Huami Magazine Hampton Roads Sept./Oct. 2021

Old Ways Don’t Work On The Driving Course

A Letter From The Editor

There Are No If, Ands,

A Letter from the Editor

It seems like such a long time ago. The moment had arrived for me to become a licensed automobile driver. I was only 16 years old. For the most part, just a little young guy, full of ambition and excited about driving a car. I had enrolled in a driver’s education program at school. The classes were conducted after school for six weeks and included several other soon-to-be legitimate juvenile drivers. We were all ready, but I don’t think anyone was more eager than I was.

Or Buts About It!

What if tomorrow didn’t arrive? All of your plans, hopes and dreams wouldn’t have a street to park on. What if everything that you decided to put off until tomorrow never happened? There would be no reason to save for a rainy day, and you could spare someone the trouble of making promises. What if your last opportunity seemingly expired today? What would you do?

On the driving course, there were several cars with an automatic transmission. However, there was only one vehicle that contained a manual transmission (a stick shift). As fate would have it, I was the only student familiar with a stick shift, as I had gained prior instruction and driving experience from a few experienced drivers. I knew the gear pattern and understood how to manage the clutch and gas paddles, and knew how to keep the car powered while doing so. I would choose that vehicle to drive during class.

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Terry L. Watson Publisher

Teyah Glenn Writer

Terry L. Watson Writer

Dr. Marrisa Dick Writer

I appeared to be in a league of my own on the driving course amongst the other student drivers. I handled the curves well, and didn’t run over any of the cones. I managed the straight paths like a pro, and looked pretty comfortable while driving in reverse. I was good, at least that’s what I believed.

I’ve been told that I often seem like I do too much. Honestly, I feel like I am not doing enough and I’m a firm believer in knowing that God wouldn’t put anything on me that I couldn’t handle. I sometimes wonder how life would be if I chose to sit idle and accept what it presented to me. I have found that to be very boring. In my opinion, opportunity is a blessing that isn’t afforded to everyone. A challenge to me is an adventure. What is the worst that can happen? If I do nothing, I fail, and if I try I don’t, but instead learn something new about myself. Relinquish your pride and in return acquire life.

One day in class, the vehicle I was driving was at the front of the pack on the driving course. I jumped out the gate fast, and that was my first mistake. As I went around the curves, I used little brakes, and the tires on my car were screaming. “Stop!” That command was screamed through the megaphone held by the driving instructor. He made me park the car and get out for the remainder of the day. I laughed it off while trying to keep my cool amongst my classmates, but on the inside, I was embarrassed. I would eventually drive again and eventually completed the program, but it was clear that I almost jeopardized all of that from happening.

The best advice ever given to me happened when someone told me to make my tomorrow happen today. In doing so I have pressed my way through doors with a key that only hope provided. I have also learned the difference between what God blesses me with and what life can burden me with as well. I compare it to knowing when to be confident and when to be quiet, because someone may get it confused with being arrogant.

Make you tomorrow happen today, but most importantly make it count. Life is but a whisper and we must put ourselves in a position to hear what it is telling us.

At the time, I didn’t realize how I had put myself and others in danger by becoming arrogant and comfortable during a moment when I should have been learning and listening. I made the mistake of applying invalid experience in a setting where I was supposed to gain experience to be validated. God showed me on that day, when I try to do things my way and use information or instruction that didn’t come from Him, I am just an accident waiting to happen. Yet, when I do listen and obey His commands, He will qualify me to drive on the roads and highways of life.

Terry L. Watson

Terry L. Watson Editor/Founder

Dorjae’ McClammey Writer

Gamal Williams Writer

ShotbyCandi Photographer

Tamara Smith

TMF Photography Photographer Santana B Photography Photographer

Todd Youngblood Photography

Howard Gaither Photography

St. Louis, MO

The Bennett Center

At just 25 years old, Alasha started her first business in Portsmouth, Virginia. “In the early 2000’s there were basically no natural hair care salons,” she recalls. Alasha filled that niche by becoming a natural hair care stylist, and quickly became highly sought after for her outstanding services. Her business flourished and, with her new financial independence, she purchased a home for her family. Alasha was living the American dream and had seemingly broken the poverty curse that plagued her family only one generation prior. But this dream life would not last forever.

When her marriage ended in divorce, Alasha found herself in the place she had worked so hard to avoid. “I struggled with how to recover. Not having the support of my husband was hard, I was devastated,” she recalls. Alasha needed financial help fast and turned to government assistance to make ends meet.

What Alasha experienced was a system that seemed to keep people stuck in an endless rut. “When you need help from social services, you experience so many emotions,” Alasha explains. “It seems as though you are worthless in their eyes, and visiting the offices can be humiliating. I found that the system didn’t give me the tools I needed to rebuild my life but punished me for needing help.”

