Welcome to The Acumen, a Colorado Black Chamber of Commerce monthly publication. Stay up-to-date with the latest news for Black business in Colorado. Read, enjoy, and share with your networks!
THE ACUMEN May 2024
SOARING TO NEW HEIGHTS A Conversation With Denver International Airport’s Phil Washington
BY DR. ANGELIC COLE
BY WAYNE BLACKWELL PATHWAYS TO SUCCESS
BY ARAPAHOE COUNTY THE FUTURE OF THE ESSENTIAL SERVICE
BY CARLY WILLIAMS FINANCE YOUR BUSINESS TODAY
1 The Acumen
2
The Acumen
CONTENTS
30
50
46
15 PATHWAYS TO SUCCESS Pickens Technical College supports education’s new direction. 8 NEW HEIGHTS Inspirational vision from Denver International Airport’s Phil Washington. 6 BULLETIN BOARD Get an inside look at the lives and interests of the Board Members of the CBCC. 5 PRESIDENT’S CORNER Dr. Angelic Cole and the CBCC celebrate Small Business Month. 20 NOW RISING IN FIVE PTS The RTL Foundation support minority led and serving organizations.
46 DIVERSIFYING FUNDING Vectra Bank is a long-time partner to small businesses and their successes. 36 ENVISIONING FUTURES DEN Airport looks ahead with its future-forward design. 32 ASKING FOR HELP Essential services in Arapahoe County are under threat of elimination. economic independence in underserved communities. 30 INNOVATIVE FINANCING CEDS Finance fosters
32
49 ON THE MOVE
36
Highlighting our Black businesses’ impact to the community.
3 The Acumen
Contributors
Editor Alisha Harris, Original Account Strategies Photographer Shameka McBoat, McBoat Photography Contributing Writers Arapahoe County Commisioners, Jonah Baker, Wayne Blackwell, Clint Burnette, Dr. Angelic Cole, Janelle Johnson, John Londoño, Murugan Palani, Carly Williams
Contributing Member Companies
3 D Electric
4
The Acumen
President’s Corner History of Small Business Month – The Unsung Heroes of the American Dream Dear Reader: Small Business Month, celebrated in May every year, is a special tribute to celebrate small businesses, their courage, community efforts, and hard work for an entire month! Did you know that small businesses are the backbone of the United States? Yes, according to a 2020 study by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), there are 31.7 million small businesses in the United States. So, as you can see, these small businesses that are the backbone of the United States are the unsung heroes of the American Dream. Some examples of small businesses include baking businesses, online selling, food carts, street food businesses, retailing businesses, and photography businesses. Small Business Month is a special celebration month created by the SBA to honor small businesses. SBA is an organization that helps small business owners and entrepreneurs pursue the American Dream. It is a federal agency that is dedicated to small businesses and provides counseling, capital, and contracting expertise for small businesses. Initially, the celebration only lasted a week, but this changed when the City of Charlotte began celebrating it for a month instead of a week. The City of Charlotte and its small business resource partners declared May as Small Business Month with an official proclamation by Mayor Vi Lyes. This celebration aims to recognize our community’s entrepreneurial spirit and honor all small businesses and entrepreneurs who play a crucial role in strengthening the economy. During Small Business Month, small business owners and people who support small businesses celebrate their community’s entrepreneurial ecosystem with award ceremonies, seminars, networking events, trade shows, and more. These celebrations bring together entrepreneurs and prospective entrepreneurs at conferences, workshops, luncheons, and trade fairs across the nation. According to recent polls, most people who opened their own businesses said that the biggest reason and motivation for opening small businesses is being their own boss. All we need to do is to support them and stand by their side. Today, with competition increasing rapidly in the business ecosystem, small business owners are struggling to keep up with the big businesses for
survival. This Small Business Month will be a great morale booster for small businesses as it sheds light on them for 31 days. The most common reason why most businesses fail in their first few years is a lack of market demand. Other reasons might include lack of funds and high competition. So, let’s support small businesses and strengthen the economy! Small Business Month activities you can do: 1. Say Thanks – The best thing you can do to celebrate Small Business Month is to spread awareness and appreciation for small businesses. Take a moment to thank them and show your appreciation. 2. Invest and Partner – One of the impactful ways in which you can helps small businesses is by investing in their business and helping them grow. If you already own a small business, you can even partner with them. 3. Share your story – If you’re someone who started their own business, don’t keep your story a secret. Share your story with other budding business owners and help them succeed in life. Submit your story to The Acumen. Dr. Angelic Cole President & CEO Colorado Black Chamber of Commerce “First, think. Second, believe. Third, dream. And finally, dare.” Walt Disney, Entrepreneur, Animator, Voice Actor and Film Producer
5 The Acumen
Bulletin Board
During his 7 years at the District, Murugan has increased spend with Minority and Women Owned Businesses from 22% to 34% utilization. In his 15 years serving in Supplier Diversity roles he has helped Women Owned Businesses obtain over half a Billion dollars in contracts. He is a strong proponent of MWBE’s and small businesses and believes that helping small businesses grow and succeed are the keys to growing our economy and our community. His passion for community service is evident with his involvement in and leadership roles in several of the local Chambers of Commerce and other local organizations. In March of 2012, The Denver Business Journal named Murugan to its Top 40 Under 40 list of Business Leaders in Colorado and in 2014 The Colorado Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Commission awarded Murugan both its Humanitarian of the Year and Business Social Responsibility Awards. In 2015 COBiz Magazine named him to its list of the Top 25 most influential young professionals in Colorado. DID YOU KNOW?! CBCC offers committees and special interest groups for members to get involved with, including: • Business Policy Cabinet with Senator James Coleman • Public Policy Committee • Membership Committee • Gala Committee • Black Construction Group • Black Retailers Group • Black Professional Services Group Join us today! For more information, please contact Dr. Angelic Cole at dr.angelic.cole@cbcc.biz.
