BBN May 16

THE WHITE HOUSE PRESIDENTIAL PROCLAMATION NATIONAL SMALL BUSINESS WEEK, 2016

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esponsible for creating nearly two-thirds of net new jobs in the United States each year and employing more than half of all Americans, small businesses have always been a vital part of our country's economy.

As outlets for creativity and ingenuity, small businesses do more than create jobs and foster growth -- they represent the spirit that has always driven our Nation forward. Throughout National Small Business Week, we celebrate the irreplaceable role these enterprises play in our national life by pledging to support them and equip them with the tools and resources they need to succeed.

Across America, small businesses support economies, employ local residents, and contribute to the vibrancy of their communities. My Administration is dedicated to helping these businesses and the entrepreneurs who took a chance on turning ideas into realities. We have enacted 18 tax cuts for small businesses, and because of the Affordable Care Act, a tax credit of up to 50 percent is available for certain small businesses to help offset the cost of insurance. And our businesses have created jobs in every month since I signed this law.

Our Nation does best when we help our startups and small businesses expand into new markets and offer goods and services to more people. Ninety-eight percent of the American companies that export are small and medium-sized businesses, but less than 5 percent of our country's small businesses export. In our 21st-century economy, it is imperative that we break down the trade barriers that too often hold small businesses back from extending their reach to those abroad to sell more goods made in the United States. Last year, we reached an agreement with 11 other nations that allows us to write the rules of our global economy and gives more of our people the fair shot at success they deserve. The Trans-Pacific Partnership will eliminate over 18,000 taxes imposed by other countries on our goods and services and level the playing field for American workers and businesses, and I look forward to working with the Congress to implement this agreement.

My Administration has taken action to ensure the Federal Government does its part to support our Nation's small businesses. During fiscal year 2015, we awarded an all-time high of more than a quarter of eligible Federal contracts to small businesses, and we made great strides in ensuring more Government contracts are given to women-owned small businesses -- nearly $18 billion worth. We have launched next-generation manufacturing hubs, and we have made more online tools available to entrepreneurs to give them the resources they need to start a business in a single day -- and the Startup in a Day initiative is continuing to engage with all levels of government to streamline the process of beginning a business.

Our Nation's small businesses play a critical role in generating economic prosperity, and the effort poured into them by ordinary citizens across our country reflects the hard work and determination inherent to who we are as a people. This week, we renew our www.sba.gov/about-sba/sba-initiatives/startup-day support for these engines of growth and recognize their incredible contributions to our country.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 1 through May 7, 2016, as National Small Business Week. I call upon all Americans to recognize the contributions of small businesses to the competitiveness of the American economy with appropriate programs and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-ninth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fortieth.

BARACK OBAMA

2  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Publisher's Message

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s the Publisher of the Black Business News (BBN), I feel an obligation and duty to report news that has a direct bearing on the economic landscape and profile of African American businesses in this country, both good and bad, as well as keeping our readers informed on current and future events.

The good news is that black entrepreneurship in this country is growing at an impressive rate, especially for African American women. However, with a reportedly 2 million black-owned businesses in the U.S., less than 6% of them have full-time employees. With current and pending legislation increasing the minimum wage, as well as new rules and guidelines for over-time and sick-leave, having Pubisher/Chief Executive Officer employees encompasses a great deal more fortitude than years in the past. But, there are more and more resources available for business owners to rely on when meeting the challenges of survival and growth. Some of those resources and opportunities are included in this message and throughout this publication.

Earl “Skip” Cooper, II

There are numerous activities scheduled for minoirty business owners during the month of May in recognition of National Small Business Week, World Trade Month and Memorial Day. From Congresswoman Maxine Water's workshop on financial resources that the Exim-Bank has available, the Black Business Association's Annual Procurement Summit, and the Greenlining Institute's Economic Summit scheuled for Oakland, California. The California Black Chanber of Commerce will hold their Legislative Reception in Los Angeles later on this month.

Just to mention a few.

A large turnout of small and minority business owners, many of whom are employers, will be on hand at the Black Business Association (BBA) 13th Annual Procurement Exchange Summit at the Los Angeles Patriotic Hall.

The event is highlighted by a series of matchmaking sessions between corporate and governmental agencies and departments with small, minority and disabledveteran owned businesses. The summit is held this year in recognition of the national observance of Memorial Day. The Greenlining Institute wll hold their Economic Summit in Oakland, California presenting several reports and research papers on various social and economic topics impacting our communities of color.

I have also witness an overwhelming spike in attention to the lack of diversity in the innovation economy in several segments of our economy, including but not limited to banking, construction and insurance. In addressing this issue, the BBA will be in discussions with California State Commisioner Dave Jones, of the California Department of Insurance (CDI), not only about ways to increase racial diversity amongst the major insurance carriers in the State within their supply chain and vendor relations, but also on their governing and advisory boards. Also, please mark your calendars for December 7, 2016 when the CDI will host its 5th Annual

Black Business News Group P.O. Box 43159 Los Angeles, CA 90043 USA 323-291-7819 Fax: 323-298-5064

www.blackbusinessnews.net PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Earl “Skip” Cooper, II

ASSOCIATE EDITORS Sarah Harris Dean L. Jones Steven Turner

ENTREPRENEUR EDITOR Kim Anthony

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Linda Ware

PRODUCTION MANAGER Narishima Osei

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Dean Jones Linda Ware Ralph D. Sutton Timothy Lester, Jr. Veronica Hendrix Giavanna Foster P. Yvette Thomas LaSandra Stratton

GRAPHIC DESIGN Sarah Harris

STORY EDITORS Wanda Flagg Jennifer Marie Hamilton

PHOTOGRAPHY Ian Foxx Sabir Narishima Osei

CONTENT ADMINISTRATOR La Sandra Stratton

LAYOUT/TYPESETTING Lion Communications Copyright © 2016

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. 

see Publisher's Message on page 45 3  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

About

ABOUT THE BLACK BUSINESS NEWS GROUP… 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 news, the publications of the Black Business News Group impart current local, national and international industry and social trends and news affecting small businesses across the United States of America (USA), providing guides to greater access to financial capital, management efficiencies, business education, mentorship opportunities and social media networks. The goals of the Black Business News Group include: •

promoting USA-based black-owned business enterprises to a world wide audience.

•

offering business growth enhancing information on education, exhibitioning, international trading, technology, industry trends, and more.

•

cexploring major public and private sece tor contracting methods to educate s. black-owned and operated enterprises.

•

providing an affirmative influence forr emerging entrepreneurs by sharing in-novative design and creative culturall content that exposes them to the history of black enterprises and urges them to participate in the USA’s future.

•

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 usiness enterprises. blacks work, live and operate viable business

WWW.BLACKBUSINESSNEWS.NET

view back issues at: https://issuu.com

2016-2017 Black Business Association Events

May

Procurement Exchange Summit

June 2017

Annual Awards Dinner Black Business News Group Publications Black Business News Black Business News International Black Business News Travel Africa

Contents

Black Business News…May 2016 Editorials/Perspectives 3

Publisher's Message

38 56 60

10 Secrets of Shareable Content VEDC, Chase Expand African American Funding Winery of the Month: Destiny Moscato

CommunityPublic Interest 78

Remarks by the First Lady at the 2016 Invictus Games Opening Ceremony

Obituary/Memorials 80

Jim McMillian, Dead at 68

International 84 86 87 88

Columns

78

Government 8

10 11

African Stock Exchanges South African Companies Introduce Products to the US Personal Care Market Rwanda's Blood-Delivering Drones USTDA Provides Technical Assistance for Power Africa Project in Ghana

President Obama in Flint: "It's Not Enough Just to Fix the Water" New Consumer Protections We Are a Nation of Second Chances

74 97 122 123 124

Take A Look!

Shopping Gallery BBA Master Planner Resource Vault Books to Consider...

Entertainment 22

BBN Show Biz Buzz

Business 27 28 30 31 32 34 37

America isOpen for Business Going Global: A Virtual (and free) Toolkit for Small Businesses World Trade Month: The Importance of Global Trade SBA to Award $3.95 Million Article needs a title!!

21 Awesome Places to Learn Critical Skills That Will Change Your Life Online Marketing for a Trade Show or Event

5  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

32

Government

President Obama in Flint: "It's Not Enough Just to Fix the Water"

By Melanie Garunay

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President Barack Obama hugs Mari Copeny, 8, backstage at Northwestern High School in Flint, Mich., May 4, 2016.

Mari wrote a letter to the President about the Flint water crisis. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

resident Obama traveled to Flint, Michigan to hear firsthand from the residents whose lives have been affected by the public health crisis and deliver this message to the Flint community: "I've got your back."

First, in a meeting with federal responders, the President spoke about the federal efforts in place to ensure clean drinking water for Flint residents.

"And just to give you some examples of the work that's being done -- FEMA is expanding access to water and filters by providing water commodities to the state of Michigan. The EPA has been actively testing and monitoring the city's water, and is providing technical assistance to the city to make sure that the water distribution system is safe again. The CDC is investigating concerns that we've heard from people about health symptoms that may have been connected to the water."

Then, speaking to community members, the President highlighted the work of volunteers and community leaders on the ground.

"So many Americans, here in Flint and around the country, have proven that you don’t have be a plumber or a pipefitter to pitch in -although it’s very helpful if you’re a plumber or pipefitter. So, in March, dozens of accountants teamed up with the American Red Cross to help residents recycle all the plastic water bottles that have been piling up. Religious and community groups are organizing supply drives, supporting families, offering free medical services.

8  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

President Barack Obama sips filtered water from Flint following a roundtable on the Flint water crisis at Northwestern High School in Flint, Mich., May 4, 2016.in Flint, Mich., May 4, 2016. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

"The director of a local dance studio, I understand, found a creative way to help: She’s letting people use her studio as a space to support one another by sharing their stories and realizing they’re not alone. Even inmates at an Indiana prison came together to donate more than $2,500 to the people of Flint. And a second-grader from Virginia, a young man named Isiah Britt, set up a website to see if he could raise $500 for hand sanitizers to send to the kids at Eisenhower Elementary here in Flint. So Isiah, it’s fair to say, surpassed his goal, because he raised $15,000. And he explained that the experience taught him just because you’re small doesn’t mean you can’t do big things.”

Fix the Culture of Neglect Then, the President laid out why we need to work together to change the underlying mindset of neglect

that puts our communities at risk.

"Now, I do not believe that anybody consciously wanted to hurt the people in Flint. And this is not the place to sort out every screwup that resulted in contaminated water. But I do think there is a larger issue that we have to acknowledge, because I do think that part of what contributed to this crisis was a broader mindset, a bigger attitude, a corrosive attitude that exists in our politics and exists in too many levels of our government.

"And it’s a mindset that believes that less government is the highest good no matter what. It’s a mindset that says environmental rules designed to keep your water clean or your air clean are optional, or not that important, or unnecessarily burden businesses or taxpayers.

It’s an ideology that undervalues the common good, says we’re all on our own and what’s in it for me, and how do I do well, but I’m

not going to invest in what we need as a community. And, as a consequence, you end up seeing an underinvestment in the things that we all share that make us safe, that make us whole, that give us the ability to pursue our own individual dreams."

Flint will come back "I want all of you to know I am confident that Flint will come back. I will not rest, and I'm going to make sure that the leaders, at every level of government, don’t rest until every drop of water that flows to your homes is safe to drink and safe to cook with, and safe to bathe in— because that's part of the basic responsibilities of a government in the United States of America."  www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2016/05/04/ president-obama-flint-its-not-enoughjust-fix-water-we-have-fix-mindset President's Full Speech: www. youtube.com/watch?v=Txiiwe6Vho4

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Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Proposed New Consumer Protections

By Charlie Anderson (edited)

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he independent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) (http:// www.consumerfinance.gov) has announced new steps to stand up for consumers and push back – by proposing to require arbitration agreements for consumer financial products to allow consumers to file group claims in court. These clauses – which may show up in the fine print of contracts you sign when you do things like get a new credit card, open a bank account, or take out a student loan – require disputes to be resolved by privately appointed individuals only. That typically blocks consumers from banding together as a group to bring claims to court.

In Dodd-Frank (https:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ D o d d % E 2 % 8 0 % 9 3 F r a n k _ Wa l l _ Street_Reform_and_Consumer_ Protection_Act), Congress required

the CFPB to study the use of mandatory arbitration clauses in consumer financial markets.

They gave CFPB the power to issue rules to protect the public from abuse of these clauses, if necessary. The CFPB went on to conduct what is believed to be the most comprehensive study of mandatory arbitration clauses in American history. What they found wasn’t pretty – which is why they’re now proposing to prohibit financial services companies from using arbitration agreements to block

class action lawsuits.

That’s a really big deal.

Here’s why:

Mandatory arbitration clauses are rampant They’re buried in hundreds of millions of financial contracts – from bank accounts to credit cards.

They’re also nearly universal across the subset of prepaid cards, payday loans, private student loans, and mobile wireless contracts CFPB studied. So, if you get bilked by a financial institution, you’ll likely run into them.

Most people don’t even know they exist More than 75% of consumers surveyed by CFPB in the credit card market did not know whether they were subject to an arbitration clause in their contract.

Giving people their day in court holds big corporations accountable Because mandatory arbitration clauses stop consumers from banding together for a class action lawsuit, the harms to an individual consumer may be too small to make it practical to pursue litigation, even where the overall harm to consumers is significant. Consider a hypothetical situation where 5 million people have $500 taken

from them unfairly in illegal bank fees: that’s a $2.5 billion problem.

But for an individual consumer, the time, effort, and fees needed to get that $500 back could be worth many times that amount. In a telling sign, CFPB survey results have reported that only around 2 percent of consumers would consult an attorney to pursue an individual lawsuit as a means of resolving a small-dollar dispute. That’s a big reason why class action lawsuits are needed, but mandatory arbitration cuts that tool off at the knees.

Given how many millions of Americans are being protected by the CFPB rules already in place and the importance of the work ahead, it’s appalling that Republicans are trying to repeal CFPB in its entirety.

In this year’s House Republican Budget plan, they proposed getting rid of the CFPB. That’s completely unacceptable.  https://www.whitehouse.gov/ blog/2016/05/05/three-big-reasonsyou-should-be-fired-about-todaysannouncement-protect-consumers

10  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

We Are a Nation of Second Chances

By President Barack Obama

President Barack Obama meets for lunch with formerly incarcerated individuals who have received commutations, at Busboys and Poets in Washington, D.C.. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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arlier this spring, I met with a group of individuals whose sentences were commuted either by President Bush, President Clinton, or myself. They were all at different stages of a new chapter in their lives, but each of their stories was extraordinary.

Take Phillip Emmert. When he was 27, Phillip made a mistake.

He was arrested and convicted for distributing methamphetamines and received a 27-year sentence.

So, by the time he was released, he’d have spent half his life behind bars.

Unfortunately, while in prison, his wife was paralyzed in an accident.

So while he was in prison, Phil learned everything he could about fixing heating and air conditioning systems — so he could support his wife when he got out. And after his sentence was commuted by President Bush, he was able to do just that. Today, he’s gainfully employed. He’s a caregiver for his wife, an active father, and a leader

in his community.

Like so many nonviolent offenders serving unduly harsh sentences, Phillip is not a hardened criminal.

He’s taken responsibility for his mistakes. And he’s worked hard to earn a second chance.

