Latest / The Inspired Stories Podcast / Melvin Coleman on How the Atlanta Black Chambers is Building Economic Power

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Melvin Coleman on How the Atlanta Black Chambers is Building Economic Power · The Inspired Stories Podcast

0:04
Welcome to another edition of the Inspired Stories podcast,
0:08
where leaders share their experiences so we can learn from
0:12
their successes and be inspired by how they've overcome
0:15
adversity. My name is Anthony Kotaspodi and
0:18
today's guest is Melvin M Coleman, President and CEO of
0:22
the Atlanta Black Chambers. This nonprofit organization
0:26
champions the creation and growth of profitable,
0:29
sustainable black-owned businesses by offering quality
0:33
education programs centered around ownership and economic
0:37
development. Now, Melvin has guided the
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Chamber since 2017, transitioning from Executive
0:44
Director to his current role. Under his leadership, the
0:47
organization has continued to expand its reach, winning
0:51
recognition for promoting inclusive business practices.
0:55
Melvin himself holds notable distinctions like the 2023
1:01
President's Volunteer Service Award, the 2021 AB CS
1:06
Transformative Leadership Award, and the 2019 Link Award from the
1:11
Atlanta Association of Insurance Professionals.
1:15
Before joining the Chamber, he was a senior account executive
1:19
at UPS for 15 years and served in the US Navy.
1:23
He's also the founder and chief portfolio strategist of
1:27
Essential Wealth Management. Now before we get into all the
1:30
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Add Back benefits.com. All right, back to our guest
2:02
today, the President and CEO of Atlanta Black Chambers, Melvin
2:06
Coleman. I appreciate you making the time
2:08
to Share your story today. So excited to be here.
2:12
You know this is this is so cool.
2:13
Looking forward to having a conversation with you.
2:16
All right, let's jump in, Melvin.
2:17
So let's go back to your Navy days.
2:20
Why is it that you wanted to serve in the the Navy?
2:23
What drew you into that? Well, I think for a lot of us
2:28
senior in high school and and you're like, I got to get out of
2:31
my mom's house. So that was some of the
2:34
inspiration was at that time. It's interesting.
2:37
I was not so interested in college, but knew I wanted to do
2:42
something and actually signed up to go in the Navy early, several
2:47
months before I had to. And it turned out to be one of
2:51
the best decisions say of my as a young person that that I could
2:55
have made. Just from the the travel, the
2:58
experience and all the people that I had to interact with
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really allowed me to mature over just a few short years.
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That was my active duty. It was only a few short years,
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but accomplished a lot in that time.
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So yeah, I look back on it and and I know that, you know, that
3:16
was a great move for me. Say say more about how it helped
3:20
you to mature and develop as a person.
3:24
Yeah. So I'm, you know, and you, you
3:26
may have asked this at some later point, but being born and
3:29
raised in Savannah, GA OK. And then you, you, you leave
3:33
from, from there to really go out into the world and, and for
3:40
the first time, you're really, really interacting with people
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from all over the country, different race, ethnicity, what
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have you. And so you, you don't have a
3:53
choice but to grow and expand. OK.
3:57
And, and, and as you well know, once, once you, once you do
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this, you know that you don't come back to this.
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So it's, you know, it expanded my horizons tremendously.
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And then you couple that with the travel, you know, Europe and
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North Africa, the Caribbean and all of that, you know, at 1920
4:16
years old, OK, you know, that that that plan worked out pretty
4:21
good. So.
4:23
So yeah. I get what you mean.
4:25
I wasn't in the services, but I had the opportunity to travel a
4:29
fair bit in my early 20s. And wow, the way that it opened
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my eyes. I went from the, you know, kind
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of this Midwest bubble, so to speak, you know, where I grew up
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to, you know, all these different cultures and
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languages. And, you know, just having the
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exposure to lots of different people really opened my eyes.
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So I, I can appreciate the value there.
4:50
So you were in the Navy a few years.
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What did you transition into as you were getting out of the
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service? Yeah, so the, the really the
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cool thing that happened for me in the Navy is that I did mature
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and and I realized that OK, yes, I need to go to college.
5:09
So. So that's what those few years
5:12
allowed me to do. And I always tell my friends
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who, who did go straight to college, some of them, and
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they're doing quite well, that as opposed to wasting a couple
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of years trying to figure out, you know, what you want to do
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and what, what your major is going to be.
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You know, I spent that time in the Navy really getting focused
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and then came out of the Navy and was, you know, all about
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business. And it was interesting.
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Is, is that I, I almost caught up with some of my buddies who
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had gone straight out of high school.
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You know, they may have graduated a year ahead of me as
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opposed to because you know, they, you know, you go to
5:49
college and sometimes you get a little distracted.
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So that was again, how things played out for me very well.
5:56
So. You came out of the Navy and you
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were laser focused on OK, I've grown up a little bit.
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I've seen the world. I I need to get to work here.
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Yeah, what was was so focused that after right after the my,
6:07
my bachelor's, I went straight into MBA program.
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So I, I did like 6 years got AMBA and all of that.
6:15
Yeah, yeah. And, and I know that time that I
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had to really figure some things out at 1819, you know, that that
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was helpful. That was helpful.
