2020 Small Business Awards

2020 featuring the

Small Business Resource Guide

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J U LY 30, 2020 3 PROGRAM 6 SPONSORS 8 AWARDS Minority Small Business Person of the Year Women in Business Award Small Business Advocate of the Year Small Business Person of the Year Mayor’s Committee for Persons with Disabilities awards Nussbaum Center Associate of the Year

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SMALL BUSINESS RESOURCE GUIDE

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WELCOME

Brent Christensen CEO, Greensboro Chamber of Commerce

KEYNOTE

Jada Monica Drew CEO, Social Designs

AWARD PRESENTATIONS

Emcee Brian Vannoy Chief Credit Risk Office, Allegacy Federal Credit Union Mayor’s Committee for Persons with Disabilities Brant Taylor Barrier Free Success Award Outstanding Employer of the Year Award The Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship Associate of the Year Award Greensboro Chamber of Commerce Minority Small Business Person Award Women in Business Award Small Business Person Award Small Business Advocate Award

CLOSING REMARKS

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emcee

B R IA N VA N N OY

Chief Credit Risk Officer, Allegacy Federal Credit Union At Allegacy, Vannoy is responsible for the management, strategic planning, compliance, safety and soundness of the credit union’s $860-million-dollar loan portfolio, which includes both retail and commercial. He oversees operations for credit administration, retail lending and commercial activities. He joined Allegacy in July, 2015 with 23 years of financial experience, specializing in retail and commercial credit.

Vannoy graduated Summa Cum Laude from Marietta College in Ohio with a Bachelor of the Arts in economics and finance, where he was also a McDonough Scholar. He is a 2009 graduate of Leadership Winston-Salem and also earned the prestigious Credit Risk Certification.

keynote

JADA MONICA DREW CEO, Social Designs Consulting

When people think of Jada, they think; results, impact, innovation and community. Jada takes intentional time with clients to ensure optimum results and an engaged experience. This is evidenced as she was recently selected as the Small Business Minority Person of the Year. Jada is passionate about working with leaders and serving as a catalyst for growth as an intentional trainer, coach and consultant.

She is the CEO of Social Designs, a leadership and diversity firm and the visionary of the Bloom: Innovative Solutions for Inclusion annual conference. Jada knows what truly drives systemic change; building relationships, historic truth-telling and creative action.

She has been recognized as a United Nations DPINGO speaker and featured in Made in Greensboro. She was also active in the community as a board member and 2019 ArtsFund Chair of ArtsGreensboro, board member of American Friends Service Committee, a co-chair of the Other Voices Chamber of Commerce Leadership Development Program and Member Engagement Advisory member.

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CHAMBER CIRCLE OF CHAMPIONS

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THANK YOU, Presenting

Gold

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SPONSORS! Silver

Bryan School of Business and Economics

Bronze

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Minority Small Busin JASMINE BEARD AJOY Consulting, LLC

Working since the age of 16, Jasmine has over 18 years of experience in project management, customer experience and sales. After five-and-ahalf years at Volvo Group, Jasmine left her corporate career in June 2019 to devote her time to her own business — AJOY Consulting, LLC. The strategic business consulting company provides multilingual services in support of entrepreneurs and small businesses.

Outside of work, Jasmine is an active citizen and passionate community leader. She is the current president of the Greensboro Jaycees and has previously served as vice chair for Triad Adult & Pediatric Medicine and president of the Greensboro Chapter of the International Association of Women.

NOEL BOST

Amethyst Consulting & Treatment Solutions, PLLC Dr. Noel S. Bost is the Owner and Executive Director of Amethyst Consulting & Treatment Solutions, PLLC. Through his work with individuals and families around the country, he has found that while many mental health features are equally shared across diverse groups, there are some distinctive differences.

His company was born of nearly 20 years of experience providing therapy, training, research and consultation services to youth and their families, adults and organizations. Amethyst particularly focuses on factors that threaten the cohesion of families, increase the risk of arrest and incarceration of youth and young adults or result in the placement of a client outside of the home.

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ness Person of the Year JOSEPHUS WILSON ASJ Wilson Construction, PLLC

Joe Wilson founded ASJ Wilson Construction 12 years ago and manages daily operations for the full-service commercial and heavy highway general contractor. Wilson has always placed a high emphasis on working with minority businesses and has achieved exceptional participation on all ASJ’s projects.

Previously Wilson worked as a superintendent and concrete finisher for a commercial general contractor. After 22 years, Wilson retired from the armed forces where he served as a drill sergeant and an intelligence analyst. Wilson has enjoyed volunteering as a coach at the local recreation center and serving as a mentor with the African American Male Initiative at Guilford County Schools. In his spare time, he enjoys serving at his church. He also likes to build muscle cars and participate in drag racing.