Today, I commuted the sentences of an additional 58 individuals just as deserving as Phillip — individuals who can look to him as inspiration for what is possible in their lives.

As President, I’ve been working to bring about a more effective approach to our criminal justice system, particularly when it comes to drug crimes. Part of that effort has been to reinvigorate our commutations process, and highlight the individuals like Philip who are doing extraordinary things with their second chances. To date, I will have commuted 306 individual sentences, which is more than the previous six presidents combined.

While I will continue to review clemency applications, only Congress can bring about the

lasting changes we need to federal sentencing. That is why I am encouraged by the bipartisan efforts in Congress to reform federal sentencing laws, particularly on overly harsh mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenses. Because it just doesn’t make sense to require a nonviolent drug offender to serve 20 years, or in some cases, life, in prison.

An excessive punishment like that doesn’t fit the crime. It’s not serving taxpayers, and it’s not making us safer.

As a country, we have to make sure that those who take responsibility for their mistakes are able to transition back to their communities. It’s the right thing to do. It’s the smart thing to do. And it’s something I will keep working to do as long as I hold this office.  https://medium.com/@ PresidentObama/a-nation-ofsecond-chances-bc35d820ec79#. gwv5yl79h

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THE WHITE HOUSE PRESIDENTIAL PROCLAMATION WORLD TRADE WEEK, 2016

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he United States of America cannot afford to sit on the sidelines of the global economy. With over 95 percent of our Nation's potential customers living outside our borders, trade agreements are a vital part of our agenda for creating jobs and growing our economy -- and smart trade agreements that level the playing field for American workers and businesses are a vital piece of middle-class economics. During World Trade Week, we reaffirm the importance of global trade, and we redouble our efforts to pursue trade deals that reflect American values and give our people a fair shot at success.

America's small businesses employ more than half of all Americans, and they represent 98 percent of our Nation's exporters. I am committed to a trade agenda that includes strong, enforceable provisions in our agreements that help our businesses -- large and small -- support higher-paying jobs and ship products stamped "Made in the USA" around the world. My Administration has ramped up enforcement of our trade laws like never before. Last year, I renewed and expanded the Trade Adjustment Assistance program, providing job training and other assistance to American workers.

And earlier this year, I signed bipartisan legislation that helps us enforce our trade agreements -- helping ensure that other countries play by the rules.

Some of our greatest economic opportunities abroad are in the Asia-Pacific region. For more than 5 years, the United States negotiated a new, forward-looking trade deal that puts workers first and ensures we write the rules of the road for trade in the 21st century. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) brings 12 countries representing nearly 40 percent of the global economy together to trade and invest in the Asia-Pacific -- one of the world's fastest growing regions. The TPP includes fully enforceable provisions that ensure a free and open Internet, respect intellectual property rights, protect the environment, and uphold worker rights. It eliminates more than 18,000 taxes imposed by other countries on American products, and it bolsters our leadership abroad while supporting good jobs here at home. The United States signed TPP this year, and I will continue working with the Congress to enact it as soon as possible.

The largest trade and investment relationship in the world is between the United States and the European Union -- yet too many barriers remain in the way of even greater trade and investment between us. That is why, together, we have moved forward with the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP), which will eliminate tariffs, simplify procedures, bridge differences in regulations, and cut red tape. T-TIP also enforces strong standards, and it will reinforce our larger trans-Atlantic relationship -- the foundation of our prosperity and security since World War II. Our global economy's growth is fueled by trade. While understandable skepticism exists about trade, particularly in places that have been hit hard by trade deals of the past, we cannot ignore the realities of the new economy. Rather, we must set the highest standards for our trade agreements, enforce the commitments and obligations of our trading partners, and help write the rules of the road for trade in the 21st-century global economy, as we have done with TPP and will do through T-TIP. And we must continue to harness the dynamism and entrepreneurship inherent to who we are as a people and enable Americans to sell the best products and ideas in the world to every corner of the world. This week, let us renew our commitment to that mission and work together toward a future of greater opportunity for all.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 15 through May 21, 2016, as World Trade Week. I encourage all Americans to visit www.WhiteHouse.gov/Trade and to observe this week with events, trade shows, and educational programs that celebrate and inform Americans about the benefits of trade to our Nation and the global economy.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fortieth.

BARACK OBAMA 12  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Government

Commemorating the 90th Anniversary of the International Economic Development Council and the Week of Economic Development

By Jay Williams, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development

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conomic Development is the lifeblood that courses through the veins of communities across this country.

For 90 years, the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) (www.iedconline.org) and its members have worked tirelessly to create economic opportunity and jobs in regions here at home and around the globe. At the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) (www.eda. gov), we are proud of our strong partnership with the IEDC and of the important work we do together to institute the cutting-edge economic development programs, policies and tools our nation needs to be competitive in our ever-changing global economy.

“This week, EDA is pleased to join the IEDC to celebrate “Economic Development Week” and to help shine a bright spotlight on the Economic Development profession and the tremendous work that economic developers are doing to create a brighter future for the citizens of our nation. We congratulate the IEDC on 90 years of service to our communities and regions! We thank you for your partnership! And, we commend all

of those involved in the humble but rewarding profession of economic development for your commitment and dedication.

IEDC Coming Events/Job Opps Visit the IEDC website for detailed information on upcoming

events, opportunities to find intership openings as well as career positions across the nation and to outreach to a community of trained professionals for employment recruiting.  www.eda.gov/news/pressreleases/2016/05/11/iedc.htm

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Government

Benefits of Trade Agreements: U.S. Exports From the Office of Trade and Economic Analysis, International Trade Administration

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ree Trade Agreements (FTA) are an important tool to our nation’s economic growth and prosperity. As you know, an FTA is an agreement between two or more countries regarding certain obligations and protections in areas such as trade in goods and services, intellectual property, and investment. FTA objectives include the reduction of barriers to U.S. exports, protection of U.S. interests, and enhancement of the rule of law in partner countries.

The reduction of trade barriers and the creation of a more stable and transparent trading and investment environment facilitate and reduce the costs of U.S. company exports to partner markets.

The U.S. currently has FTAs in force with 20 markets worldwide.

In 2015, U.S. merchandise exports to FTA partners totaled $711 billion.

This comprised almost half (47%) of total U.S. goods exports in 2015.

The importance of FTAs in promoting trade growth is evident in recent trends. From 2009-2015, goods exports from the U.S. to FTA partners increased at a faster rate (53%) than goods exports to the rest of the world (34%). Further, the share of U.S. goods exports to FTA countries has increased in five out of six years since 2009. Bilateral trade results are positive as well – exports increased for 19 out of 20 FTA partners during the 2009-2015 period. And at the sectoral level, the US had a $13 billion surplus in manufactured goods trade with FTA partners in 2015. Thus, both

over time and currently, FTAs have encouraged trade growth, often at levels exceeding results for the rest of the world.

In 2015, the U.S. and its FTA partners contributed 34% of global Gross Domestic product (current U.S. dollars). The remainder presents opportunities for FTA expansion and continued trade growth.

The success we have seen with our current FTA partners bodes well for the success of the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

The TPP is a regional FTA that has the potential to transform U.S. trade with the Pacific region, the fastest growing region in the world. In 2015, U.S. merchandise exports to TPP countries totaled $680 billion comprising approximately 45% of U.S. goods exports.

As with current FTA partners, goods export growth (49%) for TPP partners exceeded rest of world results from 2009 to 2015.

The largest sectoral increases were transportation equipment ($54 billion increase to a record $537 billion), computer and electronic products ($25 billion increase), and petroleum and coal products ($18 billion increase).

Passing TPP is a priority of the Obama Administration and

can benefit our businesses by reducing up to 18,000 tariffs on Made-in-America goods and services. Leveling the playing field for American businesses will make our products and services more affordable to the millions of consumers who desire our quality goods.

The economic forces at work globally make supporting U.S. exporters, particularly smaller companies, more important than ever. FTAs are a key way to support our workers and businesses. The International Trade Administration is committed to providing high-quality export assistance and programs as well as working to level the playing field through trade policies and 21st Century agreements.

To learn more and to take

advantage of any of these important trade agreements reach out to ITA’s professional staff in offices in more than 100 U.S. cities and 75 international markets. We are ready to help U.S. companies succeed in the global marketplace.  https://blog.trade.gov/2016/05/12/ benefits-of-trade-agreements-u-sexports/

14  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Japan Urges G-7 to Avert Another Economic Crisis

By Elaine Kurtenbach, Mari Yamaguchi with Aritz Parra, Koji Ueda Reporters were shown charts Abe had on hand to illustrate the severity of the recent slump in commodity prices and the economic slowdown in China.

"We learned a President Barack Obama, left, talks with Japanese Prime Minister lesson that we Shinzo Abe, right, on the Ujibashi bridge as they visit the Ise Jingu shrine in Ise, Mie prefecture, Japan (Toru Hanai/Pool Photo via AP) failed to respond properly because we did not have apanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is urging fellow a firm recognition of the risks," leaders of the Group of Abe told reporters. "This time, we Seven advanced economies to had a thorough discussion and avert another global crisis by recognized the major risks facing acting to rescue the faltering global the global economy."

The G-7 gathering dovetails in recovery. many ways with Abe's long-term After the first few sessions of summit meetings, U.S. President diplomatic, political and economic Barack Obama backed Abe's call. agenda. A dramatic statement "We've all got a lot of work to do about global economic risks and a and we agreed to continue to focus strong show of support for public on making sure that each country, spending to help spur growth could based on its particular needs help Abe justify extra stimulus and and capacities, is taking steps to possibly provide political cover for postponing an unpopular but badly accelerate growth," Obama said.

He said it was crucial not just to needed increase in Japan's sales put people back to work but also tax next April.

The leaders were expected to raise wages and maintain the turn their attention to trade, politics momentum of the recovery. and diplomacy, and to climate During the talks, Abe compared the current global economic change and energy during talks situation to conditions just before later Thursday.

The annual summit brings the 2008 financial crisis. together the leaders of Britain, A G-7 summit held in northern Japan paid little attention to the Canada, France, Germany, Italy, trouble that was brewing, Abe said. Japan and the United States.

Many of the issues to be discussed

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during the two days of talks are linked to other Abe policy priorities.

They include maritime security, code for concerns over China's expanding presence in disputed areas of the South China Sea; initiatives on global health, including funding for fighting terrorism and pandemics; and a focus on women's empowerment, which Abe has promoted as "womenomics."

Japanese officials have also highlighted joint efforts on corruption, terrorism, global health and migration — which has become a huge headache especially for European nations — as other top priorities.

"Those who criticize us should rather think how to increase their assistance because what Europe provides is already massive," said Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, calling for G-7 support and leadership.

Tusk said the EU is seeking more support for refugees and creation of resettlement schemes and other forms of legal migration around the world.

Obama arrived in Japan on Wednesday and had an evening meeting with Abe. After the summit ends on Friday, he plans to visit the peace park in Hiroshima, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to visit the city on which the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb in 1945 in the closing days of World War II. http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/ world/japan-urges-g-7-to-avertanother-economic-crisis/arBBtv50H?li=BBnbcA1

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here’s a lot that’s been done for women and girls, but there’s still plenty to do. Convened by the White House, this Summit will rally all of us together to celebrate what we’ve achieved, and how we’re going to take action moving forward. Covering key gender equality issues, we’ll make a powerful difference in our collective future.

SUMMIT TOPICS: Economic Prosperity; Health and Wellness; Educational Opportunity; Violence Against Women; Entrepreneurship and Innovation; Civic Engagement, Leadership and Visibility Add your voice to the Summit by registering at www. theunitedstateofwomen.org to receive updates on the event and to let the White House know about your specific concerns or interests.

SUMMIT DATE: May 23, 2016 SUMMIT LOCATION: Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, DC. www.facebook.com/TheUnitedStateofWomen http://fortune.com/2016/02/04/united-states-women/?xid=soc_socialflow_twitter_FORTUNE

16  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Government

A Conversation About Addiction

By Amanda Stone

I

Addiction is lik e any other disea se – it doesn’t disc riminate. It does n’t care what color you are, whether you’re a guy or a girl, rich or po or, whether you liv e in the inner-c ity, a suburb, or rura l America. This doesn’t just hap pen to other peo ple’s kids or in some other neighborh ood.

It can happen to any of us.

Award-winnin g Hip Hop Art ist Macklemore

n a recent weekly president's address, Grammy Awardwinning artist Macklemore joined President Obama to discuss a disease that affects far too many Americans: addiction. Macklemore opened up about his own experience, his life in recovery, and the loss of a friend who overdosed on prescription drugs at a young age – emphasizing that substance

Representatives passed several bills on opioids this week, without more funding to expand treatment, these bills will not be enough to provide Americans the help they need. President Obama said there is hope, and that when we treat substance use disorder as the public health problem it is, more people will get the help they need.

use disorder affects people from all walks of life.

To underscore the importance of Macklemore's story, the President noted that we can help those suffering in private by making the conversation public, and we should do everything we can to make treatment available to everyone who needs it. While the House of

If you are looking for treatment in your area, call 1-800-662-HELP. Every day we lose more Americans to this devastating disease. And every day that passes without Congressional action on funding to support the treatment needs of those suffering from opioid use disorders is a missed opportunity to save lives.

Drug overdoses now take more lives every year than traffic accidents But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Millions of Americans are in recovery from opioid and other substance u s e disorders because they got the treatment and care they needed.

T h a t ’ s why the President continue to call on Congress to provide the resources to ensure that every American who wants treatment can get it and start the road to recovery.  www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2016/05/14/ weekly-address-conversationaddiction?utm_source=email&utm_ medium=email&utm_ content=email598-text&utm_ campaign=opioids

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19  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Use Your Senses to Spot a Gas Leak To help keep your community safe and secure, use your senses of sight, hearing or smell to alert you to any of the following signs of a natural gas leak.

LOOK

WHAT TO DO IF YOU SUSPECT A GAS LEAK • Remain calm • Don’t light a match, candle or cigarette • Don’t turn electrical appliances or lights on or off or use any device that could cause a spark • Natural gas leaking from a plastic pipe can create static electricity which can ignite the gas • Immediately evacuate the area, and from a safe location, call 800-427-2200, 24 hours a day, seven days a week; or call 911

© 2014 Southern California Gas Company. All rights reserved.

• A damaged connection to a gas appliance • Dirt or water being blown in the air • Dead or dying vegetation (in an otherwise moist area) over or near gas pipeline areas • A fire or explosion near a pipeline • Exposed pipeline after an earthquake, fire, flood or other disaster

LISTEN • An unusual sound, such as a hissing, whistling or roaring sound near a gas line or appliance

SMELL • The distinctive odor* of natural gas *Some people may not be able to smell the odor because they have a diminished sense of smell, olfactory fatigue (normal, temporary inability to distinguish an odor after prolonged exposure to it) or because the odor is being masked or hidden by other odors that are present, such as cooking, damp, musty or chemical odors.

In addition, certain conditions in pipe and soil can cause odor fade – the loss of odorant so that it is not detectable by smell.

Does Your Business Need Funding?

Our SBA Loan Experts CAn Help.

Get the right loan for your growing business. A nationwide lender, we can help you with financing for business acquisition or expansion, working capital, equipment, inventory, or commercial real estate. As a Preferred Lender, we offer SBA 7(a) and 504, CalCAP, USDA B&I and BIA guaranteed loans with terms to fit your requirements.

