< PreviousBUSINESS NEWS8 | TALK MAGAZINE • WINTER 2019Reasons to Buy an Existing Businessby Levar Haffoney We’ve all heard the stories of the entrepreneur who risked it all to start a business and became a huge success. Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos come to mind. Ray Kroc, Elon Musk, and thousands of small business owners have found success through buying small firms and building them into large enterprises. Whether the goal is to be featured on the Forbes list of wealthiest individuals or to create a valuable asset that you can leave to your heirs, buying an existing busi-ness can give you a leg up in the world of entrepreneurship.Here are 3 reasons to buy an existing business:Existing Clients First, the most difficult task that business owners face is finding custom-ers. Today, consumers have more options and are more price conscious than ever before. Finding and serving customers is the number one objective of any busi-ness owner. Without paying customers, your business doesn’t exist. If you purchase an existing business, there is a list that you can build on. As the new owner, you can re-engage the existing book of business, find out what’s in demand, and offer additional products and/or services to those buyers.Infrastructure Second, depending on the business that you would like to start, there will be significant upfront costs associated with opening your doors without a revenue stream. How does your business look? Are you going to hire employees or work with independent contractors? If you are going to be a brick and mortar retailer, you have to decide whether or not you’re going to buy a building or lease a storefront. If you’re a service-based business, you have more flexibility. Are you going lease office space or a co-working space? You can keep costs low by running your firm out of your home or at a local coffee shop with free wi-fi. The annual Bloomberg BusinessWeek survey ranked Howard University’s School of Business 33 on its list of the nation’s top performing full-time business school programs.The Howard University School of Business MBA program features a variety of traditional business school courses, a Global Trilateral MBA Certificate Program and an online Executive MBA geared toward working professionals. The news comes at a time when Howard has been making big moves for its business students. The university opened a new lab for finance students thanks to a generous donation from Howard alum Wendell Mackey, CFA. The Bloomberg Terminal is a software platform that provides real-time and historical data, market moving news and analytics to help leading business and financial professionals worldwide make better informed investment decisions. “We are thrilled to partner with Howard University and offer its students and professors access to the same market-moving news and data relied on by leading business and financial professionals around the globe,” said Erika Irish Brown, then-Bloomberg Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion. “We hope that Bloomberg Finance Lab’s training and coursework will give Howard students seeking careers in financial services an additional competitive edge, while also familiarizing Howard’s computer science students with the technology underlying the Bloomberg Terminal.” Business schools received an overall ranking and were ranked based on several specific components including compensation, learning, net-working and entrepreneurship. Howard University received highest marks in networking and learning.Howard University School of Business Ranked Among Nation’s Top Programs3 You’ll address many of these concerns by acquiring an existing business. The workflows, labor arrangements, equipment, furniture, and fixtures are already in place. These assets, included in the purchase price, allow you to hit the ground running and will give you a foundation to build out your operation on.Financing Finally, financing is virtually impossible for start-up businesses to obtain. Banks want to be repaid. And vendors want to make sure that they’re going to get paid, on time. Existing businesses have balance sheets, income statements, cash flow statements, and tax returns that banks can evaluate. Their bank balances are accessible in real time. This gives lenders a level of comfort when it comes to making lending decisions. Vendors are more comfortable doing business with you and may even extend credit. As a buyer, you can leverage the business’s collateral, i.e. real estate or equipment, to