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And so undergrad right into MBA, you, you got down to business,
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you got serious about it. You coming out of your MBA,
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what's the first opportunity? Well, while in college, you
6:38
know, UPS, the Big Brown machine, as we call it Big
6:41
Brown, they have these great jobs for college students.
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You know, you can go to work for four or five hours inside the
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the operation and load the trucks.
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And so as a college student, I was working for UPS and once I
6:55
did complete my education and everything, I was actually going
6:58
to relocate to Charlotte, NC because of the financial center
7:02
that it is. And the, the, the manager of the
7:07
operation at UPS said, hey, he came to me one day.
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He said, hey, I hear you're thinking about leaving.
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You know, you've been here, you know, you got solid reputation,
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you got your education, we've got some opportunities in
7:19
management. So he, he really wanted me to
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stay with the company, right. I was kind of home grown and so
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I was promoted into management at UPS.
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So it was, it was, it was really, really good, you know,
7:30
situation. For that promotion happened
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while you were still in school, or did that happen after you had
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gotten your MBA? I think I right.
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Around the. Shortly, I just graduated.
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It was all the timing. It all kind of happened right
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there, OK. They, they knew I was like,
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he's, he's going to graduate and he's moving to Charlotte, he's
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going to go into the banking system, investments and all
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that. And, and so they were like, hey,
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you know, I guess when you have and you, you and I know at this
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point you have good talent, you know, just let it, you know, get
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out, get out of the building, so to speak.
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And so that's that's what happened to me.
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What do you think they saw from you, Melvin?
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Because if I understand correctly, at that time you were
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loading boxes under the truck. You know, maybe in that
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environment they don't really get to see sort of the
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brilliance of what's going on up here.
8:19
No, I, I think the, the core fundamentals of what, what, what
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a quality individual is. You know, always, always to work
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on time, never late, you know, always about business, even even
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when it comes to loading and unloading and sorting and all,
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you know, you, you can see it, you know what's going on.
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So yeah, yeah, I, and I think, you know, that that sort of,
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kind of speaks for itself. And so, yeah, it, it, it worked
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out very well because I ended up having a 15 year career with,
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with, with big Brown and, and that's where I really acquired
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all of my professional skill set because of all the training.
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And you know, you're in corporate, you get, you know,
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there's gonna be training. There's a whole lot of, you
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know, how do you, how do you, how, how do you go about doing
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things in a professional way? Otherwise you won't last in that
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environment. So, so that that was good for me
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as well. Say more about maybe some of the
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big benefits that you've gained from that 15 years.
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I mean, that's a long time early in your career to stay with one
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company. Clearly there was a match there
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for a while, right? You enjoyed being in in that
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environment and learning and growing and obviously they saw
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value in having you there. Think about in terms of sort of
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your, your personal and your professional development, some
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of the key things that you took away from that UPS experience.
9:42
Yeah, a lot of, you know, working well with, with, with
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teams and, and having, having goals and objectives and
9:51
deadlines, OK. And, and, you know, execution,
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there's a process and, and you, you go about that in, in a
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particular way, according to how you've been instructed and, and
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educated on, on how this whole thing works.
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And so that, that foundation, you know, once, once you get
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that, you know, you can take that with you now anywhere.
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So, so I think that happens for a lot of people when they, when
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they're in that environment, you know, that they soak up all of
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the, the ways of, of how business is done in
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relationships are, you know, cultivated and you know, you do
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what you say, you're going to do that type of stuff, you know, or
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else is not going to work out for you.
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You know, it's like you, you, you get it.
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You understand this is how the world works if you're going to
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be successful. So before we get into talking
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about Atlanta Black Chambers and your work there and the
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organization itself, tell me a little bit about essential
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Wealth Management, your business.
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What was sort of the the inspiration to starting that and
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what what services do you provide?
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Great question and I think I need to kind of set it up so
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that people listening understand.
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I did a 15 year career at at UPS, which was which was
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awesome. Many of us in those jobs in
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those positions, sometimes there's a, there's a, there's a
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point where you're like you're feeling like, I think they call
11:28
it burnout or you know, something else needs to happen
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here. So, so that was great, but but
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when I left UPSI wanted to go into the thing that I always
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wanted to do. I guess the opportunity at UPS,
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it was great, but it was not what I had planned in terms of
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what I wanted to do. And so it just turned, it just
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turned out that after, you know, 15 years, it's like, hey, you,
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you want to you always want to do this particular thing.
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So so I left and went to work for a brokerage firm and and
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went through their training to become a financial advisor, got
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my securities licenses, the series 7, series 66 shout out to
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to Raymond James and associates. A great firm, no doubt.
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And and I was definitely fortunate to have had that
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experience was only at Raymond James for a couple of years.
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Now here's where the Atlanta thing kicks in the the ATL
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experience. So I'm in Atlanta having left
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UPS. When I left UPS, I relocated to
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Atlanta. That you.
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Had you'd been in Savannah the whole time that you were with
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UPS? Well, actually I got a second
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promotion at UPS that took me to Columbus, GA Yeah, yeah, it's,
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it's a big military town. You may be familiar with it near
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Alabama on on on the West West side of.
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OK, so you leave, you leave UPS and you end up in Atlanta now?
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Yes, and, and in Atlanta, Atlanta is the, is like the,
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the, the global hub of entrepreneurship.