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Diane Heyden, Senior Vice President | 949.864.8516 | dheyden@ppbi.com 17901 Von Karman Avenue, Suite 1200, Irvine, CA 92614 | 949.864.8000

www.ppbi.com

BBN Show Biz Buzz

By Linda Ware

Shuffle Along on Broadway, Again

I

n May 1921, the new musical Shuffle Along became the unlikeliest of hits, running for 504 performances – an unusually long run during that decade. It significantly altered the face of the Broadway musical, as well as that of New York City. With its infectious jazz score and exuberant dancing, Shuffle Along ignited not just Broadway, but all of New York City.

Because of Shuffle Along, Uptown and Downtown met — and became one.

Shuffle Along launched the careers of Josephine Baker, Adelaide Hall, Florence Mills, Fredi Washington and Paul Robeson. The 2016 version Noble Sissle & features Audre McDonald Eubie Blake and Savion Glover. A 2016 Broadway adaptation, Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That

Followed, has a book by George C. Wolfe about the challenges of mounting the original production and its effect on Broadway and race relations.

The 1921 show contributed to the desegregation of theaters in the 1920s, giving many black actors their first chance to appear on Broadway. Once the show left New York, it toured for three years and was, according to Barbara Glass, the first black musical to play in white theaters across the United States.

The original show was crafted by four writers who were African-American Vaudeville veterans - music and lyrics by Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake, and a revue-style connecting plot written by Flournoy Miller and Aubrey Lyles.

The 2016 Shuffle Along, created anew by a remarkable constellation of artists, brings the original show back to glorious life, while simultaneously telling the heretofore unknown backstage saga of its creation — and how it changed the world it left behind.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuffle_Along http://www.broadway.com/shows/shuffle-along/

Joe Morton

S

T Turm Me L M Loose, Off Broadway

candal’s Joe Morton, will headline Turn Me Loose, a new comedic drama by Gretchen Law about the life of comedian and civil rights activist, Dick Gregory, off-Broadway. The show co-stars John Carlin and features an original song by John Legend (who also co-produced the project). Opening night is set for May 19 at the Westside Theatre.

Turn Me Loose is a new play about 60’s comic genius Dick Gregory (Morton), the

22  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

first black stand-up to make white audiences laugh at the absurdity of bigotry. The play reveals how the overwhelming power of activism enticed Gregory from one of the most successful show business careers of the postwar era into a life of sacrifice and danger alongside Martin Luther King, Medgar Evers and other Civil Rights leaders. Wielding razor-sharp wit Gregory hacked away at myths about race, poverty, war, and politics. Gregory is still championing the same messages today, at age 83.

Morton will soon be seen as Roy Wilkins alongside Bryan Cranston in HBO’s All The Way.  http://www.broadway.com/buzz/184272/scandals-joemorton-to-headline-turn-me-loose-produced-by-johnlegend-off-broadway/

itself — its origins and its aspirations — as it deftly uses contemporary music and a multiethnic cast to suggest that the revolutionary impulses of the nation’s founding generation are as relevant and as riveting today as they were in the 18th century.

The 16 Tony nominations for “Hamilton” broke the record shared by “The Producers” (2001) and “Billy Elliot” (2009), each nominated for 15 prizes. Along with the 16 Tony Award nominations Hamilton received the 2016 Pulizer Prize for Drama.  http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/04/theater/hamiltontony-nominations-record.html?ref=arts&_r=2 http://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year/2016

Hamilton, 16 Tony Award Nominations

H

amilton, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, is a landmark American musical about the gifted and selfdestructive founding father Alexander Hamilton, whose story becomes both contemporary and irresistible.

The show is most directly about the life and death of Hamilton, but it is more broadly, Daveed Diggs and boldly, as Thomas about America Jefferson

Forest Whitaker

Star Wars Rouge One features Forest Whitaker

R

eady for release in December 2016, Star Wars Rouge One will include almost all original characters. However, Darth Vadar, Dark Lord of the Sith will have a key presence. Star Wars: Rogue One follows a group of Rebel soldiers that unite on a daring mission to steal the Death Star plans. The cast consists of Felicity Jones as the lead hero, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Riz Ahmed, and Forest Whitaker.  http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Rogue-One-BringingBack-Most-Popular-Star-Wars-Villain-72448.html see BBN Show Biz Buzz on page 24

23  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

BBN Show Biz Buzz from BBN Show Biz Buzz on page 23

Denzel Washington leads 'Magnificent Seven'

D

irector Antoine Fuqua knew he’d have to pull out some stops to convince Denzel Washington to saddle up for The Magnificent Seven.

After all, Washington had never done a Western. And there are big shoes to fill: Yul Brynner led an immortal cast (including Steve McQueen and Charles Bronson) in the original 1960 tale of gunslingers banding together to save a Mexican village from marauding bandits.

At lunch, Fuqua painted the whole picture of Washington dramatically riding over the hill on a black horse.

He even played a hip-hop version of an Ennio Morricone Western theme to set the heroic mood.

It worked.

“Denzel just smiled and said, ‘All right, let’s do it,' ” Fuqua recalls. “I walked out of the restaurant and said to myself, ‘Denzel Washington is getting on a horse for The Magnificent Seven.' " It’s not just Washington who is saddling up for Fuqua's remake, but an all-star cast which includes Chris Pratt, Vincent D’Onofrio and Ethan Hawke.

The modern retelling rides into theaters September 23, 2016 and has released its first trailer online, revealing a black-hatted

'The Magnificent Seven': Vincent D'Onofrio (from left), Martin Sensmeier, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Ethan Hawke, Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt and Byung-hun Lee. (Photo: Scott Garfield)

Washington with some serious sideburns and a mustache. The look was Washington’s idea.

He looks great. Denzel just locked into that look."

Washington also took horseback riding lessons and bonded any and everywhere with his bounty-hunter character's nickel-plated Colt .45 Peacemaker.

“He had it with him all the time, even when he wasn’t on the set,” Fuqua says. “We’d have meetings and he’d be spinning and twirling his gun while we were talking. He used to walk around his house spinning guns, go to restaurants.

Obviously, people knew it was for his character.”

The gang of misfits who come together for this Magnificent Seven is a diverse one, from its African-

Denzel Washington

American leading man to South Korean star Byung-hun Lee, Mexican actor Manuel GarciaRulfo and Native American Martin Sensmeier. That was important for Fuqua, but the killer attitude was paramount.

“These guys are gunslingers, and when they walk into the room, you notice them,” Fuqua says. “These are people you want to be with, or you want to protect you.”. 

aired in 1977. The new series may be viewed on the History Channel, Lifetime and A&E. The ensemble cast includes Forest Whitaker as Fiddler, Anna Paquin as Nancy Holt, Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Tom Lea, Anika Noni Rose as Kizzy, Tip “T.I.” Harris as Cyrus, Emayatzy Corinealdi as Belle, Derek Luke as Silla Ba Dibba, Matthew Goode as Dr. William Waller, Mekhi Phifer as Jerusalem, James Purefoy as John Waller, introduces Regé-Jean Page as Chicken George and Malachi Kirby as Kunta Kinte, and Laurence Fishburne as Alex Haley.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/ movies/2016/04/19/magnificentseven-denzel-washington-sneakpeek-exclusive/83165304/

Roots 2016 to Air on the History Channel

T

he mini-series is an adaptation of Alex Haley's "Roots", chronicling the history of an African slave sold to America and

Malachi Kirby his descendants.

The first Roots TV mini-series

Rep. Karen Bass (CA-37) presents

A Forum on U.S.-Africa Policy in the Era of Obama With Special Guest Los Angeles City Councilmember Curren D. Price, Jr.

Saturday, May 21, 2016 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Holman United Methodist Church 3320 W Adams Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90018

Rep. Bass will host a forum to discuss her work in Congress to ensure that the United States is ready to maximize its partnership with African nations, and she will answer any questions you may have.

RSVP today at bass.house.gov/LA-Africa-Policy or call 323-965-1422

In Focus - World Trade Month

Showing the World that America is—and Will Remain—Open for Business

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.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker honored 123 U.S. companies and organizations that export goods and services overseas during the 2016 President’s “E” Awards ceremony. For the first time in the award’s 54-year history, winners represent every state and the District of Columbia. Of this year’s 123 honorees, 105 are small and mediumsized businesses, and 64 firms are manufacturers.

Did you know that the United States exported $2.23 trillion worth of goods and services in 2015? This high number would be nearly impossible without the hard work and dedication of our companies, here at home. It’s no secret that there is a continued demand for the world class goods and service that American businesses have to offer. By selling Made-in-America products internationally, 11.5 million Americans can wake up and go to jobs, thanks to the support of exports.

Have you ever seen a company display a huge blue and white banner with a large “E”? During World War II, more than 4,000 “E” pennants were presented to war plants in recognition of production excellence. The famous flag with the big “E” emblazoned on it became a badge of patriotism in action. President Kennedy revived the World War II “E” symbol of excellence to honor and provide recognition to America's exporters.

Thus, the “E” Award Program was established by Executive Order 10978 on December 5, 1961. Today, companies that have been recognized continue this tradition.

This year, 73 companies and organizations were honored with the “E” Award for Exports for demonstrating a sustained increase in export sales over a four-year period. There were 28 companies

Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker Presents the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) with the 2016 Presidential “E” Award for Export Service and organizations that assisted and facilitated export activities and received the “E” Award for Export Service. The “E” Star Award for Exports, which recognizes previous “E” Awardees who have reported four years of additional export growth, was awarded to 17 firms. And, five companies were awarded the “E” Star Award for Export Service, which recognizes previous “E” Awardees that have shown four years of continued support of exporters since first winning the “E” Award.

One of this year’s winners is the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA)—the State of Hawaii’s tourism agency. Its offices are located in Honolulu on the island of Oahu. HTA’s mission is to increase tourism to markets in North America and internationally to support the ongoing, sustainable growth of Hawaii’s economy.

The organization has been exporting for 18 years. It currently has 23 employees, and jobs have been added to accommodate business resulting from exporting.

American companies are nominated for “E” Awards through the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service office network, located within the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration. To learn more about the “E” Awards and the benefits of exporting, visit www.export.gov.  https://www.commerce.gov/news/blog/2016/05/showingworld-america-and-will-remain-open-business?utm_ source=weekly_updates&utm_medium=email&utm_ campaign=Trade_Wkly

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In Focus - World Trade Month

Going Global: A Virtual (and free) Toolkit for Small Businesses

By Ashley Zuelke

I

n recognition of World Trade • Trade Stats Express is a useful Month in May, communities database of industry-level trade. across the country will focus • USA Trade Online is a more on the importance of trade and detailed database searchable its ongoing contribution to U.S. by product code. Know your economic and job growth. The first product’s classification to get the week of May recognizes National most accurate data.

Small Business Week (www.sba. • Find out the tariff (or tax at gov/nsbw/nsbw), a fitting start to the the border) on your product in month given the role of America’s Free Trade Agreement (FTA) small and medium-sized business markets and use the FTA Tariff which fuel our economy. These Tool to create reports and charts businesses make up the vast of trends, including the Transmajority of U.S. exporters and an Pacific Partnership agreement. increasing share of the value of 2) Assess markets of interest U.S. exports.

• Country Commercial Guides For many small U.S. companies, provide market intelligence and however, the path to expanding guidance on doing business globally requires a large time in specific markets around the investment and management world. commitment. Many firms are not • StopFakes.gov and its Online sure where to begin, who to talk Training Module is a good to, or how to navigate available starting point for learning how to resources. As a part of the protect your Intellectual Property National Export Initiative/NEXT (IP) in markets of interest. (www.trade.gov/neinext) and the • Talk to an expert: Trade Promotion Coordinating • The U.S. Department of Committee (http://export.gov/faq/eg_ Commerce’s International main_017489.asp), U.S. government Trade Administration (ITA) agencies are committed to helping has a global network of businesses tackle these challenges, U.S. Commercial Servic)e and have produced a streamlined trade professionals in more guide of federal export resources. than 100 cities and U.S. The tools and resources we provide Embassies and Consulates in help answer questions regarding 75+ markets. how to: • If you are new to exporting or getting ready to export, 1) Identify markets through contact your local Small independent research Business Development • Top Markets Reports rank Center (SBDC). future export opportunities within • The Minority Business a particular industry – available Development Agency’s for nearly 20 industries.

(MBDA) Centers work in partnership with ITA to provide trade services as well.

• Your state or metropolitan area may also have an international trade office.

• If you are in the food product or agricultural industry, contact the S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service and the State-Regional Trade Group in your region to take advantage of the Market Access Program (funding for market research and exploration).

• The U.S. Trade and Development Agency also captures market intelligence, information on procurement opportunities in emerging markets, and contracts with small businesses.

Make Connections The U.S. Commercial Service can also help with: • Conducting background checks on potential buyers and distributors.

• Connecting your business with pre-screened potential overseas partners.

• Promoting your product or service to prospective buyers at trade events worldwide.

• Meeting with international industry and government decision makers in your target market(s).

Navigating cultural differences.

•

Exhibit at U.S. trade shows: ITA recruits and vets foreign buyer

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• •

delegations for certain shows.

Showcase at an overseas trade show in U.S. pavilions: Go to export.gov and search events.

See if your state is an awardee of the State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) matchingfund awards from the Small Business Administration. State awardees administer STEP funds to help small businesses enter and succeed in the global marketplace.

Take Advantage of Financing and Insurance •

•

The Small Business Administration (SBA) collaborates closely with the U.S. Commercial Service, and has trade finance specialists in 20+ U.S. cities. SBA’s finance programs include: Export Express, which can be used for a range of export development activities,

•

including translating marketing materials or attending a trade show, Export Working Capital Program, and International Trade Loan

• •

Find SBA export lenders near you.

Export-Import Bank (EXIM Bank) provides federally-backed export financing credit insurance to take on the risk associated with selling to overseas buyers. EXIM products help U.S. firms protect against buyer nonpayment, sell to foreign customers on credit terms, borrow against export-related assets, finance a foreign buyers’ purchase and more.

EXIM has regional finance centers in 12 locations nationwide.

Looking at undertaking a project or investment in a developing market?

The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) provides medium- to long-term financing through direct loans and loan guaranties to eligible investment projects in developing countries, when ti l conventional institutions are reluctant or unable to lend.

OPIC also provides political risk insurance and support for the creation of privately-owned and managed investment funds.

See the Trade Finance Guide for more information.

• • •

Navigate mechanics Basic Guide to Exporting Cover Download “A Basic Guide to Exporting” Now!

• • • •

•

Making international sales online? Learn about eCommerce mechanics.

The U.S. Commercial Service can also help with: Understanding export documentation requirements and import regulations of foreign markets.

Navigating U.S. government export controls, compliance, and trade financing options.

Overcoming trade obstacles to successfully enter international markets.

Logistics resources and guidance: http://www.export. gov/logistics When you export any good valued at over $2,500 (or requiring a license), you must submit information on the shipment to the Automated Export System (AES). Get help on filing AES, classifying merchandise, regulations and trade data by calling 1-800549-0595. More information available on the Global Reach blog.

Screen potential buyers and partners to make sure you can do business with them and that they are not on one of the U.S. government denied parties or export control lists.

Learn more about export licenses, standards and economic sanctions.

All of this information and more is available through “A Basic Guide to Exporting.” SBA also has an online tool to help you develop your Export Business Plan.

