Business
Detroit’s Black McDonald’s Owners Facing A Whopper of a Dilemma
MICHIGAN CHRONICLE — Last November a small contingent of Detroit’s Black McDonald’s Operators Association (BMOA) members gathered at a McDonald’s restaurant on West 8 Mile to pick up and hand out turkeys to families in the area. It’s not the kind of gesture most people would expect from a McDonald’s franchise owner but was entirely consistent with the sense of community and commitment from this small group of African American entrepreneurs.
By Trevor W. Coleman
Last November a small contingent of Detroit’s Black McDonald’s Operators Association (BMOA) members gathered at a McDonald’s restaurant on West 8 Mile to pick up and hand out turkeys to families in the area.
It’s not the kind of gesture most people would expect from a McDonald’s franchise owner but was entirely consistent with the sense of community and commitment from this small group of African American entrepreneurs.
It was a display of the commitment the Detroit BMOA has shown the community for the nearly 50 years of its existence as a group of local businesses committed to excellent customer service and community service.
But now, some members are concerned that the organization has fallen on hard times as its member ship has consistently shrunk over the past decade.
Bill Pickard, an original founding member of the Detroit BMOA said the once nearly 25 strong Detroit group is now down to eight or perhaps nine members.
“We probably had 20 owners or more at one time and now we’re down to less than 10,” he said. That’s a 50 percent drop off man. Of the remaining 8 or nine franchises in Detroit, half are in trouble. What happened?”
So concerned with the viability of the Detroit franchises and organization, the national BMOA Board of Directors is holding a regional meeting this week at the MGM Grand Casino Hotel in Detroit to assess the situation.
Pickard, who owns a McDonald’s at Michigan Ave. and Livernois, said they don’t hold those kinds of meetings locally unless there are real concerns. And he has his suspicions regarding the problems.
“Basically, we have many people who are not eligible for growth. And they’ve had to make major reinvestments in the last couple of years. And if you are already highly leveraged and you must make more investments it’s just a difficult amount of pressure on an organization,” he said.
Bernard Price, a retired franchise owner and one of the founding members of the BMOA agreed. He said although he sold his McDonald’s in 1994, many of the same pressure exist today such as a constant demand by corporate to make renovations and other major capital improvements with scarce resources.
“Over time many black operators didn’t make it,” he said. “They left because of a lack of business acuity or their own problems, and sometimes not.”
“Sometimes it was the company’s fault because when they did give us a store, they gave us one of the poorest stores. So, we started off as disadvantaged no doubt,” Price said.
That is why they formed BOMA to leverage whatever influence they had together to get better terms with the corporation, he noted.
On its website, the National Black McDonald’s Operators Association (NBMOA) calls itself the largest organization of established African American entrepreneurs in the world. It is a 47-year old Organization dedicated to ensuring that African American McDonald’s Owners are fully engaged in all the benefits associated with owning McDonald’s restaurants.
The NBMOA goal is the complete integration of NBMOA members, African American Employees, and Vendors into the McDonald’s system. The NBMOA also works diligently to make sure that McDonald’s fully engage the African American community in a respectful and positive manner.
Price, the NBMOA and Detroit organization co-founder said he hopes for the best.
This article originally appeared in the Michigan Chronicle.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
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Bay Area
State Controller Malia Cohen Keynote Speaker at S.F. Wealth Conference
California State Controller Malia Cohen delivered the keynote speech to over 50 business women at the Black Wealth Brunch held on March 28 at the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center at 301 Van Ness Ave. in San Francisco. The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.
By Carla Thomas
California State Controller Malia Cohen delivered the keynote speech to over 50 business women at the Black Wealth Brunch held on March 28 at the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center at 301 Van Ness Ave. in San Francisco.
The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.
“Our goal is to educate Black and Brown families in the masses about financial wellness, wealth building, and how to protect and preserve wealth,” said ABWA San Francisco Chapter President LaRonda Smith.
ABWA’s mission is to bring together businesswomen of diverse occupations and provide opportunities for them to help themselves and others grow personally and professionally through leadership, education, networking support, and national recognition.
“This day is about recognizing influential women, hearing from an accomplished woman as our keynote speaker and allowing women to come together as powerful people,” said ABWA SF Chapter Vice President Velma Landers.
More than 60 attendees dined on the culinary delights of Chef Sharon Lee of The Spot catering, which included a full soul food brunch of skewered shrimp, chicken, blackened salmon, and mac and cheese.
Cohen discussed the many economic disparities women and people of color face. From pay equity to financial literacy, Cohen shared not only statistics, but was excited about a new solution in motion which entailed partnering with Californians for Financial Education.