The foundation that Alasha worked so hard to build was crumbling beneath her feet. Along with the end of her marriage, she began experiencing health issues from long hours of working as a stylist. But despite all these tremendous challenges, Alasha never gave up hope. It was then that an idea sparked in her mind. She believed that she could turn things around. “I could see that others were experiencing what I was going through, and I thought long and hard about how I could help others,” she says.

In 2016, Alasha remembered the freedom and success she felt from being an entrepreneur and how it opened doors for her she never imagined. That is how the Bennett Center came to be. As the center’s founder and CEO, Alasha works tirelessly to educate families about the power of entrepreneurship. She creates programs, builds relationships with community partners, and raises money for her organization, all while homeschooling her children.

The mission of the Bennett Center is to provide disadvantaged families with the tools, resources, and opportunities to increase their success of self-sufficiency. The goal of the Bennett Center, according to Alasha is “to close the gap of poverty in the urban areas.” “The federal poverty level is $12,082 in the United States, I want people to get out of the lost existence of trying to survive until tomorrow,” she says. The program supports families in the Hampton Roads community to reach that goal. This support goes beyond tools and resources for financial success: Alasha has taken her experiences from her childhood and divorce to help local families stay together. This includes efforts to help men affected by separation or even incarceration to rejoin and support their families. Alasha knows that families that stay united have a better chance at succeeding with entrepreneurship and creating generational wealth that provides financial stability for the future.

The Bennett Center’s programs include backpack giveaways, training workshops, and its signature program: The Kid Expo of Hampton Roads, an entrepreneurship program for children ages 5-17. The Kid Expo of Hampton Roads is a year-long program that teaches kids how to start a business. For Alasha, these sessions bring immense joy. “When I work with kids and explain the process of starting a business, it doesn’t take long before they buy into the power of being a business owner,” she says. “Watching their lightbulb moments inspires me. These are real businesses that have plans and have obtained an LLC, and we set them up for success,” she says.

Not only is Alasha educating families in the community, she is also sharing her message with her own family. “We are a family of business owners, and we are all published authors,” she says. “My seven-year-old was an author at age five, my 14-year-old is an author, has a podcast and organization for teen girls, my 22-year-old is an author and clothes designer, and my 70-year-old mom is a children’s author. “Our dinner conversations include discussions about marketing plans and how to promote our products.”

The accomplishments and conversations she has with her family are a sign of the control they’ve taken over a previously out-of-control life. The income she has established can support the hopes and dreams of her children and herself. Alasha explains, “We are the best advertisement that the Bennett Center will change your life.”

While reflecting on the success of the Bennett Center, Alasha believes there is still much more work she and the organization can do for families across Hampton Roads. “We are actively seeking volunteers to serve as members of the Board of Advisors or mentors for the students in the programs. We also want to partner with financial contributors to help families for years to come. We are the solution needed to help families feel the joy of entrepreneurship and the door it opens to a better life,” she shares.

Moving forward, Alasha plans to expand her program into an entrepreneur school. Her students will learn their normal subjects and incorporate business and vocational skills into their studies. “I want to create one big loving entrepreneur family around Hampton Roads,” she says.

To learn more about The Bennett Center, please visit their website.

I Am Gabriel Williams

By Gamal Williams Phtoos by Gamal Williams

All fathers want the best for their children. We protect them, nurture them, guide them, teach them, all in hopes that one day they will find their path, see the beacon that will guide them through life. We hope that we have learned enough in life that we will be able to bestow the best of ourselves in them. I am one of those fathers. But through all that I have learned in my forty-five years God has blessed me with, the most valuable lesson has been this:

Sometimes the teacher can become the student. The teacher must only be humble enough to know that he or she doesn’t know it all.

Last year during the pandemic, I discovered I liked to write. Liked is actually a misrepresentation. I loved to write. I began penning my first novel, fin: a story of love and hope. It was exhilarating and frustrating all at the same time. I was through my first draft and laboring through rewrites, when one day my youngest son, Gabriel approached, his face full of boredom and angst from the lockdown.

“Daddy…” “Yes?”

“I’m bored.”

“I know, buddy. I wish you could just go outside.”

His face grew sad but changed to excitement within seconds.

“Daddy, can I get a book?”

It was a simple request; one most parents would love to hear from their children. The problem? It was June 2020, and America was in the midst of the COVID-19 lockdown. Here in the Hampton Roads section of Virginia, everything was closed. Gabriel, or “Poppa” as I call him, and I sat at my computer and searched online for a book he might enjoy, yet we had two different reactions. While Gabriel became uninspired by the available books, I became irritated. None of the books featured a young, Black boy as the protagonist unless they were overcoming some stereotypical struggle.

The death of a loved one. Not making the team. Overcoming being the “different” kid in class, code for “the only Black kid”.

Where was the Black Harry Potter or Black Diary of a Wimpy Kid? Where was the book where the little Black boy toppled a dragon or explored the stars? I decided to put my book aside (a welcomed break I might add) and do something about our conundrum.