We invite you to learn more about the dynamic CBCC board members.
Director, Office of Business Diversity Denver Public Schools
Meet Murugan Palani Board Member
Murugan Palani is the Director of the Office of Business Diversity at Denver Public Schools. He is a native of Denver and a graduate of the University of Colorado. Murugan is a former Officer in the United States Army with one deployment to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom where he served as a Tank Platoon Leader and Civil Affairs Officer. During his tour of duty he was awarded two Bronze Star Medals, one for heroic actions in intense close quarter combat. Upon completing his service to the United States Army, Murugan accepted a position with Xcel Energy in 2009 to run its Supplier Diversity Program. He later accepted the position of the Director of the Office of Business Diversity for Denver Public Schools in 2016 to help them turn around their procurement equity program.
6
The Acumen
7 The Acumen
Soaring to New Heights
A Conversation with Denver International Airport’s Phil Washington By DR.ANGELIC COLE
8 The Acumen Images: McBoat Photography
Photo: McBoat Photography
Cole: What would you say is the primary motivating factor behind your leadership?
Cole: Who are your role models, and what life- changing lessons did you pick up from them?
Washington: Wherever I’ve served as a leader, I’ve tried to leverage my position to improve the organization’s people development programs, to include training, leadership, and the empowerment of our most important asset, that being our employees. I have also stressed the importance of equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility. Additionally, » I’ve improved internal processes to make contracting more equitable. » I’ve asked prime contractors to help recruit and partner with historically underserved businesses – especially to teach them how to succeed as primes. » I’ve instituted training programs and institutions to improve the career potential of young people – especially those from
Washington: I have several, and that list is always growing – I’m continually inspired by amazing people I meet. More than anyone, my mother inspired me. She was a young teenage girl who was the valedictorian of the largest black high school in the City of Chicago in the late 1940s.
underserved areas disproportionately affected by the organization’s operations.
Photo: McBoat Photography
10 The Acumen
» She struggled mightily as a single mother of five at the age of 24 years old. » She earned her college degree in her 60s after making sure ALL of her children did. » She’s a real unsung and “hidden figure” hero. There’s also an old church janitor from 50 years ago, Brother Frank Evans. » Brother Evans had a 7th grade education and was not learned. » However, in the absence of a male figure in my life, he tried his best to relate to my struggles and advise me. Honorable mention goes to Alexander Hamilton for his incredible work ethic; U.S. Army General George C. Marshall, the architect of the World War II effort and later as U.S. Secretary of State created and developed the “Marshall Plan” to rebuild Europe; and of course U.S. Army General and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Colin Powell who I had the pleasure of serving under when he was U.S. Army V Corps Commander in Heidelberg, Germany. Cole: How do you ensure that others benefit from the life-changing knowledge you gained from your mentors? Washington: I am always focused on creating opportunities for young people just starting their careers. At DEN we just instituted the CEO Visionary Awards program and recognized outstanding efforts by six employees. I try and share my thoughts frequently through speaking engagements, employee town halls and CEO messages to employees.
Photo: McBoat Photography
to interview – even before I left the service. » The RTD CEO was an Army veteran and knew I could apply the lessons I learned in the Army to help him manage the growing operations. » I put in the time and rose to become the eventual CEO of Denver RTD. I quickly learned that transportation is one of the great equalizers in American society. » Transportation agencies are about building communities through infrastructure. I also learned that bad transportation decisions can negatively impact communities for many years and create barriers with regard to access to medical care, education, and healthy food choices.
Cole: What inspired you to pursue a career in the transportation field, and how did you get started?
Washington: I was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time. » As I was retiring from the military, I noticed an opportunity at Denver’s Regional Transportation District (RTD) and I decided
11 The Acumen
Cole: What do you believe to be the most important piece of advice for a leader to follow?
developed Vision 100 to help the airport prepare for an eventual and inevitable 100 million annual passengers (MAP). » The simple strategy features four pillars and four guiding principles. » Every employee and position at the airport can tie their activities into the creation of an organization that will support 100 MAP. This reminds me of the janitor/custodian who President Kennedy encountered on a tour of NASA. » The president asked the janitor, “What is it that you do?” » While pushing a broom, the employee said, “I’m helping to put a man on the moon.” This is one of the best examples I know of someone seeing themselves in the overall organizational mission and vision. Cole: How do you prioritize work-life balance, and what advice do you have for junior professionals who are struggling to find balance? Washington: Honestly, I’ve not always had a good work-life balance. During my 24-year military career, I missed a lot of family time and I missed and regret missing a lot of my kid’s school age activities. However, it’s never too late. For me, family has always been important. One big reason that I came back to Colorado from running LA Metro was to be near my granddaughters. It’s important to carve out time to be present in your loved ones’ lives. I’ve also developed a love for creating good BBQ and for jazz music. If I’m not traveling for work, I might just be heading to a jazz festival or performance somewhere in this country. Cole: What things do you do in your spare time to enable you to be a more effective leader in your professional life?
