supplies. Brandon has been proven to be a dependable source of supply to the petrochemical, power generation and waterworks industries providing fast and reliable service. Brandon, in maintaining the policy of selling only superior products, represents only the nation's top manufacturers.
SBA CERTIFIED We offer a full range of valves for all piping applications, pressure tubing in all sizes and schedules, a complete line of fittings, flanges and couplings in all metallurgies. We also offer a full range in PVC, HDPE and other materials.
Clarence D. Scott, CEO CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS 14120 Gannet Street Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670
MAILING ADDRESS P.O. Box 5354 Buena Park, CA 90623
Phone: 562-921-0407 | FAX: 562-921-5945 800.238.5906 (Outside California) www.brandonsupply.com | cdavis@brandonsupplycorp.com
ALL MAJOR CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED
57 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Honor National Grandparents Day with Flowers!
Technology:
Take a Look! by LaSandra Stratton Check out what these firms and organizations have to offer for your personal interests, personal wealth building, and business expansion opportunities.
languages are available in textonly format. APP STORE - Instagram This popular camera-phone app enhances your smart-phone photos with more than a dozen filters from black and white and oversat-
www.growthology.org “Practically Friday” is a new weekly series on the Growthology.org blog from the Kauffman Research and Policy team aimed
at entrepreneurs. Published every Thursday, the new series serves up practical applications and information gleaned from the world of research.
program is free and available on the iPhone and Android systems. Need to quick translation, just speak into the device. Should you need a translation ourside of the 17 main languages, 47 other
APP STORE - iFly iFly Pro is a new app for iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and Android devices from Red Cirrus, the team behind www.ifly.com. You may know the website, which is dubbed The Web’s Best Airport Guide, and covers a vast array of up-to-the-minute info on airports around the world, such as flight stats, delays, traffic updates, plus a range of details on terminal layouts, parking, tips etc. iFly Pro app is essentially the website in a portable format. It is intended for use in finding out
port you are not very familiar with. It is useful to see what airlines fly there, and to read the detailed overview which is provided for each airport. And perhaps most useful is the flight status at each airport, showing the upcoming arrivals and departures scheduled. The app is full of info, and definitely worth the investment ($6.99) simply for its vast coverage of airports around the world. If you travel, it’s definitely worth it, as there’s so much information about each airport’s facilities, amenities and general travel hints.
Submitted by LaSandra Stratton, Chief Content Administrator of the Black Business News.
59 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Business
APP STORE - Google Translate Provides text and audio translations for 17 languages.The
urated to Polaroid style - and then it aids you in sharing your photos on Facebook, Twitter, or Tumblr. Your photos can be shared in the Instagram community via your own personal time line. Family and friends can view your snapshots from there. Instagram may also provide a means of sharing images with business clients when a PowerPoint presentation is not handy. Instagran operates on Android and iPhone devices.
about flights from/to certain airports, and how to get to airports and find the right place to be. The app claims to cover 700+ airports around the world and it does seem to be fairly comprehensive. Airport status is offered for US airports, and you can also track the status of any flight you know the details of (flight number, from/ to etc). So it’s a pretty handy tool for the traveller. If you want or need to know details about an airport iFly is very useful. It has the maps, showing airport, terminal and road layouts – especially when visiting an air-
American Express created this special day to encourage people to do their holiday shopping at local businesses. It’s one of the busiest holiday shopping events of the year. 60 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
AEG Invites Current and Interested Supplier Partners to our
Supplier Portal, an online communication tool designed to enhance the relationship between AEG and our partners. The portal is an online and paperless tool that will provide you with: Increased visibility for AEG business opportunities Extended Company Profile in online directory Direct email updates from AEG clients and buyers Easy accounts payable information sharing Increased exposure for MBEs, WBEs, and DBEs It is important that you register your business so that we have the ability to contact you for participation in future opportunities. Suppliers seeking to initiate business with AEG are encouraged to register as well. Registration is simple and we invite you to visit our Supplier Portal at your earliest convenience:
https://supplier.aegworldwide.com
Business Development
Building Your Business for Success: The Importance of Ownership
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ne of the keys to economic independence for African American business owners is the acquisition and ownership of commercial real estate. By controlling the buildings and land that house the means of generating revenue, an entrepreneur can better attain the goal that underpins what being in business is all about: maximum self-determination. With interest rates now at historically low levels and the economy growing at a slow pace, now is a prime time for many business owners to consider the purchase of commercial real estate. The benefits and drawbacks to commercial real estate ownership vary from business owner to business owner, but potential buyers should educate themselves about the obvious and sometimes hidden benefits to the ownership of a commercial property. Below are some of the major benefits to real estate ownership, versus leasing a commercial space.
Tax Deductions
Added Value To Business
For many Black business owners, a primary benefit of commercial real estate ownership is the tax deductibility of property that can be taken on the interest portion of the monthly commercial loan payment. These deductions can be substantial and each business owner should consult a qualified tax specialist about his or her unique situation.
Unlike some residential loans, many commercial loans are assumable. This makes the business and its real estate much easier for a buyer to acquire, and enhances the value of the business tremendously.
Equity Appreciation On average, commercial real estate properties will appreciate about two to three percent above inflation over the long term. Paying rent provides no appreciation or equity. Quite candidly, the BBA has members who have been paying rent for a decade or more, with no equity accrued and never having positioned themselves to benefit from any hope of equity appreciation. Using some of the most conservative estimates, potential equity appreciation can result in significant financial gains over a period of decades.
A Retirement Fund Through various circumstances, many minority and small business owners will not receive a pension when they decide to retire. In such cases, the equity appreciation on commercial property can be significant. An owner can decide either to sell the property upon retirement to cash in on equity appreciation, or lease the property to another business for a continuous retirement income stream. In fact, in some situations, a business owner may be able to lease out an unused portion of the property, such as a spare office, before retirement for additional income.
No Taxes To Pay On Your Rent When a business leases its real estate, sales tax is paid on the rent paid to the landlord. When you own the real estate there is no tax to pay on the rent. The savings can be significant.
Easy Access To Financing Historically-low, thirty-year fixed interest mortgage rates are now available for owner-occupied commercial properties. Furthermore, there are flexible interest-only options from which entrepreneurs can benefit. In fact, in some instances, with strong financials a business owner may qualify for loan financing up to 100% of the purchase price for commercial real estate. A business owner should consult an experienced commercial mortgage adviser before making an offer on a commercial property, so that in addition to the tangible benefits outlined above, the business owner will have the satisfaction that only comes with property ownership. Truer words have never been spoken: “God bless the child that’s got his own�. The Black Business Association will soon launch a program to assist African American business owners in acquiring commercial and industrial real estate.
President Barack Obama signs one of the final steel beams that will be installed as part of the framework of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s One World Trade Center site in New York, NY while First Lady Michelle Obama, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg look on. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
ne World Trade Center has surpassed the Empire State Building to become the tallest skyscraper in New York City at 1,271 feet above street level. Currently, One World Trade Center steel is at 1,368 feet, the height of the original World Trade Center. When One World Trade Center is completed, its spire will rise to 1,776 feet, making it the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. To get to its present height, construction workers, laboring high above the city through snow, rain and heat have installed 43,000 tons of steel and nearly 200,000 cubic yards of concrete—enough for a four-foot-wide sidewalk from New York to Chicago. The building will contain 1 million square feet of
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glass facade, enough to cover 20 NFL football fields. With more than one and a half years remaining b e f o r e w o r k e r s complete One World Trade Center, the 3 million square foot tower is already more than 55 percent leased. The building will serve as the headquarters of Conde Nast, a world-class publisher, which has leased more than 1.2 million square feet covering 25 floors. An additional 190,000 square feet has been leased by Vantone China Center and the federal General Services Administration just last month leased 270,000 square feet. One World Trade Center aims to be one of the most sustainable office buildings of its size and achieve LEED Gold certification standards. These standards will
result in lower energy expenses, lower operating expenses, access to natural light through floor to ceiling glass windows and highly filtered air. The building will feature an iconic Observation Deck at the top of the building that will provide visitors with unrivaled views of New York City, the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Hudson and East River waterfronts. The Durst Organization, one of the most highly respected developers in the real estate industry, manages One World Trade Center. Visit WTCProgress.com and follow @WTCProgress on Twitter for updates on building progress.