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To learn more about Gabriel Williams, please follow him on Instagram @ authorgabrielwilliams realegacypublishing@gmail.com

“You know what, Poppa? I’m gonna write you one!”

I sat down and began plugging away, well into the night. With the first chapter done, I slipped it underneath his bedroom door. The next morning, Gabriel awoke, read it, then ran to me.

“Daddy, where’s the rest?”

This routine repeated, another night, another chapter. Then something happened, something special, something beautiful, something I never anticipated. One morning, he ran into the kitchen.

“Daddy, you know what would be really cool? If after they jump in time, they go…”

That was it. That was the moment. The moment I became the student. I mean, who better to learn how to entertain an adolescent, Black boy from than an adolescent, Black boy? Gabriel became part of the story, part of my writing journey, and I a part of his.

We sat next to each other and plotted out the adventures of Franklin and Brooklyn, the brother and sister that star in our book, JUMP. I watched as he would light up and explain to me what a fight scene should look like or what “OP” meant (overpowered, for all you parents).

What I saw as one book, Gabriel saw as multiple, seven, in fact. We created an entire world, full of its own rich history, people, wonder, and adventure. People that looked like him, doing amazing things that is normally reserved for others. When it was done, he smiled at his creation.

When he held the first proof copy in his hands, complete with illustrations and his name on the cover, I fought back the tears as he marveled at what we had done, what he had done. The thing Gabriel has taught me most is humility. When asked how it feels to be a published author, he giggles, shrugs his shoulders, then a simple word flows out of his huge smile.

“Cool!”

The sight of his book on shelves in a local Barnes & Noble left him in awe. He didn’t need words. His face said it all.

When he got his first fan, a mother that not only bought a copy of the book but asked to take a picture with him so she could show her son whom the book was for, he smiled big and hugged her. He didn’t need to say thank you. His hug said it all.

“You’re welcome,” she replied.

Maybe it’s from a place of naivety that he responds this way, an innocence that hasn’t let him fully appreciate what he has accomplished. But I cannot take credit for this amazing child alone. He has a huge support system. His step-father, David Logan, probably gets more excited than I do. Sometimes I don’t know who is the bigger fan: he or I?

“Gabe, this is huge! You got your book in stores! I’m trying to be like you when I go up!”

In typical fashion, Gabriel simply smiles.

Yet when he and I are alone, his imagination goes into hyperdrive, and he opens up. A discussion about the continuing adventures of Franklin and Brooklyn could spiral into his favorite anime or a character he created or his favorite food, and these conversations could last for hours. Sprinkled in between, I share life lessons and he, in turn, shares his with me. Then we take what we have learned and pour them into our characters. For Gabriel, it’s about the process.

“It’s the ideas. I get to be very creative and develop characters and their powers. But I love Franklin’s feelings. A lot of times with superheroes, they are always brave. But Franklin feels scared sometimes, but he becomes brave. He feels like a normal person. He feels like me.”

Frank Pittman once said, “Fathering is not something that perfect men do, but something that perfects the man.” And so, as I teach him, guide him, nurture and love him, I remember the most important thing he has taught me: humility. I’m watching, Poppa, and I am ready for my next lesson. h

TheDynaconEventCenter Waller

By Ellen Richardson

Photos bt TMF Photography

There are few places with the history and popularity like Greensboro, NC’s Best Kept Secret! The Dynacon Event Center and multimedia venue, located on East Wendover Avenue, is an elegant facility offering more than 10,000 square feet of meeting or entertainment space for upscale events as well as available offices for growing businesses.

Owned and operated by former technology executive, business owner and general contractor William (Bill) Waller, this unique facility has a history unlike any other of its kind. First constructed in 1943 as a hospital for Army enlistees who needed physicals prior to being deployed overseas during the Second World War, this building eventually became a famous nightclub that hosted jazz artists including Miles Davis, Benny Goodman, and John Coltrane. In the 1960s this facility became a sports arena where legendary boxer Rocco Francis Marchegiano, better known as Rocky Marciano, refereed wrestling matches. In the 1980s the future Dynacon Event Center would become an Army/ Navy store before becoming an indoor roller hockey arena in the 1990s, and finally being acquired by Bill Waller in 2002.

“it is funny because when I was living in New York and working in high technology, I never thought that I would own a place like this, said Waller. After moving to North Carolina as President of Vectrix Corporation, a high tech company eventually sold, I acquired a general contractors license and became active in residential and commercial construction. This is actually how I acquired the Dynacon, which was a down payment on a house for a local chiropractor.”

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As Waller continued to follow this new path, the roots for Greensboro’s most popular event center would begin to take shape. Although this would start out as an office/warehouse for his newest construction company, Dynacon Development, Inc. as well as a non-profit organization, SHARE of North Carolina, Inc. a tornado would change all of this in 2010.