GERARD TRUESDALE Crossroads: Pathways to Success, Inc.

In 2009, Gerard co-founded Crossroads: Pathways to Success to help guide and educate future leaders. The program utilizes a diverse range of educational techniques focusing on educating students not only through a traditional classroom setting, but through real life experiences as well. Crossroads hopes to establish a global sense of unity where the importance and value of another individual is acknowledged as well as garnering a role in the community as educational motivators and role models because it sets up a path to success for students and potential leaders of the future to follow.

A Greensboro native, Gerard works as IT Cybersecurity/Legal Counsel for Cockerham & Associates and practices law in Alabama and Missouri for the Morton Law Firm, PLLC.

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Women in Business Award HANNAH POMPHREY Hue & Tone Creative

Hannah Pomphrey is the owner of Hue & Tone Creative, which she founded in 2015. Over the last half-decade, Hue & Tone has helped major corporations, small businesses, startups, nonprofits, government and advocacy organizations and individuals upgrade their branding, hone their message, reach their audience and tell their story. Hannah is proud to call Greensboro home and loves taking on projects that tell a visual story about the city’s growth and development.

Seeing Hue & Tone become part of the fabric of the community has been one of the most rewarding parts of founding a small business. Through Hue & Tone, Hannah has been fortunate to provide design assistance for organizations that do enormous good in the Triad and beyond, including the YWCA, Crisis Assistance Center, Rise & Shine and Smart Beginnings.

MELISSA WALLACE

Hops and Nuts Craft Beer and Wine Snacks Melissa Wallace is a craft beer and entertaining fanatic and the Owner and Founder of Hops and Nuts Craft Beer Snacks. Her all-natural products, created to enhance the flavors of craft beer and wine, are found in over 140 Tap and Tasting Rooms, from North Carolina to California, as well as specialty retailers, sports venues and boutique hotels.

A serial entrepreneur, Wallace has appeared on Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Elevator Pitch” and was asked by EBAY to participate recently in the National Economic Summit/CDFI Conference at the Clinton Foundation in Little Rock, AR hoping to put a name and a story with the chance to speak with the folks who create and form the policies that affect so many small businesses and entrepreneurs in the Triad and North Carolina. Parlaying her degree in journalism and experience in collegiate athletics, Wallace, knows the importance of the support and generosity of our Greensboro business ecosystem.

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REKETTA WRIGHT Wrights Care Services

Reketta is an entrepreneur, international speaker and licensed therapist. She is the owner of Wrights Care Services, a full service counseling and behavioral health practice that serves individuals ages 5 and up. Reketta has has over fifteen years of clinical experience with diverse populations. Reketta has been certified in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy which allows her to identify the best strategies to use with individuals. She has led and trained many executives and professionals in the non-profit and private sector. She enjoys motherhood and traveling. Reketta is living her life on purpose and is on a mission to empower and encourage others to live an intentional life.

ELIZABETH SPIDELL Bluezoom, Inc.

Liz has been in the advertising industry for over 35 years. She began her career as a designer and art director for a major printing company. From there, she moved into the agency world where she served as creative director for several years before transitioning into the role of Account Executive. Her background in design, combined with her experience working with clients eventually led to her role as VP of Account Services where she worked closely with clients to help plan and execute their advertising and marketing strategies. In 1992, Liz founded Bluezoom, Inc., a branding and design agency that works strategically with its clients to bring their brand vision to life in a way that engages and connects with their audiences. Its highly experienced and talented team has worked together for well over a decade, creating award-winning work that connects people with brands through creative storytelling and design.

DENISE LAMBERTSON LMS

Long before she was hailed by Forbes as the founder “changing the influencer marketing platform between celebrities and startups,� Denise Lambertson was leading the industry in brand partnerships and celebrity integrations. For over 10 years, Denise has relied on her acute business acumen and infallible intuition to build partnerships based on shared values, interpersonal chemistry and complementary skill sets.

In 2009, Denise founded LMS, a boutique agency that focuses on influencer and social media marketing solutions for growth-stage and emerging brands.

As founder of LMS, Denise has pioneered various forms of partnership including; building a brand around a celebrity founder or co-founder, C-suite talent integration into existing brands, talent investment with advisor services, talent investment with marketing services and marketing services for sweat equity or revenue share.

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Small Business Advocate of the Year DAWN CHANEY Chaney Properties

In 1980, Dawn initiated an investment business, Chaney Properties, that started with one single family property that she still owns today. Her portfolio includes single family, multi-family, commercial, industrial and warehouse properties. Her area of concentration is in and around downtown Greensboro with a special focus on historic properties.