65 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Community/Public Interest
Beam Signed By President and Mrs. Obama Installed at World Trade Center
Go for the Gold in Life
(l-r) First Lady Michelle Obama, Olympic Gold Medal Winner Gabby Douglas and TV Host Jay Leno.
irst Lady Michelle Obama lead the U.S. Delegation to the 2012 Olympic Games. Now that the Games have ended she continues to call on families and communities around the USA to prepare our children for
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physical and mental success by incorporating healthy eating and activity choices in their daily lives. Whether the goal is to “Go for the Gold” in the next Olympic Games in 2016 or not, learning to live a healthy lifestyle is our individual
67 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Community/Public Interest
Olympic Gold Medal Winner Gabby Douglas. Above the bar.
and collective responsibility. Much of the information p a r e n t s , teachers, community leaders and young people need to help with making better choices is available by visiting the Let’s Move website - www. letsmove.gov. Let’s follow the examples set for us by the Olympic athletes from the USA and around the world - work at being the best that we can be at whatever we do. www.letsmove.gov
A Look at Breaking Records: The Success and Championship of African American Athletes in the 2012 Olympics by Linda Ware
Community/Public Interest
U.S. Women’s 4×100 Relay team set world record and win Olympic Gold - Allyson Felix, Bianca Knight, Tianna Madison and Carmelita Jeter
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he year of 2012 will forever be remembered in the sports annals as one of the most outstanding years in the history of global sports achievements in relation to African American Athletes and Athletes of Color from around the world. As the date for the 2012 Olympic Games approached, people around the world prepared to watch with excitement and hope for their country’s best performing in competitions from swimming, gymnastics, basketball, track and
field in addition to other popular categories. The 2012 Olympics will go down in the history books with the achievement of several firsts in terms of new categories added to the games. For the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, female boxing was added as an official category. 17 year old Claressa Shields made history as the first American boxer and first female to win a gold medal at the 2012 Olympics .
As we watched in anticipation around the world, the first day of the 2012 Olympic Games arrived. African American athletes and Athletes of Color hit the media spotlight with impressive wins achieved in terms of medal rankings. It is noted that never before have there been so many Athletes of Color and African Americans let alone medalists in the history of the Olympics. Although national media focused see Olympic Athletes on page 69
68 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Olympic Athletes from page 68
on Gabby Douglas as the first African American to win a gold medal as an individual all around champion , the significance of the win
of the Tennis Competition in 1984 was Dr. William Burke, the Creator of the Los Angeles Marathon. USA Tennis Champion Serena was overpowering in her win for the individual gold. Sisters Serena and Venus Williams played at top form winning the gold medal for the Maya Lawrence
Jordan Burroughs
Venus and Serena Williams
Claressa Shields
tennis doubles competition for the third time in a row in an Olympic setting securing their status as Olympic Tennis Legends. Jordan Burroughs made history in the wrestling completion winning gold in the Men’s freestyle wrestling final. His gold medal win at the Olympics followed winning the global title for freestyle at the World
Christian Taylor Championships. Many of the other African Americans and Athletes of Color will benefit financially from endorsements and sponsorships. These are just a few of the African American champions and Athletes of Color that made impressive victories in the 2012 London Olympics making their mark for achievement, excellence, and hope for the future while representing the pride of achievement for People of Color from around the world. see Olympic Athletes on page 70
69 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Community/Public Interest
goes beyond the medal to creating sponsorships and endorsements for the Flying squirrel from 10 to 80 million dollars and possibly beyond. Tennis notably had been on and off the roster as a demonstration event in the Olympics. It came back as a demonstration event in the 1984 Olympics. The Chairman
Reese Hoffa
Olympic Athletes from page 69
We look forward to the 2016 Summer Olympics to be held in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, one of the most multicultural countries in the world rich in ethnic diversity.
Community/Public Interest
Gabby Douglas
Cullen Jones
U.S. Men’s Basketball Team
see Olympic Athletes on page 71 70 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Olympic Athletes
Sydney Leroux from page 70
2012 African American Winners
U.S. Women’s Basketball Team
400 meter Hurdles • Dawn Harper-Women’s 100 meter Hurdles • Jason Richardson-Men’s 110 meter Hurdles • Carmelita Jeter-Women’s 100m • Women’s Volleyball Team • Michael Tinsley-Men’s 400 meter Hurdles • Erik Kynard-Men’s High Jump • Men’s 4x400 meter Relay • Men’s 4x100 meter Relay Bronze
• Lia Neal-Women’s 4x100 meter Freestyle Relay Swimming • Kellie Wells-Women’s 100 meter Hurdles • Justin Gatlin-Men’s 100 meter • Reese Hoffa-Men’s Shot Put • Janay Deloach-Women’s Long Jump • Terrence Jennings-Men’s Taekwondo • Will Claye-Men’s Long Jump • Maya Lawrence-Women’s Epee Fenching
71 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Community/Public Interest
Gold • Ashton Eaton-Men’s Decathlon • U.S. women’s 4×100 Relay • Gabby Douglas-Artistic Gymnastics Women’s Individual All-Around • Venus & Serena WilliamsWomen’s Doubles-Tennis • Serena Williams -Women’s Singles-Tennis • Claressa Shields-Women’s Middleweight Boxing • Women’s Basketball Team • Men’s Basketball Team • Women’s Track and Field • Sanya Richards-Ross-Women’s 400m • Britnney Reese-Women’s Long Jump • Jordan Burroughs-Men’s Freestyle 74 kg Wrestling • Aries Merritt-Men’s 110 meter Hurdles • Christian Taylor-Men’s Triple Jump • Cullen Jones-4x100 medley relay swimming • Sydney Leroux-Women’s Soccer Team Silver • Lashinda Dermus-Women’s
Operation HOPE Expands Reach to Include Financial Inclusion Meetings Worldwide
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Bryant. “Against the backdrop of the current global economic crisis we believe that these meetings are an ideal opportunity to engage leaders and advocates from all levels and sectors of society. In a global economy anchored by the consumer, financial illiteracy becomes a real threat to our shared global prosperity, and understanding the ‘language of money’ is the first step to empowering the average person with the tools they need to both protect themselves and their families.” The Local Financial Dignity & Inclusion Working Group Meetings, designed to be inclusive of a broad range of voices and perspectives across the U.S. and now internationally, from grassroots to corporate, government, academia and faith, are solution driven and will frame a positive future vision
of how to make free enterprise and capitalism work for all in a reset world. The sessions for the international community began in August. The most active and engaged local delegates will participate in the Summit deliberations, session leaders that organize a complete series will be formally recognized by the summit co-chairs at the HOPE Global Financial Dignity Summit. The final report with the results and findings are to be delivered to the U.S. President and G20 leaders by January 15, 2013. The innovation of these gatherings hinges around being able to capture, review and share the outcome from the discussions. Each meeting will be recorded and made available online to national organizers as solutions for economic problems at local levels across the globe.