“This tornado did extensive damage, and actually ripped the roof off leaving it in the middle of the road,” said Waller. Although a damaging situation like this would leave some giving up and taking the easy street back to retirement, this was not the case for Waller.

“Instead of going back to the land of retirement, I made the decision to gut this building and turn it into a 10,000 Square Foot (sq ft) event center with added office/retail space,” said Waller. “Much like having to learn to become a contractor, I once again had to learn how to become the operator of a successful event center.”

Keeping the name that was a product of a previous dynamic computer company, the all-new Dynacon Event Center began to come to life in 2014 thanks to the more than $500,000 that was invested in reconstruction and improvement of the former warehouse turned event center as well as the hiring of a talented staff that included building manager and event planner Nanette Carter. The talented young woman who grew up in a home full of caterers and event coordinators became an essential part of helping Waller with his new dream to host some of the Triad’s most upscale events including weddings, receptions, festivals, parties, corporate events and so much more.

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“Thanks to these improvements and hiring of amazing staff like my right-hand person, Nanette Carter, it wouldn’t be long before we became a big name in event management,” said Waller. “In fact, we began getting noticed by major media outlets like Black Entertainment Television (BET) within the first few years of opening. We have also become the go to place for weddings, including local celebrity weddings,” said Waller.

the Dynacon has become the go to place for the most romantic day of most people’s lives. This is mainly due to their ability to offer three separate rooms that can accommodate up to 300 people with a cozy, upscale ambiance. They also provide services like décor including a Roman arch, linens in every color imaginable, a cash bar with an added bartender, and a disc jockey with your choice of music, photographer, valet parking, security catering, and wedding director for as low as $6,800. These amenities are what separates them from other event venues. It’s the Dynacom difference.

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Nanette Carter has served as Event Center Manager for the Dynacon Event Center since 2012

“Thanks to these improvements and hiring of amazing staff like my right-hand person, Nanette Carter, it wouldn’t be long before we became a big name in event management....... In fact, we began getting noticed by major media outlets like Black Entertainment Television (BET) within the first few years of opening.”

Along with becoming the go to place for glamorous and intimate weddings the Dynacon has also become a popular venue for corporate luncheons, screenplays, live performances, and baby showers. “The best part about all this is that we offer a variety of layouts and opportunities for any event that you could imagine with the highest safety available,” said Waller. These protective measures not only include our on-staff security, but also implemented health safety measures that ensure that each event attendee is protected against the COVID-19 virus, including cleaning, and sanitizing our building every day, we take everyone’s temperature as they come in the door, distancing tables at least 6-feet apart and assuring that crowds are kept at a minimum.”

Now that it has become the go to place for events what does the future look like for the Dynacon Event Center? “We are interested in growing within this community,” said Waller. Along with continuing to develop as a multi-cultural event center for the Triad area, we are also interested in helping local small businesses thrive and succeed through the offering of

The Cart Guy

By Terry L. Watson

For most business owners, their success is often determined by the quality of their products, the level of service offered to their customers. If both of these are superior, their relationships with their customer base will span a lifetime. This is part of the story for Joe Rush, owner of Joe The Cart Guy.

Joe Rush is a self-made entrepreneur and family man, and father who loves to inspire others around him. Based in Richmond, Va, Joe The Cart Guy focuses on building original Food Trucks and Food Trailers. They also specialize in the (all-electric) trailer, something that Joe invented. They also sell restaurant equipment and cater to first-time entrepreneurs, many of who are just beginning their journey in the food industry.

Being a native of the Richmond community, Joe started his business out of desperation. He shares, “After many years of working dead-end jobs and not ever having any progress, I decided to make a change. I needed a job but didn’t have any luck with finding one. However, one day I met a chatty food cart vendor at a gas station by chance. The guy gave me some good advice, but most of all inspired me to jump into the industry. I was sold, and from then on, I set my eyes on having a food cart. I built my first one, and the response was great. Soon I was building and selling them so often that it turned into a business for me, and now here I am, Joe The Cart Guy.”

Some of the products offered by Joe are the Basic Food truck Trailer, Standard, and Fully Loaded. There is also the Porched Trailer and Big Boy. Each trailer is fully enclosed, and all of them except the Basic series come equipped with a Fire Suppression System and are priced beginning at $15,900.

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“After many years of working dead-end jobs and not ever having any progress, I decided to make a change. I needed a job but didn’t have any luck with finding one.”

There is steep contrast between the Basic system and The Big Boy. With the Basic Trailer, the features are a 6x12 fully enclosed food trailer, with FRP fire Retardant Walls, Fully Self Contained Three Compartment Sinks (handwash sink included), Vinyl Flooring With Baseboard Cove, Stainless Steel Equipment Table, 120V Full Electric Service with 30 amp, with no additional equipment included. Joe says this cart is suggested to be used for a Coffee Cart or Ice Cream business.