Exporting can be an important way to grow your business and your bottom line. These available tools are at your disposal to help you succeed in the global marketplace. https://blog.trade.gov/2016/04/29/ going-global-a-virtual-toolkit-for-smallbusinesses/

In Focus - World Trade Month

World Trade Month: The Importance of Global Trade

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very year, World Trade Month—designated for the month of May—gives us the opportunity to acknowledge the importance of global trade, and look back at the economic advancements we have made as a result. This World Trade Month, we can look back and appreciate the success we have accomplished.

In 2015, our exports totaled $2.23 trillion, we increased our exports to 58 international markets, and we achieved record exports with 20 global partners. Our export success was one aspect of a strong year for the U.S. economy where our auto industry experienced its best year ever and our manufacturing sector reached record highs for output. Exports also contributed to our economy, supporting 11.5 million U.S. jobs and accounting for nearly 13 percent of U.S. GDP. In addition, last year, U.S. services exports tallied another strong year. In fact, business services; telecommunications, computer and information services; and travel all reached export increases of more than $1 billion.

Because we have an economic landscape where trade and investment drive growth, the mission of the International Trade Administration (ITA) is even more important than it has been before.

With more than 95 percent of the world’s customers living outside of our borders, trade and investment are a platform for our country to deliver our goods and services to

global consumers. A robust export environment also attracts and encourages foreign companies to invest in the most innovative, productive workforce in the world: the United States of America.

These are just some of the reasons why we worked to complete the negotiation for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and are working on finalizing the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP) negotiations. A world with both TPP and T-TIP will create a freetrade zone representing more than 60 percent of global GDP, while leveling the playing field for U.S. firms.

Throughout World Trade Month, events across the country are being held to recognize the importance of exporting to jobs and our economy.

On May 16th, several U.S. companies will be in Washington, DC to receive the President’s “E” Award in recognition of their contribution to increasing American exports through selling high-quality products and services. During World Trade Week (May 16-20), ITA will lead two missions: a renewable energy trade mission to Mexico and a business development mission to the South Pacific. And, on May 25th, the Department of Commerce will partner with the Global Innovation Forum—a project of the National Foreign Trade Council—for an educational program at Microsoft Ventures in Seattle as a part of our Startup Global program, an initiative designed to help more startup firms

think on a global scale from the earliest stages of growth.

Many other events will be held as a part of World Trade Month. I encourage you to follow ITA on Twitter @TradeGov where many of these events will be highlighted.

Additionally, as a part of World Trade Month, we will launch our new Instagram account @IntlTrade at the beginning of this month.

ITA is charged with helping U.S. businesses and workers succeed in the global marketplace. Our U.S.based export assistance centers in more than 100 cities, and our foreign commercial service offices in more than 75 markets around the world, help U.S. businesses tap into global markets in ways they may not have been able to otherwise.

Our client services are precisely why Kentucky-based Zoeller company, the oldest professional pump manufacturer in North America, found a distributor that helped them deliver their systems across sub-Saharan Africa; why Zee Manufacturing out of Des Moines Iowa, was able to ship its automotive accessory products into the Saudi Arabian market; and, why Stress Indicators of Maryland is shipping their visual-indicating SmartBolts to more than 20 countries all over the world, while seeing their revenue growth rate double since 2010.

Thanks to all of the U.S. exporters who continue to advance our competitiveness within the global marketplace. We honor you during this year’s World Trade Month for your relentless commitment and effort..  https://www.commerce.gov/news/ blog/2016/05/world-trade-monthimportance-global-trade?utm_ source=weekly_updates&utm_ medium=email&utm_ campaign=Trade_Wkly

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Buiness

SBA to Award $3.95 Million to Accelerators Across U.S.

By Mark Marich

T

he U.S. Small Business (www.sba.

Administration gov) has launched a $3.95 million Growth Accelerator Fund competition for accelerators and other entrepreneurial ecosystem models -- with a special emphasis on parts of the country where there are fewer conventional sources of early stage capital. More than 75 winners will be selected to receive $50,000 each.

The competition -- which includes

accelerators, incubators, coworking startup communities, shared maker-spaces and other models -- began in 2014 and has given out $6.9 million over two years. Last year, 88 winners from 39 states (plus Washington, DC and Puerto Rico) received awards.

“Accelerators provide valuable resources to potential startups: a physical infrastructure to work in their infancy, mentoring, businessplan assistance, networking, opportunities to obtain venture capital, and introductions to potential customers, partners and suppliers—all critical elements to ensuring that small businesses flourish and succeed," said Mark Walsh, Associate Administrator for the SBA Office of Investment and Innovation.

New to this year’s competition,

SBA is partnering with several other federal agencies -- National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Education (DoED) and Department of Agriculture (USDA) -- to provide additional prizes to accelerators that assist entrepreneurs with submitting proposals for the Small Business Innovation (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs.

SBA’s Office of Investment and Innovation (OII), with support from the Office of International Trade (OIT), is also partnering with the InterAmerican Development Bank to provide prizes to U.S. accelerators that assist the African descendant start-up community in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Special consideration will be given to these accelerator models which support women-owned or minorityowned small businesses.

In addition, the SBA is also seeking accelerators headed by women and

those who support them or other underrepresented groups, 44% of last year’s accelerator winners were run by women and 41% were classified as underrepresented groups.

Special consideration will be given to manufacturing accelerator models and models which support the White House Power Initiative during this year’s competition, because they are critical to job growth and strengthening the nation’s economy.

The application period is from May 2-June 3 and winners will be announced on August 5. Additional information can be found at: www. sba.gov/accelerators or www. challenge.gov.  http://www.kauffman.org/ blogs/policy-dialogue/2016/ may/sba-to-award-3-point-95million-to-accelerators-acrossus?utm_source=newsletter&utm_ medium=email&utm_ campaign=pde2016-09-05&_cldee=b Glvbi5jb21tQGhvdG1haWwuY29t

31  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

In Focus - World Trade Month

Opportunity Broker: The Positive Impact of Congresswoman Maxine Waters for Small & Diverse Businesses for Global Commerce By py thomas

E

arlier this year Congresswoman Maxine Waters provided the historic 218th signature required

by House rules to the process forward to secure reauthorization to the Export-Import (EX-IM) Bank of the U.S. The discharge process has only been used five times in U.S. history successfully, and Waters’ signature removed a critical barrier to renewing the Bank, which provides the support and certainty American businesses and workers need to compete in the global economy. Earlier this month Waters hosted a workshop for businesses, including small and diverse business community, in collaboration with EX-IM Bank;, Torrance Chamber of Commerce;, Harbor City/Harbor Gateway Chamber of Commerce, and Sunrider Manufacturing (a local Torrance-based business).

This historic signature by Waters provided the needed impact for the Export-Import (EX-IM) Bank of the U.S. operations to be reauthorized through September 30, of 2019.

This was no small feat as noted from the numerous supporters, and those who approved its approval. So what does this mean to the average business owner and entrepreneur in America? It means opportunity, opportunity, and opportunity especially for small and diverse business owners. In a nutshell, the EX-IM Bank of the U.S. opens up international markets to U.S. businesses by financing and

Congresswoman Maxine Waters insuring the sale of U.S. exports when private sector financing is prohibitively expensive or simply not available. Further, nearly 90 percent of EX-IM’s transactions directly support U.S. small businesses!

Waters and a wide array of small businesses, prominent Republicans, labor groups, national organizations, and manufacturing and business advocates spoke

out and showed strong support for renewing Export-Import Bank’s charter.

The reauthorization also received endorsements from: Bankers Association for Finance & Trade; U.S. Chamber of Commerce; bipartisan letter from 28 State Governors; National Association of Manufacturers; U.S. Conference of Mayors; International Association of Machinist & Aerospace

32  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Workers; California Chamber of Commerce; and the National Conference of State Legislature.

This example of bipartisanship has been encouraging to the small business community in particular because they now have a good resource for securing capital to expand into global markets. The Black Business Association of Los Angeles (BBALA) in conjunction with the Small Business Administration (SBA) recently hosted its annual Procurement Summit for Veteran-owned Businesses and Small Diverse Businesses.

The export/import business is a multi-billion dollar industry.

The U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services, recently released their data on the status of international trade on March 2016. Even in the areas where there were slight decreases (deficit decreased $1.4 billion to $44.4 billion for the three months ending in March), the average export of goods and services is still at $177.0 billion; and average imports of goods and services is at $221.5 billion1.

These are nonetheless still impressive numbers; and for the entrepreneurs wanting to explore the global markets, the revenue is definitely there.

Exports. The average goods and services deficit decreased $1.4 billion to $44.4 billion for the three months ending in March.

Average exports of goods and services decreased $1.2 billion to $177.0 billion in March. Average imports of goods and services decreased $2.6 billion to $221.5 billion in March. Year-over-year, the average goods and services deficit decreased $0.3 billion from the three months ending in March 2015. Average exports of goods and services decreased

$10.2 billion from March 2015.

Average imports of goods and services decreased $10.5 billion from March 2015. Exports of services increased $0.3 billion to $59.8 billion in March. Travel (for all purposes including education) increased $0.2 billion.

Imports. Imports of goods decreased $7.9 billion to $175.3 billion in March. Imports of goods on a Census basis decreased $7.8 billion. Consumer goods decreased $5.1 billion. Toys, games, and sporting goods decreased $1.1 billion. Other textile apparel and household goods decreased $0.6 billion.

Cotton apparel and household goods decreased $0.6 billion.

Capital goods decreased $1.6 billion. Computer accessories decreased $0.8 billion. Net balance of payments adjustments decreased less than $0.1 billion.

There is a growing generation of entrepreneurial business owners creating and making their mark in all areas of industry, including professional services, engineering, manufacturing, robotics, technology, healthcare, transportation, energy, education, the performing arts and entertainment.

More and more we’re seeing Millennials exiting college and vocational schools to toss their hats in the entrepreneurial ring; along with retiring Baby Boomers now wanting to begin second careers as business owners. For visionaries, this is the perfect fusion of innovation meeting experience.

There are three states that overwhelmingly draw millennial small business owners, Texas, California, and Florida. In fact, more than 68 percent established their companies in these three states, with California at the top coming in at 29.3 percent.² BBALA has been a long-time

supporter of Congresswoman Water and her efforts to improve and create opportunities for the 43rd District - a melting pot of creativity, talent where some of the brightest minds are residing; but access to capital is often difficult to attain; especially the capital needed financing and insuring the sale of U.S. exports.

Our urban communities cannot thrive and be sustainable without commerce to generate the revenue needed to move more of its community to self-sufficiency.

BBALA has begun developing new and innovative programs, strategic teaming alliances and strategies to address a broader and more diverse group of business owners, whether start-ups, emerging to well-established businesses to be able to leverage access to capital to do business domestically and in global markets.

EX-IM Bank of the U.S. supports hundreds of thousands of employment opportunities at no cost to the taxpayer; and further levels the playing field for American businesses to compete successfully on a global scale.  py thomas is a consultant to small and emerging businesses.

Specializing in diversity certifications, marketing and business development.

Email: thomaswebster.mc@gmail. com

1

Excerpt from US Dept. of Commerce US Int’l Trade in Goods & Services, March 2016 http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/ international/trade/2016/trad0316.htm ² Five Surprising Findings About Millennial Small Business Owners, November 11, 2015 http://www.nfib.com/article/5surprising-findings-about-millennialsmall-business-owners-71621/

Business

21 Awesome Places to Learn Critical Skills That Will Change Your Life

By LARRY KIM

W

e tend to think of learning a new skill or "going back to school" as something you'd do when looking to change careers, or to upgrade within your current one.

But lifelong learning has incredible benefits, both personal and professional, say researchers.

It makes communities more productive and innovative, and gives employees the ability to cope with constantly changing workplaces. Lifelong learning helps us stay sharp as we age, and is also important for a successful economy.

It helps us communicate better, socialize more effectively, and achieve greater success.

Whether you're looking to learn how to code, build leadership skills, or otherwise improve yourself, here are 27 awesome places to learn the critical skills that will change your life:

1. Lifehacker One of my favorite sites on the planet, Lifehacker is the place to learn how to do just about anything better, faster, and smarter.

2. Library of Congress Most of our national library's texts are now available online.

Whatever skill it is you want to learn, you can

read up on it there.

3. Boundless R e m e m b e r taking on a second part-time job just to pay for your college textbooks?

Boundless is shaking up the textbook industry by offering textbooks online, for free.

4. Inc.edu Inc.'s own educational site is an amazing resource for entrepreneurs looking to build the skills most likely to help them succeed. These realtime, live workshops led by all-star entrepreneurs are the best way to cut the learning curve and connect with people who really have the experience to lead by example.

5. Universities Most universities now offer online learning courses in addition to the on-campus lifelong learning programs. Some have established entire online schools, like Colorado State's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. If you're looking for a more traditional educational experience, check out what the universities are offering.

6. Google World Wonders Explore the ancient and modern worlds in an incredible online resource powered by Google's Street View and mapping technology.

TED is a n o t h e r fantastic place to find actionable advice and l e a r n i n g opportunities created by genuine, experienced people. I've curated my favorite TED Talks for entrepreneurs, leadership training and creativity in business -- check them out for yourself. You can also visit TED Ed for its own selection of great lessons.

8. Reddit Lectures This crowdsourced collection of top lectures from professionals, academia, governments, and leaders of all stripes is unique in that the resources are upvoted or downvoted by users, in typical Reddit fashion.

9. UReddit Speaking of Reddit, the forum site has its own University of Reddit, with dozens of courses in the arts, computer science, language, math and statistics, and more.

10. Internet Sacred Text Archive It's the largest archive of free books on religion and spirituality on the internet. Read up on mythology, religion, folklore, alchemy, parapsychology, and more.

7. TED Talks

34  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

and Health Studies.

11. MeetUp See what's happening in your area and meet up with like minds to learn new skills, often free of charge. Meetups are a great way to trade experiences and learn new perspectives.

12. Trivium Education Critical thinking is an incredibly important skill, but it's not often taught in public school curriculum.

Brush up on your rhetoric, grammar, and logic with Trivium's free resources.

15. PBS Video

19. iCONIC Tour

Watch well-researched, in-depth documentaries from PBS, free of charge online.

16. Project Gutenberg Study classic literature for free with over 50,000 titles available to download from the Project Gutenberg library.

14. University of the People Billing itself as the world's first nonprofit, tuition-free, accredited, online

Inc.com and CNBC put together iCONIC, a three-part conference series that's visiting my own hometown of Boston on September 22, 2016, after its first stops in Seattle and Denver. On top of the excellent speakers, the networking is an incredibly effective way to learn what's truly working for dynamic businesses across the country.

20. FutureLearn Packed with free online c o u r s e s from over 40 universities, FutureLearn is a U.K. site that serves over 3.6 million learners worldwide.

13. HubSpot Academy HubSpot, that online marketing software giant out of Boston, offers comprehensive, user-friendly digital marketing courses. Understanding marketing is critical for any entrepreneur, whether it's a function of your daily duties or not. HubSpot Academy was one of my own top five digital marketing course picks.

courses, including an introduction to computer programming course that's fantastic for entrepreneurs and beginners. It was my top choice among the nine best places to learn how to code for free.

21. Rescue Time 17. Pocket Save articles, videos and other interesting and educational content you come a c r o s s online to consume l a t e r .