73 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Community/Public Interest
peration HOPE has announced the expansion of Local Financial Dignity & Inclusion Working Group Meetings to include government, community, faith, academia and private sector leaders of underserved communities around the world. Through HOPE’s technology, meetings will be recorded and included in the global Financial Dignity & Inclusion eLibrary to create a solutionbased reservoir for financial dignity, financial inclusion and economic empowerment. “Think globally, act locally is one of the guiding principles which promoted Operation HOPE to expand to Local Financial Dignity Inclusion Working Group Meetings to include underserved communities worldwide,” said HOPE Founder, Chairman and CEO John Hope
Urban Beekeeping Keeps Cities Healthy and Creates Entrepreneur Opportunities By Rachel James
oah Wilson-Rich completed his Ph.D. in honeybee health in 2005. In 2006, honeybees started disappearing. “We need bees for the future of our cities and urban living,” Wilson-Rich said at TEDxBoston (www.ted. com/talks/noah_wilson_ rich_every_city_needs_ healthy_honey_bees.html). “We don’t even find dead bodies, and it’s bizarre. Researchers still do not know what’s causing it,” says Wilson-Rich. We’ve been hearing about the disappearance of bees for some time, but WilsonRich is bringing a new perspective to the table.
Community/Public Interest
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carry pollen into heavily populated areas, and there may be fewer pesticides in urban areas. In other
cities.” We also need to change the way we see bees.
words, Colony Collapse Disorder is not the only thing affecting bees. But even though the physical urban environment supports healthy bees, the social urban environment certainly does not. There is a reason urban beekeepers take care to keep their beehives out of sight. Wilson-Rich wants to change that: “The way that urban beekeeping currently operates is that the beehives are quite hidden. it’s not because they need to be, it’s because people are uncomfortable with the idea.” As the world population explodes, “We need to change the way that we see
Take New York City as an example aerial shots show grey tar paper rooftops reflecting heat back into the atmosphere. WilsonRich urges us to consider just how future-forward green roofs would be. “We create our own crops right in the cities. We save on the costs of transportation, we save on a healthier diet, and we also educate and create new jobs locally.”
Cities need bees, and bees need cities. “We’re very co-evolved because we depend on bees for pollination and even more recently, as an economic commodity.” Wilson-Rich went on to note that in cities “bees are surviving better than in the country. They also produce more honey.” There are a number of possible reasons. Cities are warmer, trains
Urban Beekeeping Examples Look elsewhere, and great examples of urban beekeeping can be found. The Opera House in Paris has kept bees on the roof for years. see Online University on page 75
74 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Urban Beekeeping from page 74
Moral of the story? Start producing liquid gold on a rooftop near you! Need help? Contact Best Bees Company, Wilson-Rich’s answer for budding beekeepers. www.smartplanet.com/blog/cities/ urban-beekeeping-keeps-citieshealthy/4768?tag=nl.e662
75 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Community/Public Interest
In Boston, the rooftop of the Sea Port hotel houses hundreds of thousands of bees (pollinating hundreds of local gardens throughout the city). The Fairmont
Copley Plaza also helps out, and went so far as to stylistically match their bee boxes to the inside of the hotel. Now that the ban on urban beekeeping in New York City has been lifted (it was illegal until 2010), there’s no reason for closet bee lovers to hold back.
City of Los Angeles Business Inclusion Program The City of Los Angeles is striving to increase the participation of small, emerging, veteran, women and minorityowned businesses in City contracts. All City departments utilize the City’s electronic marketplace, Los Angeles Business Assistance Virtual Network (www.labavn.org), to post all opportunities subject to advertising. We encourage business owners to register on www.labavn.org to receive notifications of contracting opportunities as well as updates on implementing the program. Visit www.losangelesworks. org for additional information regarding doing business in and with the City of Los Angeles.
Mayor’s Office of Economic & Business Policy
and
Comedy Night Join the Fun! Share the Laughs!
www.usps.com/ship/express-mail.htm
Operation HOPE & Africa Tikkun Cultivate Capabilities through Banking on Our Future
by develop capabilities, HOPE and Africa Tikkun brought financial literacy and Banking on Our Future (BOOF) programming to Africa Tikkun’s school holiday program this summer. The work of this partnership will help students will gain a better sense of financial management and thus help them contribute to the social and economic wealth of their communities upon adulthood. Six facilitators from Afrika Tikkun were trained as volunteers to teach the Banking on Our Future curriculum to a total of 483 young kids from the surrounding areas. The children opened savings accounts at the Diepsloot branch
77 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
International
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very international development specialist knows that true, sustainable growth – for both an individual and a community – must come from within. Authentic development roots from a growth in capabilities and support amongst citizens. Operation HOPE South Africa has recently partnered with Afrika Tikkun (http://afrikatikkun.org), an NGO that uses a Holistic Development Model to nurture the younger generation into productive citizens – community members that are capable and committed to the health of their neighbors and cities. With the shared vision of educating and empowering youth
of ABSA Bank, which gave each child a money box to encourage them to save. The children will take their money box to the bank once they have been filled with their savings and will take home their own bank savings cards – a fun and empowering symbol of their growth. Students will learn to bring their wealth to their communities through entrepreneurship. In the end of September, they will participate in the Entrepreneurship Day activities, organized by the TV channel Mnet. Operation HOPE is proud to share this sustainable success with the contributions of Afrika Tikkun. Together these organizations will help transform communities at their root – through the minds and abilities of young people.
Siavonga, Zambia Residents Welcome $2.5 Million Aquaculture Factory By Tryness Mbale
International
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he setting up of an aquaculture factory, estimated US$2.5 million has been approved by Siavonga, Zambia residents. Chief Simamba of the Tonga people in Siavonga says the project will improve the face of Siavonga and provide employment for the residents. Chief Simamba called on the investors in the area to give priority to the local people when employing, adding that the people will monitor the progress of the project and ensure ensure that the firm implements what it has promised. “Having interacted with the owners of the project, I am confident that the company is committed and is keen to assist the community it’s operating to develop.I am urging the community to support this project to grow inturn it will improve the livelihood of the community,” he said. The chief was speaking at the scoping meeting held in Siavonga organised by the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA). The project, to be developed on Lake Kariba and Kamibi fishing area in Siavonga is expected to positively contribute to the socioeconomical development of the district and the country as a whole.
The project is being developed by the Yalelo Limited, a local firm which has secured funds from an international impact investment fund, and Liongale Venture Fund ISPC who own 90% of the company while the remaining 10% is owned by Zambians. At the occasion,Tobias Masala a local resident, said despite the project being good and most residents will benefit from it, he wanted to know what measures the company had put in place concerning sanitation because some of the firms in the area did not have any. Mr. Masala called on the firm to ensure that it fulfills its promises to
the people in the area for the project to be effective. Yalelo Limited executive chairperson Fisho Mwale said once ZEMA grants the firm the licence to operate it will ensure that it provide good sanitation for its staff. Mr. Mwale said the company will also be buying maize and soya beans from the local farmers because it will need it for the fish feed processing plant it plans to set up. He said the firm will provide training the small scale fish farmers with the new methodologies of fish farming. www.daily-mail.co.zm/?p=11995
2012 Ronald H. Brown African Affairs Series
Ronald H. Brown African Affairs Series September 17-24, 2012 Washington, DC Discussion of strategies development for engaging the Diaspora in capacity development in Africa. For details or to RSVP send an e-mail inquiry to: mfoote2420@aol.com.
78 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Meles Zanawi has Died His death removes one of Africa’s most prominent leaders
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congress due next February and take the party into elections in 2015. Hailemariam breaks with tradition by being a Protestant from the Southern Region, not a northern highlander or an Orthodox Christian. He is widely approved of in the party but milder than Meles and no political heavyweight. Senior officers, most of them former guerrilla fighters of the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front, will be the main powerbrokers. The Chief of Defence Staff is General Samora Yunus, who fought alongside Meles in the 1970s and 1980s. Many believe that the Tigrayan securocrats have yet to decide on their longer-term view of the succession and their vision for the future. Ethiopia’s commitment to the African Union Mission in Somalia and the campaign against Al Haraka al Shabaab al Mujahideen is very unlikely to change. Meles had last appeared in public on 26 June, at a meeting with President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed of Somalia. After that, he was mostly in hospital in Brussels but doing government and diplomatic business on the telephone almost to the end. His aides and ministers
created a fog of disinformation about his whereabouts, to protect his personal security, and about his actual state of health.