obtain financing to purchase the business. This is an attrac-tive option for many prospective business owners. There are many ways to participate in entrepreneurship. There isn’t a one-size fits all approach to business ownership. Let’s face it. Starting a business from scratch is hard for many people. For a larger num-ber of aspiring bosses, purchasing an existing business is a better approach. While success isn’t guaranteed, purchasing an existing enterprise may provide an entrepreneur a higher probability for them to reach their profes-sional and personal goals, whatever they may be.BUSINESS NEWSWWW.TALKMAGAZINEONLINE.COM | 9PA UCP Certification Counseling SessionsNeed assistance completing your PA UCP disadvantaged business certification application?We can help!Diversity Business Resource Center – North Side Every 2nd Thursday To make an appointment call 412-322-3272Community Empowerment Association – Homewood Every 3rd Tuesday To make an appointment call 412-371-3689 x19Hill District Community Development Corporation – Hill District Every 3rd Thursday To make an appointment 412-765-1820Chatham University Women’s Business Center – East Liberty 2nd Tuesday of Every Other Month: Jan/Mar/May/Jul/Sep/Nov To make an appointment visit www.chatham.edu/wbc/counselingPenn State Greater Allegheny – McKeesport 2nd Tuesday of Every Other Month: Feb/Apr/Jun/Aug/Oct/Dec To make an appointment call 412-414-9808Allegheny County Minority, Women & Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Department542 Forbes Ave • 204 County Oce Building • Pittsburgh, PA 15219412-350-4309 • mwdbe@alleghenycounty.us • www.facebook.com/mwdbe Corey, the founder of New York-based business development and direct investment company Legacy Growth Partners, together with his wife has finally brought an arena football league to the county’s most populated city. They had to go through a challenging process and buy-ins, but with the support of trustees colleagues, business partners, friends, such as football player Devale Ellis, they were able to make it. As a football fan raised in Brooklyn, Galloway had to travel far just to see the New York Jets do their practice games at Hempstead, Long Island. He used it as an inspiration to bring the American sport closer to young people for their enjoyment. “For me, as a football fan, as a football player, I acknowledge that there is a barrier of entry that’s created with ticket pricing. Not everyone is able to really enjoy the game and see the games live and upfront. So, creating that opportunity and being able to provide them with an option to see a game live -- I’m just excited that those kids will be able to enthusiastically say ‘Oh, wow! I’m going to a game!’,” he said in an interview with Essence. In April 2019, the New York Streets, the Na-tional Arena League’s newest franchise, will take the Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York as they play their first game there. Aside from that, they will also play two of its regular-season games at Madison Square Garden in New York City. His wife, Tamara, is very excited about the new venture and looks forward “to have an opportunity to help set up other modern-day leaders that can come see a couple that is doing something together -- a Black owner who looks like them and that’s doing something to break the mold,” she said. Being African American, the couple encoun-tered numerous problems when they were work-ing to bring New York Streets to reality. There was a lack of representation, people doubted them, and sometimes they were even asked where their money came from. However, none of those discouraged him from making his visions come true. Galloway now be-longs to a very small group of African Americans who own professional sports franchises. The NFL and the MLB still don’t have a franchise owned by African Americans, but Galloway and his wife hope their recent achievement could pave the way for others too.Professional Sports TeamBLACK-OWNEDLATINO NEWS10 | TALK MAGAZINE • WINTER 20191. Donate to organizations that are working at the border.• The Florence Project is a nonprofit legal service organization providing free legal services to men, women, and unaccompanied children in immigration custody in Arizona. You can donate at https://firrp.org/donate.• The Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Ser-vices (RAICES) is a nonprofit that provides free or low-cost legal aid to immigrant children, families, and refugees in the central and south Texas area. You can donate at https://firrp.org/donate.