Pocket lets you save from your browser, or from apps like Twitter or Flipboard, and you can access the content later without an internet connection.

Learn more about where and how you spend your time, allowing you to find efficiency throughout the day. 

18. MIT Open Courseware American university, UoPEOPLE offers degree programs in Business Administration, Computer Science

The iconic university offers totally free programming

http://www.inc.com/larry-kim/21awesome-places-to-learn-criticalskills-that-will-change-your-life-. html

35  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

May 25-28, 2016 Washington, DC

www.facebook.com/pages/Los-Angeles-Worlds-Fair/543396465697684

www.laworldsfair.org

36  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Business

How to use Online Marketing for a Trade Show or Event

By Greg Johnson

I

n today’s business culture, having an online presence and knowing how to reach customers online isn’t optional; it’s a necessity.

If you want to ensure a successful event, be sure your online marketing strategies are up to par by following these tips.

when, where, how to find you, what to expect when they stop by. If you want to kick it up a notch, consider creating a dedicated landing page for the event or trade show with multimedia and maybe even an onpage form as part of a pre-show contest.

#1 – LIST YOUR SHOW ON YOUR WEBSITE HOMEPAGE

#4 – INVITE CURRENT AND PROSPECTIVE CLIENTS

This means you’ll need a place for dynamic content somewhere on your homepage; ideal locations are on a banner, badge or sidebar and always above the fold (in the area visible when you open a page without having to scroll down). Prominently displaying your attendance at an upcoming show captures customers and prospects who may have missed your direct marketing message, and, may capture prospects that you weren’t even aware of.

But use a different message! Set up two campaigns in your email marketing software and send different messages to current and prospective customers. In your message, be sure to include all the basics of the event plus a teaser about some sort of incentive or giveaway you have planned.

#2 – ENSURE YOUR SITE SPEED IS ADEQUATE

This allows you to segment clients and prospects so that you are prepared with “what pitch” to use when you meet them at the show.

This also saves you valuable time pre-qualifying visitors at the show.

This is important any time of year; not just before an event.

Think about this: Google can return 500,000 search results in under half a second. Today’s internet users expect speed. In fact, according to Kissmetrics, 40% of users abandon a website that takes longer than 3 seconds to load.

#3 – PROMOTE YOUR EVENT ON A LANDING PAGE OR YOUR BLOG Consider a blog when you simply want to inform your customers about the basics of the event:

#5 – AS PART OF #3 OR #4, CONSIDER INCLUDING A PRE-QUALIFYING QUESTIONNAIRE WITH AN INCENTIVE TO ANSWER IT

#6 – HAVE PDF/DIGITAL VERSIONS OF YOUR MARKETING MATERIAL AVAILABLE Back to preferences in our digital age, some show-goers get downright mad if you try to offer them (gasp!) printed material.

While it’s true that plenty of people still prefer printed collateral, and

the industry tends to influence this as well, having high-quality digital versions ensures everyone is happy. QR codes are an easy way to send prospects directly to your marketing material; you can even have multiple codes that go to specific documents to satisfy different types of inquiries. You can have large codes printed as part of your booth display, or print them on anything from a business card to a stress ball.

#7 – SEND A PERSONAL THANK YOU EMAIL POSTSHOW This doesn’t require a lot of explanation other than the personal part. Take the time to recall your conversation with the customer or prospect and write a follow-up email that both thanks them and sets the stage for additional sales dialogue.

#8 – VIRTUAL POST-SHOW PRESENCE During the show, you can Tweet or even Livestream from Facebook.

Using social media is a valuable tool for alerting show attendees to what’s going on in your booth right then, and the media can be used to create a virtual post-show presence to post on your site or blog for people who missed the show.

Additional media from your staff, such as them walking the show and interacting with visitors, can also be included in the round up. http://www.skylinetradeshowtips.com/how-touse-online-marketing-for-a-trade-show-or-event/

37  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Business

10 Secrets of Shareable Content

By Diana Beyer https://twitter.com/Diana_Beyer_

Y

ou’ve heard a lot about content marketing over the past few years. You know it’s a great way to get your message in front of people without going the traditional advertising route.

However, most people don’t really understand what it is, even though shareable content is one of the top trends in digital marketing.

The key to content marketing is creating great content that people will share. The word “viral” may be a bit much in this case, but you want to make sure your content makes it through the ecosystem of the people you’re trying to reach.

These 10 no-so-secret tips will help you achieve great shareable content.

1. Create Genuinely Great Content

depth, you can lose the reader/ viewer. If you lose t h e m , they’re unlikely to share it with their friends.

T h i s doesn’t mean your content can’t be a 2,500w o r d article, it just means you need to make sure how it’s shared is digestible.

Just like this article, make the headline clear and have a good summary. Also, try to break your longer articles up into subsections so people can skim and still get the point — similar to the way we’ve done here.

This may seem like it’s not a very big secret, and that’s because it isn’t. Everyone should know that creating valuable content makes it infinitely more shareable by now.

However, the amount of garbage content out there says otherwise.

If you were to print out the amount of bad content created daily, you’d need several landfills to deal with it all.

Great content doesn’t mean anything more than combining relevancy with quality. Ask yourself these two questions with the content you create: Is it relevant to my audience? And is this the best quality I can do? Those two should be the first steps in creating all shareable content.

Of course, there is such a thing as offering too little information. If you’re trying to educate someone on a topic, you don’t want them to feel like you didn’t answer their most pressing questions. This goes back to relevancy as well. If you want to them to share it, you’ll need to answer these questions. If you do go deep, just remember the previous tip to make sure it’s broken into bite-sized pieces.

2. Bite Sized Works Best

4. Get Visual

If the content is too technical or in-

3. Don’t Be Afraid to Dive in Deep

Your suspicions are true – visuals

get more engagement on social media. As HubSpot correctly points out (https://blog.hubspot.com/ marketing/shareable-visual-content# sm.000ak76h614bgdeqru21lpw2q1d ww), studies show that Facebook

posts with photos get about 87% of all engagement. That’s no joke. That’s a big difference. This doesn’t mean you need to hire an illustrator or build an infographic for everything, just make sure you make it visually appealing. This can be as simple as having a header photo or Facebook thumbnail that’s relevant to the material.

5. Add A Dash of Surprise or Shock If you can enlighten people with something amazing, they’re likely to share your amazing information with other people. For example, did you know a pound of beef takes 1,100 gallons of water to make? That little-known fact is from the movie Conspiracy, and it’s a fact that is shared time and time again just

38  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

because it’s absolutely shocking. If you can shock or surprise with your content, it’ll take it to new heights.

6. Infographics Are Awesome This ties into visuals but deserves a section of its own.

They’re not always cheap or easy to create, but they can be a major part of your strategy for creating shareable content. It nails several of the secrets of shareable content in one go: it’s visual, it’s easily digestible, and they create those “wow” moments by helping people visualize how big or small something is. “Infographic” isn’t just a buzz word, it’s an important part of any content strategy. It can really help people understand what you do – and if it’s interesting enough, it’s super easy to share.

7. Get Analytical This should be obvious, and yet the number of clients that don’t track their shareable content is

astounding. You should be tracking every single thing you do.

The best way to create new shareable content is to build on what worked well in the past. Every audience is unique depending on the niche, so this is the best way to find out what’s working for you, and what isn’t. By analyzing your pics

vs. posts, and your infographics vs. animations, you’ll see patterns emerge.

In a previous post on the 60 Second Marketer (http://60secondmarketer. com/blog/2016/03/29/using-metricsto), we talked a lot about using

analytics to help you justify your video marketing budget. You can apply the information from that article to all of your posts.

8. Don’t be Funny. Unless You’re Funny.

Humor is one of the hardest things to pull off properly. Unless you have a great sense of what is funny to your audience, don’t try to create funny things just for the sake of creating them. This can often fall flat. In fact, it can actually shrink your audience if it’s super cringeworthy content.

If you’re a funny person or have one on your team, by all means give it a shot. Just remember the landfills of dead content that are

filled with things creators thought would be funny.

9. Be Genuine This may be the most important tip after creating great content.

People can smell a sales pitch from a mile away. If you’re trying to force things that maybe don’t belong –

just because you have an agenda – people will notice and it’ll end up in the same landfill.

It’s also important to note that content from companies is no longer set aside. It can be just as brilliant as a work based on pure creativity. People reward honesty and love to see the genuine side of things. They know when they’re being played. Just be honest, have fun, and let the company be itself.

You’ll win more often than not.

10. Give a Call to Action This can’t be said enough. If the content lives on your site, make it easy to share. Add social buttons, highlight the ability to share, and just flat out ask people to do it if they liked it. Just this one simple action can make your content more shareable without changing the content itself.

Bonus Tip – Interact with Your Audience Once you’ve created the content and released it into the wild, don’t just follow it around – get involved. This can expand the lifecycle of your content as well by creating meaningful interactions with the audience that finds it valuable. It’ll also help you see where the holes are. People will often add their two cents when sharing or retweeting, and you can that two cents and use it to create more great content to follow up with.

These 10 secrets of shareable content aren’t really all that secret. You’d think they were though by the amount of people that don’t seem to hit a single one of them. Use this as a checklist. You don’t have to check them all, but if your content knocks a few of them off, your content will have a great shot at being shareable.  http://60secondmarketer.com/ blog/2016/05/09/10-secrets-shareablecontent/

39  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

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40  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

41  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

42  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Generate Success at Frankfurt Book Fair October 19 – 23, 2016ȱ

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Frankfurt Book Fair (FBF) is the world’s largest trade show for the publishing industry and takes place October 19 Ͳ 23, 2016 at the “Messegelände” (the Trade Fair Grounds) in Frankfurt, Germany ͲͲ with a focus on promoting books, digital content, magazines, and exporting and licensing rights.

Special Offerings from the U.S. Commercial Service:

x x x

FRANKFURT BOOK FAIR 2016 is an excellent

PLATINUM KEY SERVICE FOR U.S. PUBLISHERS

opportunity for U.S. publishers, agents, content providers and publishing service providers to promote their products & digital content, meet with buyers & distributors from Europe and throughout the world.

x x x

APPLICATION DEADLINE

JULY 14TH x x x

The PLATINUM KEY is a program tailored to your INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHING & LICENSING needs at FBF. It

is a fee based service offered exclusively to U.S. companies, designed to provide customized targeted solutions.

http://www.buchmesse.de/en/

FRANKFURT BOOK FAIR 2016 FOCUS

x x x

x

x

x

x x

Children’s and Young Adult Literature, NonͲFiction and Art Books, Photography and Film STM & Academic Publishing, Specialist Information, Education SelfͲPublishing and "Rights and Licenses" (get to know the world of literary and licensing agents) Frankfurt Book Fair Academy Netherland and Flanders are the Guest of Honor in 2016!

Platinum Key Registration is due July 14th Questions? Please contact:

Peter Sexton in the U.S. at: peter.sexton@trade.gov or Ulrike Riegeler, Trade Specialist in Frankfurt, DE: Ulrike.riegeler@trade.gov

REGISTRATION & LINKS to U.S. Commercial Service Germany:

ADDITIONAL VALUEͲADDED SERVICES OFFERED BY THE U.S. COMMERCIAL SERVICE TO U.S. EXHIBITORS: x x

x

Qualified Contact Lists Customized Counseling on Global Markets (by U.S. Commercial Service Trade Specialists from U.S. Embassies & Consulates) International Promotion Program (Highlight YOUR Company to International Buyers attending FBF).

http://export.gov/germany/Trad eShowsEvents/FeaturedGermanT radeShows/eg_de_080076.asp

The International Trade Administration (ITA)’s U.S. Commercial Service at the U.S. Department of Commerce, strengthens the competitiveness of U.S. industry, promotes trade and investment, and ensures fair trade through the rigorous enforcement of our trade laws and agreements. ITA supports President Obama's recovery agenda and the National Export Initiative to sustain economic growth and support American jobs. www.trade.gov

A

re you a Small Business interested in selling your product or services to Metro or to Prime Contractors that do business with Metro? Would you like to learn how to win contracts as a Prime Contractor through SB Prime, Metro's exciting set-aside initiative? If so, we invite you to come grow with us and learn about Metro Connect.

Start now and register for a How to Do Business with Metro Workshop. Metro staff will show you how to take advantage of the vast array of products, services and transportation related opportunities projected over the coming weeks, months and year. As an added bonus, Metro's procurement staff will host informal interviews with firms before the workshop, starting at 9:00 a.m.

Tuesday, June 14, 2016 8:30 a.m.: Registration 9:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.: One-on-One with Contract Administrators and Continental Breakfast 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.: Program

Metro Headquarters 3rd Floor, Board Room, One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Topics: Highway Project Update, Procurement Update, Certification Update, Small Business Prime Update, LA SAFE/511 Next Generation Update To learn more about how Metro Connect's Small and Disadvantaged Business Certifications can help open the door to contracting opportunities with Metro visit Metro Vendor Portal.

For further questions, please contact Marisela Villar at VillarM@metro.net or via phone at 213.922.2235.

44  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Publisher's Message from page 3

Diversity Summit in Los Angeles.

As for innovation and inclusion, it should be pointed out that some of the most profitable industries should have a mandate for inclusion. Some of these industries include technology, health, digital, information, and so on. With the changing demographic in the United States and the Census Bureau projecting that we will become a majority-minority nation by 2044,

there is an urgent and critical need to embrace diversity and inclusion in the innovation economy. If not, the United States will continue to

face negative economic and social consequences due to increased inequality and widening of the wealth gap.

Mark your calendar for the California Black Chamber of Commerce Ron Brown Business and Economic Summit to be held August 25-27, 2016 in Los Angeles.

Thank you for your readership and support of the Black Business News. I hope you enjoy this issue and find some information will be of value as you continue to grow your business. 

45  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Retiree Confidence on the Rise, EBRI Finds

W

hile retirement confidence among U.S. workers appears to be stabilizing, confidence among today's retirees continues to climb, finds the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) in its latest Retirement Confidence Survey.

Workers who said they were "very confident" in their ability to afford a comfortable retirement rose from 13% in 2013 to 22% last year. In 2016, that percentage leveled off at 21%. However, the percentage of retirees who are "very confident" continued to rise in 2016 to 39%, up from 18% in 2013.

Historically, retiree confidence has exceeded worker confidence, said the report.

Worker perceptions vs. retiree realities Each year, the study reveals findings that compare worker expectations and perceptions with the actual experiences of current retirees. For example: • While 78% of workers are at least "somewhat confident" that they will have enough money to afford basic expenses in retirement, an even higher percentage (84%) of current retirees feel that way. An even sharper contrast emerges when considering the affordability of medical expenses. Thirty-eight percent of workers say they are "not too" or "not at all confident" in their prospects for funding medical care, while just 21% of retirees share that level of concern.

• The age at which workers expect to retire has crept upward through the years, while the actual retirement age for retired respondents has changed very little. In 1991, just 11% of workers said they expected to retire after age 65. In 2016, the percentage increased to 37%.

By comparison, the actual percentage of retirees who retired after age 65 was 8% in 1991 and rose to 15% in 2016. The median age at which retirees said they retired held steady at age 62 throughout the 25-year period.

