FROM THE WINGCOM LTD VAULT: Trade with Africa

 

Africa and Atlanta – get off the fence: Get ready to expand bilateral trading! By Tomi Morris Johnson   tomij@wingcomltd.com Digital images & web design by Kurk D. Johnson ©2003 WingcomLtd. All Rights Reserved.
Atlanta, GA., August 20, 2003… “Why would Atlanta businesses want to trade on the African continent?” seems a question only misinformed, pre-21st century, student economists would ask. WHY? Because post-colonial Africa is in need of transportation equipment, food, medicine, clean water, security systems, infrastructure construction, oil refineries, housing, adoptions, and investments. Despite bad press, the continent is a gold mine on the economic front for those desiring to pan trade possibilities yet not hoping to strike it rich quickly.

According to the U.S. - African Trade Profile released by the U.S. Department of Commerce, two-way trading between the U.S. and Sub-Saharan Africa was down 15% in 2002, possibly due to the U.S. recession, terrorism and the AIDS pandemic. Sub-Saharan Africa continues to do a better job with exporting goods into the U.S. than vice versa, to the tune of $11.9 billion. The U.S. imports mostly petroleum or energy related products, minerals and metals from Africa. http://www.agoa.gov/resources/TRDPROFL03.pdf The top five Sub-Saharan countries conducting business with the U. S. include Nigeria, South Africa, Angola, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea. In contrast, Benin, Eritrea, Somalia, São Tomé e Principe, and Gambia did the least international trading. http://reportweb.usitc.gov/africa/total_gsp_agoa_import_suppliers.jsp

The report states, “Despite the 2002 decline, U.S. exports to Sub-Saharan Africa were 46% greater than those to the former Soviet republics, and nearly twice those to Eastern Europe.  U.S. exports to South African alone were larger than our sales to Russia, whose population is more that 3.5 times as large.” The U.S. loves to sell to Africa, but expanding business relationships appears hamstrung. 

Globalization, the increased mobility of goods, services, labour, technology and capital throughout the world, can be dangerous for poor countries, however, if corporations make all the rules without the consent and concern of local community agriculture, tariff structures, food and employment situations. "There's no reason to not have global trade…if international democracies are in tact and local democracies are vibrant," said Dr. Vandana Chiva in a recent interview with Bill Moyers. 

If you are willing to expand your business to Africa, “do your homework through research and follow-up with the right people” were the major messages gleaned from attending a quarterly, international business-networking event held at the World Trade Center Atlanta on Peachtree Street.  Sponsored by the World Trade Center Atlanta (WTCA) and the Georgia Africa Society – National Summit on Africa, members from organizations ranging from the Cobb County Chamber of Commerce to the Croatian American Chamber of Commerce were in attendance. 

The event was organized in cooperation with Atlanta International Museum of Art and Design, Association of Kenyan Professionals in Atlanta, Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce of Georgia, British American Business Group, Canadian American Society, the East Africa-American Business Council, French-American Chamber of Commerce, Georgia AGOA Commission, Georgia Indo-American Chamber of Commerce, Georgia State University's Center for Global Business Leadership, GlobalFax, Indian Professionals Network, International Business Association, Korean American Chamber of Commerce, Polish American Chamber of the Southeast U.S., and Southern Center for International Studies.

How are businesses in Georgia fairing as far as doing business in Africa?  Where is the next economic frontier?  Can media enterprises break into the African market?  How is the AIDS pandemic affecting business, trade, and entrepreneurship in Africa?  

Africa needs more trade than conditional foreign aid, and less AIDS. Serge Mukendi, Summit National Bank (originally from the Congo) Doing business is about the same everywhere. Before investing any amount of money, you want to first, learn about the markets and investigate the country. You should contact the particular country’s embassy in Washington, DC. AIDS is a problem everywhere, but in my personal opinion, in Africa you’re dealing with denial. There are things that we don’t talk about, and that needs to be changed.

“Africa remains one of the biggest, untapped markets for American businesses. If you are looking for long-term business relationships, African markets are hungry for products, and guess what?  If you take your time, do your research and identify the right people, there’s business to be done.”

                                                Patrick Tonui, International Service Director, WTCA

FROM THE WINGCOM LTD VAULT: Contract diversity

 Contract Diversity:

Negotiating solutions to improve economic participation

By Tomi Johnson (tomij@wingcomltd.com)

Digital images by Daniel G. Johnson     ©2004 WingcomLtd. All Rights Reserved.

 

February 24, 2004, Atlanta, GA…Why should corporate America and state governments trade with minority business owners when these same businesses won’t even support each other? It’s a fact that less than 2% of Georgia’s state contracts have been awarded to minority firms every year since 1991, but in rural Georgia, why would blacks buy gas at a white-owned filling station when the black-owned one across the street sells petroleum for the same price?

 

Perhaps it will take years for sociologists to explain this predicament, but one knows racism and low self-esteem among African Americans exist. Now the question is, “What are we going to do about it?” To diversify economic empowerment within a capitalist society that constantly checks profits and the bottom line, one must want to do the right thing; but more important is understanding the statistics surrounding how money is spent in the United States.