Washington: A good leader needs to have a clear direction to take an organization – it’s critical that leaders create and articulate a vision for the organization. And, that vision must include equity and fairness for all, with an expectation of excellence. Believe in yourself and don’t let anyone define who you are. Cole: What are the most important lessons you’ve learned in your career, and how have they influenced your leadership style? Washington: My first Platoon Sergeant, Leroy Guidry, taught me an invaluable skill. He said, “Washington, I should be able to assign you to every job in this military unit and you should be able to function in that job within 90 days.” That has guided me for 50 years as I’ve sought to be flexible and do whatever job is asked of me. Cole: How can you inspire others while also maintaining that you continue to be inspired by DEN’s overall mission? Washington: It’s key to work with an organization’s leaders to develop a shared vision that can be inspirational to all. At DEN, we’ve
Washington: I make a point of reading and
Photo: McBoat Photography
12 The Acumen
listening to the thoughts of other leaders, regardless of their political position. I’m all about innovation and continually searching for technologies and new ideas at the edge of possibility. Cole: As an African American leader, what do you consider to be one of the most difficult obstacles you’ve faced? Washington: I grew up on the Southside of Chicago, in the Altgeld Gardens housing project. Early life was dangerous and were it not for my mother’s help I may not have made it to this point in my life. When I decided to enlist in the Army, my mom was concerned to learn that I was going to basic training in the South. We knew Emmit Till’s family, and she was sure that I would run into similar trouble. Wherever I’ve worked I’ve run into people who didn’t want to see a Black man succeed, much less be in charge. All these obstacles created a determination in me to not be timid in the face of hate and/or racism. It also instilled in me the ability to encourage myself amidst disappointment and challenges. My background has also instilled in me the importance of prayer. Cole: What do you think are the biggest challenges facing the transportation industry today, and how do you see DEN overcoming them? Washington: One of the biggest challenges the transportation industry faces is the need to attract and retain talented people – especially those from underserved communities. We’ve developed the Center of Equity and Excellence in Aviation (CEEA) to provide career pathways for young people from our community to access rewarding careers in the aviation industry. Another challenge we face is that the pace of innovation continually challenges us to keep up. Just consider the ways air travel has changed in
Photo: McBoat Photography
the last decade. We used to have paper tickets that we purchased from an agent at a ticket counter. Now we use our smartphones to not only buy tickets but pass through security and arrange for meals on the airplane. We must keep up with technological acceleration and progress and that’s why CEEA is partnering with local universities and industry peers on research and innovation – offering DEN as a lab to test and implement new innovations. Cole: How clear is your vision for what the future of corporate responsibility should look like at DEN? Washington: My vision for DEN’s community responsibility is crystal clear. We will be thought leaders and early adopters in sustainability, EDIA, customer experience and many other areas of emphasis. We will be the “silicon valley of aviation”.
Cole: In what direction does DEN see itself going?
Washington: DEN’s passenger traffic is driving its success. We’re already the third busiest airport in North America and the sixth busiest in the world. And all projections show that trend continuing. We’ve begun Operation 2045 to reconfigure the airport to serve up to 125 million annual passengers by DEN’s 50th Anniversary in 2045. We’ve stated we want to be the greenest airport in the world and are already making amazing progress on that ambitious goal. Our CEEA, is establishing DEN as the most progressive airport operation in the world.