• Only 8% of today's workers said they plan to retire 38% of retirees say their current expenses are "somewhat higher" or "much higher" than before age 60, yet they expected when they first retired, while the same percentage said their expenses are 36% of today's retirees left the workforce "about the same" as they expected 48  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

before reaching that age. Why the difference? The study's authors said that each year they discover a sizable percentage of retirees who retire earlier than planned--46% in 2016. Reasons cited include health problems or disability (55%), changes at their company such as downsizing or closure (24%), and having to care for a family member (17%).

Despite these findings, workers can take heart knowing that today's retirees feel more confident than in past years, and in knowing that the years ahead offer time to modify their retirement planning strategies if necessary.

About the survey The 26th annual Retirement Confidence Survey was cosponsored by EBRI, a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy research organization that focuses on health, savings, retirement, and economic security issues; and Greenwald & Associates, a Washington, DC-based market research firm. The survey was conducted in January and February 2016 through 20-minute telephone interviews with 1,505 people, including 1,000 workers and 505 retirees. Full results can be viewed at ebri.org. FWR IMPORTANT DISCLOSURES Regina L. Faison *Wealth Manager/Registered Principal Faison Wealth & Retirement Services C/O Woodbury Financial Services 3070 Bristol Suite 500, Costa Mesa, CA 92626 Office Direct -949-200-8212 * Efax - 949-556-9806 * Regina cell - 714-329-7184 Customer Service Email- service@faisonwealth.com Ph# - 949-939-1194 Website - http://faisonwealth.com "Helping businesses and individuals achieve their life goals" *Securities and Investment Advisory Services offered through Woodbury Financial Services, Inc., Member FINRA, SIPC and Registered Investment Advisor. Woodbury Financial Services P.O. Box 64284*St. Paul, MN 55164*-800-800-2638. Insurance offered through Faison Wealth and Retirement Services is not affiliated with Woodbury Financial Services, Inc. Faison Wealth and Retirement Services and Woodbury Financial are not affiliated entities.

Faison Wealth & Retirement Regina Faison Wealth Manager/Registered Principal* 3070 Bristol Street Suite 500 Costa Mesa, CA 92626 949-200-8212 714-329-7184 regina@faisonwealth.com www.faisonwealth.com

49  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Business

VEDC, Chase Expand African American Funding

Welcome to More.

By Mark Madler

T

he Valley Economic Development Center (VEDC) (www.vedc.org) and JPMorgan Chase & Co. (www. jpmorganchase.com) announced recently the expansion of a lending program for African Americanowned small businesses in Los Angeles.

The VEDC, in Sherman Oaks, seeks to create a $30 million loan fund that Chase, in New York, has contributed $8 million to through its foundation. The money will be loaned to minority businesses in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York in amounts ranging from $35,000 to $250,000.

VEDC CEO Roberto Barragan said the nonprofit lender has a proven track record of serving lowand middle-income communities of color. “Approximately 20% of our existing portfolio serves the African American community, and we’ve learned a great deal from working with them that we’re applying to this new fund,” Barragan said in a prepared statement.

Businesses receiving financing can use the money for expansion, financing equipment, addressing short-term cash flow needs and lines of credit. 

Open the door to a hotel you don’t just visit. You own it.

Choice Hotels® is committed to achieving more diversity in hospitality with exclusive incentive programs designed to reduce up front costs and provide more support to minority hotel developers. And our commitment doesn’t stop there.

Choice Hotels promotes and pursues diversity at all levels, ranging from our workforce to our hotel guests, from our suppliers to entrepreneurs looking to create wealth. Like you.

Open the door to hotel ownership opportunities with Choice Hotels. Because you’re not in business for less.

You’re in it for more. www.choicehotelsdevelopment.com/#&panel1-2

56  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

59  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Destiny Moscato

From http://officialblackwallstreet.com/ F black-owned-wine-spirit-brands/

D

ESTINY Moscato and DESTINY Pink Moscato are a luxury line of Brands housed under my umbrella company, RED STYXX BEVERAGE. DESTINY MOSCATO was born from my desire to inspire others to believe in their dreams and to live their best life. With DESTINY, it was my intention and purpose to create the first premium, name-branded American Moscato that would offer the most unique, and quite simply the BEST Moscato taste experience!

Our Moscato customers have two wonderful wine choices. DESTINY Moscato is for the Moscato lover who prefers a luscious, all occasion sparkling wine, and our DESTINY Pink Moscato is for the lighter pallet and sweeter connoisseur. Our uniquely patented formula is 11.5% alcohol which adds a premium feel and taste,

while still maintaining the smoothness and refreshing appeal. Please enjoy your Destiny Experience..

DESTINY sparkling wines are derived from the Muscat Blanc varietal grape imported from the Napa Valley region and harvested in vineyards around the United States. To achieve our unique sparkling wine taste and effervescence, our grapes are handled with extreme care in order to minimize the extraction of compounds from the skins. Vinted and bottled by the historic méthode champenoise (champagne method), our white and pink moscato wines are then produced using state-of-the-art equipment maintained to the highest degree. Modeled after the renowned complexes of California's Napa Valley Region, our 44,000 square foot production facilities overlook beautiful and illustrious vineyards a n d landscape.

DESTINY Moscato is an American vegan friendly company, as no animal products are used in the production of our wine production facilities. ies DESTINY DELIVERED... Experience Your DESTINY Delivered directly to you in our complimentary Limited Edition Premium Gift Box. with free shipping & handling.

Click your DESTINY of choice below to order today and become a part of the DESTINY lifestyle.  http://www.destinymoscato.com

60  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

61  February 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

T

he face of California is changing. Today, people of color make up the majority of the state, and will soon be the majority nationwide. Going forward, the measure of good public policy rests on its impact on the New Majority.

Every year, Greenlining (http://greenlining.org) brings together movers-andshakers from business, government, and grassroots community groups at our annual Economic Summit. This year, we will uplift solutions from the New Majority that are already building a new California – one in which the dream of a fair, equitable, and prosperous economy is real for all. With hard-hitting speakers, interactive panels and countless networking opportunities, attendees will engage with some of the most innovative ideas in the equity movement today.

Join us in Oakland to connect with fellow change-makers, share ideas, and help us reinvent California with solutions from the New Majority. Together, we can build a stronger, better, more equitable future PROGRAM TOPICS CLIMATE SOLUTIONS THAT LEAD WITH EQUITY: ADDRESSING COMMUNITY NEEDS WHILE PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT - While climate change ranks high as a priority for communities of color, so do jobs, health, education, and safety. California’s strategy to address climate change offers an unparalleled opportunity to address community needs and protect the environment. In this panel we will discuss community-driven projects funded by the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund that advance our fight against poverty and pollution DIVERSE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT: BUILDING VIBRANT NEIGHBORHOODS WITH RACIAL EQUITY - While popular rhetoric suggests that our economy is on the mend, redlining, disinvestment, and gentrification continue to decimate communities of color. This interactive session will highlight equity-driven community development innovations from the new majority that combat the widening racial wealth gap TECH AND EQUITY IN CALIFORNIA: CAN THE TWO EXIST, AND IF SO, HOW? - The digital economy is disrupting and changing society and the economy in profound ways. While many agree that technology has the potential to solve many of the world’s problems, there is also a growing understanding that technology is leaving many behind. The benefits of our technological surge have been unevenly distributed, and some communities could be left in the lurch. Can the tech sector lead with greenlining policies and if so, how?

REGISTRATION Online registration ends May 18 at 12 p.m. Your ticket grants you an all-access pass to all of the panels and sessions throughout the day, including a continental breakfast, plated lunch, and dinner. Register at: https://greenlining.secure.force.com/events/CnP_PaaS_EVT__ ExternalRegistrationPage?event_id=a1fG0000002IfO2IAK

63  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

T

he FedEx Small Business Grant Contest (https://

smallbusiness.fedex.com/ grant-contest.html?cmp=EMC1003335-1-1-200-1111110-US-USEN-SBGCBLACKENTR) opens on

May 3 — is your entry ready? You could win a $25,000 grant and become part of a community of

small-business owners who learn from one another and grow their businesses together.

This will be our fourth year to award small-business grants to help designers, craftsmen, butchers receive great exposure for their businesses.

Visit the FedEx® Small Business

Center now to understand the rules, learn from past grant winners and get the inspiration you need to prepare a strong contest entry. View the videos to explore the benefits of entering the contest, tips on creating your entry, and advice on voting. Entries must be submitted

by May 30th. 

Quote of Note “…So, Class of 2016, let me be as clear as I can be. In politics and in life, ignorance is not a virtue. It's not cool to not know what you're talking about. That's not keeping it real, or telling it like it is. ...”

Barack Obama 67  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Business

Supplier Diversity Biz: Joe Chow, SoCalGas

By SCMSDC

L

ong before Joe Chow began his career in supplier diversity, he was a certified public accountant performing financial audits, planning and analysis for such companies as General Motors and Pacific Enterprises (now Sempra Energy), former parent company of Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas).

Today, his financial background serves him well as SoCalGas’ new supplier programs excellence manager, a post he was promoted to in February 2016. “Understanding the financials is the foundation of any business and helps me tremendously in dealing with diverse businesses and understanding the challenges they face,” says Chow, who has worked in the utility’s supplier diversity group for eight years.

He oversees SoCalGas’ Supplier Diversity Program and the ninemember supplier diversity, supply chain sustainability and supplier relationship management team to support and engage diverse suppliers to do more business with SoCalGas. Over the years, the group has successfully implemented programs targeting outreach to these firms, collaborated with business and community organizations to identify qualified suppliers and helped diverse firms develop skills to take on larger business opportunities.

In 2015, SoCalGas spent 44.7% of its total purchases with woman-, minority- and service disabled veteran, lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender business enterprises. It was the fourth straight

year the utility exceeded the 40% mark.

The company’s supplier diversity accomplishments have been recognized by SCMSDC and others, with the council honoring the utility with its 2015 Capacity Builder Award and 2013 and 2014 Corporation of the Year awards.

Here are some of Chow’s observations on: Sustaining SoCalGas’ spend with diverse firms. “We continue to tweak our program and improve it in various ways. We don’t want this to be a race to the top for the sake of numbers. We are focused on offering technical assistance so diverse firms have the tools and skills to succeed and removing barriers that prevent diverse firms from doing business with us. This year, we will continue to enhance our technical assistance program, SCORE (Smaller Contractor Opportunity Realization Effort); increase participation in our Supplier Quick Pay program with modified payment terms; and offer two access to capital workshops, among other things.”

Rewards of his job. “We can really make an impact in supplier diversity…we go beyond awarding contracts. By strengthening our supplier network and advancing supplier excellence, we are cultivating a more diverse economy, which brings economic benefits to not only our suppliers but also to the regional economies where they do business. We have several success stories, such as an MBE

(minority business enterprise) who started with $75,000 contracts performing concrete and asphalt paving services and now has $5 million contracts installing protective bollards around gas facilities. Another MBE began installing natural gas distribution pipelines and has expanded into high-pressure steel natural gas pipelines, adding significantly to its workforce.”

Tips on working with SoCalGas. “Learn as much as you can about our culture and how we operate.

Find out what our company needs – the types of services, equipment and projects. The more information and details suppliers can give us about their services, work and experience, the more they will stand out. Once suppliers have a contract, we expect them to communicate, communicate, communicate. One of the focus areas in our SCORE program is two-way communication. This is key to a successful partnership.”  www.zdnet.com/article/contactlesspayments-coming-to-a-flight-nearyou/

69  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

www.nubianskin.com/us

Sell Your Products & Services on

Black Business Association is joining forces with AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and a number of other businesses and community organizations to help promote safe driving through

It Can Wait. http://itcanwait.com

FOR

Memorial Day

OR ANY SPECIAL OCCASION

Business Technology:

Take A Look!

•

by LaSandra Stratton

C

heck out what these firms and organizations have to offer for your personal interests, personal wealth building, and business expansion opportunities.

•

•

Revolar Wearable Safety Device

R

evolar is a wearable safety device that connects to an app on your phone through Low Energy Bluetooth®. Load up to 5 contacts in the Revolar app,

and if you ever feel unsafe or are in a situation where you need help (allergic reaction, sexual assault, falling, etc.), simply press your Revolar button, and an alert with your GPS location will be sent to your contacts. From there, they are instructed to call you and/or get in touch with professional help on your behalf.

• Different alerts: A rapid double-press sends a Yellow Alert, indicating that you’re uncomfortable or need to get in touch with your contacts. A rapid triple-press sends a Red

•

•

Alert, indicating that you need professional help.

GPS Link: Your Revolar contacts don't need to download the app—whenever you trigger an alert, a text message is sent to your contacts with an active GPS link.

Out of sight: Revolar is very discreet and measures less than 2 inches. It easily hides under your clothing or can be clipped onto your keychain.

Waterproof: Certified IP68, which means you can ditch the bag of rice if Revolar ends up in water.

Long battery life: Revolar uses a simple watch battery for power, which lasts up to a year.

Interchangeable: Revolar comes with two different cases: one to clip onto your clothing and one to attach to your keys.

Revolar connects to our app through Low Energy Bluetooth® technology. Once paired, you simply enter your Revolar Contacts, have a conversation about what the different alerts mean to you, and you’re good to go! Revolar is fully customizable.

Revolar believes in function over fashion. The Revolar button is sleek and discreet and can either be hidden under your clothing or clipped onto your keychain.

Because Revolar uses Bluetooth technology, your phone will need to

be within Bluetooth range (typically 30 feet) and have a data or Wi-Fi connection in order to send alerts.

Order a Revolar Wearable Safety Device from Brookstone - www. brookstone.com/revolar-wearablepersonal-safety-device/315263p. html 

instax mini 90

D

esigned with a classic look, the instax mini 90 offers advanced features, such as bulb and double exposures, that are attractions of traditional analog cameras and offer an enhanced capability to capture light creatively.

The instax mini 90 and others in the series also print a picture instantly in a manner similar to the Polaroid camera of old.

T h e instax mini 90 is also equipped with new functions and features like macro m o d e and high performance f l a s h , m a k i n g this an instant camera for every photographer developed under the concept “NEO CLASSIC.” We offer two different types of instant camera throughout the world. The "instax mini" series (film size / 5.4 x 8.6 cm) is ideal for daily use, and the instax WIDE series is perfect for shooting group pictures.

74  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

instax mini 90

instax share “instax SHARE” is an app that offers new features to make instax prints more attractive.

It enables creation of prints from images taken by smartphones and those uploaded to social networking systems (SNS) like Facebook and Instagram. A variety of templates, not available with conventional instax cameras, are also provided.

Easy-to-carry, compact body is ideal for use at parties. instax SHARE lets you turn your memorable moments into instax prints and share them with friends.

The instax system uses Fuji Film for instax. Search for details on the camera and film at http:// www.fujifilm.com/products/instant_ photo/cameras/instax_mini_90. 

empowered by intelligent proximity access such as smart NFC, RFID and touch-screen technologies providing ease-of-use, highly secure, and prevent mishandled luggage in airports. These smart electronic locks require no key, no dial and no memorizing combination code, hence no fuss for safeguarding personal belongings during travel. Simply tap a NFCpaired smartphone, eGeeTouch® NFC tags or paired smart devices to unlock luggage. A built-in TSAAccepted key lock for US airports is

also included.