• The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights works to support and champion the rights of unaccompanied immigrant children. It works on a three-step program that prioritizes serving the children as soon as they enter the country, advocating for their rights, and standing for the creation of a more comprehensive immigration system that protects children’s rights. You can donate at https://firrp.org/donate. The Alegría Ball is the chamber’s signature fundraising event benefiting various core chamber programs that provide critical support to emerging Latino business owners in the region. The Alegría Ball features the annual Excelencia Hispanic Business Awards celebrating the growth and success of Latino-owned businesses and Latino professionals in the region by identifying those which have set themselves apart through their outstanding achievements and contributions.The Honorable Judge Nelson Díaz A Latino of many firsts, Judge Díaz became the first Latino to be admitted to the PA Bar Asso-ciation and, later, the first Latino judge in the Commonwealth. He was the first non-white General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Judge Díaz has been a leading figure in the establishment of the White House’s Latino Office, the found-ing of the National Puerto Rican Coalition and various local organizations. He was also chair of the DNC Hispanic Caucus.Marquis & Co This year’s awardee is the parent company of a restaurant group that includes the rapidly expanding, fast-casual chain, Hip City Veg; the popular Bar Bombón; and Charlie Was a Sinner. Nicole Marquis, the founder, has a vision of improving the perception of vegan food by showing people how hearty it can be. The motto, “Eat well. Feel Good” embraces healthy bodies, a healthy planet, and compassion for all living things. Dr. Damián Fernández, Chancellor of Penn State, Abington Dr. Fernández is among the four percent of Latinos who lead colleges and universities across the country, overseeing 4,000 students at Penn State, Abington. He holds a Ph.D. in International Relations from the University of Miami, a Master of Arts in Latin American Studies from the University of Florida, and a Bachelor of Arts from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. 2019Alegria Ball and Excelencia Hispanic Business AwardsKeystone AwardHispanic Business of the YearHispanic Professional of the Year3Ways to support families affected by the immigration systemLATINO NEWSWWW.TALKMAGAZINEONLINE.COM | 11continued on page 28• The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) works to defend the civil liberties and rights of American citizens across the board, including the rights of immigrants who seek asylum from other countries. You can donate at https://firrp.org/donate.2. Contact your local representatives. Contact your local representatives to let them know that you are against unfair immigration policies, and demand action. You can reach out to U.S. Senator Bob Casey or Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania. Feel free to express your opinions in your own way, or you can simply copy and paste this text into your message to them:Dear Representative [or Dear Senator], Comprehensive immigration reform is well overdue, and it is time that Congress works together to create fair legislation for current and future immigrants in this country. Piecemeal reform packages have consistently fallen short of their goals, and the consequences have been dire, not only for immigrants, but for our country as a whole – immi-grants form a vital part of the fabric of the United States and support-ing them is a responsibility we all share. Here in Pennsylvania, immigrants are very much a part of our local identity, and we are proud to welcome them into our communities, places of work, and families. The current policies regarding immigra-tion range from unfair to impractical to simply unethical, and we are depending on you to represent us in the fight for change. All the way back to its Quaker roots and the very building where the ideals of this country were declared for the world to see, Pennsylvania has always been a state that promotes freedom of background and creed; help preserve that proud liberty by advocating for immigrants. We need bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform, and we need it now.Thank you.3. Support our mental health initiative. Support our mental health initiative for Latino Pittsburgh families that have