13 The Acumen
14 The Acumen
If you think of technical colleges as the less challenging, second-rate alternative to a traditional university program, it’s time to reevaluate. “Because we aren’t talking about the same economic landscape as we used to be, we aren’t talking about the same education landscape, either,” said Pickens Technical College (PTC) Executive Director Dr. Teina McConnell. “A lot of myths about career and technical education exist, but as we continue to diversify and grow, those hold less and less water. We have state- of-the-art training facilities, knowledgeable instructors, and so much more to help students succeed in the workforce.” Career and technical education isn’t just a practical choice - it’s also becoming pretty popular. Business Insider reported in April last year that trade program sign-ups were up as college enrollment decreased. Construction trade programs saw the largest enrollment increase - a rise of 19.3% year over year, per a study from the National Student Clearinghouse. Theories on learning and how we approach education are constantly evolving, and technology is a major contributor to that growth. That means employees entering the workforce must have the most up-to-date knowledge and skills that will help them stay on the cutting edge of their respective industries. Technical colleges like Pickens Tech in Aurora offer 25+ programs that can launch careers in a wide range of different fields. Pickens Tech also partners with local companies and employers that are seeking to expand their workforce with Pathways to Success Pickens Technical College provides specialized career and technical training to support education’s new direction By WAYNE BLACKWELL
Image: Adobe
skilled applicants, helping businesses right here in Colorado grow from the inside out. “The nationwide labor shortage is impacting the entire country, and Colorado is no exception,” Dr. McConnell said. In late September, Gov. Jared Polis issued an executive order mandating a 50% increase to the number of registered apprenticeship programs by this coming summer to help bring down high job vacancy rates. At the time, nearly half of Colorado businesses had openings they were having difficulty filling. Built With the Support of Local Businesses All of PTC’s programs employ some sort of hands-on, career-focused curriculum, shaped around what employers actually need. Students use industry-grade equipment in simulated shop or lab environments that mimic what they will see every day in their future workplace. To add even more realness to the education experience, apprenticeships like the ones Gov. Polis has worked to encourage, and internships are built into most of our programs. If PTC’s primary goal is to provide an unsurpassed, highly applicable education to all students, our secondary goal is to support our community by providing confident, equipped employees to fulfill the evolving demands of business and industry in our state. “At the end of the day, we’re here to make a difference,” said Andrew Vidockler, Assistant Director at PTC. “Sometimes, that means making
15 The Acumen
a difference in the lives of a specific student. Other times, it’s supporting our community and growing the local economy through these mutually beneficial partnerships.” Local employers are buying in - last year, 15 of them visited the Aurora campus to connect with students on Table Tuesdays, a weekly event that encouraged networking. One program that PTC offers stands out as a good example of this kind of partnership. In 2022, Pickens transitioned their ECE program to A2T, or Apprenticeship 2 Teaching, to appeal to students who might want to work with older kids after completing their certifications. The impact of this A2T program on Pickens’ partnership with not only the APS School District, but the community as a whole has been incredible. Marcela Garcia, Principal at Aurora Hills Middle School speaks to this community impact saying, “Right now, there’s a shortage of teachers. The pool is not only shallow, it is almost a desert.”
The result of this collaboration is a student-to- teacher pipeline, allowing students to get hired on as paraprofessionals in local schools and offering them a chance to get hands-on job training in a real-world setting while filling critical industry gaps. Pickens partners with employers in the community in a variety of fields to help offer internships and apprenticeships like this to their students. Some programs have internships built into their curriculum, ensuring that a good portion of their students gain workplace experience before graduating. Real-World Experience Through Student Organizations Student-run organizations that operate out of the Pickens Tech campus like the Design Lab and Salon offer students the chance to work with real-life clients and actual budgets under the guidance of their instructor.
Image: Adobe
16 The Acumen
In the Design Lab, Multimedia and Graphic Design students create marketing materials for local businesses and organizations that need graphic design services but can’t afford the steadily increasing rate of a professional graphic designer or marketing agency. Last year, the program produced 18 free designs for local clients. Across campus at the Salon, Pickens students offer affordable salon services to real customers. Classic facials, chemical peels, waxing, hair cuts and washes, full nail sets, and beard trimming from aspiring professionals are all offered at a fraction of the usual retail price. Community involvement is always emphasized in PTC’s programs, and the examples are abundant. The Culinary Arts program caters to community events, Environmental Horticulture puts on multiple plant sales throughout the year that are open to the public, and the Small Business Management program completes tax returns for local clients. Pickens Technical College also partners with several reputable CTSOs like DECA, HOSA, and SkillsUSA - all of which are vocational organizations for students in CTE pathways who want to further their knowledge through contextual instruction, personal development, and real-world application. CTOs are another powerful tool we have to encourage workforce development and continued economic viability. Debt-Free Education Speaking of economic viability, it is important to highlight PTC’s focus on tuition assistance and making sure that students have a secondary education option that will leave them debt-free. This includes offering nine tuition-free programs that are currently available for enrollment through Career Advance Colorado. Gen Z largely plans to avoid student loans entirely, and they’ll do this by using more cost- effective pathways to higher education, just like the ones Pickens offers. Even compared to the
Millennial generation, the data suggests that Gen Z is more realistic about the necessity of student loans and, more broadly, traditional college as a concept. Affordable education is not only essential for ensuring accessibility, it is a key to economic growth and development. Career education can help individuals develop workable skills that are needed to create revenue and drive the economy. Pickens not only makes higher education more attainable for those with fewer resources at their disposal but also does its part in supporting the stability of the community it serves. Career Placement Support As we all know, having the skills required to perform at a job isn’t the only deciding factor - although lots of the time, it’s the only one that gets talked about. PTC’s team of career advisors offers a variety of support in soft skills like resume building, interviewing, and networking that can elevate a student’s employability. If one stereotype about trade schools and career education holds some validity, it’s that the
Image: Adobe
17 The Acumen
Image: Adobe
benefits of this kind of education go beyond what some might call “book learning”. The valuable soft skills that come with career education like professionalism and workplace communication aren’t things that can necessarily be taught in a classroom, but that coaches, instructors, and CTSO organizations help students learn, further cementing involvement in these student organizations as a vital step in both finding and maintaining a job. These soft skills are valuable in all industries, and crucial for workplace success. Impact Statistics PTC’s commitment to success in their community is something that they stress and something they understand they need to be able to back up. As mentioned earlier, accessibility is important to Pickens. That’s why they are so transparent about their prices. Annual tuition towards a certificate from Pickens Tech comes to about $3,450, compared to the $7,500 average cost of
an associate degree in Colorado. The tuition that Pickens does collect doesn’t necessarily stay there, though. The funding impacts the community directly, with $50 entering the local economy for every $1 that goes into Pickens’ pocket. Pickens (and APS as a whole) also works to make sure that diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the forefront of what they do. In fact, APS students are from 130 countries and speak more than 160 languages. Pickens is proud to present practical and effective educational opportunities to students. State-of-the-art facilities, partnerships with local businesses, and work experience-focused curriculum help Pickens’ dedicated instructors to equip students with the skills needed to thrive in today’s workforce. Pickens remains committed to providing accessible, high quality education while supporting the evolving demands of Colorado’s workforce. Pickens believes in the impact technical education creates in student lives, almost as much as they believe in the impact these students have on our community.
