The Black Business Alliance of the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce will host the Black Business Alliance Initiative from 5 to 7 p.m. on January 22 at the Dr. Wesley Grant, Sr. Southside Community Center. 

This event is free and open to all Chamber members and community partners who would like to attend. 

The Black Business Alliance is dedicated to empowering Black entrepreneurs and business owners through advocacy, training and connections. It hopes to create opportunities for growth and relationship building and offer inclusive programming that provides access to essential resources while ensuring that Black-owned businesses have the support systems and voice to thrive in Asheville and Buncombe County.

The kickoff event begins with networking from 5 to 5:45 p.m. and is followed by the panel discussion from 6 to 7 p.m. The program will introduce and highlight the Chamber's commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and Black-owned businesses.

Panelists will include: 

• Moderator: Ava Smith, president of Flat Fee Recruiting
• Marcus Kirkman, Business Inclusion Manager with the City of Asheville,
• Shawn Smart, owner of Smart Shawn Consulting
• Keynon Lake, owner of My Daddy Taught Me That
• Amy Jackson, Senior Director of Member Engagement with the Asheville Chamber

The panel will discuss benefits of participating in the Black Business Alliance, the upcoming Learning Series, plans for an awards celebration in 2027, benefits of joining the Chamber and the benefits of supplier diversity.

To register, click the link: https://track.mctradelinktracking.com/api/Communication/Communication/2686881/click?url=https%3a%2f%...

Source: Black Business Alliance of the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce