durham inc.
CHARTING THE COURSE FOUR BLACK WOMEN BUSINESS LEADERS SHARE HOW THEY A C H I E V E D S U C C E S S A N D W H AT T H E Y S E E F O R D U R H A M ’ S F U T U R E BY A N N A- R H E S A V E R S O L A | P H O T O G R A P H Y BY J O H N M I C H A E L S I M P S O N
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bout a year ago, Durham found itself in a noteworthy IMPORTANCE OF MENTORSHIP moment when five Black women occupied top LeVert said there are not many offices for mayor, city manager, city attorney, county Black female venture capitalists manager and police chief, not to mention the like her but credits her parents innumerable roles Black women fill in many more and grandparents for instilling departments within both city and county government. confidence and a belief that she This year, in honor of Black History Month in February could achieve any goal. and Women’s History Month in March, we checked “I marvel at that because in with Black women business leaders and gathered they did not have that their reflections on what contributed most to opportunity,” LeVert their success as well as get their take on how said. Her grandmother, to go about advancing Durham’s economic who was born in 1904, progress and high-level workforce. didn’t have advantages We spoke with Karen LeVert, founder to pursue her own and managing partner of LeVert Ventures, Hylton Daniel desires, but she urged design + construction owner Alicia Hylton-Daniel, LeVert to follow her Kimberly Hewitt, vice president and institutional equity own passions. and chief diversity officer at Duke University, and “It’s hard to be what Diversity & HR Solutions President Gracie Johnson-Lopez. you can’t see,” LeVert Karen LeVert Each of the four women named specific mentors said. “I saw a woman and role models in their lives integral to their personal with a briefcase when and professional development. They talked about the I was a little girl. And importance of optimism and the need to collaborate my mom tells me that I and form partnerships among educational institutions, [asked], ‘What is that? government agencies and large corporations alongside Who is she? What is smaller enterprises. A couple of women called on local she doing?’ And my leaders to formally commit to entrepreneurship. And at mom said, ‘That’s a least two women voiced strong support to be courageous businesswoman.’ I get enough to hold difficult conversations about pervasive goosebumps when Gracie biases that skew ways we conduct business in our I think about that Johnson-Lopez everyday lives. They all said they feel fortunate to live in a now, because I saw city that values diversity, equity and inclusion. that businesswoman, a woman Compared to the rest of the nation, the broader Durham-Chapel carrying a briefcase. That’s what Hill community is among the top 10 metro areas for Black womenI want to do one of these days, I owned employer firms, according to a report published in 2023 by want to be carrying a briefcase.” the Brookings Institution. The 2023 Wells Fargo impact report on Hylton-Daniel said she was women-owned business states that Black women own more than 2 7 years old when her family million businesses nationwide, representing 14.8% of all women-owned moved from Jamaica to New businesses and generating more than $98 billion in revenue. York. She eventually settled in Gina Rozier, director of marketing and communication for North Carolina and has been Downtown Durham Inc., said 314 street-level businesses – mostly here for more than 25 years. retail shops, restaurants, bars or personal service companies – are She also didn’t see many Black in the city’s center, and DDI knows of 26 that are owned by Black women as role models in her women, like Gineen Cargo of Gavin Christianson Bridal, Linda chosen industry of design and Shropshire of Ella West Gallery and Rashanda Mason of The Slush. construction. “There was not a lot As Durham continues to rise from the pandemic’s impact, the of representation,” Hylton-Daniel region is expected to see rapid continued growth and change. said. So, she relied instead on two Hewitt, Hylton-Daniel, Johnson-Lopez and LeVert shared their male architects – Steve Idol and insights on what it takes for Black women to succeed in this Barry Hill. “Mentorwise, I would economic environment, both as an individual and as a community. say I worked with architects who
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I had a good rapport with, who had a lot of faith [in me and who] gave me a lot of trust in working on a project so I could learn as well. And, I asked really good questions.” Duke University’s Hewitt said her first boss was one of many other women leaders who made a lasting impact on her professional development. “Early on in my career, a woman hired me to work in-house for a public school district,” she said. “She was a throw-you-in-thedeep-end kind of person, which I think really helped me build some confidence.” Johnson-Lopez said she has a long list of Black female mentors and role models “who saw my potential when I couldn’t see it myself. “[They] challenged me beyond my own comfort level, and they consistently provided me with a model of what could be and a reminder that the road to success is not easy.”
MAKING PREDICTIONS LeVert said the best predictor of the future is recent past performance. She’s seen a major transformation across Durham since she arrived in North Carolina in 1996. “It’s a place people are clamoring to live in,” she said, noting that the city has the advantage of being part of Research Triangle Park in addition to a vibrant downtown. “From a business perspective, the people, entrepreneurial vibe and diversity that’s here bodes well for continuing on a positive trajectory.” Hylton-Daniel said she feels welcome in Durham’s smart and culturally diverse environment. But, as a designer and builder, she worries about the impact of rising costs of living that fuels gentrification. “We were a city of segregation,” she said. “Our neighborhoods were very different here in Durham. A neighborhood like Walltown was not built to the same standards, or with the same resources, as its next-door neighbor, Trinity Heights. … That’s a layered conversation, for many reasons.”