The Minority Empowerment Program (MEP) is an initiative of the Chamber designed to bring Black and Hispanic owned and led businesses and nonprofits into the community conversation through Chamber membership, resulting in a more inclusive environment and approach toward business growth throughout the region. As a program under the Tampa Bay Chamber’s “Inclusive Organization” pillar, MEP strives to create an environment where all feel welcome.
Along with the benefits of a Tier 3 Chamber Membership, participants also receive quarterly specialized programming, invitations to special sessions, and networking events with the Chamber’s Minority Business Accelerator participants.
Sponsors
Purpose
AT&T, a member of the Tampa Bay Chamber, approached the Chamber about creating a program that would increase the participation and relationships of Black and Hispanic owned and led businesses and non-profits.
AT&T, Amgen, Moffitt Cancer Center, Corey Thomas, Julian Waites Sr., Bush Ross, Regions Bank, Florida Natural Gas, Bank of America and Tampa Bay Food Trucks all funded the third year of the MEP program.
The goal of the Minority Empowerment Program is to welcome more Black and Hispanic businesses and nonprofits into chamber membership, making the Chamber organization better positioned to listen to the input, and to represent the perspectives, of Black and Hispanic owned organizations that are vital to the economic and social health of the Tampa Bay area. Resulting in a more inclusive and equitable approach toward business growth and community engagement throughout the region, while also connecting more businesses with Chamber resources for growth and development.
Impact Successes
- The sponsors of the 2023 Minority Empowerment Program provided 19 one-year FIT3 (top tier) Chamber memberships to Black and Hispanic owned businesses and non-profits that were not already chamber members.
- Participants attended an Orientation to learn about programs, events and initiatives that are available to them to engage with the Chamber while expanding their professional relationships and connections.
- 19 companies were identified as excellent candidates for this year long program that is designed to scale business development and growth.
- Participants are encouraged to attend premier networking events.
- Personal connections are facilitated at Business Around the Bay, a small group of business leader’s roundtable discussion to cover a variety of topics.
- Direct business connections led to new business opportunities including MEP to MEP partnerships and MEP to member partnerships.
Sessions
Jan. 18
MBA Orientation “Welcome to the Tampa Bay Chamber”
Feb. 15 – Quarter 1
Financial Literacy
May 16 – Quarter 2
Business Planning and Marketing
Aug. 16 – Quarter 3
Employee Law
Nov. 1 – Quarter 4
Certifications (City/County) - End of Year Session
Session 2 Q2 Highlights
Business Planning and Marketing
Participants in the Minority Empowerment Program’s Q2 Session at the Chamber office heard from the Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of South Florida Muma College of Business. MEP Chair Lennise Jackson-Germany kicked off the session with a round table discussion and robust Q&A with Florida SBDC’s Associate Director, Yanina Rosario, who shared best practices on business planning and marketing strategies.
Presenter Team Information
Yanina Rosario, MBA, ABCP
Associate Director – Florida SBDC at the University of South Florida Muma College of Business
Book Recommendation
Good To Great – James C. Collins
Events
- Tampa Bay at Sunset
- Competitive Edge
- Networking 101 and Return on Relationships
- Women of Influence
- After Five
- Priority Invitation to Benchmarking what happens when
- Public Policy Roundtable
- Circle of Influence
Participants & Highlights
2023 Chair
Lennise Jackson-Germany
CEO
LivyO’s Catering
100 Black Men of Tampa Bay, Inc.
Phalen Brown, Secretary
“My experiences with attending the Minority Empowerment Program have exposed me to higher learning and business networking opportunities. Educational Empowerment is among our four pillars of the 100 Black Men of Tampa Bay, Inc. Most recently. I attended Pearls of Wisdom at the Tampa Arts Museum. This exposure allowed me to truly appreciate the Tampa Bay Area’s arts culture. I attended the Circle of Influence and learned about the Straz Center and its local financial impact as an internationally desired venue we all can enjoy in Tampa. These cultural, educational moments will hopefully entice those youth I mentor to increase their appreciation, awareness, and attendance. As I continue developing my business acumen around like-minded peers, I grow more confident, curious, and charismatic when networking. Thank you for allowing the 100 Black Men of Tampa Bay, Inc. to participate in this chamber’s Minority Empowerment Program.” – Karl Davis, President Emeritus, 100 Black Men of Tampa Bay, Inc.
The Color of Wellness Media
Michelle Rhodes, CEO
Executive Coach Testimonials
Articles
Radio
Brand Intro Video
TV
Digital Media Certification for Healthcare Professionals
1-day workshop
Amazon Books
Creamy Crack Body Cream
Camille Cook, Nurse Practitioner, CEO and Founder
Creative Growth Services
Maria Ivana Ramirez, Founder and CEO
Edward Jones Advisor
Natalie Freeman, Financial Advisor
Recipient of the Passing the Torch Award in the area of Entrepreneurship by the National Coalition of 100 Black Women (May 2023)
Recipient of the Ted Jones Entrepreneurship Award and Recruiting Recognition by Edward Jones Investments (June 2023)
Was selected as a Guardian for Mission 46 of the Honor Flight of West Central Florida (June 2023)
Hosted a podcast on the importance of paternal parental in the home and the effects on single professionals as children and in their adult life.
Halo Solutions, LLC
Meloni Waller, Partner
Imperial Cabinets & Millwork
Leroy Goodman
Kidney Care Coaches
Tifro Cook, Founder and CEO
M & R Catering
Maria Rumlin
We have completed our meals to go with M&R Catering. We will be providing home cooked meals called Dining with Maria on the Go. We also will be shipping meals and family portion meals. You can order these meals and they will be delivered to you throughout the region. These two launches are significant to our catering business and provide personalized catering opportunities!”
The Mainframe
James Faison, Founder and CEO
The Management Suite
Monique McLeod
“Business owners and managers gathered at Embarc Collective to attend The Management Suite’s leadership development workshop ‘Leading with Empathy and Accountability: Developing Self-Awareness in Leadership’ for the collective interest of improving the working relationships that they have with their teams.“
“The execution of the workshop was unlike any other leadership development experience bringing the attendees through a scripted exercise meant to demonstrate a real-life workplace scenario with common leadership-team pain points and misunderstandings. Attendees left the workshop with the understanding of how the privilege in their leadership may cause them to overlook employee issues. They also learned a new method for addressing the impact of behavioral issues within the workplace that strengthens the trust between leaders and their employees.” Here is the full recap of the event.
For more information on getting help to improve the working relationship between the leadership and employees in your business send an email to [email protected]
MB Strategies
Maya Brown, Founder/CEO
Rolanda McDuffie CPA
Rolanda McDuffie, Founder and CEO
The Spa by Folashade
Folashade Oyegunle
Spanish Consultants Inc.
Lorena Rincon, Assistant Operations Director
Vikings Junk Removal
Luis Serrano, Co-Founder
We Think Marketing Group, Inc.
Carlos Aguirre, Owner
Wing Boys Deli
Angelica Torres, Owner
zSofTech Solutions
Leticia Alexander, CEO
Community Partner Engagement Opportunities
Gasparilla Festival Volunteer Opportunities
Opportunity to volunteer with the Gasparilla festival of the arts.
Tampa Bay Latin Chamber
“Power of Capital” event teaching everyone how to fuel business growth through various capital strategies in the current market.
Moffitt Cancer Center
H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Inc. opens RFP/BID for ERP Vendor Software Selection Project
JP Morgan
Get Connected: How Certification as a Diverse-Owned Business Opens Doors of Opportunity. Workshop on certification with grant opportunity. Addressing the racial wealth gap is a key business priority for JPMorgan Chase”, says Ted Archer, Global Head of Business Partner Diversity. “Supplier Diversity is one of the most effective strategies to create wealth in diverse communities and build a more inclusive economy. Through this commitment we create new pathways to growth for Black, Hispanic, and Latino business owners to help close the wealth divide.”
Fifth/Third Bank
Third Thursday’s – Economic Development through innovation and collaboration.
All Hart Foundation
CEO Workshop – The training will place a strong emphasis on growth strategies, empowering you with the knowledge and tools to scale your business effectively. Building systems within your business is another crucial aspect that will be covered extensively.
I will be leading this session along with a few other seasoned entrepreneurs. My goal is to guide you through the process of streamlining operations, implementing efficient processes, and leveraging technology to create scalable and sustainable systems. By integrating these systems, you’ll enhance productivity, reduce overhead costs, and position your business for long-term growth and profitability.
Florida State Minority Supplier Development Council
Minority Business Conference. Feel empowered and productive with this world-class conference that will educate and inspire you through the keynote speaker, Manny Garcia-Tunon. Innovation, Strategy and Synergy.
Tampa Bay Women’s Business Centre
Verizon Small Business Digital Ready is a free online learning program designed to help small businesses like yours move forward. Among Verizon’s offerings are business-building courses, mentorship opportunities, and $10,000 in grants.
Dale Carnegie
MEP along with MBA participants completed a full day workshop with Dale Carnegie.
SBDC
MEP along with MBA participants completed a 2-day course Profit for Mastery workshop.
Community Business Highlights
Angelica Torres – Owner Wing Boy’s Deli and Lennise Germany Owner Livy O’s featured: Florida Women in Energy Leadership Forum - YouTube.
Wing Boy’s Deli featured on AXIOS news
Minority Empowerment Program in the News - Our Chamber’s Minority Empowerment Programs continues to garner local media coverage, including the May 9th report by ABC Action News and 2-hours of live shots during Fox 13’s Good Day Tampa Bay morning show on May 10. Coverage included Chamber President/CEO Bob Rohrlack on his visit to Javier Rodriguez and Angelica Torres, co-founders of Wing Boys. The next day the MEP participants were back in the kitchen even before sunrise, for live shots with Charley Belcher of Fox 13, even creating a new wing recipe in his honor- the Belcher 13! The family explained they’re living the American dream thanks to the support they’ve received in the Chamber’s MEP program.
Minority Empowerment Program – Spotlight on Wing Boys Deli - Tampa Bay Chamber.