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It's a part of the culture, it's part of everything.
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So when you're, you're in Atlanta, so let's say I'm, you
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know, I'm, I'm still at, at the firm at the time.
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And so I'm not in the community. I'm networking with people and
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meeting, meeting a lot of folks and I'm meeting all of these
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fantastic folks who have their own whatever it is.
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You know, if, if, if they're an insurance broker, they got their
13:29
own firm. If they're an attorney or
13:33
whatever are they are, they may have a, a business where, you
13:37
know, it's, it's, it's a, you know, a product or whatever, but
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it's like, how, how do all these folks have their own business?
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Like what is going on? So when I left Raymond James, I
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became an independent advisor, which is essentially saying now
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I got my own. So it's a, it was my own
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investment management company, if you will, and it's essential
13:59
wealth management. And so I've I've got clients
14:01
that I've been working with for 20 years because yeah, that was
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that was 20 years ago. So yeah, that's the.
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And so who's a a good fit for you at Essential Wealth
14:13
Management client wise, What's the profile?
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Yeah. So my, my clientele looks like
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individuals who actually have, have jobs and in some cases
14:27
they've left a, a previous company where they were for 5/10
14:32
plus years. And, and there's this, there's
14:35
something called a, a AA4O1K rollover because when you leave,
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you have the opportunity and, and maybe you've got 50 or
14:44
$100,000 in an, in an account. And so now you can actually do
14:50
that roll over into an IRA individual retirement account.
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And that's something that I can manage.
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And so my, my business is, that's probably 60% of my
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clientele. Now the other 40% is, is going
15:06
to be business owners and other individuals who have money that
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they want managed professionally, but it but it
15:15
may not be retirement assets. Yeah.
15:18
Gotcha. OK.
15:19
So you're, you're starting this business, you're building it up,
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things are going well. You're you're getting some
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traction. Why split your attention with
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the Atlanta Black Chambers? What is it about that
15:30
organization that called to you? I have a real passion for, for
15:36
the community and I, I understand on a really deep
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level, like what needs to happen for a lot of the disparities
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that exist and have been, have existed for, you know, hundred
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200 years. And when I say disparities, I'm
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talking about the what from a, from, from a big picture
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perspective, the racial wealth gap, but then very powerful data
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points such as, you know, the, the revenue of, say an average
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revenue of a black-owned business compared to say other
16:21
businesses. And it, the difference is, is,
16:25
is just way too much to be comfortable with.
16:28
And so, you know, getting into our, our discovering the Black
16:32
Chamber and, and discovering how those were the conversations
16:39
that were taking place and, and being really educated to
16:42
understand like, OK, wow, you know, we should be working to
16:47
change this. So that's what drew me to the
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organization in that sense. But but initially now it was
16:57
about meeting people, networking and forming relationships.
17:00
So that so that's what brought me to the organization.
17:02
But then. First, first, you came as a
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member. Yes, yes, right, right.
17:07
But then you start to get exposed to like, oh wow, you
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know, and again, for me it was like, hey, we should be working
17:17
and doing things to change that to make that better.
17:22
You know, we shouldn't accept the fact that the average
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revenue for a black-owned business is like 50-60 thousand.
17:29
And if you look other other places it's 500,000.
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It's like, whoa, that, you know, that makes me uncomfortable.
17:38
And if I have the time and energy, you know, I want to
17:41
dedicate, Yeah, I want to dedicate really my life to
17:46
making that better, you know, because then if I can do that,
17:49
my, my daughter may have a, a really good opportunity to do
17:54
great things. So, so that's where the, you
17:58
know, the passion and the real sincere interest lies.
18:01
It's really in improving and bringing about change that, you
18:08
know, really needs to happen. And I always tell people this,
18:14
when these things do happen and we get to a better place, our
18:18
nation is going to be much better.
18:21
So it's not just about, you know, the black community or
18:26
everything is, you know, you're just doing.
18:28
No, there's a there's a bigger picture here as well.
18:32
You know it. How can America be its best
18:35
version of itself with other other communities, say minority
18:40
groups per SE, that have these in, in some cases, enormous
18:46
disparities? We none of us should be
18:48
comfortable with that, and we should be somehow committed to
18:55
bringing about the change that needs to happen.
18:57
So how do you do that? So the the goal is, hey, we want
19:00
to help black-owned businesses. We want to help them get on
19:05
their feet. We want to help them grow.
19:08
It's part of a bigger mission. It's going to be, you know, good
19:11
for the local economy, good for the the national economy.
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How do you actually help to affect that kind of change?
19:18
So there are 1234 there's several ways and and and and
19:27
methods or strategies that that are already in force and and we
19:32
we need to stay committed. So 1 is historically there are
19:38
there are a lot of policies over say 100 years ago that, that,
19:43
that benefited some. But say and in particular the,
19:48
the black community or or black people were excluded, denied
19:53
opportunity, could not participate.
19:56
So we we need some some corrective measure there to
20:02
address that. And that's called that's called
20:05
public policy and a lot of people will speak on that
20:10
directly. That's 1/2 is just just
20:18
economically we've got to shift how we spend, where we spend.