had difficulties in their immigration process. By sending in a $50 donation to the LCC, you will support one therapy session in Spanish. Many Latino families in the local area lack the resources nec-essary to live healthy lives, and access to counseling and mental health programs are an important part of this. By donating $50, you are pro-viding extremely necessary therapy sessions in Spanish to families that have experienced or are currently experiencing trauma due to the dif-ficulty, fear, and confusion of a convoluted and uncertain immigration process. These therapy sessions have a range of benefits, from helping students to adjust to life in the United States and succeed academically and socially in school to helping parents support their families emotion-ally and feel comfortable at work and in the community, regardless of their legal status. 12 | TALK MAGAZINE • WINTER 2019 Africa is a vast continent. It contains over 11,500,000 square miles, and is between three and four times as large as the United States. When in the fifteenth century, the first modern explorers came to the continent, they found flourishing kingdoms such as that of Ghana in the Sudan area; and the Niger River coast, which was the center of the slave trade. The capturing of people to be sold was by no means a simple matter. Much has been written on the subject of slavery, that peculiar institution and that which birthed the Black American experience. Alex Haley’s “Roots” provided us with dramatic effects that scanned over five gener-ations, and it focused on ancestry, and methods used by the slave ship captains to fill their vessels. Many instances of cruelty, sorrow, deceit and inhumanity characterized the trading and selling of slaves to the New World. As slaves in the New World, families were scattered, sold away from each other, never to meeting again, for slaves had no control over their destinies. Furthermore, there was a lack of understanding between the slaves and their master because they couldn’t understand their masters’ language. In the New England colonies, where the colonists were industri-ous and white artisans and small farmers were prevalent; there was no demand for large numbers of slave workers. But from Maryland to the Carolinas, and later as far west as Louisiana, vast stretches of fertile land had to be cleared for ever increasing plantations of tobacco, rice and sug-ar cane, manpower was sorely needed. So it was that the colonies in the South became the greatest purchasers of slaves. Eli Whitney’s cotton gin made cotton king in the South, and the labor needed for growing and picking rows of cotton was delegated to the slaves. Not all slaves, howev-er, were relegated to the fields. Some slaves became expert brick masons, carpenters, ironworkers, and house servants, which were generally much better off than field hands were. During the nineteenth century in both the North and South, there were numerous Negroes who acquired their freedom. Further, the black press helped to express their anti-slave views. Such was the case of Fred-erick Douglass who became an outstanding spokesman for his people. Born a slave in Maryland in 1817, Douglass went on to become a leading abolitionist, politician and editor. He founded the North Star in 1847, a very powerful paper, which helped Douglass expound his abolitionist views. This pre Civil War period saw the emergence of many famous leaders. One such leader, Marcus Garvey, was a main proponent of the back to Africa movement. John R. Russwarm and Samuel E. Cornish founded the first black newspaper, “Freedom’s Journal” in 1827. Because of the efforts of these blacks, a growing anti-slavery sentiment existed and ulti-mately led to the Civil War. Two important females contributed to the early experience of provid-ing freedom to blacks, one, Sojourner Truth, the other Harriet Tubman, who guided more than 300 slaves to freedom, including her aged parents. With the help of the more than 3,000 members of the Underground Railroad, it is estimated some 75,000 slaves escaped to freedom in the decade preceding the Civil War. Contributions in arts and sciences and education hosts a long list of blacks with varied interest from Benjamin Banneker, who helped survey and plan the City of Washington to Mary McLeod Bethune, who estab-lished a school in Florida – with orange crates as her first benches, which grew into Bethune-Cookman College. There are intriguing biographies and pictures of very famous and im-portant blacks from Nat Turner and Dred Scott to modern leaders, such as, Adam Clayton Powell, Ralph Bunch, Stokely Carmichael, Benjamin Mays, Malcolm X and Reverend Martin Luther King, and now the first African American President Barack H. Obama. A peoples’ knowledge of facts can free them from ignorance, but by itself, it has never inspired a crusade. We as a people need history and its valued traditions. Backed by a worthy historical tradition and support-ed by promises as a firm foundation, we can march forward and break the chains of public opinion, which so very often maintain contempt, division and second-class citizenship. On the foundation of our history, we can continue to build a lasting temple of self-respect and self-esteem. We should resolve to maintain, expand and build it by individuals as well as collective endeavors. In the words of W.E.B. Dubois, “in the history of nearly all other rac-es and peoples the doctrine preached…has been that mainly self-respect is worth more than land and houses, and that a people who voluntarily surrender such respect, or cease striving for it are not worth civilizing.” Historical traditions are associated with the building of nationalism and group pride. They have been the creator of ideals for many peoples. Minorities in the United States have had experiences of like character and should be deeply concerned that they create traditions of value to themselves so that they will be worthy of respect from others.12 | TALK MAGAZINE • WINTER 2019WWW.TALKMAGAZINEONLINE.COM | 13100Influencial PennsylvanianAfrican American Women The exciting women selected, established their personal achievements in education, health care, arts and culture, philanthropy, elected officials, human and family service, finance, corporate upward mobility, civil rights and human rights advocacy and entrepre-neurship building a variety of businesses. Our goal is to tell the story of our people, our families that highlight and demonstrate the growth and development of African American women in a variety of positions and services to our communities. Please enjoy the photos we have assembled of 100 Influential African American Women. The missing photo is You. We want to Thank all African American Women for their love, courage, steadfastness, leadership and service.Affectionately,Roxanne Sewell*Alphabetical by surname. Full names and titles listed after photo pages.Renee AmooreHon. Renita AustinDonna Baxter-PorcherCarmen Anderson There are thousands of African American women who give their time, skills and services to make Pennsylvania a better place for all of us to live. Selecting 100 women from across the state was a difficult task for TMAG to complete.Joann BellWWW.TALKMAGAZINEONLINE.COM | 13Hon. Deborah L. BrownDr. Janis C. BrooksHon. C. Kim BraceyPhyllis I. BennettDonna Allie14 | TALK MAGAZINE • WINTER 2019Janis Burley WilsonMaurita BryantWanda BurwellHon. Betty L. CopelandEmma C. ChapellRosetta CarterLois M. CainEsther L. BushVera C. CornishHon. Brenda FrazierHon. Rikell S. FordCharlene Foggie-BarnettSylvia V. FieldsOshunbumi Fernandez-WestJoyce EllisDr. Joan Duvall-FlynnMadaline G. DunnJackie DixonDiane I. DanielsLorraine CrossRev. Maureen Cross-BoldenHon. Marita GarrettKathryn S. HugginsSinceré HarrisCalvina HarrisMelanie HarringtonRev. Brenda GreggHon. Amanda Green-HawkinsJulie Coker GrahamMichele Goodman-JonesTeri L. GilmoreOla JacksonStacey M. JonesGeraldine M. JonesHon. Denise L. Johnson-ClemmonsDr. Naomi Johnson-BookerDr. Valerie KinlochHon. Rubye Jenkins-HusbandDr. Kathy W. HumphreyDr. Regina B. HolleyElaine Harris-FultonRuth Byrd-SmithDoris Carson-WilliamsDawn ChavousAmera GilchristWWW.TALKMAGAZINEONLINE.COM | 15Cynthia MuhammadBeverly MooreMarimba MillionesHon. Valerie McDonald-RobertsDr. Sharon McDaniel LoweYOUHon. Summer LeeArletta Scott-WilliamsHon. Catherine R. SappAleta RichardsLisa RhodesRakia ReynoldsLucille Prater-HollidayJeannine D. PetersonHon. Tonya PayneHon. Myneca Y. OjoDebbie NorellCarol A. NeylandTony Y. SilvaHelen Mayor ThomasBrenda TateDr. Marcia M. SturdivantAndrea StanfordCecile M. SpringerBeverly SmithEvelyn F. SmallsRuth R. TolbertBarbara J. WilsonHon. Monda R. WilliamsCameil D. WilliamsValeria Williams-BullockPhyllis WallerDiamonte WalkerV. Fawn Walker-MontgomeryStephanie L. TurmanPaige E. TriceMarcia A. MartinSylvia C. WilsonSonya M. TolerGrace RobinsonHon. Nickole NesbyHon. Traci McDonald-KempDr. Lorina Marshall-BlakeDr. Lenall ThomasTiffany L. LaVette16 | TALK MAGAZINE • WINTER 201916 | TALK MAGAZINE • WINTER 2019• Donna