18 The Acumen
19 The Acumen
Now Rising in Five Points: The RTL Foundation By JHON LONDOÑO
Image: Adobe
20 The Acumen
21 The Acumen
Organization History
the space and building its IT and back-end infrastructure to serve the cohort of nonprofits that now call the BNDC home. Tapping into his more than 30 years of experience and trajectory in the corporate and nonprofit sectors, as well as his successes – and failures – as a Latinx entrepreneur, Dr. Londoño is also seeding the Foundation and the BNDC with elements of entrepreneurship, providing one-on-one mentoring to the member organizations, and leveraging his depth and breadth of nonprofit executive leadership experience, to build a collaborative and high performing environment for the nonprofit organizations and social entrepreneurs at the BNDC, where they are encouraged and inspired to dream big, for themselves, their organizations, and the communities they serve, and where they will receive the resources, supports, programming, and mentorship to make their individual and collective big dreams come true. Dr. Londoño’s winding trajectory to Executive Director of the RTL Foundation is the culmination of a personal and professional journey that brought him to the United States as an undocumented immigrant long ago. The first in his family to attend college, he, his mother and two brothers left their native Colombia when he was just 10 years old and onto a journey that took them to the Mexican border, where they would cross illegally on foot into Nogales, Arizona. After being captured by border patrol and sent back to Mexico several times, they ultimately crossed safely on their 5th attempt. Rejoining his father and 2 older sisters in inner New York City, he and his family embarked on
The RTL Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit organization established to serve historically and systemically underserved BIPOC - Black, Indigenous, People Of Color - communities in Denver and Colorado through support in the areas of entrepreneurship, technology, education and history. As we launch the foundation, we are anchored in our mission and vision to support the operation and growth of minority-led and serving nonprofits, and to provide a BIPOC Nonprofit Development Center (BNDC) that functions as a collaborative space to support minority-led and servicing organizations. To learn more please visit rtl-foundation.org The Foundation is located at 2900 Welton Street, in the Five Points Media Center at the corner of 29th and Welton Streets, in Denver’s historic and culturally rich Five Points neighborhood – “The Harlem of the West”. This is an ideal location as it facilitates an active and stable presence close to the communities served by BIPOC serving nonprofit organizations. To fulfill our mission and vision, we have launched the BIPOC Nonprofit Development Center (BNDC), the country’s first Incubator exclusively for BIPOC-led and serving nonprofit organizations and Social Entrepreneurs. The BNDC provides year-round programming to help these nonprofit businesses to grow and scale over a two-year residency at the BNDC. The BNDC opened its doors and welcomed its first cohort of 24 member organizations into the BNDC in Five Points in January of 2024. The Foundation is led by Dr. Jhon F. Londoño, who took the leadership reins as its inaugural Executive Director in 2023. Charged with operationalizing the Foundation as it prepared to move into its home in Five Points in late 2023, Dr. Londoño has led efforts recruiting the nonprofits in its first cohort, building partnerships and collaborations to develop and implement capacity building programming, connecting and building relationships with community based organizations in Five Points and throughout Denver, and with key government, foundation and corporate stakeholders, as well as activating
Dr. Jhon Londoño Image: The RTL Foundation
22 The Acumen
Image: Adobe
their journey as undocumented immigrants, navigating the worlds of housing and food insecurity – homelessness and hunger - social, educational, health and justice inequities for years to come. Despite these many barriers, Dr. Londoño would persevere, ultimately earning his doctorate in engineering, enjoyed a successful corporate career in New York and California, as well as entrepreneurial ventures also in New York and California’s Silicon Valley. Having enjoyed professional and entrepreneurial success, Dr. Londoño transitioned to the non-profit sector in 2003, taking the reins of the LIFC Foundation in New York as its first President and CEO, where he led a dramatic turn-around of that organization, which built housing for the poor, many of whom shared his and his family’s trajectory and lived experience. Now more than 20 years since diving head-first into the non-profit sector, he’s never looked back and is passionate about helping BIPOC communities to be resilient and thrive. Having lived on both coasts, Jhon, his wife and 2 sons now call Colorado home, and his journey leading organizations that serve low-income, disadvantage and BIPOC communities has continued, including previously as Director at Focus Points Family Resource Center in Elyria- Swansea and most recently as Vice President at Warren Village in Denver. “The RTL Foundation’s mission and vision resonates deeply with me. Our innovative approach to empower BIPOC-led nonprofits to be transformed in our first-of-its kind incubator
