Tampa Bay Chamber Impact Report
2024 Q3 Impact Report
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 an Enterprise Level Chamber Membership, participants also receive quarterly specialized programming, invitations to special sessions, and networking events with the Chamber’s Minority Business Accelerator participants.
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, Bush Ross, Florida Natural Gas, Bank of America, Phoenix Portfolio, Fifth Third Bank and Tampa Bay Food Trucks all have funded the 4th 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. This results 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 Success:
- The sponsors of the Minority Empowerment Program provide 16 one-year FIT3 (top tier) Chamber memberships to Black and Hispanic owned businesses and non-profits that were not already chamber members.
- All the 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.
- 16 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 leaders’ roundtable discussion to cover a variety of topics.
- Direct business connections lead to new business opportunities including MEP to MEP partnerships and MEP to member partnerships.
Kosetty Polanco, 2024 Chair
Bank of America
Session Updates:
January 16th, 2024 – Member Orientation “Welcome to the Tampa Bay Chamber”
Quarter 1: February 15th – Presenting Powerfully and Masterful Marketing
Quarter 2: May 15th – Doing Business with the City of Tampa and Hillsborough County
Quarter 3: August 13th – Business Planning
Quarter4: December 3 – End of Year Session
Session 3 Q3
Session Information:
The Entrepreneurial Support Session for Start-ups & Small Businesses was attended by business owners from diverse sectors in the region. The August 13 morning panel and discussion was held at the CDC of Tampa's Urban Enterprise Center in East Tampa. Among the topics explored by subject experts and guests was access to capital. It remains one of the major challenges to growth for minority-owned businesses. Panelists shared tangible advice on best practices for securing capital, outlined major aspects of the process, and shared their own stories of highs and lows. The Tampa Bay Chamber's Minority Empowerment Program proudly partnered with the CDC of Tampa for this empowering event that included our 2024 MEP Chair & Vice President of Commercial Banking Kosetty Polanco of Bank of America, Tarneisha Peters of the Black Business Investment Fund, Ernest Coney, CEO of CDC of Tampa, and Shawn Ferguson of the Small Business Development Center at USF. The session was part of August events coinciding with National Black Business Month.
Social Media Post:
Facebook:
The Chamber hosted the FIRST EVER FB LIVE!!!!
Click here to view Facebook post
Click here to view LinkedIn post
YouTube: Access to Capital - CDC of Tampa and Tampa Bay Chamber
The Minority Empowerment Program continues to release MEP company press releases on its own page on the Tampa Bay Chamber website.
2024 Participants:
Butler & Gary Logistics – Milton Butler III, President
E2E Cleaning – Johnny Nunes, Owner
Coachman Global – Ridell Saddler, Owner
We Go All Places – Maurice White, Owner
Power Real Estate Group – Celina Weathersby, Owner, Broker, and Agent
Project and Engineering Solutions, LLC – Quante Ferguson, Founder and CEO
The Almond Group – Monica Maybeck, Owner & CEO
.png)
Clearset.AI – Yasmine Gardener, Founder & CEO
The Collective Wellness Institute – Dr. Shnai Simmons Founder & CEO
Blind Tiger Coffee Roasters – Roberto Torres, Founder and CEO
Kathy Times WOW Media – Kathy Times, Owner & CEO
TriOrb Solutions, LLC – Joe Tibor, Founder and CEO
Saturday Shoppes – Renee Edwards, Founder & CEO
Prymel Elements – Allysen Kerr Founder & CEO
Booze & Bubbles – CJ Thompson, Founder & CEO
BUP Technologies Inc. – Martika Jones, Founder & CEO
Events Attended:
- Tampa Bay at Sunset
- Competitive Edge
- Networking 101 and Return on Relationships
- Women of Influence
- After Five
- Priority Invitation to Benchmarking
- Public Policy Roundtable
- Circle of Influence
Sponsors:
Q3 Company Success Highlights:
Martika Jones – BUP Technology:
- BUP is a semi-finalist in the TiE Women Pitch Competition.
- Obtained a certification: MORROW ACCELERATOR BOOT CAMP, from Morrow Global Network
- Guest speaker at the launch of the new Women in Tech & Entrepreneurship University of South Florida chapter last night!
- Newsletter with quarterly updates: View in browser
Allysen Kerr – Prymel Elements
Featured on Beyond Average podcast to talk about the entrepreneurial journey and the inspiring conversation that will encourage others to live out their dreams.
Guest speaker at the ORG SHOWCASE EXPO hosted at the Tampa Business Club. With over 1,000 attendees I was able to share my insights and expertise at the largest nonprofit expo in the region.
Roberto Torres – Blind Tiger
Welcomed FOX 13 News - Tampa Bay at it’s Ybor location. They also recently opened its seventh location in the Tampa Bay area! They’re now in West Tampa, on the campus of St. Joseph’s Women’s Hospital, which is part of the BayCare Health System.