L. Allie, PhD. – President and CEO, Team Clean, Inc., Philadelphia • Renee Amoore, R.N. – President and CEO, The Amoore Group, Inc., Philadelphia• Carmen Anderson – Director of Equi-ty & Social Justice, Heinz Endow-ments, Pittsburgh• Hon. Renita Austin – Councilwoman, Borough of Yeadon, Yeadon• Donna Baxter Porcher – CEO, Soul Pitt Media, Pittsburgh• Joann Bell – Director of the Phila-delphia Government Office, Pugliese Associates, Philadelphia• Phyllis I. Bennett – CEO/President, PIB Associates Consulting, Harrisburg• Hon. C. Kim Bracey – Former Mayor, City of York, York• Dr. Janis C. Brooks – Founder, Citizens Against Domestic Apartheid Program, North Versailles• Hon. Deborah L. Brown – Borough Manager, Borough of Braddock, Braddock• Maurita J. Bryant – Assistant Super-intendent of the Allegheny County Police Department, Pittsburgh• Janis Burley-Wilson – CEO and President, August Wilson Center, Pittsburgh• Hon. Wanda Burwell – Council-woman, Borough of Homestead, Homestead• Esther L. Bush – President and CEO, Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh• Ruth Byrd-Smith – Director, Allegh-eny County M/W/DBE Department, Pittsburgh• Lois M. Cain – Community Activist and Retired Social Worker, Pittsburgh• Doris Carson-Williams – President, African American Chamber of Com-merce of Western PA, Pittsburgh• Rosetta Carter – Director of Com-munity Education Services, City of Chester, Chester• Emma C. Chappell – President, Altroy International LLC, Philadelphia• Dawn Chavous – President, Chavous Consulting, Philadelphia• Hon. Betty L. Copeland – Mayor, City of Bridgeville, Bridgeville• Vera C. Cornish – President, Cornish and Associates, Harrisburg• Lorraine Cross – Civic Engagement Coordinator, Black Political Empow-erment Project, Pittsburgh• Rev. Maureen F. Cross-Bolden – Asso-ciate Pastor, St. James AME Church, Pittsburgh• Diane I. Daniels – Owner, DID & Associates, Pittsburgh• Jackie Dixon – Board Member, Re-gional Asset District (RAD) Board• Madaline G. Dunn – Lifelong Civil & Human Rights Community Activist, Philadelphia• Dr. Joan Duvall-Flynn – PA State President, NAACP – Glenn, Mills• Joyce D. Ellis – Executive Director, The Lemoyne Community Center, Washington, PA• Oshunbumi Fernandez-West – Pro-ducer & Director of Odunde - Largest African Festival in the Country, Philadelphia• Sylvia V. Fields – Executive Director, Eden Hall Foundation, Pittsburgh• Charlene Foggie-Barnett – Teenie Harris Archive Specialist, Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh• Hon. Rikell S. Ford – Clairton School Board Director, Clairton• Hon. Brenda Frazier – Former Allegheny County Councilwomen, Pittsburgh• Hon. Marita Garrett – Mayor, Bor-ough of Wilkinsburg, Wilkinsburg• Amera Gilchrist – Deputy Chief Emergency Medical Services City of Pittsburgh• Teri L. Gilmore – Child Development and Family Relations, Braddock• Michele Goodman-Jones – Founder, Michele Goodman Studio, New Castle• Julie Coker Graham – President and CEO, Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, Philadelphia • Hon. Amanda Green-Hawkins – Assistant General Counsel, United Steelworkers, Pittsburgh• Rev. Brenda J. Gregg – Pastor, Destiny of Faith Church and Founder, Project Destiny Community Outreach Cen-ter, Pittsburgh• Melanie Harrington – President and CEO, Vibrant Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh• Calvina Harris – Chairperson, Demo-cratic Committee, Duquesne• Sinceré A. Harris – Executive Director, Pennsylvania Democratic Party, Harrisburg• Elaine Harris-Fulton, J.D. – Civil & Human Rights Community Activist, Pittsburgh• Dr. Regina B. Holley – Former Presi-dent, Pittsburgh Public School Board, Pittsburgh• Kathryn S. Huggins – Civil & Human Rights Community Activist, Philadelphia• Dr. Kathy W. Humphrey – University of Pittsburgh’s Senior Vice Chancellor for Engagement and Secretary of the Board of Trustees• Ola Jackson – Founder, OWN: Onyx Woman Network• Rubye Jenkins-Husband – Former Councilwoman, City of Erie, Erie• Dr. Naomi Johnson-Booker – Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Global Leadership Academy Charter School, Philadelphia • Hon. Denise L. Johnson-Clemmons – Councilwoman, City of Clairton, Clairton• Geraldine M. Jones – President, California University of Pennsylvania, California, PA• Stacey M. Jones – Civil Rights Coordinator – United Steelworkers, Coatesville• Dr. Valerie Kinloch – Renée and Rich-ard Goldman Dean of the University of Pittsburgh School of Education, Pittsburgh• Tiffany L. LaVette – CEO, Her P.O.W.E.R, Inc., Erie• Hon. Summer