spoke to me as I met and got to know our founder, Richard Lewis, and our impactful Board of Directors during my journey to being named inaugural Executive Director. Personally and professionally, this innovative, and itself entrepreneurial endeavor, further ignited my passion for building things – much as I did as an engineer in silicon valley and the corporate sector, as an entrepreneur, and as a non-profit leader since 2003. The entrepreneurial DNA runs deep in many non-profit and social entrepreneur leaders of color – many of them simply don’t know it. Many believe entrepreneurship lies only in the domain of the for-profit world, that entrepreneurs are those who toil in their garage to launch the “next Google”. Nothing could be further from the truth. By definition nonprofits and social enterprises are innovative – always looking for better ways to fulfill their missions; they’re profoundly efficient with minimal resources – like their for-profit entrepreneurial peers, they wear many hats, and are experts at multi-tasking; and they quickly pivot to re- invent themselves in the face of adversity and rapidly changing conditions – as we all witnessed with how quickly, and effectively, non-profits of all sizes, and especially those serving BIPOC communities, re-invented themselves during the Covid-19 pandemic,” says Jhon. “We are tapping into their entrepreneurial DNA, providing the resources and platform for them to experiment, to fall down fail (yes, failure is a part of the journey), and to rise again and re-invent
23 The Acumen
themselves, as many have already done – so that they can emerge stronger, transformed, more confident and more impactful organizations. Being there for them, being there side by side on their journey is very exhilarating, we look forward to elevating them and seeing them and their individual and collective impact rise for years to come.” “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, are not merely words for the Foundation and the BNDC. It’s literally in our DNA. I’m proud that our Board of Directors is 100% Black, that as it grows it will, by intention, diversify further; that our inaugural cohort includes 18 organizations led by Black, Latinx and Asian female executives, and 6 are led by Black and Latinx male executives. All member organizations have Boards of Directors that are majority BIPOC – a requirement to apply for membership in the BNDC Incubator. These BIPOC leaders are already changing lives and driving significant economic activity in BIPOC communities in Colorado. We are proud, privileged and excited to see them experiment, innovate, grow and transform at the BNDC, and in the process we will help amplify their transformational impact in the lives of the BIPOC communities they serve.” “We are proud as well that we built our home at the corner of 29th and Welton Streets in Five Points. We believe we can become foundational, a cornerstone organization and critical resource for Five Points and BIPOC organizations and
communities in Denver and beyond. We believe our investment is helping to seed and catalyze the renaissance of this rich epicenter of Black culture in Denver. We are honored as well that the Colorado Black Chamber of Commerce held its 2023 Holiday Celebration as we launched our Art Gallery and Event Space this past December. Thank you Dr. Angelic Cole and the CBCC for helping us to inaugurate our event space, we look forward to growing and deepening our relationship with the CBCC in the months and years to come.” We have held numerous events at the BNDC including PBS Channel 12’s holiday celebration; Denver Urban Spectrum’s HOPE Awards; Rocky Mountain MicroFinance Institute’s (RMMFI) entrepreneur bootcamp graduation; Denver Office of Nonprofit Engagement (D-ONE) convening and networking event for more than 50 non-profit organizations participating in its capacity building cohort with its partner Resilia; Metro DEEP’s Mastermind Entrepreneur Bootcamp; as well as upcoming events for Colorado State University; Wyatt Academy, and others.” Fore more information about our Art Gallery and Event Space, please email Jhon F. Londoño at jlondono@rtl-foundation.org , or Miguel Valdez at mvaldez@rtl-foundation.org “We believe that working with our cohort, partners, collaborators, the community, stakeholders, and supporters, investors, and friends of the RTL Foundation, that together we
Dr. Jhon Londoño, Richard Lewis, and Dr. Angelic Cole at RTL Foundation for 2023 CBCC holiday party. Image: The RTL Foundation
24 The Acumen
are rising, renewing, thriving, transforming and impacting the lives of many BIPOC Coloradans. I am honored and privileged to lead the RTL Foundation and the BNDC as we set off on this journey of elevating BIPOC nonprofits and social entrepreneurs.” Members’ Journey to, and at, the BNDC BNDC Member organizations work across a spectrum of missions in BIPOC communities throughout Denver and Colorado including in Economic and Workforce Development, Entrepreneurship, Community Building, Food Access, Mental and Behavioral Health, Education, Leadership Development, The Arts, among others, and are themselves engines of economic development, employing more than 100 BIPOC professionals, and with cumulative revenues exceeding $10 million dollars annually. These nonprofit businesses served more than 185,000 predominantly BIPOC Coloradans in 2023, and are projected to serve 300,000 Coloradans by the end of 2025. Members are selected via a competitive application process and receive year-round capacity building programming in such areas as business development; strategic and organizational planning; finance and human resources; fundraising and grants management; mentorship and access to volunteers; marketing and communications; developing their org’s pitch; broadcasting their org’s mission and vision via professionally produced podcasts at the Foundation’s on-site, streaming media studios; networking with peer organizations; networking with BIPOC leaders from corporate, private foundation, entrepreneurs and government stakeholders; year-round engagement with community based organizations in Five Points and the greater Denver Metro. The BNDC is building a collaborative, nurturing ecosystem for BIPOC nonprofit entrepreneurs and providing the physical, IT, backend infrastructure, and programming to help these nonprofits transform and elevate their impact. The investment to date in building the RTL