No more worrying about forgetting your 3-digit combination code, or risking being cracked while exposing your luggage when left unattended in areas such as airport, train, ferry, bus compartments, hotel concierge, or hotel room. eGeeTouch® provides enhanced security locks enabling a peace of mind travel experience. www.egeetouch.com/ products/electronic-luggage-lock.  Submitted by LaSandra Stratton, Chief Content Administrator of the Black Business News.

Coming to your e-mail box.

Smart Luggage Lock

T

he eGeeTouch® NFC-driven Smart Luggage Lock offers hassle free and enhanced security for personal belongings in a luggage to accommodate the increasing mobile worldwide travelers. Its design innovation and engineering performance are

Read Back Issues at: https://issuu.com/blackbusinessnews

75  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

First Lady Michelle Obama greets athletes prior to the Opening Ceremonies of the 2016 Invictus Games at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, FL. The Invictus Games is an international adaptive sporting event for wounded, injured, and ill service members and veterans. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

Remarks by the First Lady at the 2016 Invictus Games Opening Ceremony

W

ell, hello everyone! Are we having fun tonight?

Well, it is truly an honor to be here tonight to help kick off this year’s Invictus Games.

I, of course, want to start by thanking Prince Harry for his outstanding leadership and for bringing the Invictus Games here to Orlando. He is truly our Prince Charming, isn’t he? And he should be proud of himself for this work.

Now, in return, I have generously asked the U.S. Team not to win too much, right? It’s really the least we can do, right? But seriously, I have loved getting to know Prince Harry and his remarkable family. And I am

thrilled to join him here tonight with all of you.

I also want to recognize a devoted advocate for our men and women in uniform -- the Honorary Chair of these Games, and our friend, former President George W. Bush, and our fabulous former First Lady, Laura Bush. And of course, I want to thank Ken Fisher and his family for their tremendous support of this event, but more importantly, for their tireless commitment over many years to our military community.

Ken, you're amazing.

But most of all, I'm here to honor all of you -- our extraordinary servicemembers, our veterans and,

of course, our military families. You all are amazing. Truly amazing.

Over the past five years, through our Joining Forces initiative, I've had the privilege of meeting so many of you. And like Prince Harry, I am so incredibly inspired by all of you. I’m inspired by your courage, by your love of country. I’m inspired by the sacrifices you all make every single day, particularly the wounded warriors and the caregivers who show such strength and resilience in the face of challenges that most of us can’t even imagine.

In the course of your recoveries, you’ve endured surgery after surgery, and months, even years of

78  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Community/Public Interest

In the audience: Prince Harry, Morgan Freeman and Michelle Obama sat to watch the performances before taking to the stage themselves

painstaking rehabilitation. And you still tell us that you would do it all again if you were given the chance to serve your country. Absolutely.

And look at you now. Today, you are here competing in these Games, and you are achieving amazing athletic feats. It's just -- I'm so proud of you all.

And as for our caregivers, let's give it up for our caregivers. I've met so many of you. We know how you all dropped everything when your loved one was injured; how you stepped up to manage all the appointments and the medication, and all the finances, often juggling a job and raising kids at the same

time.

And ultimately, that’s really what the Invictus Games and Joining Forces are all about. They’re about shining this big, bright light on all of you -on all of you. They’re about sharing your stories and your achievements with the world, so that we all can be inspired to live up to your example.

That’s why we’re here tonight.

That's why I'm here tonight. And that's why I'm so proud of you all.

That's why I love you all so much.

That's why I will keep working for you all as long as I'm alive. So I wish you all all the best of luck in your competitions. And I hope you

have a lot of fun along the way.

Have fun!

And now it is now my pleasure to introduce one of our fabulous Invictus Games Ambassadors, a legend of the silver screen and one of my favorite people in the world -ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Morgan Freeman.  www.whitehouse.gov/the-pressoffice/2016/05/08/remarks-firstlady-2016-invictus-games-openingceremony

79  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Community/Public Interest-Obituary

Jim McMillian, Forward on '72 Lakers Title Team, Dead at 68

By Beth Harris

Jim McMillian AP Images

J

im McMillian, who helped the Los Angeles Lakers to a 33-game winning streak and the 1972 NBA championship as a second-year pro playing with Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West, died Monday. He was 68.

He died from complications of heart failure at a hospital in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, after being in failing health in recent months, according to his sister-inlaw Denise Sheridan.

The Lakers made McMillian the 13th overall pick in the first round of the 1970 draft out of Columbia University. He was also drafted in the first round by the New York Nets of the ABA, but chose the Lakers.

He averaged 15.3 points during three seasons in Los Angeles.

He was a key member of the Lakers' first championship team in the city after their move from Minneapolis. He averaged 19.1 points in replacing retired Elgin Baylor at forward, a move that coincided with the start of the team's 33-game winning streak. The roster included Chamberlain, West, Gail Goodrich, Happy Hairston, Keith

Erickson and Pat Riley. They were coached by Bill Sharman.

Despite his relative youth, McMillian fit in seamlessly with his veteran teammates.

"Jim could run and fill the lanes with the best of them. He had a great 15-foot jump shot," Erickson said. "Jim was young and eager.

He was a perfect complement on our team."

After one more year in Los Angeles, the Lakers traded the 6-foot-5 forward to the Buffalo Braves for Elmore Smith.

"Jim was an important part of Lakers history, as a key member of our first championship team in Los Angeles in 1972," said Jeanie Buss, Lakers president and co-owner.

"His passing is a sad day for us."

McMillian later played for the New York Knicks and Portland Trail Blazers during his nine-year NBA career. After leaving the league, he moved to Italy and played two years for a team in Bologna. He returned home to work in a wholesale retail business before founding his own clothing business. He later worked for a clothing manufacturing

company.

McMillian attended occasional reunions for the '72 team.

Born March 11, 1948, in Raeford, North Carolina, McMillian was raised in Brooklyn, where he starred at Thomas Jefferson High School before going on to Columbia. He led the Lions to a 63-14 record during three seasons and their last NCAA Tournament appearance in 1968, as a sophomore when he averaged 17 points and 11 rebounds during their three-game tournament run.

McMillian is second on the school's career scoring list with 22.9 points and still holds the marks for field goals in a season (253) and career (677).

Nicknamed "Jimmy Mac," McMillian was a three-time AllAmerica and All-Ivy League player.

"Jim was a quiet and powerful leader," said Jonathan Schiller, chairman of Columbia's board of trustees and former teammate of McMillian. "Jim was a supportive and close friend to each of his teammates. We know well that Jim was and will always be remembered as one of the most gifted studentathletes to attend Columbia University. He was quiet," he said.

"He read a lot, very thoughtful."  http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/ nba/jim-mcmillian-forward-on-72lakers-title-team-dead-at-68/arBBt7VvN?form=PRHPTP

80  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

African Stock Exchanges • Bolsa de Valores of Cape Verde - www.bvc.cv (in Portuguese) • Bond Exchange of South Africa - www.bondexchange. co.za • Botswana Stock Exchange www.bse.co.bw • Bourse Regionale des Valeurs Mobilieres - UEMOA (Abidjan, Ivory Coast) - www.brvm.org • Casablanca Stock Exchange (Morocco) - www.casablancabourse.com/bourseweb/index. aspx • Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange (Tanzania) - www. dse.co.tz • Douala Stock Exchange (Cameroon) - www.douala-stockexchange.com/index_us.php • The Egyptian Exchange - www.

• • •

•

•

• • •

egx.com.eg/English/homepage. aspx Ethiopia Commodity Exchange - www.ecx.com.et Ghana Stock Exchange - www. gse.com.gh Johannesburg Stock Exchange (South Africa) - www. jse.co.za/Home.aspx Khartoum Stock Exchange (Sudan, in Arabic) - www.kse. com.sd Libyan Stock Market - www. lsm.ly/_layouts/membership/ login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fEnglis h%2fPages%2fdefault.aspx Lusaka Stock Exchange (Zambia) - www.luse.co.zm Nairobi Stock Exchange (Kenya) - www.luse.co.zm Malawi Stock Exchange - www. mse.co.mw

• Mozambique Stock Exchange (in Portuguese) - www. bolsadevalores.co.mz • Namibian Stock Exchange www.nsx.com.na • Nigerian Stock Exchange www.nse.com.ng/Pages/default. aspx • Stock Exchange of Mauritius www.stockexchangeofmauritius. com • Swaziland Stock Exchange www.ssx.org.sz • Tunisia Stock Exchange - www. bvmt.com.tn • Uganda Securities Exchange www.use.or.ug Read the lastest issue of The Exchange Magazine www.nse.co.ke/media-center/ecommunique/exchange-magazine/ category/50-free-version.html

84  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

International

Hosted Buyer Invitation: MICE East Africa Forum & Expo 2016 9-11 June 2016 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia The first MICE industry trade show in East Africa will take place from June 9-11, 2016 at the Millenium Special Hall in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The three-day event will offer 150 hosted buyers the opportunity to meet with more than 100 of the region’s top suppliers.

Attending the MICE East Africa Forum & Expo will allow you to experience Addis Ababa’s MICE infrastructure and the cities top level suppliers and meet with the major Ethiopian tourism offices; the East and Central African country tourism organizations, airlines, hotels and resorts with suitable MICE facilities, local venue providers and vendors, professional conference and event organizers, destination management companies etc.

The Hosted buyer programme includes round trip air tickets to/from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, up to 4 night hotel accommodation during the show, free admission to the exhibition hall, the East Africa Innovation Center, the event’s networking functions, food & beverage services of the event, ground transportation and a minimum of 25 valuable business appointments during the 3-day event.

For detailed information visit: micemm.com/index.php/hosted-buyerevents/mice-east-africa-forum-expo To apply visit: survey.micemm.com/index.php/374368/lang-en

85  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Faithful to Nature: South African Companies Seeking to Introduce Uniquely African Green and Natural Products to the US Personal Care Market

T

he South African cosmetic and personal care industry is vibrant and dynamic, comprising an interesting mix of multinational giants, entrepreneurial companies, and small, medium and large local brands. The industry is self-regulated, ascribes to high quality standards and is poised to make its mark in the international arena.

The cosmetic industry is a very well regulated industry in South Africa. Companies follow the South African Cosmetic Compendium with regard to Good Manufacturing Practice and Codes of Practice. South Africa follows the European regulations and ingredient annex’s to enable ease of exports and imports.

Companies keen to export to the USA have also aligned themselves with USFDA requirements.

16 companies will be visiting Chicago (20th to 22nd June 2016) and Los Angeles (22nd – 25th

June 2016) to promote their natural and green products to the US market, utilizing plant-based, ecofriendly ingredients unique to Africa and known for their various healing and beneficial properties.

The companies will showcase a wide variety of products such as: • essential oils; • unique patented technology for eye-care; • Shea butter, Aloe-vera, Marula oil, Bio-active Rooibos (red-bush tea extract) and other African moisturizing products; • various anti-ageing products; • vitamin infused and immune boosting drinks; • spa-quality skincare ranges (e.g. Kalahari desert salt scrubs); • various cellulite control gels and creams, superfood supplements and

raw material ingredients made from unique African ingredients that are taking the world by storm (e.g. Hoodia extracts for weight-loss, Baobab seed powder known for its high antioxidant, mineral and Vitamin C values, skin regenerating and detoxifying properties).

Many of these companies already have a good standing in the African and European markets and would now like to introduce their products to the US market.

The South African delegation is keen to meet with manufacturers, retailers, distributors and import agents, and will be available for business to business meetings in both Chicago and Los Angeles. For further details please contact: Shakira Motan, Consul Economic South African Consulate General in Chicago Email: SaTradeChicago@gmail.com

86  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

International

Rwanda's Blood-Delivering Drones to Service 20 Hospitals This Summer

By Nick Lavars

h e a l t h centers in Rwanda a difficult proposition.

Earlier in the year, the Government of Rwanda announced a partnership with Zipline to implement a drone delivery program

I

t is said that constraint can breed innovation, and when it comes to delivering medical cargo by land in Rwanda, also known as the "Land of Thousand Hills," there are some serious limitations at play. To overcome the nation's challenging topography, the local government and US startup Zipline are launching a drone delivery service that will start dropping much-needed blood bags to 20 remote hospitals in the coming months.

Zipline has now revealed a few new details about its plans to carry out drone deliveries ... The ultimate goal is to put every one of Rwanda's 11 million-plus residents within a 15 ... Zipline says its drone's Fixedwing gliders are becoming a go-to tool for certain drone applications The lack of road infrastructure coupled with the mountainous landscape make servicing rural

that would make the country's hilly terrain a non-factor.

Zipline has now revealed a few new details about its plans to carry out this task. Dubbed Zip, the fixed-wing aircraft can fly at up to 100 km/h (62 mph) and will be launched into the air from medical warehouses to make hundreds of deliveries per day.

Doctors will send through their orders via phone or text message

and warehouse workers then load up the drone with the blood bag or other necessary items. The team runs pre-flight tests and then Zip flies autonomously to the drop-off point, alerting the doctor on approach and deploying the package with a parachute attached, before returning to base for its next run.

The ultimate goal is to put every one of Rwanda's 11 million-plus residents within a 15 to 35 minute delivery time of any urgent medical product. The effort will begin by bringing blood products to 20 hospitals and health centers this Northern Hemispher summer.

Fixed-wing gliders are becoming a go-to tool for certain drone applications, such as environmental conservation, agriculture and surveillance. They lack the agility of consumer-focused quadcopter designs, but typically offer longer flight times, which makes them ideal for these kinds of application where maneuverability takes a back seat to range.

W i t h o u t revealing how far its Zip drone can fly at a time, Zipline says its "unprecedented range" makes national-scale coverage possible from a single base.

You can hear from the team and see the drone in action in the video by following the link shown below.  http://www.gizmag.com/rwandadrones-blood-hospitals/43327/?utm_ source=Gizmag+Subscribers&utm_ campaign=39a897315b-UA-22353604&utm_medium=email&utm_ term=0_65b67362bd39a897315b-91896501

87  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

International

USTDA Provides Technical Assistance for Power Africa Project in Ghana Ambassador Jackson and Mr. Ayenu sign the USTDA grant agreement at the U.S. Embassy in Accra.

R

ecently, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency awarded a $704,815 grant to Home Energy Africa Limited, a Ghanaian solar power developer, for technical assistance that will help bring a 100-megawatt solar power photovoltaic (PV) project in the village of Nyimbale-Sankana, Ghana towards financial close.

"Lack of power is a challenge we see across sub-Saharan Africa.

Two out of three people in this region lack access to electricity.

That hinders business, and it hinders prosperity. We've made increasing access to power one of the top priorities for our bilateral relationship. Today's grant is just one more way we're bringing together government and the private sector to make Ghana's future brighter," stated the U.S. Ambassador to Ghana, Robert P. Jackson, who signed the grant on behalf of USTDA along with President and CEO of

Home Energy Africa, Charles Sena Ayenu.

"One of Ghana's paramount constraints to sustainable economic growth is the country's inadequate electric power supply. This grant will support us in bringing our solar power PV project to financial close in order to fill the gap in power supply, meet Ghana's goals for clean and sustainable energy, help create over 200 jobs to local communities and provide electricity to at least 80,000 average homes in Ghana," said Mr. Ayenu.

Home Energy Africa has selected GreenMax Capital Advisors (Brooklyn, N.Y.) to carry out the technical assistance. This will include preparation for power purchase agreement negotiations, services contracts and financing arrangements.

Implementation of the project will support the Government of Ghana in achieving its target of 5,000 MW of installed

generation, including 10% from renewable sources.

