THE TOWN HALL TOUR
In an effort to elevate the conversation on the power of technology to help Black businesses scale and stay ‘in the black’ BIA partnered with Google on the Black in the Black Tour. BIA visited four cities (Macon, GA, Twin Cities, MN, San Diego, CA and Philadelphia, PA) to highlight business owners who leveraged technology in various ways to survive and thrive through the COVID-19 pandemic. The town halls provided local entrepreneurs tactical tips and strategies so that they too might activate key platforms, products and online tools to take their business to the next level, build generational wealth and spur economic development!
The result:
- Four winners were selected from our BITB cities (Philadelphia, Macon, Twin Cities, San Diego). Each winner received $10,000 and was invited to share their story at their city’s town hall.
- One national winner received $10,000 and was invited to share their story on our social media platforms.
WE HAVE OUR WINNERS
meet the grand prize winners of the back in the black contest, powered by google!
These black-owned businesses were selected for their innovative ability to demonstrate the power of technology to gain and maintain a competitive advantage during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
For this reason, each winner was awarded $10,000 and featured in our national roadshow tour. These entrepreneurs employed the tools necessary to pull themselves out of the red, and get back in the black.
April Laster
COMPANY: Open heart leaders
April Laster is the Founder and CEO of Open Heart Leaders, the only African American female-led organization that offers full mental health and education wraparound services. Open Heart Leaders focuses on restoring broken networks and lost resources back into marginalized communities. April is an accomplished executive and entrepreneur making strides in the fields of mental health and education. Ms. Laster is a decisive leader with proven success in building and executing some of the most valued and innovative programs and services, aiding marginalized communities all over the modern world.
As a master certified life coach, motivational speaker, and highly sought-after mental health specialist, Ms. Laster continues to speak truth to power regarding the disparities related to trauma-informed treatment for communities of color. She consistently uses her platform to address the lack of equity and diversity within larger mental health programs and educational organizations centered on funding and placement of services. April has provided multiple trainings for faith-based organizations, educational institutions, and other service providers throughout innumerable communities, highlighting culturally-based barriers in accessing and participation in services. Her primary focus is providing culturally responsive services and increasing awareness of mental health and education systems from a learned and lived experience perspective. Her deep-seated passion to dismantle systemic racism around funding within mental health and education has moved Ms. Laster to develop reputable and respectable programs that serve communities from a data-driven standpoint. Through her leadership and love for people, she has developed a reputation of strength and stride that can’t be measured by time but by stamina and heart. As she continues to change the world one OPEN HEART at a time, April continues to expand and grow within her expertise so she can continue to love and serve at the highest capacity.
Ayolanda Evans
COMPANY: BlacK Family BLueprint
Ayolanda Evans is the co-founder and owner of Black Family Blueprint, along with her husband Adrian Mack. She combines her professional experience as a doula, parent educator, violence prevention advocate, and Black intimacy coach to create content and curriculum for Black people. The essence of her work is engaging those who recognize the patterns of historical trauma manifest in their habits and are actively seeking liberation through healing-centered ways of being.
Most recently, Black Family Blueprint launched Parenting Through White Supremacy, a movement that addresses the challenges of parenting while Black and offers strategies for fostering a legacy of wellness for our youngest generations. As a trainer, Ayolanda works with institutional leaders whose actions align with enhancing Black family life through shifting policy and practice, and influencing systemic change and accountability. She holds a B.A. in Family Science from Concordia University.
David Cabello
COMPANY: black & Mobile
Black and Mobile is the country’s first Black Owned food delivery service that exclusively partners with Black-Owned restaurants to give them more exposure and customers. Our founder David Cabello, a 22-year-old college dropout at the time of Black and Mobile’s creation, laid the foundation for the company in late 2017 throughout 2018 and launched the service in February of 2019 during Black History Month.
Black and Mobile’s main focus is to highlight underrepresented businesses in the urban communities that are often overlooked, and provide them with the technology they need to not only expand their customer base but to stay competitive in this rapid changing economy.
Kayla V. Strickland
COMPANY: ava's apples
Kayla V Strickland is the founder of Ava’s Apples, which is a dehydration manufacturing company that specializes in innovative dried food production. We are located in Macon, Georgia, but we travel for exposure and have a growing online presence. The foundation of the company is based from our five original flavors of specialty dried apples.
We have grown tremendously since our establishment in May of 2017. In five years we have grown from five apples to a large array of variety to include dried fruit and vegetable products. We have also ventured out to handcrafting herbal tea, spices, and other accessory items; all of which are among the recent add-on at Ava’s Apples.
As our presence expands in this industry and community, we are looking forward to integrating with future growth and development engagements with local vendors, wholesalers, and friends of Ava’s Apples.
We Are Proud Of What We Do!
At Ava’s Apples we are making food for the future. The world is changing and we plan to make foods that change with the world.
At Ava’s Apples We Believe In Empowering One’s Life For Healthier Living; which Produces Life Expansion. I have a Belief, “if we take care of our bodies, God can take care of our spirit, and longevity will be given.”
Gregory Eaton
COMPANY: Eat n' Cake
Gregory Eaton, confectionately known as the Cupcake Man, is a motivational speaker, philanthropist, and owner and operator of Eat N’ Cake LLC. Although he left the corporate world in 2012 to bring his cupcakery to full operation, Gregory is no stranger in the world of professional cooking. He worked in a myriad of restaurants, refining his culinary techniques and bringing joy to countless people through wholesome delicious food.
With deep roots in Alabama and Pahokee, Florida, Gregory learned the value of dedication and hard work which ignited his determination to avoid a life of mediocrity and poverty. He brings this same mindset to his work with other black business leaders to rewrite the narrative of the current state of the black ecosystem. Gregory Eaton’s ultimate vision is to change the world, one cupcake at a time.