The Big Boy Trailer is a 7x16 fully enclosed food trailer. It has FRP fire Retardant Walls, Fully Self Contained Three Compartment Sinks And Hand Wash Sink, Chrome Treadplate Flooring, Chrome Stainless Backsplash, 24 Inch Commercial Griddle Lpg, 40 Pound Floor Standing Commercial Fryers, Ten Cubic Foot Full Size Fridge, 27 Inch Refrigerated Prep Table, Fullsize Commercial Food Warmer, Six Burner Full Size Oven, Fire Suppression System, 8-foot Customer Ventilated Hood, Propane Tanks (mounted and installed), Stainless Steel Equipment Table, 120v Upgraded Full Service Electric Service, 700-watt Microwave on the custom shelf, Bluetooth Ceiling mounted speakers, LED Interior Lighting, Exterior LED Lighting, Custom Cabinetry over the sink area, Full-Color Logo (front and rear), and 13.5k BTU Ceiling Mounted A/C. This is a turnkey unit designed for clients with high volume.

Additionally, Joe offers a very innovative lease program that helps his clients get started with little money down. “These things are inherently expensive, so we try to make these as affordable as possible,” he says.

Joe has a genuine passion for what he does and has set out to help as many people get started in his industry as possible. “I have strived to make the best quality and most innovative food trailers as possible. I also have committed to making the trailers affordable, to make accessible to everyone. I not only make a good product, but I price them for thousands less,” he says.

“There

Joe says he also loves the opportunity he has to engage with members of his community. “There isn’t any representation of African Americans in this industry, and that is why I pride myself on providing our community with top-notch service and respect. I value our dollar, and I love seeing peoples dream come true, and seeing their life instantly change after taking the leap of faith. Because I design all the trailers I sell, I love being able to express my thoughtful and creative designs with my clients.”

Like most businesses, Joe has faced a few challenges. “The Covid 19 pandemic has kind of been a blessing and a curse. We had our busiest year ever and are on pace to sell about 40-50% more than our previous peak. On the bad side, we have experienced heavy delays and supply chain problems, which have lead to customer service woes,” he says.

For those who are interested in following in his footsteps, he offers some advice. “Stay the course and keep pushing. It eventually gets easier when you have the experience under your belt. Most people just don’t stick it out long enough to see the work come to fruition,” Joe shares.

In the future, Joe plans to include world domination in his chosen industry and become a household brand synonymous with food trucks. He will be opening a second retail location to better serve his clients on the west coast.

To learn more about Joe The Cart Guy, please visit their website.

By Terry L. Watson

by Makeisha Melton

When you think of professional attire, one may imagine pantsuits and long sleeve shirts. It is deemed professional when the design of clothes covers the body and doesn’t remotely make you seem provocative or alluring. This kind of everyday style can condemn your thoughts. Ultimately, you begin to believe that fashion and work cannot coexist. Makeisha Melton has made it her purpose to challenge this notion.

Makeisha is the owner of Blue Gems Boutique, an online store located in Dublin, GA. Makeisha mixes vogue with sass, and comfortability with white-collar attire, assuring her clients that style and professionalism are not foreign concepts. “I have something for all body types. My collection ranges from two-piece sets to jumpsuits and casual wear, including dresses, t-shirts, and jewelry,” she says.

The idea for Blue Gems Boutique came to Makeisha mind in 2019, but the online store was launched in 2020. By doing so, it helped Makeisha to be able to express her creativity on a much grander scale. “I knew I wanted to do something with fashion. I was like, I think I can do this. I’ve always loved fashion and had an eye for colors and texture,” she shares. “I believed my eye for fashion could help women in the African American community.”

Her creative repertoire shows through her human interest also. From hair school to constant hours of Youtube trials, her pins for fashion and designing grew to the online boutique. It also gave her a platform for what she was born to do. She took inspiration from preppy-textbook looks and IMartha, another fashion boutique, and created unique items for herself and her.

“I love when my clients feel confident in it. It means that I have reached my goal of providing comfortability, confidence, professionalism, and compassion.”

Being a relatively new small business, Blue Gems Boutique has been making big waves with women because of its versatility and various size options. It was important for Makeisha to capture the essence of women at work and in everyday loungewear. Her goal is to make her clients feel confident and happy with themselves. “I love that I see people, well women, embracing their body types,” Melton describes as she explains what her line is about. “I love when my clients feel confident in it. It means that I have reached my goal of providing comfortability, confidence, professionalism, and compassion.”

Makeisha is inspired by the kinds of women that she represents and the willingness to get better at what she does. She also loves the opportunity to engage with clients, both new and old, and to be able to show them a side of themselves that has never been seen. “My customers keep me going. The reviews get me super excited. As well as the emails, feedback, and encouraging words from people I don’t even know. It keeps me going. It keeps me level,” she shares.

