B-Force Accelerator Landing Ceremony

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Save the dateMay 31, 20221:00 PM - 3:00 PM (EDT) Add to Calendar

Venue Location

Norfolk Waterside Marriott

235 E Main St.
Norfolk, Virginia 23510

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Organizer

Organizer: Black BRAND

Phone: +1 7577980590

Contact Person: Marcia Patterson

Email: marcia@blackbrand.biz

Event Details

Join Black BRAND in a FREE Luncheon to celebrate the B-Force Accelerator Graduates.

Learn more about the B-Force Accelerator Program, and meet graduates, consultants, and program partners.

Speakers

Blair Durham

President & Co-Founder of Black BRAND

Blair Durham

President & Co-Founder of Black BRAND

https://www.blackbrand.biz

Blair Durham is Co-Founder/President and current B-Force Program Director at Black BRAND.

Blair Durham is Co-Founder and President of Black BRAND, a 501c3 organization founded in 2016, whose acronym encompasses business, research and analytics, networking, and the development of black commerce. Beginning in Hampton Roads and now also operating in the Dan River Region, Black BRAND serves as a regional black chamber of commerce organizing programming to support emerging and existing black business owners. Blair is a Hampton Roads native, a graduate of Virginia Tech, the host of Black Wall Street Today, and a proud board member of The Virginia Zoological Park and Volunteer Hampton Roads. Most proudly, Blair resides in Portsmouth with her husband and three children.

Brian Owens

Program Manager at Black BRAND

Brian Owens

Program Manager at Black BRAND

https://blackbrand.biz/b-force-accelerator/

Brian is a Virginia Beach-raised creative and business professional with a passion for the people. He began his journey of entrepreneurship through music. Owens has been a professional musician and music business strategist for over a decade. His band, The Special Guests, has been especially impactful in the 757 by raising money and awareness for Hampton Roads based charitable causes, working with local business owners, planning shows at the Norva, and opening First Fridays on Granby St in Norfolk. Owens was Chief Communications Officer and co-founder of the neuroscience-based music-tech startup, Secret Chord Laboratories. He has been responsible for fundraising, corporate strategy, establishing and growing strategic partnerships, and communications both internally and externally. Through SCL, Owens has been able to nurture an expanding network of business mentors, tech startups, entrepreneurs, investors, music professionals, community leaders and influencers.

Kenny Alexander

Mayor at City of Norfolk

Kenny Alexander

Mayor at City of Norfolk

https://www.norfolk.gov/3515/Mayor-Kenneth-Cooper-Alexander-PhD

Kenneth Cooper Alexander was elected Mayor of the City of Norfolk on May 3, 2016.

A native of Norfolk and president of Metropolitan Funeral Service, he began his public service career more than two decades ago. Before his election as mayor, Dr. Alexander served in the Senate of Virginia where he was a member of the committees on Commerce and Labor; Finance; Transportation; and Privileges and Elections.

He also served on the Hampton Roads Transportation Accountability Commission, the High-Speed Rail Compact Commission for Virginia and North Carolina, and the Joint Commission on the Future Competitiveness of Virginia Higher Education. Dr. Alexander was recognized as an environmental leader by the Sierra Club and earned high marks for his voting record from the Virginia AFL-CIO and the Virginia Education Association.

Before his election to the Senate, he represented Virginia’s 89th District in the House of Delegates for ten years, where he served as the Chair of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus. Prior to his election to the General Assembly, Dr. Alexander was a member of the Norfolk Economic Development Authority, City Planning Commission (vice-chair), and Human Services Commission.

Dr. Alexander served as president of Berkley’s Beacon Light Civic League and helped found the Beacon Light Community Development Corporation. During his tenure, to increase homeownership and address a critical need for affordable housing, he worked to create a Federal Home Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) to serve as the local partner for HUD’s HOME Investment Partnerships Program. The Beacon Light CHDO was established in 1998 and charged with building single family homes through the City of Norfolk’s Housing for Homeownership program. Dr. Alexander served as its first president.

He is a member of the Greater Norfolk Corporation, Hampton Roads Planning District Commission, Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization, Hampton Roads Transportation Accountability Commission, Hampton Roads Military and Federal Facilities Alliance (past chair), the Norfolk Chapter of the FBI Citizens Academy Alumni Association, the Berkley Historical Society, and an alumnus of the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership.

A 1985 graduate of Lake Taylor High School, Dr. Alexander earned his Associate’s Degree in Applied Science from John Tyler Community College, completed his undergraduate studies in Political Science at Old Dominion University, and holds a master’s degree in Diplomacy from Norwich University. In 2019, he was awarded a Doctorate in Leadership and Change from Antioch University, his dissertation was titled: Developing and Sustaining Political Citizenship for Poor and Marginalized People – The Evelyn T. Butts Story.

Dr. Alexander and his wife, Donna Burnley Alexander, have two school-aged sons, Kenneth II and David.

Hamilton Perkins

Founder and President of Hamilton Perkins Collection®

Hamilton Perkins

Founder and President of Hamilton Perkins Collection®

https://hamiltonperkins.com/

In 2014, Hamilton Perkins founded Hamilton Perkins Collection, an independent brand, designing and producing unique and award winning bags and accessories from recycled materials.

Hamilton Perkins Collection exists to create timeless limited edition bags made from recycled plastic water bottles, pineapple leaf fiber, and billboard vinyl. The result is that no two bags are every the same.

Our first design, the Earth Bag Premium, was created so that our customers would not only carry a bag that was stylish but carry a bag they could be proud of. We surveyed more than 1,000 consumers to obtain their thoughts and feedback for each component of the Earth Bag Premium, which soon became one of our most popular designs.

Perkins was the winner of the Virginia Velocity Tour hosted by the Governor of Virginia, and the recipient of a HUD Community Development Block Grant. The non-profit B Lab honored Hamilton Perkins Collection as a "Best for the World Overall" B Corporation in 2017.

Hamilton Perkins Collection has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, Money Magazine, and The Washington Post.

The brand is currently offered in nearly 100 leading department stores and specialty stores in the United States, Canada, and Europe.

Sponsors and Partners

Community

A Free Luncheon

Blair Durham

President & Co-Founder of Black BRAND

Brian Owens

Program Manager at Black BRAND

Kenny Alexander

Mayor at City of Norfolk

Hamilton Perkins

Founder and President of Hamilton Perkins Collection®

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