Foundation and the BNDC stands at $2.8 million dollars, all from private sources, $1.4 million of which was invested in 15 BIPOC- owned and operated contractors who built the BNDC, employing more than 50 BIPOC trades professionals and generating an additional $2.8 million in economic activity in the Denver Metro. Simultaneously, we are seeding and catalyzing the economic and cultural renaissance and neighborhood revitalization of the Welton Street corridor of Five Points. transformational ways: One, via the BNDC Incubator, whose goal is to build the capacity of BIPOC-led nonprofits to scale, grow and thrive – the BNDC Incubator is the first of its kind in the country, devoted exclusively to BIPOC-led and serving nonprofits and social entrepreneurs. The BNDC Incubator provides member organizations with a physical space that is by and for organizations serving communities The Foundation’s mission to serve BIPOC communities is accomplished in two of color, so that they can be together in an environment where they are surrounded by others with their same lived experience. By intention, we want to build a nurturing ecosystem of BIPOC leaders and their organizations, where they come together and are surrounded by a supportive community among and with each other; an ecosystem that provides opportunities for learning, networking, collaboration and for building partnerships and community. All organizations receive year-round capacity building programming in multiple areas identified by members as being a critical need(s), including: finance, accounting, nonprofit law, and human resources; fundraising and funds and grants management; marketing; business, strategic and organizational planning; Board building; mentorship; volunteers; as well as community building programming – among each other and with the community at large, in Five Points, the greater Denver Metro, and beyond. Rather than create programming of its own, and to avoid duplicating work already being done expertly and efficiently by others, the Foundation is partnering with external organizations and
25 The Acumen
the Denver Metro, the rest of Colorado, who can participate in all in-house trainings, live via Video Tele Conference (VTC). All members (in-person and virtual) have access to all facilities and resources at the BNDC, which include conference and board rooms, private offices and cubicles, day-desks (hot desks), as well as an Art Gallery and Event Space, multiple high speed wired and wireless broadband internet networks, networked printing and copying, and modern, furnished offices with VoIP telephone technology. The BNDC is housed on the second floor of the Five Points Media Center, formerly the home of KUVO Jazz, and is co-located with PBS Channel 12, which occupies the 1st and 3rd floors. After an extensive gut renovation of the second floor, and in keeping with its broadcasting heritage, the BNDC includes two Streaming Media Studios. The Foundation has partnered with a Denver based, black-owned Streaming Media Company which will be in-charged of producing, recording and distributing podcasts and video casts to major streaming platforms such as Apple, Spotify, YouTube and others. Collectively all of the aforementioned encompass the community, entrepreneurship and education components of our mission. The studio build-out was made possible with a generous gift from the Bon Fils Stanton Foundation. Other investors who are making the RTL Foundation and BNDC possible include RTL Networks, Gary Community Ventures, Kaiser Foundation, Boettcher Foundation, Mile High United Way, Chinook Fund, PNC Bank Foundation, IMA Foundation, Molson Coors, Wells Fargo Corporate Foundations, Gates Family Foundation, as well as a growing list of individual donors and a pipeline of private and corporate foundations. The history component of our mission to serve BIPOC communities in a second transformational way is accomplished via the African American Experience Timeline – africanamericantimeline. org .
Image: Adobe
subject matter experts to deliver programming. Programming is being rolled out in phases as we build a “BNDC Capacity Building curriculum for the members”. Capacity Building will be in the form of structured, calendared bootcamps and trainings, as well one-of workshops and presentations by individual experts. Among the identified and potential partners are Mile High United Way, Social Ventura Partners, Colorado Nonprofit Association, Community Resource Center, Spark the Change Colorado, Colorado Gives Foundation, among others. We believe that by building the member organization’s capacity, they will be transformed, to better deliver on their mission and to better impact the BIPOC communities they serve. In addition to self-transformation, we believe these organizations will refine and strengthen their missions and programming, will become sustainable and be on a path of growth and transformational impact. In addition to delivering better on their mission, we estimate they will serve more Coloradans, and project that by 2025, these organizations will collectively serve upward of 300,000 BIPOC Coloradans. By intention we built an Incubator Without Walls, in which members join the cohort in-person, with access to shared co-working spaces, assigned private offices and assigned cubicles, as well as virtual/remote members, member organizations who are part of the cohort and who are not physically located in the BNDC. These virtual members are organizations from Denver and
26 The Acumen
Created in 2006 by Richard Lewis as part of his Leadership Denver program, the Timeline is the only one of its kind in the country, a compilation chronicling the African American Experience – even before there was an America. The Timeline is a collection of historical dates and places in time, from the beginning of the slave trade when Spaniards brought enslaved Africans to the new world in 1501, to the present, and every significant event, legislation, and “firsts” in the lives of Blacks in America. The Timeline transports all who experience it to history that predates the United States, to milestones such as the Emancipation Act, the Civil Rights Movement, the tragedies and brutal slaying of Emmett Till, Civil Rights leaders such as the reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and the many triumphs that also define African-Americans, such as Jesse Owens’ track and field victories in the 1936 Olympics on Nazi soil in Berlin, to President Barack Obama’s election in 2008, to Kamala Harris as becoming the first Black female Vice President, to Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Ascencion as the first Black female justice of the United States Supreme Court. Updated every year and unveiled during Black History Month, the Timeline is a rich, and necessary piece of history for the Black community in Denver, in Colorado, and all of America– and for all communities everywhere – to learn from and to treasure. RTL Foundation’s overarching goals is for the Timeline to become a part of school curricula everywhere in Colorado