20:28
And I'm talking about, you know, the black consumer, but then
20:32
beyond the black consumer, everybody saying that, yeah, I'm
20:39
going to find a black-owned business that I can support
20:43
because I understand from a big picture perspective how this
20:48
impacts the United States. So, so that would be the second
20:53
thing is that all of us should be spending slash supporting
21:01
black-owned businesses as a part of the, a, part of the solution.
21:08
Another big one is the federal government spends, Oh my God,
21:14
it's like $700 billion. It's, it's an enormous amount in
21:17
terms of contracting opportunities.
21:22
It's enormous. And in particular, black-owned
21:28
businesses receive like less than 3% of that and we're about
21:34
14% of the population, but minorities in general, it's,
21:41
it's less than less than 5% of that.
21:46
So that is not fair. That's not right.
21:51
And, and that has an impact on why our businesses in, in, in a
21:58
large part have the, the low revenues because they're not
22:04
getting the opportunities that drive the growth and scale.
22:07
And you know, the, the opportunities have to be
22:12
available for them. And so we we've seen and we
22:18
know, you know what works in this environment.
22:22
That's not going to happen. That's been made clear.
22:26
But we've seen what works and and, and sometimes in some local
22:30
and say city and state governments, they'll have a
22:34
policy in place that is going to make sure going to ensure that
22:40
some opportunities go to what it would, what can be called the
22:44
underrepresented groups. And that matters.
22:48
That makes a difference. And you can see the progress
22:52
when you do have a program, a commitment like that.
22:58
What we haven't seen is when we leave it up to just.
23:03
Market forces. I don't yeah, like people saying
23:06
they're going to do the you know, that that has not
23:09
delivered the outcomes that we that are necessary.
23:12
What about like educational programs or like other ways that
23:19
you might help to lift up the black-owned businesses in the
23:23
Atlantic community? Are there there opportunities
23:26
like that that exist with your organization?
23:29
So one of the things that we definitely do consistently is
23:34
educate and inform. So the, the role of the chamber,
23:40
I think first and foremost is to be a trusted source for
23:44
information and, and education and knowledge.
23:48
So we do have a lot of activities that would focus on
23:54
all of the critical topics. If you're a business owner, say,
23:57
for example, you know, accounting and finance,
24:00
bookkeeping also make, you know, marketing a lot of technology.
24:05
Obviously AI is big and we've had sessions are definitely
24:11
presentations on AI. So so that's a big part of of
24:18
the Chamber's mission. Yeah, absolutely.
24:21
Is the education component. Are there other specifically
24:24
black chambers for either cities or states around the country?
24:30
Great question. And, and absolutely.
24:32
So all of your major markets will have a black Chamber of
24:37
Commerce. So it was a few weeks ago and I,
24:41
I can't remember why he was here, but the, the president of
24:44
the black chain, the, the Dallas Black Chamber was in Atlanta.
24:48
And so, you know, we're all part of a, of a network.
24:53
And though I had not met him personally prior to this, he did
24:56
reach out and say, Hey, I'm going to be in Atlanta.
25:00
You know, maybe we can at least meet for an hour and just, you
25:02
know, have that introduction. And so it was good to to meet
25:06
him. But that's just an example of
25:08
yeah, all the major markets will, and some of the, you know,
25:11
small mid size markets. You you.
25:14
You might have a black chamber as well.
25:18
Are you kind of mostly sort of doing your own thing because
25:22
you're very, you know, local, regional based or I don't know,
25:26
is there any sort of like cross promoting or like you know,
25:30
support that you guys offer each other?
25:32
So, so you have your, your chambers in your local markets,
25:36
but then there is there is something called the USBC, which
25:41
is the United States black chambers based in DC.
25:46
And so, you know, we all affiliate with that state
25:51
national level organization and that, and that is the network
25:55
that I speak of. And so we have, you know, we
25:58
have an annual conference every year in July in DC, and that's
26:02
where we get to meet our colleagues and peers from the
26:06
other, you know, whether it's Los Angeles, Oakland, St.
26:10
Louis, Chicago, you name it, Miami.
26:13
They're, they're, they're every. Yeah, they they are.
26:18
Who, who's your typical member there in the Atlanta Black
26:22
Chamber? Are they like, you know, mom and
26:25
pop shop like less than 10 employees?
26:27
Are they, you know, bigger companies with hundreds of
26:30
folks? What?
26:31
What kind of mix do you see? Well, there is, there is a, a
26:36
mix it, it is a, a pretty wide diversity from the, the
26:41
individual who has just started or, or in some cases the
26:46
individual who has not yet even started.
26:49
And it's all, it's, it's just a dream.
26:51
They want to be in the room with the folks who are further along
26:54
in the process and their journey so they can learn.
26:58
And so you have the you know your mid tier whether it's you
27:03
know $510,000,000 enterprise, you know in revenues annually
27:10
and then you've got 50 to 100 million in terms of businesses
27:15
that are much larger, well established employees, major
27:22
operations. But do understand that that
27:25
level of black-owned business is it might be 5% of the
27:32
black-owned businesses that exist that have say several
27:37
employees. And going back to an earlier
27:41
point that I made and you asked some great questions, that is
27:45
the, the commitment and the focus is to, is to build and
27:49
grow and have more of those larger enterprises to make an
27:54
impact in, in the community. They can employ people.