Power struggle on hold No succession battle was in progress as Meles died and no serious power struggles are expected in the immediate transition. The EPRDF had already launched a process of ‘generational change’. Meles had spoken of retiring earlier but was persuaded to stay on until 2015. The leadership is still nominally collective, with the party’s 36-member Executive Committee theoretically able to overrule the prime minister. The EPRDF consists of four regional parties: the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, the Oromo People’s Democratic Organisation (OPDO), the Amhara National Democratic Movement (ANDM) and the Southern Ethiopian People’s Democratic Movement (SEPDM). The TPLF helped to form the other three parties but its dominance has weakened somewhat. www.africa-confidential.com/article/ id/4578/After_Meles
79 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
International
he death of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on 20 August has triggered a constitutional succession mechanism which he personally designed, having led the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) for 21 years. His chosen successor, Hailemariam Desalegn, takes over in the first non-violent transition in Ethiopia’s modern history. Hailemariam was Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and Deputy Chairman of the EPRDF. An EPRDF Executive Committee meeting on 21 August endorsed his leadership and agreed to set aside any differences for now. He had been expected to take over only in 2015, when Meles was due to retire. The next stage is the recall of parliament to confirm Hailemariam’s position as Prime Minister. Set for 23 August, this was postponed due to the funeral of the Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church Abune Paulos on the same day. Now the parliamentary vote to endorse Hailemariam will take place after the state funeral of Meles on 2 September. Following that, Hailemariam will prepare to stand for the leadership at the EPRDF
RESOURCES FOR GOING GLOBAL Dear International Executive,
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International
f you have any questions about these initiatives, please contact your local U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist. To find the trade specialist nearest you please visit http://www.buyusa.gov/home/ us.html. Happy Exporting!
Event Name: WORLD TRADE CENTER San Diego Trade Mission to China Location: Xiamen, Nanjing, Changzhou, and Shanghai, China Date/Time: September 5-13, 2012 Cost: WTCSD Trade Mission: $5,500 Link to register: http://www.wtcsd. org/asia-desk/access-china-2012 WORLD TRADE CENTER San Diego, with the support of the California State Trade and Export Promotion (STEP), is leading a trade mission to China to promote California exports. The delegation will participate in the 16th Annual China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) in Xiamen. The U.S. Department of Commerce’s U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service staff in China will provide briefings and support. The trade mission will also include trips to Nanjing, Changzhou, and Shanghai. Three dynamic cities in the prosperous Yangtze River Delta. Key benefits of the mission: • Qualified California SMEs are eligible to receive $1,000 towards their trade mission participation • Join business/government leaders from throughout California • Pre-arranged matchmaking meetings in each city • Harness the World Trade Center
Association’s global network for facilitating international trade • Develop export markets and business opportunities in southern and eastern China, two major hubs for China’s commerce and industry • Provide exposure for your products and services to visitors from all regions of China and the world during CIFIT • Attend CIFIT’s investment and trade seminars/forums • Gain access to key players and business leaders in China through pre-arranged meetings and matchmaking services • Minimize your costs and time with our travel logistics services and pre and post-fair assistance For questions, or additional information, please contact: Ethan Devine, Asia Desk Manager; WORLD TRADE CENTER San Diego; (619) 615-0868 and edevine@wtcsd.org ************************* Event Name: Free Trade with Colombia & Panama – Tapping in to the Opportunities Location: Institute of the Americas, UC San Diego Campus, La Jolla, CA Date/Time: September 10, 2012, 8am – 1pm (followed by afternoon counseling sessions by appointment) Cost: $50 Link to register: www.iamericas. org [contact USCS Commercial Officer Geoff Bogart; geoffrey. bogart@trade.gov] Join us for a unique workshop to learn from the experts about market opportunities in Panama and
Colombia, featuring market briefings and one-on-one counseling with the U.S. Senior Commercial Officers who run the Commercial Sections in these U.S. embassies. ************************* Event Name: 4th Annual The Americas Business Forum Location: UCLA Covel Commons Date/Time: September 12-13, 2012; 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Cost: $250 for 2-day program; $150 for the conference on September 12 only Link to register: http://www. lachamber.com/webpage-directory/ global-initiatives/the-americasbusiness-forum/ Join the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, the UCLA Anderson School of Management, the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service, and the City of Los Angeles to learn about business and exporting opportunities in the Americas, primarily in Latin America during the 4th Annual “The Americas Business Forum – Creating Jobs Through Exports”. On the first day of the conference you will earn what to do and what not to do when doing business in the Americas and hear about the Asian presence in the region. You will also be able to participate in roundtable discussions on economic and political assessments, legal considerations, finance and logistics. A continental breakfast and lunch will be provided. On the second day, individualized one-onone meetings with U.S. Commercial Service Senior Commercial Officers will be available. For more information, please contact Carlos
80 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
see Going Global on page 81
Going Global from page 80
**************************** Export Promotion Magazine Offers Free Korean Translation Commercial News USA, the official export promotion magazine of the U.S. Department of Commerce, offers exporters an affordable way to promote their products and services in 178 countries worldwide. In addition to free Korean translation, you can take advantage of a special offer: Buy two ads and get the third ad for free (Based on one-time rates. Does not include Showcase section). Commercial News USA reaches more than a quarter million buyers worldwide. Reserve your space in the next issue today. The deadline is July 20th. For more information, call 1-800-581-8533 x 822, go online to www.thinkglobal.us, or send e-mail to export@thinkglobal.us. Follow Commercial News USA on LinkedIn and Twitter @comnewsusa. Sell in 178 Countries for $499 Commercial News USA, the official export promotion magazine of the U.S. Department of Commerce, offers exporters an affordable way to promote their products and services in 178 countries worldwide. Now, you can advertise in the USA Product Showcase section of the magazine for just $499. Commercial News USA reaches more than a quarter-million buyers worldwide in print and 23,000 per month online. Reserve your space in the next issue today. The deadline is July 20th. For more information, call 1-800-581-8533 x 822, go online to www.thinkglobal.us, or send e-mail to export@thinkglobal.
us. Follow Commercial News USA on LinkedIn and Twitter @comnewsusa Read the Digital Edition of Commercial News USA The digital edition of Commercial News USA, the official export promotion magazine of the U.S. Department of Commerce is now available online. Commercial News USA, offers exporters an affordable way to promote their products and services in 178 countries worldwide. To read the digital edition, go to http://cnusa.thinkglobal.us ********************************** Interested in a Career in International Affairs, Foreign Relations, Trade Promotion and Commercial Diplomacy? The U.S. Commercial Service is looking for dedicated professionals to add to its complement of nearly 250 Foreign Service Officers serving in Embassies and Consulates around the globe. The U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce is pleased to announce that it will take applications for Foreign Service Officers starting August 2012 and will hold the Foreign Service Officer Assessment in Winter 2012/2013. The competitive assessment process selects the next generation of commercial diplomats to serve in the US Embassies and Consulates abroad. We are looking to recruit a diverse and well-qualified pool of candidates able to represent the U.S. Government and our country’s international trade and investment interests. To read a detailed description of the position and application process, express your interest and sign up to receive alerts, please visit http:// simplesend.com/simple/t.asp?S=221& ID=55171&NL=5996&N=69348&SI=2 676111&URL=http://www.trade.gov/cs/ employment.asp or e-mail CSCareers@ trade.gov.
********************************** The U.S. Commercial Service - Your Global Business Partner. With offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration uses its global Network and international resources to connect U.S companies with international buyers worldwide. If you have any questions about these initiatives, please contact your local U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist. To find the trade specialist nearest you please visit http://export.gov/ california/ca/socal/index.asp.