“I want everyone to reach their full potential,” she said. “Just a few weeks ago in Sacramento, I partnered with an organization, Californians for Financial Education.
“We gathered 990 signatures and submitted it to the [California] Secretary of State to get an initiative on the ballot that guarantees personal finance courses for every public school kid in the state of California.
“Every California student deserves an equal opportunity to learn about filing taxes, interest rates, budgets, and understanding the impact of credit scores. The way we begin to do that is to teach it,” Cohen said.
By equipping students with information, Cohen hopes to close the financial wealth gap, and give everyone an opportunity to reach their full financial potential. “They have to first be equipped with the information and education is the key. Then all we need are opportunities to step into spaces and places of power.”
Cohen went on to share that in her own upbringing, she was not guided on financial principles that could jump start her finances. “Communities of color don’t have the same information and I don’t know about you, but I did not grow up listening to my parents discussing their assets, their investments, and diversifying their portfolio. This is the kind of nomenclature and language we are trying to introduce to our future generations so we can pivot from a life of poverty so we can pivot away and never return to poverty.”
Cohen urged audience members to pass the initiative on the November 2024 ballot.
“When we come together as women, uplift women, and support women, we all win. By networking and learning together, we can continue to build generational wealth,” said Landers. “Passing a powerful initiative will ensure the next generation of California students will be empowered to make more informed financial decisions, decisions that will last them a lifetime.”
Business
Black Business Summit Focuses on Equity, Access and Data
The California African American Chamber of Commerce hosted its second annual “State of the California African American Economy Summit,” with the aim of bolstering Black economic influence through education and fellowship. Held Jan. 24 to Jan. 25 at the Westin Los Angeles Airport Hotel, the convention brought together some of the most influential Black business leaders, policy makers and economic thinkers in the state. The discussions focused on a wide range of economic topics pertinent to California’s African American business community, including policy, government contracts, and equity, and more.
By Solomon O. Smith, California Black Media
The California African American Chamber of Commerce hosted its second annual “State of the California African American Economy Summit,” with the aim of bolstering Black economic influence through education and fellowship.
Held Jan. 24 to Jan. 25 at the Westin Los Angeles Airport Hotel, the convention brought together some of the most influential Black business leaders, policy makers and economic thinkers in the state. The discussions focused on a wide range of economic topics pertinent to California’s African American business community, including policy, government contracts, and equity, and more.
Toks Omishakin, Secretary of the California State Transportation Agency (CALSTA) was a guest at the event. He told attendees about his department’s efforts to increase access for Black business owners.
“One thing I’m taking away from this for sure is we’re going to have to do a better job of connecting through your chambers of all these opportunities of billions of dollars that are coming down the pike. I’m honestly disappointed that people don’t know, so we’ll do better,” said Omishakin.
Lueathel Seawood, the president of the African American Chamber of Commerce of San Joaquin County, expressed frustration with obtaining federal contracts for small businesses, and completing the process. She observed that once a small business was certified as DBE, a Disadvantaged Business Enterprises, there was little help getting to the next step.
Omishakin admitted there is more work to be done to help them complete the process and include them in upcoming projects. However, the high-speed rail system expansion by the California High-Speed Rail Authority has set a goal of 30% participation from small businesses — only 10 percent is set aside for DBE.
The importance of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in economics was reinforced during the “State of the California Economy” talk led by author and economist Julianne Malveaux, and Anthony Asadullah Samad, Executive Director of the Mervyn Dymally African American Political and Economic Institute (MDAAPEI) at California State University, Dominguez Hills.
Assaults on DEI disproportionately affect women of color and Black women, according to Malveaux. When asked what role the loss of DEI might serve in economics, she suggested a more sinister purpose.
“The genesis of all this is anti-blackness. So, your question about how this fits into the economy is economic exclusion, that essentially has been promoted as public policy,” said Malveaux.
The most anticipated speaker at the event was Janice Bryant Howroyd known affectionately to her peers as “JBH.” She is one of the first Black women to run and own a multi-billion-dollar company. Her company ActOne Group, is one of the largest, and most recognized, hiring, staffing and human resources firms in the world. She is the author of “Acting Up” and has a profile on Forbes.
Chairman of the board of directors of the California African American Chamber of Commerce, Timothy Alan Simon, a lawyer and the first Black Appointments Secretary in the Office of the Governor of California, moderated. They discussed the state of Black entrepreneurship in the country and Howroyd gave advice to other business owners.
“We look to inspire and educate,” said Howroyd. “Inspiration is great but when I’ve got people’s attention, I want to teach them something.”
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