27:57
And so some of the the, the issues, challenges, the social
28:02
struggles that we have, a lot of that stuff tends to go away when
28:06
you have thriving, successful entities in the community that
28:13
are supporting the community. This is all about community.
28:16
And then that community then connects and ties in well with
28:23
other communities. And there's one big community we
28:25
call the United States of America, as opposed to having a
28:30
community that is struggling and issues.
28:33
And yeah, we want to fix and address our issues, you know,
28:38
and, and we don't necessarily want folks working against that.
28:42
Are there any particular industries that I don't know
28:46
seem to be drawn to the Atlanta Black Chamber more than others?
28:52
A lot of professional services, I think that may be reflective
28:56
in the, in the, in the broader economy, but in, in Atlanta, you
29:00
have a lot of professionals. And when I say that, you know,
29:05
whether you're a dentist or an attorney or some type of
29:11
consultant. So you're going to see a lot of
29:15
that. We, we, we do have, and I'm
29:19
happy to say, you know, some product based type of businesses
29:23
where they actually either they make something or, or they sell
29:26
something tangible that you have to, you know, you have to go
29:30
there to get it or perhaps you can purchase it online.
29:35
But, but if you look at the trends demographically, so
29:39
healthcare, anything in health and Wellness is going to be big
29:42
and only going to get bigger just because of the, the
29:47
population. But yeah, there's, there's some
29:51
some, there are some things that we see more than others.
29:55
I want to hear more about a couple of the programs that you
29:59
guys have spawned, specifically the the Women's League and the
30:03
Young Entrepreneurs Collaborative.
30:06
What was the inspiration behind these initiatives and what
30:11
exactly did they do? So you have to be innovative in
30:17
this space of networking and bringing people together in
30:22
order to get the the participation levels that you
30:26
seek. And So what I mean by being
30:29
innovative is you, you, you say, OK, we're going to focus on a
30:34
particular group and bring people together based on what,
30:38
what they have in common. So women love to get together.
30:43
Yeah, with, with just them in the room.
30:46
They love, they love it. And, and it just, you know,
30:50
because they support each other. And so that's been great.
30:54
You know, the women are very connected and, and how they
30:59
support each other. There's a real bond there.
31:01
So, so the women's league is very strong.
31:04
The young entrepreneurs collaborative, those young
31:08
people, 2530 years old, sometimes, you know, they, they
31:13
definitely don't want to hang out with, you know, the 50 plus.
31:18
And, and so you have to create a space for them if you want them
31:22
to show up. So if you want them to show up,
31:24
you have to say this is what it is, branded that way, and then
31:29
you'll get their attention. You can't just necessarily have
31:32
just a general whatever type of event and say, man, I wish there
31:36
were more 25 year olds here. Doesn't work that way.
31:39
So. You have to have something
31:41
that's specifically talking to them, drawing them and saying,
31:45
hey, here's here's your sort of sub tribe of folks that you can
31:49
get. Together with, yeah, that's what
31:52
works there. So Melvin, during your your time
31:57
as the Executive director, now President and CEO, the chamber
32:01
there has seen a pretty significant growth in both
32:04
membership and programming. What specific strategies or
32:09
initiatives have you found that have been really helpful in
32:13
drawing in new members? And we touched on it a little
32:18
bit with those two affinity groups that you you mentioned
32:23
there, the Women's League, Young Entrepreneurs Collaborative, but
32:25
then we have several committees as well.
32:29
And so the way our organization is structured, really breaking
32:33
things down to where people can clearly make a connection.
32:38
So we've got 12 committees across, say, several different
32:42
industries, financial services, transportation and logistics,
32:48
health and Wellness, marketing, communications, advertising,
32:52
technology, global opportunities.
32:56
So when when people see that, they say, oh, wow, yeah, I want
33:01
to be a part of that. Or I can do this, you know, it's
33:03
like, oh, And so that helps a lot in terms of folks taking
33:09
action and saying I want to, I want to join.
33:11
But then the other thing is the volume of activity that we do
33:18
puts our brand everywhere, not just, not just metro Atlanta
33:23
globally. Yeah, yeah, we have.
33:26
We have members all over, all over the, well, Africa, Europe,
33:29
the Caribbean, South. Oh, interesting.
33:31
I I guess I just assumed that folks who are a member are in
33:36
sort of the metro Atlanta area. No, Atlanta is an international
33:41
city. You, you may be familiar with
33:44
that little airport we have, but no, but no, it's a, it's a, it's
33:48
an international city. And so people come here from all
33:53
over the world to do either do business or are start or expand
33:59
an existing business. You know, so in particular
34:02
black, in particular black people all over the country and
34:07
all over the world. If you've got a successful
34:09
business in Chicago, New Orleans, California, New York,
34:14
when you say it's time for expansion, what market am I?
34:19
Am I going to? For a lot of folks, it's
34:23
Atlanta, Yeah. And that's just, I mean,
34:27
historically, that's what the city represents.
34:31
Yeah. And we're very proud of that
34:32
history. We mentioned some awards that
34:35
you've won in the intro. Which of those has been the most
34:39
meaningful to you, Melvin? The, the one that I actually got
34:44
from the organization that I, that I lead, that transformative
34:49
Leadership Award was, was really the membership and, and, and the
34:55
team saying, you know, this is the moment we want to recognize
35:01
you for your commitment and, and your work ethic, because that's
35:07
really people say, what's your superpower like?