Finalist for the 14th Annual GrowFl Florida Companies to Watch Awards.
CJ Thompson - Booze & Bubbles
Our Pearls of Experience: Black Business Excellence event brought together inspiring entrepreneurs sharing their stories and showcasing their products & services! Our thanks to panelists Priscilla Conyers, Co-Owner of Eggs Up Grill , Shanae Hill, Founder and CEO of Premier Choice Group, and CJ Thompson, Co-Owner of Booze and Bubbles Tampa, which is the first black-owned mobile bar business in the region. Check out more.
Yasmine Gardiner – Clearset AI
- Accepted Member of Board of Directors for the Oasis Opportunities non-profit organization.
- ClearSet.AI has been nominated for the 2024 Startups of the Year in AI, Automation, and Other by HackerNoon. Learn More.
- Celebrated the company’s 1 year anniversary.
- Graduated from USF Office of Supplier Diversity and Skanska 2024 Mentor Protégé Program! This program is a deeply unforgettable experience where relationships are built, and lasting connections are created.
-
Featured on Ariel Herrera’s Podcast as a pioneer in the AI space.
Johnny Nunez – E2E Cleaning
Graduated from USF Office of Supplier Diversity and Skanska 2024 Mentor Protégé Program! This program is a deeply unforgettable experience where relationships are built, and lasting connections are created.
- The company reached $500k in revenue, accomplished this in October (currently at $520k for our 1st full calendar year in biz)
- E2E welcomes the newest team member and position as CFO.
- Florida SBDC at University of South Florida: Minority Owned Business of the Year Award Winner 2024
Kathy Times - Kathy Times WOW Media
Disney and its ABC News Group recently committed to sponsoring the National Association of Black Journalists Leadership Academy program, developed and facilitated by Emmy-winning Storyteller and Communications Strategist, Kathy Times, a participant of the Tampa Bay Chamber's Minority Empowerment Program.
Monica Maybeck – The Almond Group
We successfully launched the beta version of our On-Demand Leadership Development Program, which is a pilot of our suite of on-demand leadership development courses. This new platform offers a flexible and engaging way to build leadership skills, with courses designed for all levels—from entry-level staff to senior executives. The courses were designed for small business, big business, non-profits, and government. Here’s a sneak peek of one of our courses!
Renee Edwards – Everyday Shoppes
Everyday Shoppes is a groundbreaking retail concept, featuring a collective of over 75 minority and women owned businesses that started together in lot 4, outside at the Tropicana field in 2021 as Saturday Shoppes. Everyday Shoppes opened in April in the Brandon Town Center and are now going E-Commerce on October 8th. All vendors in Everyday shoppes are committed to a free one-year retail training program to help with Banking, FDA approvals, Pricing for profit and more.
Community Partner Engagement Opportunities:
- Fifth Third Thursdays – Come and be inspired and get empowered by a robust panel that encourages business owners to maximize their business opportunities within the community.
- Moffitt Cancer Center held the Diversity Supplier Fair and Tampa Bay Chamber was well represented with member companies as well as representation of the chamber’s economic inclusion programs.
- BBIF – Inclusive Funding Summit – Supporting Minority Subcontractor growth in construction, sponsored by Valley Bank.
- City of Tampa - has built an interactive incentive map, in which new and existing businesses could utilize to see what tax, loan or grant incentives, they may be eligible for. Business Incentive Map | City of Tampa
- USF - Unlock New Business Opportunities in Tampa Bay
Are you a small or diverse business looking to connect with organizations that value your unique offerings? Join us at our upcoming Small and Diverse Business Symposium, hosted by the University of South Florida Office of Supplier Development and Engagement, on October 25, 2024, from 9 AM to 3:30 PM.
Come and hear about USF projects like the new on campus stadium, college of nursing, and other pertinent opportunities at the university, and from some of our partners. Additionally, you will gain direct access to companies actively seeking partnerships with businesses like yours. This is your chance to network, showcase your services, and secure valuable contracts that could propel your business forward.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to grow your business!
- Chase Business Banking - The InsightsTour
We’re thrilled to invite Tampa business owners like you to The Insights Tour, a complimentary event where you can learn industry trends, network with other business owners, attend personalized marketing workshops at The Strategy Studio and get inspired by insights at a must-see keynote session. Every year they have an expert educating and help business owners grow their businesses. This year Rohit Bhargava will be teaching non-obvious marketing secrets to grow your business with a limited budget.
- Florida State Minority Supplier Diversity Council (FSMSDC) - Celebrating excellence in supplier diversity. An awards ceremony at the annual Business Impact Awards.
Community Business Highlight:
Roberto Torres – Blind Tiger
Welcomed FOX 13 News - Tampa Bay at its Ybor location. They also recently opened its seventh location in the Tampa Bay area!