81 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
International
J. Valderrama at 213.580.7570 ************************* Event Name: EXPO PAKISTAN Location: Karachi, Pakistan Date/Time: October 04-07, 2012 Cost: See link for more information Link to register: http:// expopakistan.gov.pk/index.html Every year Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) organizes an international trade show ‘Expo Pakistan’, which is the biggest one stop sourcing event of quality products in Pakistan. This year ‘Expo Pakistan’ is being held on October 04-07, 2012 and we would like to invite you to join our US delegation of businessmen/ buyers to visit this event as the guest of Government of Pakistan. The website of TDAP (www. expopakistan.gov.pk) contains additional details about the event. The broad categories of products include: textile, fabrics & apparel, home & décor, food and ingredients, leather goods, surgical & pharmacy, carpets & rugs, Gems & jeweler, auto & auto parts, industrial & engineering goods, information technology and services. ************************* Event Name: Multi-Sector Trade Mission to South Africa and Zambia Location: Lusaka/Ndola, Zambia, and Johannesburg/Cape Town, South Africa Date/Time: Nov 26 - 30th, 2012 Cost: $4,350 for small and medium enterprises, $4,900 for large firms, $450 for each additional firm representative. Expenses for travel, lodging, most meals, and incidentals will be the responsibility of each participant. Link to register: www.export.gov/ trademissions/SouthAfricaZambia The purpose of this trade
mission is to deepen trade ties with South Africa and to explore export opportunities to Zambia. The Commerce Department will help U.S. firms find customers and business partners in Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa, and Ndola, and Lusaka, Zambia. Targeted sectors for the trade mission are: Electric Power and Energy Efficiency Technologies; Equipment and Services; Productivity Enhancing Agricultural Technologies and Equipment; Transportation Equipment and Infrastructure, and Mining Equipment and Technology
Returning to Africa? African Repatriation is an invaluable online resource for any African national who is thinking about returning to Africa. Our industry articles and specialist editorials provide the latest sector information. Why not find out for yourself and become a part of our growing community today? www.africanrepatriation. com
International
Career Opportunities in Africa Search and apply online for the latest vacancies in Africa with African Talent. We provide candidates and employers with the tools and resources needed in today’s competitive job market. For employers, we offer numerous options to feature your jobs in Africa and for candidates, reviewing the most recent job vacancies in Africa is a fast, easy process. Uploading your CV is simple and takes just a few moments. www.africantalent.com
FAME ASSISTANCE CORPORATION FREE CREDIT MANAGEMENT WORKSHOPS HELD EACH MONTH AT
1968 W. ADAMS BLVD., LOS ANGELES CALL FOR INFORMATION OR RSVP 323-730-7720
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82 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Leimert Park Village
We are pleased to inform you that
An African American Cultural, Retail, Foods & Entertainment Center. Degnan Boulevard
Gathers Strategies, Inc. has expanded to new offices.
Our new location is in the heart of Downtown LA at
between Crenshaw & Leimert Blvds. 43rd Street-43rd Place, Los Angeles
City National Plaza.
Shop, Eat, Relax
Our address is:
in
Little Ethiopia Experience Africa in America
Culture, Retail, Entertainment Fairfax Boulevard
between Pico & Olympic, Los Angeles
Gathers Strategies, Inc. 515 South Flower Street, 36th Floor Los Angeles, CA 90071 USA Phone: 213-236-3554 Fax: 213-236-3501 Please stay in touch!
www.gathersstrategies.com Follow us on Twitter @gathersstrat We appreciate your friendship and support and look forward to our continued association with you.
Rooibos Tea House African Red Tea Imports
323-658-7832 533 N. Fairfax Avenue Los Angeles
www.africanredtea.com Nira Levy Maslin, CEO
www.zambiausachamber.org
Multi-Sector Trade Mission to South Africa & Zambia
Agricultural, Energy, Transportation, and Mining Technologies Why South Africa and Zambia?
Apply Now, Space is Limited
SOUTH AFRICA is the most advanced, broad-based industry and productive economy in Africa.
www.export.gov/trademissions/ SouthAfricaZambia
- South Africa became the newest country to join the leading emerging market group, BRICS.
Date:
Nov 26 - 30th, 2012
Venue:
Lusaka/Ndola, Zambia, and Johannesburg/Cape Town, South Africa
- In 2011, U.S.-South Africa trade increased 18 percent from its 2009 trade level. ZAMBIA is geographically well placed to become a regional hub as it shares its border with eight countries.
Registration Deadline: Oct. 5, 2012 Cost:
- Zambia was recently ranked one of the fastest growing economies in the world by The Economist Magazine. - Zambia is emerging into focus with a U.S.-Zambia trade increase of 83 percent in 2011 over its 2010 level.
Which Sectors? Electric Power and Energy Efficiency Technologies Productivity Enhancing Agricultural Technologies and Equipment
t $4,350 for small and medium enterprises (<500 employees) t $4,900 for large firms t $450 for each additional firm representative t Expenses for travel, lodging, most meals, and incidentals will be the responsibility of each participant
Transportation Equipment and Infrastructure Mining Equipment and Technology For More Information:
Why Participate? - Welcome reception at the U.S. Ambassadorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s residence - Pre-screened one-on-one meetings with potential partners, distributors, and end-users - Access to South African, U.S. and Zambian government officials
Frank Spector (202) 482-2054 Frank.Spector@trade.gov Larry Farris (2711) 290-3316 Larry.Farris@trade.gov
- Meetings with U.S. Commercial Service industry specialists from U.S. Embassy South Africa and Zambia - Pre-departure briefings
U.S. Commercial Serviceâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Connecting you to global markets.
0910-00-03-10
OCTOBER 10-13, 2012 frica Fashion Week Los Angeles (AFWLA) was founded in response to the growing need in the Greater Los Angeles area to provide a platform for established and emerging African designers to showcase their talents to a broad audience, as well as to raise awareness about human rights issues that are currently being faced in several African countries. We define African in diasporic terms, which includes designers and affiliates with links to the African continent from all parts of the globe. AFWLA is committed to exhibiting collections of excellence and we aim to provide potential buyers with a diverse array of looks that can be incorporated into future
International
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seasons. AFWLA will be a multifaceted week long event that will include runway shows, industry networking mixers, vendor exhibitions, and more. The event, tentatively scheduled for October 2012, will link international partners, local buyers, agents, editors, celebrities, and industry insiders to the vibrant fashions that Africa has to offer. Information for designers, sponsors, attendees, etal is at www.afwla.org.
Social Investment AFWLA is committed to using our platform to raise awareness and impact a change in Africa. This year, AFWLA is partnering with The MacDella Cooper Foundation as
our non-profit beneficiary. The MacDella Cooper Foundation (MCF) is a 501(c)(3) international charitable organization dedicated to providing youth, especially orphans and abandoned children, with an education and the basic necessities of food, clothing, and shelter. Their vision is to give as many Liberian children as possible the chance to escape the poverty cycle and grow in the nurturing environment of an MCF Academy, so that they can lead Liberia toward an economically strong and politically stable future. For more information visit: www. macdellacooper.org. ď &#x192;
SAVE THE DATE!! 3rd Annual Pan African Global Trade & Investment Conference (PAGTC) October 18 - 19, 2012 California State University Dominguez Hills
The Decade of the African Diaspora (January 1, 2010 - December 31, 2020)
For PAGTC 2012 Information Packet contact:
Al Washington, Conference Organizer 626.321.7041 or alwash9727@aol.com www.panafricanglobaltradeconference.com
Tell the US Government that North Africa is Africa Too!
oin with and support the United Africa Organization’s campaign to petition the U.S. Department of State to include the whole African continent under its Bureau of African Affairs.
J
Why? The State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs, led by Assistant Secretary Johnnie Carson, currently
excludes Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia and Western Sahara from its agenda. Instead, the aforementioned countries are grouped with the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, together with Iran, Iraq, Israel and others. This artificial distinction between North Africa and the rest of Africa negatively impacts US foreign policy relations throughout the entire continent of Africa. We unequivocally reject the argument that North African countries are outside the scope of African affairs. North Africa is geographically and historically part of the African continent, and all fifty-three (53) independent African states, including North African countries, are represented in the
African Union (AU). It would be far more productive for the State Department to engage with the entire continent of Africa, including North Africa, under its Bureau of African Affairs. We are one Africa, from the Cape to Cairo, indivisible and bound together! Therefore, no square inch of African land should be excluded from African affairs.