Of course, every entrepreneur is perceived to be strong and courageous. Still, Makeisha’s biggest challenge was not only surviving the Covid 19 pandemic but also getting the Blue Gems Boutique name out there. “In the beginning, I was worried about being shy and quiet. I’ve never really talked to many people in my hometown, so I was a little apprehensive about networking,” she says. Still, she knew for her business to survive, she would have to talk. Even more, without proper exposure, Makeisha feared that it might not be the right time to start a brand. Her business knowledge was not so strong, but she believed that God had a plan.

In the future, Makeisha hopes to expand her boutique to a storefront. With pop-up shops, and her brand growing on social platforms like Instagram and Facebook, she believes that she will achieve her dreams. The determining factor for Makeisha is that she has a strong will to survive. I will not give up, and I can’t give in. I have to stick to the plan.”

To learn more about Makeisha Melton and The Blue Gem Boutique, please visit their website.

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A Life Dedicated To Service

By Gamal Williams

by Todd Gilyard

According to the 2019 Annual Business Survey, racial minorities owned 18.3% of all businesses in America. Those numbers begin to look bleaker when one understands that all non-White business owners fall into that 18.3%. 2019 U.S. Census data shows that the White population comprised 76.3% of America yet owned 81.7% of all businesses. Minorities comprised 23.7% of America yet owned less than 1/5th of all businesses. Many factors have hindered business development and economic growth amongst minorities: racial bias preventing opportunities to government and private sector contracts, lack of access to capital, lack of business financial literacy, but none more important than mentorship and support. What these businesses have lacked is a champion, someone that is willing to not only extend a helping hand, but to speak up for them, support them, guide them on their path to success.

Enter Todd Gilyard.

Todd Gilyard formed his consulting firm, The Gilyard Group, LLC, in 2010, after previously serving as the Assistant Project Lead/Job Developer for the St. Louis Housing Authority’s Job Plus Program, and Community Outreach Director at the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis. He now serves as the Project Director at the Missouri Branch of the Minority Business Development Agency. Originally established as the Minority Business Enterprise in 1969 by President Richard Nixon, the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) mission is “to promote the growth of minority owned businesses through the mobilization and advancement of public and private sector programs, policy, and research. MBDA has accomplished this mission by funding a network of centers that provide Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs) a variety of business assistance services.”* Yet, Todd didn’t see himself in his current position. In fact, prior to his appointment, even owning his own business wasn’t in the cards.

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“I worked for the Urban League of St. Louis,” he explained. “In that role, anything that the Urban League gave away to the community, I was in charge of; toy giveaways, food giveaways, energy assistance, any special programs, I was basically in charge of. Being in that role helped me build relationships with city and state government officials and CEOs of major corporations. People began to come to me asking for help with funding or to make a business connection.”

“One day, a woman approached me that had a home healthcare franchise out of Florida. I explained to her that she should be working with the churches. The churches should get back to being that resource for the community like they were in the ’50s and ’60s. I told her I knew the President of the National Baptist Convention-Midwest. I reached out to him and discussed her presenting her business to the minister’s union. I explained to him that churches were missing that community connection; if you needed a doctor, you went to the church; if you needed a lawyer, you went to the church; if you needed a handyman, you went to the church. I presented the woman’s business and after my presentation, he encouraged me to form my own business.”

Todd formed The Gilyard Group shortly after, and while it was a business at its heart, it was Todd’s desire to help reconnect the community that shined through. These traits were instilled in him by two strong, powerful, and beautiful women: his mother, Schatoun Gilyard, and his grandmother, Francis Jean Gilyard.

“I grew up in Kinloch, MO. My grandmother was heavily involved in many grassroots efforts devoted to social justice issues, improving educational rights for children, food programs…she was committed to making sure the community was fed, not just with food, but fed with knowledge. I grew up in the church, thanks to my grandmother. I am now a minister, and God has put it in my heart to want to see everyone made whole. I want to see everybody live their best life. If I’m in a position to help somebody, I think that is an honor that God gives certain people. Since I was a child, through my adult life and professional career, I’ve been in a position to help people. Jobs of service. It’s because of how my grandmother raised me.”

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“I tell my current staff all the time; we are in a blessed position. If we make a phone call for someone or a business, we have an opportunity to do something that could change their lives. That can change the way they feed their families.”

When asked to elaborate on his mother’s impact on his life, Todd becomes reflective and emotional. “My mom…man, my mom is someone that inspires me because of how she made sacrifices for my brother and me. Even though those sacrifices hurt her, I see what she did for her now that I am older. And she is still like that. She will give people the shirt off her back, or if she hears that someone is in need, she’s right there to say, ‘I got it!’ Anything to see people comfortable. Even in the church, she was always serving others. It just stuck in me.”

Todd’s reputation as a selfless, devoted, and knowledgeable leader led to his current position at MBDA. When the position for Project Director became available in late 2020, Todd’s name was submitted by people that knew him for his years of dedicated service. Once the position was offered to Todd, his actions displayed the virtues of kindness and selflessness he was raised with. Knowing that he could impact more people in this new position, he folded the highly successful Gilyard Group and accepted the higher calling.