35:11
Hey, I'm just, I'm just going to go to work and we're going to
35:16
make this thing happen, you know, and I'm never going to
35:19
what I'd like to say is I won't, I won't cheat the process.
35:24
I'm going to do it. And, and, and if I get good
35:28
people on the team, we we can make some great things happen.
35:32
Is there a particular book or a podcast or a course that has
35:38
influenced or affected you along the way?
35:40
Melvin, that might be good for our listeners to hear about,
35:43
might be helpful for them. You know, it's simple stuff that
35:48
that I I read a long, many years ago and I just go back to those
35:53
principles and, you know, as a man thinketh.
35:59
Yeah, that that's a great. It's just, you know, it's it's
36:04
awesome. Everybody should read.
36:07
Read what did. You get from it.
36:10
Well, what you focus on mentally is, is what will happen in your
36:19
life, you know, and you're going to see it manifest.
36:23
So if, if, if you are focused and committed about something,
36:28
then your, your time and energy and your actions are going to
36:33
follow. And and then in, in, in reality,
36:37
you'll see these things happen that that's a big part of it,
36:43
but also, you know, the positive versus the negative and just
36:49
really guarding your thoughts. If you're focused on gloom and
36:53
doom and negativity and being angry and all the people that
36:57
you think are angry at you, you're just going to create more
36:59
of that. There's just the, the negative
37:01
energy kind of swirls in your head and, and your living
37:04
environment. But if you can, turn it around
37:08
and and focus on the good stuff. Yeah, yeah.
37:12
And, and whatever you're truly sincere about and you and you're
37:16
focused on that in your mind, you know, whatever your belief
37:18
system is. So I believe those things will
37:24
manifest. What is your belief system say
37:27
more about kind of the your guiding principles or guiding
37:29
philosophies in life? Yeah, Well, I I believe in good
37:33
and I believe in good and and evil.
37:36
I believe those two things exist.
37:38
I believe we have within us, you know, the, the opportunity to,
37:46
to spend time where we, where we decide to, right.
37:51
So you have this, this, this free will and, and you can feel
37:56
it, you know, in, in your, in your heart or on your mind.
38:00
So you're making decisions every day.
38:05
You know, you, you can do the right thing, you can be the
38:08
better person. You, you have that opportunity
38:11
or you could fail, you could fall, you know, So, so yeah.
38:16
So it's a constant. It's a constant.
38:20
Belvin, what's a serious challenge that you've gone
38:23
through either personally or professionally?
38:25
What was it? What did you learn?
38:27
How did you get through it? Well, you know, I've, I've
38:32
always been kind of like the rock star in my family.
38:36
You know, I was, I was the one who never messed anything up.
38:40
And what really helped me a lot was the first time I really did
38:45
have failure in my life. Now this was this was a long
38:49
time ago, but, but it's still the thing that that helped me
38:53
tremendously. You know, I had everything I
38:57
told you about my promotion at UPS and you know, great
39:01
corporate career, everything. And, and I and I, I got married
39:07
to a wonderful, she was, she was amazing.
39:10
She really was. And I failed, I failed her in
39:13
that, in, in that marriage and, and, and we ended up divorcing
39:19
and, and that was the first time I've really ever messed anything
39:22
up in my life. And I can remember sitting in in
39:27
in my house all by myself, all alone and not.
39:33
And I would say, you know, why did this have like confused and,
39:38
and it actually drove me to reading scripture and, and that
39:47
led to my, my spiritual growth in terms of really becoming a
39:52
better person. And I had to forgive myself.
39:58
You know, I had to understand the concept of forgiveness, had
40:01
to forgive myself so that I could then move on and and go
40:06
forward. So failure is is what is what
40:12
helped me tremendously because I had to go through that process
40:16
and I've never been I've always been a better person having had
40:21
to go through that the shame and the you know, I I've never
40:28
really experienced it. Other people had you know, I've
40:31
seen people mess stuff up and and so when you are that you
40:35
never messed anything up when when you fall.
40:39
You fall hard if if you've been the golden child all along and
40:43
now here you are in your adult life and first time that you
40:47
mess up, it's, it's, it's big, right?
40:50
It was a woman that you cared about deeply and you're going
40:53
through divorce hard emotional stuff.
40:57
And what's interesting to me is the way that you were able to
41:01
take that and rather than, you know, letting that that really
41:05
hard fall kind of be, you know, the, the spiral, the thing that
41:09
sends you spiraling is, you know, I, I, I'm sure you
41:13
spiraled for a bit, but then, then you picked yourself up, you
41:16
brushed yourself off you, you found help in scripture and you
41:20
use that as a leverage point to become a better person going
41:25
forward. Yeah, really It, it definitely
41:28
was. Got Seminole moment or
41:31
experience for me, you know, to feel shame and guilt and oh man,
41:37
I've not experienced it like that before.
41:40
And it helped me relate to other people who when they, when they
41:44
fail, you know, I have a lot more compassion and
41:49
understanding. And you can.
41:51
Be a lot more empathetic now that you know, you've got some
41:53
of your own battle scars. You're like, oh, hey, I get it.
41:56
I've been through rough stuff myself, so I'm not going to be
42:00
maybe so harsh or you know, I'm going to be more supporting in
42:03
this kind of situation. Yes, Sir.