Sign The Petition!!! Go to www.change.org/petitions/ one-africa-tell-us-state-departmentthat-north-africa-is-part-of-africa and sign the online petition to support this important proposition. Next tell everyone you know to sign.
87 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
www.uniteafricans.org
International
One Africa:
eBay to Launch Brand New Export Program in the US By Ina Steiner
Bay is launching a new export service called the eBay Global Shipping Program to facilitate cross border trade. The new service, which eBay has not yet announced, will launch in September and will be operated by Pitney Bowes. With the Global Shipping Program, a seller can ship items to buyers in other countries with minimal concern over issues such as customs duty and taxes, shipping regulations and restrictions. The Global Shipping Program will eventually become the default international shipping option, first for U.S.-based sellers, and later for all sellers. PayPal will be the mandatory payment method for listings offering eBay’s Global Shipping service.
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How It Works Initially at least, U.S. sellers may choose to opt in to the Global Shipping Program, and they handle the domestic leg of the shipment for international orders. Sellers set the domestic shipping service and costs, including domestic handling charges. Pitney Bowes, contracted by eBay, is responsible for the international portion of the shipment, which includes assessing costs, handling customs issues, providing insurance, and completing delivery to the buyer. Sellers opting in to the Global Shipping Program have no control over the shipping service or cost for the international leg of the shipment.
Overseas buyers will see the total cost of the domestic and international shipping components as a single amount. Buyers will also see the “import charge,” set by Pitney Bowes, on the listing page for an item, based on the buyer’s location. This quote is estimated on the View Item Page and guaranteed at checkout. When an overseas buyer places an order, the U.S. seller ships the item to the domestic parcel processing facility specified by Pitney Bowes and operated by third-party logistics providers, which then forward the item to the buyer. eBay will offer only a single Global Shipping Program service, called “International Priority Shipping.” That’s what buyers will see on the listing, and Pitney Bowes will select the shipping service for each order based on its own criteria. Buyers and sellers will be able to track the international shipment of orders from the U.S. to the designated delivery address within My eBay.
Paying Tariffs and Duties during Checkout
Overseas buyers can be surprised by tariffs or duties when they receive international orders or may ask sellers to lie on customs forms to reduce such charges. With the new program, eBay displays the true, total cost of receiving international orders (calculated by Pitney Bowes). The buyer pays all costs associated with the shipment at checkout so that there are no surprise tariffs or duties when buyers receive their orders.
Opting In Sellers will be presented with the option to join the Global Shipping Program in promotional emails and
88 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
see Going Global on page 89
eBay Export Program
The seller’s responsibility for shipping remains the same as for any domestic shipment, and ends when the international shipping provider takes charge of the shipment.
U.S. government allows the listed item to be shipped. Payment for the order must be via PayPal. The total value of the order (including shipping but not import charge) cannot be more than $2,500 (or $1,600 U.S. dollars for buyers in Canada). eBay prohibits certain types of items from the program, such as obscene materials, weapons, cosmetics and fine arts, to name a few. It also excludes quite a few categories, including Antiques, Art, many types of collectibles, and certain subcategories within Health & Beauty and Jewelry & Watches. Over time, eBay may include more categories in the program.
Restrictions
Unanswered Questions
from page 88
on various pages of the eBay U.S. site, including at sign-in and on their My eBay page. Once opted in, sellers need not opt out again. They can simply choose not to offer the Global Shipping option in listings.
Seller’s Responsibility
The seller must be opted in to the The financial model isn’t Global Shipping Program, and the transparent, but PayPal will transmit listed item location must be within the item price and the domestic the 50 United States. The buyer shipping charge to the seller, and must be in a country to which the
PayPal will transmit the remaining balance to Pitney Bowes’ PayPal account. Consolidating packages achieves lower shipping costs than individual eBay sellers could obtain on their own, and it’s clear Pitney Bowes will charge buyers enough to cover the shipping, tax, insurance, duty and tariff costs and make a profit. Cross border transactions are more profitable for eBay and PayPal, which is required on all Global Shipping Program shipments. What sellers will be most concerned with is how eBay will handle feedback and Detailed Seller Ratings (DSRs) for shipping-related problems stemming from Global Shipping Program shipments, and how eBay will expect sellers to handle returns. www.ecommercebytes.com/cab/ abn/y12/m08/i23/s02
Bernahu Asfaw or Getahun Asfaw
Open 7 days a week 11am - 11pm
International
1041 S. Fairfax Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90019
323-938-8827 or 323-938-8806 Fax: 323-932-6047 messob@gmail.com • www.messob.com
www.anc.org.za/centenary Facebook: USA ANC Centenary Twitter:@USAANCCentenary
africanamericans. barackobama.com
89 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Black Business News
Happy Holiday Shopping Section
90 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Cultural Interiors West &
Cordially Invited Cultural Interiors West 5573 West Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90019 Experience our exciting array of products from Cards to Cupcakes, African Masks, Asian Teacups, Healthy Herbal Teas, Gourd Purses, Candles, to Furniture Hope to see you soon!!! In the meantime visit us on Facebook www.facebook.com/pages/CulturalInteriors-West/140688362658236
Gallery Guichard Art That Touches The Soul 3521 S. King Drive Chicago, IL. 60653 Hours of Operation: By Appointment Only Andre Guichard andreguichardgallery@gmail.com 773-791-7003 91 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Custom Culturally Inspired Wedding Rings & Fine Jewelry For The Entire Family. Unique One of a Kind Pieces Create your own designs. Transform old into new.
JendayiCollection.com 323.898.7468 877.898.7468 Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, First Floor
Thursday Blues at Uncle Darrow‛s High Noon-2pm Every Thursday
Come by for lunch and relax to blues & jazz from our house band! 2560 S. Lincoln Blvd. Marina del Rey North East corner of Washington & Lincoln
“LA Times Magazine favorite cajun food”
310-306-4862
www.uncledarrows.com
Eso Won Books
African American Books 4327 Degnan Boulevard, Leimert Park, Los Angeles
Give the Gifts that Keep on Giving! Come see our unsurpassed collection of books, music, videos, childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s books, and games!
323-294-0324 www.esowonbookstore.com //esowon.booksense.com for Calendar of Events
Leimert Park Village An African American Cultural, Retail, Foods & Entertainment Center. Degnan Boulevard between Crenshaw & Leimert Blvds. 43rd Street-43rd Place, Los Angeles
Bernahu Asfaw or Getahun Asfaw
1041 S. Fairfax Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90019
323-938-8827 or 323-938-8806 Fax: 323-932-6047 messob@gmail.com â&#x20AC;˘ www.messob.com
Open 7 days a week 11am - 11pm
and
Comedy Night Join the Fun! Share the Laughs!
Order Via the Internet Wines of the Black-Owned wineries of South Africa. Register at TheArtfulGrape.com. The Artful Grape will do the rest. The wines will be delivered to your door.