“I tell my current staff all the time; we are in a blessed position. If we make a phone call for someone or a business, we have an opportunity to do something that could change their lives. That can change the way they feed their families. That is tremendous for me. I get a paycheck, but more than the money, it’s the joy I feel that I was able to help these companies. I am so happy to be a part of that that I had a little bit to do with it. That gives me such joy.”

Todd Gilyard Minority Business Development Agency Center - Missouri www.mbdac.com

Faith ‘n’ Nevels Catering LLC

By Arielle Kilgore

Photos by Monica Nevels

The Covid 19 pandemic shed light on the significance of interacting. In 2020, when the virus made a thunderous introduction worldwide, many of us were forced into isolation. We lost our ability to connect. This sudden interruption of traditions prevented families from coming together and enjoying the presence of each other.

One amazing thing about coming together with people is the connections you get to make. Whether it’s a family cookout, graduation party, or homecoming, you get to feel people again. See people and talk to them again. The connections are endless, but the link to food is the real reason why we all love gathering around each other. Monica Nevels understands that and devotes her catering business, Faith ‘n’ Nevels Catering LLC, to bringing everyone together again.

Faith ‘n’ Nevels Catering LLC provides food dishes for all events, but not limited to weddings, ceremonies, graduations, and professional affairs. Their menu ranges from seafood platters to soul food courses that satisfy whatever theme the occasion may call for. Their services included setting up for the event and cleaning once the party is over. Faith N’ Nevels LLC offers personal pans and dinners for families and a personal chef option for couples.

Uniquely, you would believe that Monica serves with exceptional service through culinary academic training. Her skills are homegrown from a small town where cooking was a way of life.

Monica was born in Lake Providence, Louisiana. There she would cook with her mother in the kitchen. Her love for the kitchen grew there. What started in the kitchen found its way to her dorm at Alcorn State University, where she would cook for her friends and sorority sisters from Zeta Phi Beta, INC. Later on, she and her mom moved to Fort Worth, TX, and partnered to cook for First Missionary Baptist Church, Fort Worth, TX. As her love grew even more, she started cooking delicacies like cheesecakes and Cajun Seafood recipes.

“When you eat my food, you get an old-school feel. You get a Marvin Gaye that makes you dance. I can’t even describe my style of cooking, I just know that God has blessed me with the gift to do it,” Monica shares.

Monica did not know that while servicing diligently in her faith with her friends and family from Koinonia Christian Church, it would be a platform to embark her on a new adventure. As they were like family to her, they would come to Monica’s home for many occasions to eat. These things Monica loved to do often.

As life continued to happen, a family friend asked her to cater an event. After talking with Billy Nevels, her husband of nine years (five at the time), they agreed to see where this could go. Monica said, “Yes, no problem!”

Monica created a setting using Eiffel towers with food geared towards the country of London. When her friend saw this, she was blown away, realizing that Monica had taken her skills to another level. “She asked me how I should be announced. My reply was “FAITH’N’NEVELS, Have Faith in Nevels, we’ll take care of you,” she says. That was October 21, 2017, and the stage was now set for Monica to host her first event. She catered her second event on October 21, 2019, and finally launched her business in the same year for everyone to enjoy.

While food brings us together, Covid-19 was set on keeping everyone apart. “It was two weeks after Covid started, and the demand for my food was unbelievable. I had to come up with something as opposed to doing big pan food, I had to minimize it for them and their families,” she says. Monica would soon combat this with a contactless service, making personal dishes from phone orders and setting them outside for people to come and pick them up.

One of her most memorable clients was Taylor Gabriel, a former professional football player. “He went dancing with my food and was like, “Girl, you did that”. It was an exciting experience,” she explains.

Although the accolades are tremendous for her business, the inspiration to keep going comes from cooking and building connections. Her peace is found in the decorative ideas God gives her and carrying out that idea. In all, Monica would choose to do this simply for the pure joy of it. “Some people might think that I spend too much money to run my business, but it’s not about the money. Don’t get me wrong, I do want to make money, but all in all, I desire for my clients to be happy.”

While Monica has enjoyed some fruits of her labor, she has also faced a few setbacks. Family and friends helped her start her business and what has kept everything together. Monica’s mom lived with her from college graduate school to the birth of Faith ’n’ Nevels. She was the backbone of her operations and a firm foundation for Monica. When her mom needed more care, family decisions were made, but her mom primarily made the decisions for herself so that Monica could pursue what she loved to do.

In the future, Monica hopes to expand into a possible storefront and eventually purchase a commercial kitchen. She also hopes to become more versatile and grow her skills and create new dishes. Everything that Monica does happens with her 16-year-old daughter in mind. “I am creating a legacy for her and hope that she will carry on this tradition,” she says.

