Entrepreneur creates events with diversity, inclusion as focus

Terry DeMio

Claudia M. Abercrumbie has made it her business to create positive change, especially for Black residents in the Cincinnati area. And more than that, she’s done her part so that they may be recognized and continue as change agents through their own lives.

Abercrumbie is president and CEO of The Abercrumbie Group, which, she says, creates and manages signature events that add value to the community and helps its corporate partners advance their business objectives.

It’s a big statement. And it’s a big deal, say people who know Abercrumbie and her work.

“Claudia has made a tremendous difference in our community by making a commitment to demonstrate that diversity and inclusion are very important in any area, but especially business and health,” said P. Eric Abercrumbie, her husband and the person who nominated her for The Enquirer Women of the Year 2022

A glance at her signature events shows her passion to fuel diversity and bring equity in the region: h Men of Honor, which has honored 60 outstanding Black men in the Cincinnati region and is in its 12th year. h All About Women conference. h The Young Entrepreneurs of Color Pitch Competition. h Think Tank on Equity and Inclusion in Wealth and Think Tank on Equity and Inclusion in Health.

“When we saw a need or a void, we’ve tried to provide a solution,” Abercrumbie said.

“Our Think Tank on Equity and Inclusion event was in response to the national call for racial equity in 2020,” she said.

Her concern about equity in wealth is evident in many ways, but Abercrumbie noted that she was dismayed that in 2020 venture capital investors put $150 billion into startups, but only about 1% of those funds were distributed to Black entrepreneurs.

That motivated her to create the 2021 Young Entrepreneurs of Color Pitch Competition. “It was really to introduce high school students into entrepreneurships so that we can hopefully change that statistic,” Abercrumbie said.

Abercrumbie worked for Procter & Gamble, Ethicon and the University of Cincinnati before moving into event creation with her own business, representing clients, in 2001. Her current business, with which she creates herowneventsandhostssomeclients,started in 2005, she said.

Howard Elliott, founder and president of the Elliott Management Group, has worked with Abercrumbie since the start of her business.

“Some people call Claudia an event planner,” Elliott said, “but she is actually an artist who creates signature events for clients and extraordinary, unique events for her own company.”

Her events are widely diverse, ranging from providing major concerts in the Cincinnati region to bringing together major construction companies to discuss needs here.

All of the events have a purpose and a theme, Elliott said. “Claudia’s events have a reputation for excellence because Claudia accepts nothing less than perfection from herself, her staff, vendors and entertainers.”

She was inspired by her mother’s love, she says. And by her husband’s drive. P. Eric Abercrumbie was director of Student Affairs at the University of Cincinnati for 47 years and, Claudia Abercrumbie says, influenced “literally thousands” of Black students.

But Claudia Abercrumbie’s greatest passion is to further racial equity.

“I think there are many needs in the community. The most important is advancing racial equity, particularly around wealth,” she said. “That is our No. 1 need.”

About Claudia

M. Abercrumbie h Birthplace: Cincinnati. h Current residence: Evendale. h Family: Husband P. Eric Abercrumbie; daughter Erica Abercrumbie of Cincinnati. h Education: Bachelor’s degree in business administration, University of Cincinnati, Master’s of business administration/marketing, Indiana University. h Occupation: President and CEO of The Abercrumbie Group, which creates and manages signature events that add value to the community.

What inspires you to give back?

“I feel like I’ve been inspired and influenced by many people. I feel inspired by my husband. We’ve been married for 35 years. For all of those years, he worked at the University of Cincinnati and inspired literally thousands of African American students over the course of their education, 47 years. Since his retirement he has also been a basketball coach at Woodward High School. I’ve been inspired to give back by Oprah Winfrey and Robert Smith, African American billionaire and investor.”

What need in the community would you like to see addressed?

“Racial inequity, both financial and health.”

Who most influenced or inspired you to care about others?

“I always say my mother, Christine Colvard, taught me how to love. We almost always had foster children in our home. She wanted to extend love to children who might not receive it. She died in 1983.”