– in public, private, charter k-12 schools; in libraries, universities, and municipal buildings at the City, County and State level. We are honored that Colorado State Senator James Coleman – who proudly displays a copy of the Timeline in his office - is advocating at the State Capitol to incorporate the Timeline in Public Schools Statewide. The Timeline is proudly displayed as well in the office of Mayor Mike Johnston of Denver, and History Colorado Museum will be adding it to its permanent collection. We believe as well that the Timeline deserves a rightful place at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History & Culture, and are identifying and working with partners locally and in Washington to make this dream a reality. The Foundation will be developing a Mobile App for the Timeline, to allow virtual visitors to experience it at the tip of their fingers on their smartphones, as well we want to develop an augmented or virtual reality experience, so that people can literally be immersed in the Timeline, with the added elements of audio and video elevating the experience. Those who experience the Timeline in-person at the BNDC, especially at our 9 foot tall by 21 foot wide mural, naturally navigate to dates on the Timeline significant to them – maybe their year of birth, or that of an ancestor, maybe the year their ancestor(s) came to America as slaves - have often asked, “Can I order a Timeline and add a year significant to me?” – we are in fact adding that feature on the Timeline’s website, so that people can order a
The African American Experience Timeline. Image: The RTL Foundation
27 The Acumen
Timeline with dates significant to them, so that it’s not just the Timeline, it’s their Timeline. All proceeds from sales of the Timeline are invested in making the RTL Foundation and the BNDC better and more accessible to the community and to members of the BNDC. The original version of the Timeline from 2006 is proudly displayed at the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library in Five Points. Our friends at Blair-Caldwell will soon display the newest, updated version of the Timeline which RTL Foundation has donated, to ensure that the entire community in Five Points enjoys this rich, and important, piece of African American History for years to come. In keeping with our mission as a BIPOC-led and serving organization, we will be creating parallel Timelines that chronicle the history of the other communities within the BIPOC umbrella. As such, we will be adding individual Timelines that honor Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, and Pacific Islander (the “IPOC” in BIPOC) communities. I want to take this opportunity to announce to all readers to please be on the lookout for our Grand Opening this summer – exact date to be determined, sometime in late June or July. Limited sponsorship packages are available - please email jlondono@rtl-foundation.org or call Jhon at 908.937.3998 to learn more. We will once again hold an online giving campaign during Black Philanthropy Month this August via our website at rtl-foundation.org We will host a BIPOC Leaders Luncheon in the Fall. We will bring five (5) BIPOC leaders, one each from corporate, government, nonprofit, foundation, and entrepreneurial sectors for a panel discussion on their journey to their leadership position(s), barriers they faced, obstacles they overcame, and what it means to be a BIPOC leader in a landscape transformed
by Covid, the social justice movement, and the retrenchment of support for DEI nationally. Tentatively to be held in October, venue and time TBD. Limited sponsorship packages are available - please email jlondono@rtl-foundation.org or call Jhon at 908.937.3998 to learn more. I want to invite potential investors from Corporate and Private Foundations, as well as individual donors to consider supporting the RTL Foundation and the BNDC. Your investment and support of the Foundation amplifies your support of BIPOC nonprofits and Social Entrepreneurs, and leverages our reach above and beyond the 24 members of our inaugural cohort, which includes more than 400 BIPOC-led and serving nonprofits, and BIPOC businesses with whom we have deep and emerging relationships, who look to the RTL Foundation as a trusted source in the community. Please email jlondono@rtl-foundation.org or call Jhon at 908.937.3998 to learn more and discuss how to amplify your investment in support of BIPOC nonprofits and social entrepreneurs. We believe the collective investments in the BNDC, the BIPOC-led Nonprofits and Social Entrepreneurs in our inaugural cohort, the year-round programming, the community of supporters, stakeholders, collaborating partners, building our home in Five Points, the resources we are providing to our members, non-members and the community at large in Five Points and beyond, and the powerful history embodied by the Timeline, will see the RTL Foundation rising, renewing, thriving, transforming and impacting communities near and far for years to come. All are invited to visit us and to experience the Timeline, the BNDC, the Art Gallery, and all that we’ve built in Five Points. To schedule a tour please email jlondono@rtl-foundation.org or mvaldez@rtl-foundation.org Please visit us at rtl-foundation.org ; and africanamericantimeline.org to learn more about us.
Image: Adobe
28 The Acumen
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53Powered by FlippingBook