For more information or booking with Faith ‘n’ Nevels Catering LLC, please visit their website.

By Terry L. Watson

By definition, “Allay” (pronounced Uh-lay) means to soothe or diminish worry or fear. For Dr. Reshale Thomas, ensuring this is her primary objective as she leads the way at Allay Psychological Services in Fresno, CA.

Allay Psychological Services was founded in June 2018 and is one of only a handful of Black woman-owned psychologist private practices in the Fresno area. Located in the heart of downtown Fresno, Allay provides high-quality mental health care and strives to reduce stigma toward mental illness and treatment. They also focus on health and wellness and increasing the quality of life in the Fresno community.

Dr. Thomas is a licensed clinical psychologist. She completed her bachelor’s degree in psychology and minor in piano performance at Fresno Pacific University. Dr. Thomas went on to Fuller Theological Seminary — Graduate School of Psychology and earned her Master of Arts in Psychology in 2012 and Master of Arts in Theology and Ministry (MATM) in Spring of 2015. Not to stop there, she earned her Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology (PsyD) in the fall of 2015.

Dr. Thomas has worked and trained in some of the most underserved communities in Southern California, including El Monte, Watts, the Los Angeles Christian Health Centers, and the Los Angeles Mission on Skid Row. Her training culminated at Philhaven Behavioral Health in Central Pennsylvania. Dr. Thomas’ areas of research and expertise include substance abuse, trauma, resilience, poverty, multicultural issues, spirituality and health, creative arts and wellness, program planning, development, evaluation, and integrated medical and behavioral health care.

While Dr. Thomas is the founder and owner of Allay, the practice’s success is made possible with the help and dedication of three phenomenal employees, Sandy, Regina, and Charles. Its mission is to create safe spaces for people to experience health, healing, and hope. With the help of Reggie, who volunteers, Allay can meet the needs of all its clients.

Allay is committed to enhancing the quality of life in our community through three main objectives: Training, Education & Mentorship of Prospective/Early Career Psychologists, Community Engagement, and Service to Underserved and Underrepresented Populations. In further detail, Dr. Thomas explains, “By utilizing training, education, and mentorship, engaging with our community, we are helping to create a better world by reducing stigma toward mental health challenges and necessary treatment. Our clients leave our office with a greater sense of hope and belief they can nurture the resilience necessary to face life’s toughest challenges, whether in a difficult work or school environment, interpersonal relationships, out-of-home placements, or dealing with aging and chronic illness issues. We can accomplish this by using up-to-date, evidence-based interventions to treat a wide range of mental health conditions and behavioral challenges. Our guiding vision is that everyone in our care experiences the healing, health, and hope they deserve.”

Dr. Thomas shares, “The demand for Allay’s services is often more than our team can keep up with. That means that sometimes I am the janitor, errand woman, secretary, or any other role that I can reasonably fill if the work needs to be done.

As a licensed clinician, Dr. Thomas works with individuals and families from all backgrounds and walks of life to address depression, anxiety, grief, difficult life transitions, aging, and trauma. Dr. Thomas brings a warm, nonjudgmental presence to the therapeutic process. Her clients enjoy her sense of humor and ability to draw from multiple treatment modalities, including cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, coping skills training, and interpersonal therapy.

“I grew up in an area wherein mental health challenges were not openly talked about,” Dr. Thomas shares. “I initially wanted to pursue a career as a medical doctor. Still, as I watched people struggle with mental health challenges, often suffering in silence, I decided there was another way to aid people in their journeys toward being whole. Becoming a psychologist was a dream, but starting and owning my own business was not initially a part of that plan. Allay was born out of the very real feelings of worry and fear I experienced as a young, Black female doctor. I live in a conservative area that lacks proper access to mental health services, so there were very few job opportunities available for psychologists. Moreover, being a Black doctor in the workplace had its own set of challenges. After two years into my career, I decided to start my practice for myself and other prospective African American psychologists (women, in particular) who might have trouble finding adequate opportunities.”

Why does Dr. Thomas love what she does so much? It has little to do with her connection to music. “I am a musician at heart, and I love hearing different parts of a piece that can be improvised or even reharmonized. In music, you don’t have to start from scratch or create something from nothing to be great—you can work with whatever you have right in front of you and make it into a hit. As music is resilient, I often think of the therapeutic process in the same way. People get to have their stories— whatever it is, we can keep it. We don’t have to throw anything out, and whatever isn’t working can be rewritten and rearranged into something better and more useful,” she says.

In the future, Dr. Thomas plans to expand her practice and offer more opportunities for both her clients and employees. “In the next year, I’d like to hire more clinical and administrative employees and expand into the adjacent office suite. I’d like to continue that expansion to satellite sites across the city in the next five years. In the next 10 to 15 years, I’d like for Allay to be a household name and one of the top three providers of mental health services in the area,” she says.