Shop, Eat, Relax in
Little Ethiopia Experience Africa in America
Culture, Retail, Entertainment Fairfax Boulevard, Los Angeles between Pico & Olympic,
Artwear Handpainted Handbags Skirts Tees Accessories Calendars Wall Hangings & More!
http://gbabysworld.blogspot.com Gbabyartwear@hotmail.com or Gbabyart345@gmail.com Find Gbaby Products at the “Collective” http://www.atthecollective.com 280 Elizabeth Street, Atlanta, GA 102 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
JWFA
Jamaal Wilkes Financial Advisors, LLC M a n a g i n g We a l t h I n t e l l i g e n t l y
WHY OWN GOLD IN YOUR IRA/401k Changing jobs creates a great opportunity for you to switch, or rollover, your former employer’s retirement plan into an IRA. Plus, it usually provides you with more investment options than if you left the money in your former employer’s plan or rolled the money into your new employer's retirement plan. The early 1980s presented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to buy stocks. Today, economic and political conditions appear to offer a similar opportunity in tangible assets such as physical gold. With the global economic environment growing more uncertain, physical gold has become the #1 alternative for IRA, 401k, 403b, and Pension Plans, as well as for non-retirement funds. Gold is produced primarily for accumulation while other commodities are produced primarily for consumption. Gold’s value does not arise from its usefulness in industrial or consumable applications. It arises from its use and historical worldwide acceptance as a store of value. Gold is money. A healthy measure of gold clearly belongs in every portfolio for the “Four Ps” – Personal Purchasing Power Protection. There are six primary reasons why investors own gold: As a hedge against inflation. As a hedge against a declining dollar. As a safe haven in times of geopolitical and financial market instability. As a commodity based on gold’s supply and demand fundamentals. As a store of value. As a portfolio diversifier. According to Bloomberg.com, on October 15, 2009, Paul Tudor Jones of Tudor Investment Corp, who manages about $11.6 billion out of Greenwich, Connecticut, told its investors, “I have never been a gold bug… but Gold is just an asset that, like everything else in life, has its time and place. And now is that time…Gold appears to be cheap. In our view, gold’s value should increase as its scarcity relative to printed currencies increases.” JAMAAL WILKES FINANCIAL ADVISORS makes 401(k) rollovers easy with just a few simple steps. Please call us at (310)209-8298 or email gold@jamaalwilkes.com for a web seminar presentation. Jamaal Wilkes Financial Advisors is an independent Registered Investment Advisor www.jamaalwilkes.com Phone: (310)209-8330 6601 Center Drive West, Suite 500 Los Angeles, CA 90045
104 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbusinessnews.net
From-Jamaal Wilkes Financial Advisors, LLC:
Gold! Gold! and more Gold! Gold is “the only currency that anybody is going to believe in after a while,” Reagan economist says David Stockman says preserving capital is the name of the game amid our unprecedented debt crisis. “Gold is a good asset. It’s the only currency that anybody is going to believe in after a while.” That’s what former Reagan-era budget director David Stockman had to say about the precious metal in a new Casey Research interview in which the economist again sounds the alarm on the dire fiscal predicament of the U.S. Stockman says he owns gold “as an insurance policy” and is “preserving capital” by being in cash. Don’t even think about stocks, he warns: “I would stay out of any security markets. These are unsafe markets at any speed. It’s all tied together. As I was saying when the great margin call comes and they start selling the Treasury bond, they’ll take everything else with it. Real estate is priced off Treasuries. Mortgaged-backed securities are priced off Treasuries. Corporates are priced off Treasuries. Junk bonds are priced off Treasuries. Everything. The stock market will go into a panic. We don’t know when the timing will come - we’ve never been in a world where there is $15 trillion worth of central-bank balance sheets, like we have today. The only thing I think you can conclude is preservation is the only thing you are about as an investor. Forget about yield. Forget about return. Just keep yourself liquid and preserve your capital, because you can’t predict the day when, as I say, the great margin call in the sky comes down.”
World’s biggest hedge fund still bullish on gold Bridgewater: “The shift toward greater holdings of the precious metal is still in its early stages.” Bridgewater, the biggest hedge fund in the world, is out with its second-quarter letter: On the global economy: “We estimate that in the past few months global growth has slowed from about 3.3% to 1.9% and that 80% of the world’s economies have slowed, including all of the largest. The breadth of this slowdown creates a dangerous dynamic because, given the inter-connectedness of economies and capital flows, one country’s decline tends to reinforce another’s, making a self-reinforcing global decline more likely and a reversal more difficult to produce. And at
this point, while actions have been taken, none of the world’s largest economies are stimulating aggressively via either monetary or fiscal policy, further reducing the odds of a reversal.” On gold: “Gold is also being supported by secularly increasing demand. Prior to the financial crisis, gold was substantially under-owned relative to financial assets, and despite stepped-up purchases of gold by central banks and sovereign wealth funds, the shift toward greater holdings of the precious metal is still in its early stages. ... Speculative gold positions had been significantly reduced [by the end of the quarter] and as a result are less likely to be a bearish short-term driver going forward.”
“The Chinese are on a global shopping spree” for strategic resources like gold “Its voracious commodity appetite is unlikely to abate significantly even if China’s economic growth rates were to cool” Much has been made about China’s huge investments in resource-rich Africa in recent years, and Chinese President Hu Jintao pledged another $20 billion in loans during his visit last week. But it’s not just Africa where China is looking to secure access to commodities, notes international economist Dambisa Moyo. “There’s not a single region left untouched,” she says in the accompanying video, noting China’s extensive trade with Brazil, its recent “laptops for pork” deal with Canada, pacts with Kazakhstan and Russia for uranium and oil, as well as land-development in Australia. And on Monday, Canada’s major oil producer Nexen announced it has agreed to be acquired by China’s CNOOC in a $15.1 billion deal, giving the Chinese oil company a strong position in the North American oil market. “Simply put, the Chinese are on a global shopping spree,” Moyo writes. “And its voracious commodity appetite is unlikely to abate significantly even if China’s see Gold! Gold! Gold! on page 106
105 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbusinessnews.net
Gold! Gold! Gold! from page 105
economic growth rates were to cool.” ... While the U.S. periodically gets up in arms (sometimes literally) over rising oil prices, or gold or corn on a short-term basis, Moyo notes China is taking a “very expansive and very deliberate approach” to securing resources.
Eventual uptick in monetary velocity will push gold higher, analyst says
and thought that was a good price for it. Of course, it immediately spiked up to $1,900/oz but has come back to my range. I’m still perfectly happy with $1,500/oz gold. As more people catch on to the fact that they need to own some gold, the price will slowly rise.’ On plan to raise gold’s collateral status: “The Basel Committee for Bank Supervision, known as the BCBS, which is the maker of the global capital requirements, also implemented the Basel III rules that form the basis for global bank regulation. The BCBS is studying
making gold a bank capital Tier 1 asset. Gold has typically been a Tier 3 asset, which means that it’s been discounted at 50% of its current market value. With that discount, banks really never had reason to hold gold as an asset. If the BCBS raises gold to the level of a Tier 1 capital asset, though, banks could operate with far less equity capital than is normally required and gold would be the ultimate backstop for debt, currencies and bank equity capital. It would be a huge move, and making it would really propel some superior interest in gold.”
“When the money gets into circulation, we’ll see increased levels of inflation and, of course, that will be good for gold,” says Rick Mills of Ahead of the Herd In a new interview with The Gold Report, Rick Mills of the Ahead of the Herd newsletter pinpoints continued low interest rates and increasing inflation as reasons that precious metals prices will keep climbing. And if discussions about elevating gold to Tier 1 asset status come to fruition, hold onto your hat, because that could shift the rate of ascent from steady to meteoric in a New York minute: On monetary velocity: “I believe we’re going to see higher levels of inflation. We’re going through a deflationary bout now because most of the money issued by the Federal Reserve is actually parked at the Fed. It isn’t out there being spent, so it’s not causing inflation. It’s basically just propping up the banks. When the banks start lending and when the money gets into circulation, we’ll see increased levels of inflation and, of course, that will be good for gold.” On gold’s direction: “I honestly don’t have a price prediction except that gold will go higher. When we talked last year, I was perfectly comfortable with $1,500/oz gold
106 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Books to Consider...
self-hatred is the issue. It’s time to reverse the BI campaign with a globally based initiative that harnesses the power of new media and the wisdom of intergenerational coalitions. Provocative and powerful, Brainwashed dares to expose the wounds so that we, at last, can heal. www.amazon.com
Rebuild the Dream by Van Jones In Rebuild the Dream, green economy pioneer Van Jones reflects on his journey from grassroots outsider to White House insider. For the first time, he shares intimate
Tom Burrell
Brainwashed: Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority by Tom Burrell “Black people are not dark-skinned white people,” says advertising visionary Tom Burrell. In fact, they are much more. They are survivors of the Middle Passage and centuries of humiliation and deprivation, who have excelled against the odds, constantly
making a way out of “No way!” At this pivotal point in history, the idea of black inferiority should have had a “Going-Out-of-Business Sale.” After all, Barack Obama has reached America’s Promised Land.
