We mean business.(About This Issue)(Editorial)(Conference notes)

This issue marks the 39th anniversary of BLACK ENTERPRISE magazine. We couldn't think of a better way to commemorate our publication's birth than to reach back to our roots: wealth-building through entrepreneurship. In today's environment, some may think launching a venture to be an odd notion. We take the opposite view, however: In times both flush and brutal, there are always entrepreneurial opportunities to be discovered.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

That's one of the reasons we held the BLACK ENTERPRISE Entrepreneurs Conference + Expo in Detroit this past May. Probably no other major metropolis has been rocked more by the Great Recession of 2008-09 or fallen victim to the massive structural changes taking place in American industry than the Motor City. However, Detroit--and the automotive

sector--has also represented one of the most powerful incubators for the black entrepreneurial class in the past 40 years.

Our multimedia content development team worked with B.E. Events for roughly 12 months to develop a series of instructive and inspirational sessions as well as wrangle an array of dynamic and, in some cases, revolutionary entrepreneurs as panelists and speakers. Led by Grace Spellman-Castro, vice president of events h sponsorship sales, along with Sherry B. Herbert, director of event operations, and Kyle Allman, sponsor ship sales director, the superb events crew has been responsible for producing our slate of five-star conferences. Other members of the team: WPS Event Manager Alyssa Fant, Events Coordinator Kimberly Dawkins, Sponsorship Sales Coordinator Takita W. Mason, and assistants Natasha Gore and Damian Scott. Under the theme "Shifting Gears: New Realities, New Rules, New Opportunities," this year's conference shared with 1,000-plus participants how they can secure capital in a credit crunch: profit from the renewable energy, healthcare, and information technology sectors; and connect with customers through social media, among other topics.

"Every year, we conduct research on our attendees to determine the needs of aspiring and established business owners that guide us to make our event more relevant," says Herbert, who has been involved in producing the conference in various capacities for 14 years. "Our mandate this year was to offer them a range of workable options in today's tough economy."

To ensure all segments of our audience gained access to this valuable information, we produced television segments, additional coverage on BlackEnterprise.com, and we have devoted this month's entire Enterprise section to the most valuable advice from conference panelists. This gazette-style approach was the brainchild of Small Business Editor Tennille Robinson, one of the chief architects and moderators of the conference's content. "You can't put a price on these vital tools for launching and growing businesses, and many business owners may have missed it this year because of tight budgets or slumping revenues," she says. "We wanted to provide everyone access to resources, strategies, and other pertinent lessons."

One of the event highlights has been the Small Business Awards--our recognition of the nation's best companies that don't yet qualify to rank among the BE 100s. In this issue, you'll find those companies that demonstrated outstanding leadership in the recently revamped Teenpreneur, Innovator of the Year, BE Next, and Small Business of the Year categories. They represent the entrepreneurial gold standard. As you read this issue, use their examples as well as the expert advice to place your company on the path to future growth and profitability.--The Editors

Print Get the Mag Weekly Updates