Her efforts at transforming Greensboro’s center city were recognized with awards for The Most Improved Commercial Property. A large historic restoration in the Fisher Park area of Greensboro is on the National Register of Historic Places.

She was also recognized as one of the Business Women of the Year in 2009 by Triad Business Journal, received the Ed Kitchen Leadership award for her leadership, vision and dedication in the revitalization of Downtown Greensboro in 2014 and received the 2014 Spirit of Entrepreneur Award from Junior Achievement of Central NC. In 2015 Dawn was a recipient of the Athena Award.

MAC SIMS

East Greensboro Now

Mac serves as president and chief executive officer of East Greensboro NOW. He works with the community, local city and county personnel and elected officials, to provide access to housing for persons of low and moderate income, entrepreneur training and development for minority business and economic development for the East Greensboro community. EGN annually works with over 60 entrepreneurs with developing business plans, marketing, operations, budgeting and identifying capital. Over the last several years, EGN has conducted a Minority Business Opportunity Fair to connect minority businesses with local institutions and government organizations.

In addition, Mac serves on the Greensboro Conventions and Visitors board, Greenway Oversight Committee, Greensboro Farmer’s Market board, Chamber’s Grow Committee and regularly attends several monthly neighborhood meetings.

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WILSON LESTER Piedmont Business Capital

Wilson Lester is a partnership and program management professional. In his role as Executive Director of Piedmont Business Capital (a CDFI), he works diligently to create relationships with businesses in urban and rural communities through microlending in support of the operational expansion and new business development for women and minority entrepreneurs. With a strong track record of new program development, he has cultivated an attraction of capital and partners that has secured more than $1 million in impact capital for the Piedmont Triad since 2016. Wilson is a transformative leader having made inter-organizational teams and systems to deploy capital and technical assistance programs. These efforts have grown the Guilford County tax base by $5 million by sustaining and creating jobs in our community employed by small businesses.

PEGGY BARRON-ANTOLIN Office Evolution of the Triad

Peggy is a first-time entrepreneur, having been driven to entrepreneurship due to job loss late in her career. Overcoming the disappointment of an unsuccessful job search, she invested in the Office Evolution franchise, opening the Greensboro location on Green Valley Road in December 2017 and her second location in High Point last October. Office Evolution is not just a shared workspace provider, it is a community-driven support team that connects its members with other professionals in the area. Members experience tailored services, a unique working atmosphere and inclusion within the community while getting the support they need to maximize their businesses’ potential. Through her job search and business start-up, Peggy learned how to network effectively and make connections. Now, she finds helping people make connections for their business ventures one of the most rewarding aspects of her business. Everyone at Office Evolution is working toward and helping one another reach a common goal – SUCCESS.

JOE ROTUNDI

FORGE GREENSBORO

Joe’s journey to the Forge began with bartending. Moving to the area a decade ago, he quickly became intoxicated with the Greensboro’s sense of community. This led him to event planning and logistics for local nonprofits and ultimately to UNCG to study Social Entrepreneurship. A combination of product testing, volunteerism and community led him to the Forge as a member. His inability to say no to new and interesting ideas led him to a position as the Executive Director.

The Forge is a nonprofit, community makerspace. At first glance, it is like a gym: members pay monthly to have access to tools and equipment to make almost anything. At its core, it is a means to attract and grow a community of makers who learn, make, invent and collaborate together.

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Small Business P MARIA BETHEA A Servant’s Heart Medical Staffing

Maria founded A Servant’s Heart Medical Staffing LLC to become a valued partner with other healthcare companies throughout North Carolina and provide continuity of care during times when additional staff support is needed. Maria believes excellence in healthcare is achieved when caregivers possess a servant’s heart and a dedication to their continual professional growth. The mentorship program for A Servant’s Heart team members was part of its founding structure. Maria is extremely passionate about supporting and honoring team members because it filters back directly to patients, their communities and their families.

Maria considers it an honor to participate in the economic growth of Greensboro and the state by providing jobs in the community. As she continues her journey as a business owner, Maria welcomes continual lessons and growth in order to give back in any way that she can.

THE OAKLEY FAMILY Charles Aris, Inc.

Mitch Oakley and his wife, Betsy, founded Charles Aris Executive Search in 1969. Now serving as founder and chairman of the organization, Mitch continues to help guide and nurture the firm’s next generation of leaders, while doing what he loves best – finding great talent.

Chad Oakley became the firm’s chief executive officer in 2016, heading the firm’s Strategy & Corporate Development practice and day-to-day operations. Andrea (Oakley) Fox currently serves as the firm’s NPS Program Manager and has spent time as a recruiter for the organization. Allen Oakley serves as the firm’s chief operating officer, spearheading initiatives across the firm’s administrative, knowledge management and learning and development departments.