USTDA's partnership with Home Energy Africa supports the goals of Power Africa, a U.S. governmentled initiative to increase electricity access across sub-Saharan Africa.

About USTDA: The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) helps companies create U.S. jobs through the export of U.S. goods and services for priority development projects in emerging economies.

BusinessUSA USTDA is an official partner of BusinessUSA, a one-stop shop for connecting businesses with U.S. Government resources. ď ƒ www.ustda.gov https://ghanafinancialmarket. wordpress.com/2015/03/06/africasbiggest-solar-project-to-be-put-upat-nyinbali/

“ETHIOPIA RISING”

FOSTERING PARTNERSHIPS FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WITH FOCUS ON THE AMHARA REGIONAL STATE TUESDAY, MAY 24, 2016 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM THE CALIFORNIA CLUB 538 S. FLOWER STREET LOS ANGELES, CA 90071

WAFA Marketing & Promotion in collaboration with The Consulate General of Ethiopia in Los Angeles and DELFE Group.

WHY ETHIOPIA? U.S. organizations would benefit from the power of Ethiopia’s large population and abundant labor force, political and social stability, and investment incentives and protections.

Ethiopia has registered sustained growth rates in excess of 10% for over a decade, compared to the regional average of 5.4%. As a result, Ethiopia has become one of the top investment destinations in sub-Sahara Africa and it was also named as the Best Tourist Destination for the Year 2015.

HOW? The forum will showcase the vast business and investment opportunities for U.S. organizations that exist in Ethiopia in the areas of agriculture, manufacturing, infrastructure, hotel and tourism development, and mining, amongst others. U.S. organizations can also take advantage of the “Power Africa” initiative by investing in the country’s enormous renewable energy resources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, and hydroelectric power.

WHO? The Delegation will include Senior Cabinet Ministers and Ethiopia’s leading private sector companies ready to build partnerships with their U.S. counterparts.

“With continued rapid growth, Ethiopia is poised to become a Middle Income Country by 2025” The World Bank, Nov 2015

REGISTER ONLINE: https://arcsoftus.wufoo.com/forms/ethiopian-2016-investment-forum/ MORE INFORMATION: Feben Yohannes | Managing Principal, DELFE Group Consulting Agency of Record for 2016 Ethio-USA Investment Forum Call 619-398-6450 | Email feben@delfegroup.com

International

Download the Zambia-USA Chamber of Commerce App from the

Apple App Store or

Google Play Store Search: "Zambia USA Chamber"

Find links to the chamber website and facebook page, and embassies; access business resources; receive breaking news; view relevant video presentations; communicate via Twitter, smartphone and e-mail.

www.zambiausachamber.org 90  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

International

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

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

91  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

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 92  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

International

September 16-17, 2016 Carson Community Center Carson, CA panafricanglobaltradeconfeerence.com Contact for more information: Al Washington, Exec. Director 1-626.243.3614 alwashington@africa-usa.org 93  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

konya

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z

International

One Africa:

J

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.

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. 

www.uniteafricans.org

Let Us Help You Grow Your Business to New Heights.

To take your business to the next level, it’s essential that you choose the right financial partner.

At East West Bank, we offer all the products and services you expect from a big bank with the high level of personal attention you expect from a local bank. Our bankers have over 40 years of experience helping minority businesses reach their financial goals. We look forward to working closely with you to customize a financial solution tailored to your unique situation.

For more information about East West Bank and our solutions for businesses, please call: 1.626.768.6729 www.eastwestbank.com

Equal Housing Lender

Member FDIC

Shopping Gallery

@EleVenbyVenus elevenbyvenus.com

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 www.carolsdaughter.com

.com

Find us at: https://nubianskin.com, www.nubianskin.com/us and 15 Nordstrom stores in the USA

Empowering Women.

Embracing our Colour.

The Economic Turn Around in the USA is in Our Hands •Buy Products Made or Assembled in the USA •Hire One New Employee •Eat an Extra Meal Out Each Week •Start/Grow a Business to Generate Wealth & Jobs

Buy Black  Save Black  Invest Black 102  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Collection Bed, Bath & Beyond

http://bsmith.com/shop

http://marvin-sin.squarespace.com

This magnificent handcrafted concert grand is a "Best of" in terms of sound, new technology, beauty, and construction.

Massively well-built to withstand the rigors of intense concert performances without compromise, the SHADD Concert Grand is a coveted treasure for pianists and collectors.

With a rich voluminous sound that performs true to all genres of music, this phenomenal instrument has a rare diversified ability to play from the softest whisper with pure clear sound to a major roar with a bass section exuding an abundance of power and resounding singing sensations.

www.shaddpianos.com

Baron's Painting & Decorating Service Baron Williams

30 Years of Experience in the Greater Los Angeles Area Specializing in Exterior and Interior Painting, Tiling, Linoleum Flooring,

Cultural Interiors West &

Cordially Invited Cultural Interiors West 5573 West Pico Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90019

& Wall Paper

"I will paint any one story building or house for $2,500 satisfaction guaranteed."

1-323-490-3774

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

105  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

New Location Leimert Park Village 3347 W. 43rd Street Los Angeles, CA 90008 1-323-299-6383 www.zambezibazaar.com shop@ zambezibazaar.com

106  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

ZIMBABWE GALLERY 1-484-459-6625 zimbabwegallery@yahoo.com www.shonasculpture.com @ZimbabweGallery www.facebook.com/Zimbabwe Gallery

PHIPPS PLAZA 3500 Peachtree Road, Atlanta, GA 30326

GREENBRIAR MALL 2841 Greenbriar Pkwy SW, Atlanta, GA 30331

Shop for all of the NoMu products at: https://shop.nomu.co.za and www.amazon.com

Locations: Downtown Culver City: 9537 Culver Blvd.

310-202-5453 City of Compton: 2600 E. Alondra Blvd.

310-638-7871 www.honeyskettle.com Open Sunday-Thursday 11am-10pm Friday-Saturday 11am-11pm

107  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Bernahu Asfaw & Getahun Asfaw

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

Open 7 days a week • 11am - 11pm

Krispy Kruchy Chicken is in the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, Los Angeles.

Krispy Krunchy Chicken is a cajun-style chicken (bone-in and tenders), served fresh, never frozen and fried in zero trans fat oil. Their menu also includes signature dishes of Traditional Wings; Krispy Wings; Cajun Sweet & Sour Wings; Cajun Tenders; Red Beans and Rice; Jambalaya; Boudin Bites (Cajun rice balls); Krispy Shrimp and Honey Butter Biscuits.

For additional information, please call Krispy Kruchy at 1-323-293-3332 or visit www. krispykrunchy.com.

110  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Parker House Sausage (www.parkerhousesausage.

com) was started by Chicago entrepreneur, Judge H. Parker who came to Chicago from Montgomery County, Tennessee with little more than the conviction that there was a potential market for homemade sausage products prepared according to his mother’s recipes. By 1919 Judge Parker began selling his unique blend of herbs and spices mixed with flavorful, savory sausage from a horse drawn cart on a retail basis.

Recognized as one of the oldest family owned businesses in the U.S. In 2014 Parker House expanded its product line to include chicken products including breakfast sausage, hot links, and smoked sausage.

SHOP ONLINE! //shop.parkerhousesausage.com

We invite you to browse through our store and shop with confidence.

Need a dinner idea. Go to the Recipe Page on our website.

Thanks for visiting!

www.wosa.us

http://aaavintners.org

http://shallwewine.com

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Ma's Best is a bakery specializing in the production of home-style yeast rolls and baked products. www.facebook.com/masbestrolls/#!/masbestrolls/?tab=page_info#!/masbestrolls/info

Try all 3 flavors!

In your local grocery store or shop online for syrups, recipes, and books. Learn about our special projects and join the recipe contest.

MICHELE FOODS, INC. 1-708-331-7316 www.michelefoods.com

119  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Eso Won Books African American Books 4327 Degnan Boulevard Leimert Park, Los Angeles

Give the Gift of Books and Music Come see our unsurpassed collection of books, music, videos, children’s books, and games!

1-323-294-0324

www.esowonbookstore.com  //esowon.booksense.com for Calendar of Events

120 120  May M 2016 201 0166  Black B Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

BBA Master Planner May

BBA Procurement Exchange Summit Taking place at the LA Hotel Downtown, the awards dinner will highlight the achievements of African American entrepreneurs and the government agencies and corporate entities that provide positive supports for African American businesses. For particiation information visit www.bbala. org.

June 2017

BBA Annual Awards Dinner Taking place at the LA Hotel Downtown, the awards dinner will highlight the achievements of African American entrepreneurs and the government agencies and corporate entities that provide positive supports for African American businesses. For particiation information visit www.bbala. org.  122  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Resource Vault Media/Information Africa Interactive Multimedia Press/Content Agency in Africa www.africa-interactive.com Africa World Press Books www.africaworldpressbooks.com African Trade Magazine www.africantrademagazine.com African Vibes Magazine www.africanvibes.com The Africapitalist www.tonyelumelufoundation.org/ africapitalisminstitute/africapitalist-magazine The African World www.theafricanworld.tv Africast TV www.africast.tv Afritorial www.afritorial.com www.facebook.com/Afritorial AllAfrica http://allafrica.com Black Wall Street Times http://bwstimes.com Black Business News Group www.blackbusinessnews.net Black Children's Books and Authors http://blackchildrensbooksandauthors.tumblr.com BlackPast.org www.blackpost.org Black Press USA www.blackpressusa.com BridesNoir www.bridesnoir.com The Chocolate Voice www.thechocolatevoice.com CuisineNoir www.cuisinenoirmag.com DiasporaVoice www.blogtalkradio.com/diasporavoice Publish Africa http://wow.gm/publishafrica Rock Me Africa //rockmeafrica.com YouTube Educational Channels http://teacherswithapps.com/197-educational-youtube-channels-know World Library www.worldlibrary.org

Africa Leadership Forum http://africaleadership.org The African Union www.au.int/en Black Business Association www.bbala.org CauseCast www.causecast.com www.causecastfornonprofits.com Pan African Film Festival www.paff.org United African Organization http://uniteafricans.org Zambia-USA Chamber of Commerce www.zambiausachamber.org

Investment/Development Africa Reports www.africareports.com African Development Bank www.afdb.org African Export-Import Bank //afreximbank.com/afrexim/en AfrigadgetTV www.afrigadget.com Disrupt Africa http://disrupt-africa.com/ The Exchange Magazine www.nse.co.ke Silicon Harlem http://event.siliconharlem.net Ventures www.ventures-africa.com United Nations http://webtv.un.org

U.S. Government

Commerce Department www.doc.gov International Trade Administration http://trade.gov Minority Business Development Agency www.mbda.gov Power Africa www.usaid.gov/powerafrica Small Business Administration www.sba.gov State Department www.dos.gov Trade Africa www.usaid.gov/tradeafrica White House www.whitehouse.gov

Organizations 123  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

Books to Consider

Books to Consider...

From the Bedroom to the Boardroom: How Women Can Be Powerful & Win Big ANYWHERE!

by Princess Tsakani Nkambule Ever wondered if you could ever achieve success in your bedroom, at home, conquer the boardroom and win big anywhere?

Startling statistics to ponder upon: • Women earn 1% of the world’s properties.

• Women earn 10% of the world’s income.

• Women work 2/3 of the world’s working hours.

This grim picture confirms the fact that generally, women do not w h have a fair share of the world’s o w wealth. In spite of vvarious initiatives tthat governments and industries a w worldwide have e embarked upon in an effort to le level the playing field, women still d do not have a place around the p b boardroom.

Did yyou know that women make up w 4 40% of the global labour force? But la tthey do not enjoy e equal access to economic opportunities. It is not a surprise then that women spend more time in household and child care activities

and less time pursuing economic activities.

A s mothers, w i v e s , daughters a n d community leaders, we are pulled in all directions and without a “guide” we can only resign ourselves to mediocre success.

We settle for less while we break our Princess Tsakani Nkambule backs trying to hold marriages and families together and doing our best to make it in this fast changing world of business.

Without help, we resign ourselves to just “getting by” and not “getting GREAT”.

You do not have to follow the crowd, dare to be different! Every woman has in her the strength and confidence to lead a magnificent and awesome life. It is simply a part of our genetic makeup! You can earn respect and make the money that you deserve and still enjoy a happy and rewarding life at home. YES, you can achieve that elusive balance that is the topic of all women’s conversations and learn the simple secrets to HAVING IT ALL  https://www.amazon.com/Bedroom-BoardroomWomen-Powerful-ANYWHERE-ebook/dp/B014IEBX0 Y?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0

Once a Cop: The Street, the Law, Two Worlds, One Man

N

by Corey Pegues

ew Jack City meets Serpico in this provocative memoir of a crack dealer-turned-decorated NYPD officer—a timely reflection on the complex relationship between the police and the communities

124  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819

they are meant to protect.

During the 1980s, crack cocaine devastated many of America’s inner-city communities. Drug dealers seized neighborhoods, terrorizing its inhabitants with brutal violence. Aunts and uncles, next-door neighbors, and best friends became addicts. No longer were playgrounds and parks a safe-haven for kids; the sound of bouncing basketballs by day was replaced by the pop of gunshots by night. Those who lived through the nightmare tell unimaginable stories of that era. Once a Cop is one of the most extraordinary.

Raised in Queens, New York, as a teen, Corey Pegues watched drugs uproot his stable, working-class neighborhood almost overnight. When times got tough, he had a choice: continue to watch his family struggle to buy food, to pay bills; or sell dope. He chose the latter, eventually becoming part of the notorious Supreme Team street gang. After a botched murder attempt on a rival gang member, Corey, the only member of his family to graduate from high school, knew he had to get out. Barely eighteen, with two kids by two different women, Corey left under cover of night to enlist in the US Army. After several years in the military, he set his sights on becoming a New York City cop and breezed through the police academy.

Corey Pegues

In this provocative m e m o i r, C o r e y P e g u e s tells how a onetime crack dealer became one the highest r a n k i n g members of the largest police force in the country, living and working in the nation’s most violent

neighborhoods. His meteoric rise from patrol officer to deputy inspector covers the administrations of former New York City mayors Rudy Giulliani and Michael Bloomberg, and coincides with the early tenures of famed police commissioners Ray Kelly and William “Bill” Bratton. Corey grants readers full access to the manner in which some of the NYPD’s most controversial policies like Broken Windows and Stop, Question and Frisk were implemented; and an insider’s take on the shootings of Sean Bell, Amadou Diallo, the assault on Abner Louima and other tragedies that stained the department.

As tensions continue to mount between police and communities of color, Corey tears down the blue wall to discuss the discriminatory practices he faced within the NYPD and talks candidly about the distrust that exists between law enforcement and the citizens they are sworn to protect. What is daily life truly like for urban youth in America? What is the one problem endemic in law enforcement that’s even more dangerous than rampant racism? Corey contends that his life on the streets informed his approach to police work, and shows how it made him a more conscientious and compassionate officer. There aren’t many people who understand both sides of the story the way he does.

Corey doesn’t hate the police. He loves the badge.

And he believes it’s his duty to challenge the culture of racism, silence, and arrogance in the NYPD and police departments across the country.  http://books.simonandschuster.com/Once-a-Cop/CoreyPegues/9781501110498

125  May 2016  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net  1-323-291-7819