42:07
Yeah. Where do you see the Atlanta
42:11
Black Chamber going from here? What are the future growth
42:16
ideas, opportunities. What?
42:18
What do you guys want to do? Yeah.
42:21
So we, we touched on the fact that our membership is global
42:26
and for us because we, we have a global opportunities initiative
42:31
and A, and a whole committee that we have created that that
42:37
literally goes on trade delegations around, around the
42:41
world to meet other business owners to start these
42:46
relationships that will lead to doing business across borders.
42:57
So, so we, we, we've been to South America, Colombia, Cali,
43:01
Colombia, to be exact. We, we've been to Africa, I
43:05
think South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, we were just in
43:10
Europe, so Great Britain, France, so and we're starting
43:17
these relationships and. And what are you doing while
43:19
you're travelling to all these places?
43:21
We're talking to, we're talking to business owners about how do
43:26
we, how do we do business together, you know, globally
43:31
and, and establishing what is. You want to buy from them, You
43:35
want to sell to them, You want to.
43:36
Yeah. Co manufacture thing like and
43:39
all this is on the table. Yes.
43:41
So they, they have, they have a product that that they want,
43:45
they, they want to be sold here. We have products and services
43:49
that, that they actually need. So it starts with the having a
43:54
relationship and the communication.
43:57
And so opportunities present themselves when you're
44:01
connected. So when you're not doing these
44:03
things and you're like, well, I don't know anybody, I don't know
44:06
or I didn't know that that there was this population in Colombia.
44:11
So for example, the largest black population between North
44:17
America and South America, it's actually in Brazil.
44:22
There are more black people in Brazil than in the United
44:25
States. 2 1/2 times. Wow, that's significant.
44:29
Yeah, it blew my mind. I was like, whoa, 2 1/2.
44:33
And I just learned this in the past five years, OK.
44:38
Colombia is third. So Brazil, United States,
44:41
Colombia. Significant populations of, of
44:45
black people. And so our outreach to them is
44:49
again, to engage, learn and and see what we could possibly do
44:54
together. Because in those other places,
44:57
they need us. We need them, but they really
45:00
need us. Yeah.
45:03
Can can you think of a specific example that you're able to
45:07
share where you know, one of these, you know, international
45:11
trips has led to to some business taking place?
45:15
Yeah. So this is 2025 S 2023, almost
45:20
two years ago, because it was August 2023, there was a trade
45:23
delegation from Atlanta. 2525 entrepreneurs went to Cali,
45:28
Colombia and we we met with several had several meetings
45:33
with people and one I know at least at least one of our
45:40
businesses that someone who travelled there with us is doing
45:45
business with someone that she met in in, in, in Cali, I
45:52
believe yeah, she's she's sending stuff there.
45:57
I think that's the, that, that's the, the arrangement there.
46:02
That's, that's one instance that I know.
46:05
And there's some other things going on where so we will take
46:11
samples with us to these different places and then we
46:15
know we'll bring things back so that, you know, we can expose
46:19
that and say, OK, hey, here's an opportunity where, you know, we
46:25
could bring this here, sell it here.
46:28
When they so they also come here to Atlanta from Africa and South
46:34
America. And then we take them to
46:36
different black-owned businesses here in Atlanta.
46:39
And in some cases the products that the folks visit visiting,
46:44
have they talk to those business owners about having their
46:48
product from whether it's Africa, South America in those
46:51
stores, you know, in those retail operations.
46:55
And so, yeah, we are seeing some success and everything we do,
47:02
we're committed because we know it takes time.
47:04
But but this is the work. I mean, this is this is the work
47:07
what I'm talking to you right now about.
47:10
This is the work that we do. This is the stuff that makes a
47:14
difference. Kind of going back to personal
47:18
things, I'm curious to hear about any maybe daily habits,
47:22
practices, rituals, Melvin that you have that get you started,
47:27
keep you on track, get you centered?
47:32
I'm such a, I'm such a nerd in terms of geopolitical stuff.
47:36
You know, I, I, I've got to keep up with everything that's
47:39
happening in the world. So, yeah, if I'm not feeding
47:45
myself with, with, with knowledge and information, say
47:52
in that sense, then I'm, I'm not plugged in or in tune to the
48:00
things that I need to be on top of.
48:02
So, so, so that's what I spend my time doing, if you will.
48:07
Absorbing what's going on in the world, taking, taking in the
48:10
news and kind of understanding the big.
48:12
Picture yeah and, and from reliable sources, you know, a
48:15
diverse you know I I listen to everything, you know I'm I'm if
48:20
if somebody said OK, are you right left center?
48:24
I'm definitely I believe the solutions are in the center.
48:30
I think if you're if you're far left extreme that I think that's
48:34
a problem if you're far right extreme, I think that's a
48:38
problem. I think that this is where we
48:41
need to be. This is where the solutions are
48:46
and and that's, and that's where I am.
48:49
And so and so I, I, I, I get it from everywhere so that I can.
48:54
Take it in from lots of sources. From the right, from the left,
48:56
from the center. So you get sort.
48:58
Of a A. Spectrum of.
48:59
Stay balanced. Yeah, I, I I don't get lost on
49:03
either end of the spectrum. Melvin, what's something you
49:07
like to do outside of work for fun, Personal enjoyment?