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Person of the Year

DAVID HUFF Good Health Greensboro

Born and raised in Greensboro, David started his career as an associate doctor at three of some of the most successful practices in the US, helping thousands of patients get off prescriptions and get back to full, active lives. He then decided to take his knowledge of drug-free health care to his hometown. Together with his wife, Dr. Amanda Szabo-Huff, who recently received her PhD in Communication, they set out to design a clinic inspired by Greensboro that would treat our neighbors like family — open-minded, inclusive, affordable, thorough, friendly and allowing each patient to feel accepted and seen for their authentic selves, instead of for their wallets. Just over two years in practice, Good Health Greensboro is the growing result of the love David, Amanda, their team and their broad support networks have for this city — trusting that when we are in full health as a community, Greensboro will be heaven on Earth.

BETH MULBERRY Mustard Seed Community Health

A short time after finishing her formal education, Dr. Mulberry found adventure working in the Alaskan bush of Bethel, Alaska, caring for the Y’upik Eskimo population, where she became more aware of the difficulties with access to medical care. Dr. Mulberry subsequently worked in private practice on the coast of Oregon and here in Greensboro, NC. In 2007, she moved to HealthServe, a clinic in Greensboro dedicated to care for those at or below 200% of the federal poverty level, where she was on staff until 2012.

In the spring of 2013, with the knowledge of up to 80,000 individuals in Guilford County were unable to afford healthcare, Dr. Mulberry became part of the planning team for Mustard Seed Community Health. Mustard Seed initially opened as a once weekly volunteer clinic in 2013, but moved to its current location in the Cottage Grove neighborhood of east Greensboro as a full time clinic in 2016.

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Mayor’s Committee for Persons with Disabilities Brant Taylor Barrier Free Success Award

LESLIE RICHARDSON Les is the lead inclusion counselor for Greensboro’s Adaptive and Inclusive Recreation program. He has been working with the AIR program since 2015, helping people of all abilities participate in sports, afterschool programs and other activities. He recently retired from Guilford County Schools after 30 years working with exceptional children.

Outstanding Employer of the Year Award

KATHRYN HUBERT Kathryn is the owner and chef at Chez Genèse. Located in downtown Greensboro, the French-inspired café was founded in October of 2018. It’s name means “the place of new beginnings.”

Inspired by her three cousins who have autism, Kathryn and her team train and employ adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Kathryn hopes to cultivate a strong sense of hospitality and connection, believing that good food brings people together.

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Associate of the Year

CHARLES GUEST President & Owner, American Building Services

Charles has more than 40 years of experience in all aspects of the janitorial service area. As a hands-on, accessible owner, he consults regularly with facilities managers on building needs and is available to help clients if an urgent janitorial issue arises.

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Small Business Resource Guide The Chamber and it Small Business Award sponsors are pleased to provide the following resources to help you return to work following COVID-19. Visit greensboro.org/covid19 for additional links and updates.

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Services Directory

Thanks for making a difference in our community Bank of America recognizes the small business leaders in Greensboro. Community leaders like you are a vital resource and inspiration to us all. Thanks to you, progress is being made and our community is becoming a better place to live and work.

Š2020 Bank of America Corporation 2935478 | ENT-216-AD

We see you, business owner, and we’re here to help with the cash flow, payroll, business loan and fraud protection services you need to keep growing.

YOU are amazing.

localfirstbank.com/business Equal Housing Lender | Member FDIC

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Triad TowneBank.com

Business_Greensboro_Chamber_of_Commerce_3.5x2.5_4c.indd 1

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MEMBER FDIC

8/3/20 10:36 AM

Xtern Software Consultation Xtern Software would like to offer local businesses & nonprofits the opportunity to learn how to transition online with a free, 45-minute consultation with our president, Keir Davis. As far back as 1996, Keir was setting up businesses to sell online, with secure sites that accepted credit cards. He’s savvy about the ecommerce world and wants to help fellow Greensboro organizations through this tough time.

If you are interested in setting up time to chat with Keir (no sales pitch, only advice), email emilyl@xternsoftware.com.

4 Things You Should be Doing on Social Media Right Now Here are the best tips to dive into the best ways to help your businesses make an impact on social media RIGHT NOW. These tips are easy to start doing immediately and will help you stand out in a very crowded space!

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Marketing Resources Show your customers you’re proud to be a small Greensboro business by adding these graphics to your website and social media pages. We’ve also included a couple of printable signs to keep you, your customers and your employees safe.

Web banners

Facebook graphics

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Instagram graphics

Printable PDFs

Please wear a mask.

Per the Governor of the State of North Carolina, Executive Order No. 147

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