Lee – PA State Repre-sentative, Swissvale• Rev. Dr. Lorina Marshall-Blake – President, Independence Blue Cross Foundation and VP, Community Affairs, Independence Blue Cross, Philadelphia • Marcia A. Martin – Vice President, Corporate Responsibility, Gateway Health, Pittsburgh• Sharon McDaniel Lowe – Founder, President & Chief Executive Officer, A Second Chance, Pittsburgh• Hon. Traci McDonald-Kemp, Esq. – Magisterial District Judge, Washing-ton, PA• Hon. Valerie McDonald-Roberts – Former Chief Urban Affairs Officer, Office of Mayor Peduto, Pittsburgh• Marimba Milliones – President & CEO, Hill Community Development Corporation, Pittsburgh• Beverly Moore, MSPL, M. Div. – Deputy Executive Director, Allegheny County Housing Authority, Pittsburgh• Cynthia G. Muhammad – Founder & President, Erie Metropolitan Black Yellow Pages, Erie• Hon. Nickole Nesby – Mayor, City of Duquesne, Duquesne• Carol A. Neyland – Senior Vice President, Community Development, Dollar Bank, Pittsburgh• Debbie Norrell – Lifestyle Editor, New Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh• Hon. Myneca Y. Ojo – Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, Harrisburg• Hon. Tonya D. Payne – Former Councilwoman, City of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh• Jeannine D. Peterson – CEO, Hamil-ton Health Center, Harrisburg• Lucille Prater-Holliday – Black Women’s Empowerment Institute, Community Activist, Pittsburgh• Rakia Reynolds – President & Owner, Skai Blue Media, Philadelphia• Lisa Rhodes – Chair, PA Democrat-ic State Committee Black Caucus, Harrisburg• Aleta Richards – Senior Vice Presi-dent, Commercial Operations - North America, Covestro LLC, Pittsburgh• Grace Robinson – Owner, Grace Rob-inson Insurance Agency, State Farm Agent, Pittsburgh• Hon. Catherine R. Sapp – Council-woman, and Deputy Mayor, Penn Hills Township, Penn Hills• Arletta Scott-Williams – Executive Director, Allegheny County Sanitary Authority, Pittsburgh• Toni Y. Silva – Senior Director, Sup-plier Relations, UPMC, Pittsburgh• Evelyn F. Smalls – President and CEO, United Bank of Philadelphia, Philadelphia• Beverly Smith – Nationally Syndicated Talk Radio Host, Harrisburg • Cecile M. Springer – Lifelong Political Activist and Philanthropist, Pittsburgh • Andréa Stanford – Assistant County Manager, Allegheny County, Pitts-burgh• Dr. Marcia M. Sturdivant – President & CEO, Negro Educational Emergen-cy Drive (NEED), Pittsburgh• Brenda Tate – Chairperson, Allegheny County Democratic Committee Black Caucus, Pittsburgh• Hon. Helen Thomas – Mayor, Bor-ough of Darby PA, Darby • Dr. Lenall Thomas – Executive Direc-tor, Center for Family Excellence, Inc., Pittsburgh• Ruth R. Tolbert – NAACP, President, Greensburg-Jeannette and Chair PA State Conf. Women, Greensburg• Sonya M. Toler – Sr. Director of Stra-tegic Communication & Enrollment, Propel Schools, Pittsburgh• Hon. Paige E. Trice – Councilwoman Borough of Wilkinsburg, Wilkinsburg• Stephanie L. Turman – President, Always Busy Consulting, Pittsburgh• Diamonte Walker – Director of Performance and Compliance, Urban Redevelopment Authority, Pittsburgh• V. Fawn Walker-Montgomery – Co-Founder, Take Action Mon Valley, McKeesport• Phyllis Waller – President, Washington County NAACP, Washington, PA• Cameil D. Williams – Manager, Small Diverse Business – UPMC, Pittsburgh • Hon. Monda R. Williams – Coun-cilwoman, City of Washington, PA, Washington• Valeria Williams-Bullock – Founder, Westinghouse Hall of Fame, Pitts-burgh• Barbara J. Wilson – Executive Direc-tor, Lancaster City Housing Authority, Lancaster• Hon. Sylvia C. Wilson – Chair, Allegheny County Sanitary Authority Board of Directors, Pittsburgh• YOU100 Influential WomenWWW.TALKMAGAZINEONLINE.COM | 17Awards Ceremony The life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. has served as a tremendous inspiration for millions throughout the world. The Spirit of King Award Program was established in 1989 by the Kingsley Association, the Pittsburgh Pirates and Port Authority. The Award is given annually in January recognizing Pittsburgh area citizens who have dedicated much of their lives to the service of others and advancing equality for all. The 2019 Awardees are Harvey Adams, Jr. and The Honorable Walter R. Little. The public celebration has grown into a multi-generational event with school children and elders, with awards and tributes to the “Spirit of King”, as well as song and art.WWW.TALKMAGAZINEONLINE.COM | 17Photo(s) by J.L. Martello/18riccoSpirit of KingThe 2019Next >