49:12
Well, now, now that I'm, you know, now that I am in my 50s,
49:20
OK, the health, health is everything, you know, your, your
49:25
health is your wealth. So, so I'm, I'm into taking care
49:31
of myself physically. I, I, I haven't, haven't
49:35
conquered the diet thing yet, Meaning, you know, I still eat
49:39
stuff that I probably shouldn't, but I'm, that's one thing that I
49:43
want to change, really, really want to change.
49:45
I, I do exercise and work out and so I enjoy that, you know,
49:49
I, I, I, I get some gratification from, from that
49:53
because it helps me look good in my clothes and that that's
49:59
important. And live longer.
50:00
Live longer and higher quality. Yes, let us not forget about.
50:03
But but let's, let's, let's admit it.
50:05
Yep. We, we, we stay active because
50:07
there's a, there's a vanity, you know, perspective to it as well.
50:09
Pretty sure so. So yeah, those I do spend time
50:14
there as well. Melvin, if you and I reconnect a
50:18
year from now and you're celebrating something, what
50:22
would you hope that is? That's a great question.
50:28
Wow. We are going to celebrate.
50:35
I want to, I want to celebrate my my, my daughter getting a
50:38
full scholarship. She's in high school right now.
50:42
Yes, she is and her grade born average is like look, hey kid,
50:49
that would be great. I don't when you ask the
50:51
question, I'm like, you know, 'cause I obviously not prepared.
50:54
I'm like, what would I'm like, Hey, that would be awesome.
50:56
Whatever whatever's top of your mind, that's the right answer.
51:00
So and and is she looking in the Atlanta or the Georgia area or
51:04
is she is she considering all over?
51:06
She's considering all over, but it'll, it'll get more, you know,
51:11
she'll focus more and we'll we'll really be able to see
51:14
what's going on. You know, she's still got a
51:17
couple years, but but I, I she could still secure a lot of
51:26
interest in, in, in scholarships and and things because it does
51:30
start, does start early now. It's a there's a lot there that
51:34
that goes into that. But yeah, yeah.
51:37
So I have just the one daughter and so.
51:42
So hopefully we're we're popping a cork on champagne bottle for
51:47
your your daughter getting a full ride scholarship to a great
51:50
school somewhere. Hey, that would be that would be
51:53
so exciting. I've just got one more question
51:56
for you, Melvin. But before I ask it, I want to
51:58
do 2 things. First of all, I'm going to
51:59
invite everyone who's listening to hit the follow button on
52:02
their favorite podcast app. Continue to get more great
52:05
interviews like we've had here today with Melvin Coleman, the
52:08
President and CEO of the Atlanta Black Chambers.
52:11
Melvin, I also want to let people know the best way to get
52:15
in touch with you to follow your story, that of Atlanta Black
52:18
Chambers. What would that be?
52:21
So of course the the Chamber has a website,
52:24
atlantablackchambers.org. I would always tell people don't
52:28
forget the S on Chambers Atlanta, blackchambers.org.
52:35
And there's an e-mail address on that website
52:40
thatidohavevisibilityofbutitssimplyinfo@atlantablackchambers.org. Yeah.
52:51
Great. So last question for you,
52:53
Melvin. As you look to the future, what
52:56
are the most exciting changes that you think are coming to the
53:01
Atlanta Black-owned business community?
53:05
Well, you know, we've got this little thing called World Cup
53:10
coming to Atlanta and the economic impact of that is, you
53:15
know, is going to be mind blowing.
53:17
And I've heard people say, you know, one of those games we, and
53:21
we've got several of them that are going to be played here.
53:23
They're like one of those games is the equivalent of a Super
53:25
Bowl. So, so we're, you know,
53:29
preparing to put our businesses in position to capitalize on,
53:38
on, on, on that opportunity, right?
53:42
And, you know, the, the culture of Atlanta culturally, it
53:46
really, it really does come out of the, you know, the black
53:50
community And, and we want the whoo, I don't know, but
53:57
definitely hundreds of thousands of people who will be here for
54:02
that experience. We want them to experience the
54:06
ATL. We want them to know what that
54:09
means. So, so that that's big.
54:13
But but yeah, we, we want to move the needle in those
54:20
critical areas, government and corporate contracts.
54:27
That's, that's huge because clearly we're not getting our
54:33
fair share. I mean, it's, we focus on data.
54:36
We don't make stuff up. There's so much data and
54:39
evidence out there. And and that's why I'm here
54:45
doing the work that I'm doing, because I know that, you know,
54:49
this is what needs to happen for the United States of America to
54:54
be as the best version of itself.
54:56
I mean, I'm a veteran of the United States Navy.
55:00
And you know, this is this is this is the greatest place on
55:06
earth. And we just have to keep making
55:10
sure we we don't, we don't let it, we don't let it go crazy.
55:15
Keep turning the dials and making things better every day.
55:19
Melvin Coleman, I want to be the first to thank you for sharing
55:21
both your time and your story with us today.
55:24
I really appreciate it. Thank you.
55:26
This has been as you said, it's going to be fun.
55:29
And indeed it was. I'm glad to hear that, folks.
55:33
That's a wrap on another episode of the Inspired Stories podcast.
55:36
Thanks for learning with us today.