Yet, as Brainwashed: Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority testifies, too many in black America are still wandering in the wilderness. In this powerful examination of “the greatest propaganda campaign of all time”—the masterful marketing of black inferiority, aka the BI Com Complex—Burrell poses ten disturbing dist questions that will make blac people look in the mirror and black ask why, nearly 150 years after the Emancipation Em Proclamation, so many ma blacks still think and act like slaves. sla Burrell’s acute awareness of the power of words and images to shift, shape, and change the collective co consciousness has led him hi to connect the contemporary and an historical dots that have brought us to this crossroads. b Brainwashed is not a reprimand—it r is a call to action. It I demands that we question our self-defeating attitudes o and behaviors. Racism is not the issue; how we respond to media med distortions and programmed
details of his time in government – and reveals why he chose to resign his post as a special advisor to the Obama White House. Jones puts his hard-won lessons to good use, proposing a powerful game plan to restore hope, fix our democracy and renew the American Dream. The American Dream means different things to people, but the center of gravity is always the same: an ordinary person—who was not born with great wealth,
108 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Books to Consider from page 108
but who is willing to work hard and play by the rules—should be able to find employment, live in a good community, make progress financially, retire with dignity, and give his or her children a better life. As the first Obama administration official to write a book about his experiences, Jones offers a unique perspective. In explaining why the 2008 “hope” bubble burst, he unveils the seven biggest mistakes made by the White House and its supporters. He explores the origin and fate of the movements that helped to elect President Obama, as well as those that have challenged and shaped his presidency. Along the way, Jones
Van Jones
systematically reveals surprising parallels between Obama’s peoplepowered campaign, the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street. At this pivotal moment, Jones argues that we must make our economy respect the 99% and work for the 100%, not just the 1%. He proposes serious solutions that fit the scale of our problems. Rebuild the Dream sets forth bold ideas inspired by the progressive values that made the twentieth century the “American Century.” It
shows how key public policies and investments can create millions of good, American jobs. America is still the best idea in the world. The American middle class is still her greatest invention. Rebuild the Dream is dedicated to the proposition that – with the right strategy– both can be preserved and strengthened for generations to come. www.amazon.com
Breaking the Chains of Psychological Slavery by By Na’im Akbar, Ph.D. Breaking the Chains of Psychological Slavery is a compilation essays by psychologist Dr. Na’im Akbar. He develops two ideas in these essays. They are (1) the impact of slavery and (2) the influence of Caucasian images for worship on the psychology of African-Americans. Dr. Akbar introduces a behavioral determinant which he says, does not have great legitimacy in Western psychology. And that is “the notion that individual behavior can be influenced by collective factors which are also historically remote.” In the essay, Psychological Legacy of Slavery, Dr. Akbar says that the over 300 years experienced in slavery’s brutality and unnaturalness constituted a severe psychological and social shock in the minds of AfricanAmericans. The essay entitled Liberation
Dr. Na’im Akbar f r o m Mental Slavery devises strategiess for the e breaking of these mental chains. T h e l a s t e s s a y, Racial Religious and IImagery d Psychological Confusion, Dr. Akbar shows that, “Modern students and scholars of the mind have not adequately dealt with the influence of religious symbols and imagery on the thinking of people.” Dr. Akbar says, Our objective is not the captivity of Europeans nor the guiltless domination of them but liberation from mental slavery demands that accurate information about the Black reality and experience be transmitted as broadly and as intensely as possible. He cautions that ultimate liberation does not involve simply substituting an African racial image for the Caucasian one but ultimate liberation recognizes that the form of the Creator is a form far superior to all human flesh. www.amazon.com
109 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbusinessnews.net
BLACK MEETINGS & TOURISM DIGITAL MAGAZINE he digital version of Black Meetings & Tourism magazine is available on-line. The current issues, as well as archived issues, can be viewed by visiting www.blackmeetingsandtourism. com and click on the image link located on the home page.The digital version is just a small part of BM&T’s expanded on-line presence, which includes a host of new departments, the twice-monthly e-newsletter, an increased focus on leisure travel, and many new marketing opportunities. The newly designed website offers a guest blog page, a video page and a variety of interactive and custom advertising products that will allow vendors direct access to the more than 45 billion dollar AfricanAmerican travel market.
T
Tuesday, October 9th “For everyone interested in doing business with Metro”
Watch & Support the Africa Channel! Time Warner • Comcast Don’t have the Africa Channel in your area? Call Time Warner at: 1-888-892-2253 and ask that the Africa Channel be broadcast to ALL regions of your state. For information on the Africa Channel visit www.theafricachannel. com or send an e-mail inquiry to info@theafricachannel.com.
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Black Business News View the International Edition at www.bbala.org and www.blackbusinessnews.net
110 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
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Calendar September…
editors, celebrities, and industry insiders to the vibrant fashions that Africa has to offer. Information for designers, sponsors, attendees, etal is at www.afwla.org.
5th - 13th
11th
Trade Mission to China The delegation will participate in the 16th Annual China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) in Xiamen to promote California exports. For questions, or additional information, please contact: Ethan Devine, Asia Desk Manager, WORLD TRADE CENTER San Diego, (619) 615-0868 or edevine@wtcsd.org.
9th Annual Black Business Association Procurement Exchange Summit The Procurement Exchange featuring One-on-One Matchmaking Appointments, Business Development Workshops, and the Annual Awards Luncheon will be held at the Omni Hotel, Los Angeles. Go to www.bbala.org for participation and sponsorship details.
6th - 7th
November…
3rd Annual Pan African Trade and investment Conference For information contact: Al Washington, Conference Organizer at 626.321.7041 or alwash9727@aol. com or visit www.panafricanglobaltradeconference.com.
16th - 19th
12th - 13th 4th Annual Trade Americas Business Forum - Central/SouthAmerica & Mexico The Americas region is one of the fastest growing economic partners of the United States. Learn how your business can export to and take advantage of business opportunities in this dynamic region. At the UCLA site, you’ll hear 14 Commercial Attaches and seasoned international executives discuss how to hone in the opportunities in the region. Followed by one-on-one consultations. For information visit: www.lachamber.com/webpage-directory/global-initiatives/the-americasbusiness-forum.
Barbadoes Food & Wine and Rum Festival
This festival is the epicurean event of the season in the Caribbean and a delicious reason to take a much needed vacation. Go to www.foodwinrum.com for tickets and information.
26th-30th USDOC Trade Mission to South Africa and Zambia Why South Africa and Zambia? SOUTH AFRICA is the most advanced, broadbased industry and productive economy in Africa. ZAMBIA is geographically well placed to become a regional hub as it shares its border with eight countries. Apply Now, Space is Limited! The registration deadline is October 5, 2012, so go to www.export.gov/trademissions/SouthAfricaZambia for information and registration.
January 2013… 15th-18th USA Pavilion @ INTERMODA 2013 The best way to enter Mexico”s Textile and Fashion Market in 2013 will be through the USA Pavilion in Guadalajara, Jalisco Mexico. See details at www. intermoda.com.mx or contact Bobby Hines, bobby.hines@trade.gov, 213894-4231, FAX: 213-894-8789
February… 7th-18th Pan African Film Festival Details are available at www.paff.org.
25th - 27th Minority Enterprise Development Week Conference The 30th anniversary MED WEEK conference will be held at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC. For information visit www.medweek.gov.
October… 10th - 13th African Fashion Week Los Angeles
The event will link international partners, local buyers, agents, 112 September 2012 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
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