 

“My father and mother, who were entrepreneurs during the 1950’s and 1960’s along with their circle of business friends, taught me that if you offer a good service, anyone will buy from you, regardless of whether you’re black or white.  Today, however, it’s harder to manage a successful business because of competition, racism, and lack of support in the community.”

                                                                   Tomi Morris Johnson

 

Members of minority groups are consumers. They are also providers of goods and services.  In order for the United States to live up to its creed of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all, citizens must be given an equal chance to compete for business, i.e. financial gain. That is the philosophy behind the mission of many corporate and governmental contracting programs, but they are not working as prescribed, partly due to continuing discrimination, greed, lack of knowledge and blind vision.

 

“If there was a nation called Africanamerica, the gross national product or money earned would be about $600 billion a year,” said investment banker Lonnie Saboor at an economic seminar in downtown Atlanta in 2003. “That is more money than comes into countries like Kuwait, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Spain combined. There are over 2 million African Americans with college educations. So, money doesn’t seem to be the problem. Education and knowledge is not a problem. The problem seems to me that we are not really doing things collectively,” Saboor stated. 

 

And a lot of us are still doing the same old thing – networking or partying.  A recent event titled “Salute to Minority Business Owners - Nomination Process” was sponsored by the Atlanta Tribune in conjunction with Home Depot at its corporate headquarters where approximately 250 people mingled.

 

Monét Cooper, The Atlanta Tribune Magazine: Our publication, which targets African American entrepreneurs and professionals, teamed up with Home Depot to…do something more formal this year. This is the first of three receptions when MBEs and diversity officers will have the opportunity to nominate themselves or other business to be in the magazine.  

 

Mark Liu, Coca Cola Enterprises, Inc., Procurement Analyst - Supplier Diversity: We go to these types of networking events a lot to meet with new buyers and company owners and to develop a business relationship from there.  It is important to make a good exposure to the major companies and increase their capacity, which many minority companies don’t have yet. There are many small companies that are doing jobs for us right now, and we’re working with second tier suppliers in subcontracting capacities, so doing business with us can go both ways. 

 

Michael Fong:  

“It’s important to try to find other people that you can work with in order to build your business…if you meet the needs that a company requires, I believe that you can get business.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elgintine Dudley, Director of Marketing and PR, Eagle Environmental Group:  When you go to networking events, you meet people, and when you meet people, you build friendships. People do business with people they know and like. This is the beginning of a long, lasting relationship that helps expand your business. After this, maybe the day after tomorrow, I will follow up with the business card and call people to see how we can work together.

 

Alan Zeppenfeld, VP, GlobalTech Portfolio Services: We’re here to network and make contacts. We provide financing programs for manufacturers, distributors and financial institutions. We’re a small business with 22 people and are minority/female owned.  I’ve seen a lot of activity in the governmental area. In the corporate sector, it will take meetings like this and various organizations to make sure that people get to meet people and find out who has the resources to meet their needs.

 

Kimberly Knight, Georgia Governor’s Small Business Center: We work in the office that helps to facilitate relationships between small and minority firms in the state of Georgia. What we’ve done over the past three years is to work more closely with the agencies and tried to encourage them to look at different ways they can implement small minority businesses into their contracting opportunities. We’ve hosted state agency meet-n-greets, various trade shows like the “Moving your business forward” conference… and of course there is the Governor’s Mentor/Protégé Program where we bring in small businesses for an 18 month period which opens them up … and makes them more visible candidates for possible state opportunities.  It’s all about commitment on the part of the agencies – it comes from the top down, and Gov. Perdue is committed to fairly and equitably disbursing opportunities. We’re all working together.  Everybody is struggling; the state is struggling, and we all feel each other’s pain. So, we’re all trying to figure out what the solutions are. It’s not easy; but we’re committed to doing the right thing, and that’s a beginning. 

 

Charles “Chuck” Barlow, Regional Services Manager, En Pointe Technologies: 

After a study was done in 1991 that found that less than 2% of state contracts were awarded to minority firms, then Gov. Zell Miller issued an Executive Order encouraging and directing all of his department heads to do more business with minorities. One important thing is getting the word out to let people know there are opportunities available. Another thing is making that Executive Order become law. Georgia does not have a minority set-aside program, so it is very difficult unless the governor pushes it. It actually won’t happen; it still has to be pushed and managed so those department heads will start doing it. We also have to bring together the minority business owners and equip them so they can deliver the quality services after they get contracts. For this, we’ve developed the quality institute to assist with infrastructure, quality training, and customer service. Oftentimes, we get the one time business and then cycle out.

 

The major challenge that everybody is faced with now, whether you’re a corporation or individual, is that the whole world has changed. We’re in a world economy where we are competing with people for the business that’s there. We’re outsourcing jobs. Now the justification is that they say the only way to be competitive is to get somebody to do it for less. Who’s going to buy the products?  If we don’t have jobs for our own people inside the country…I think that’s a major concern for everybody.  From a quality perspective in terms of assessing companies and organizations, that’s a house of cards;  you can see it start to crumble.  The reality is, you can have the best executive at the top, but if you don’t have quality employees, eventually you’re going to fall. It’s not something that can be legislated by a government. 

 

The other problem is that you don’t have the loyalty of employees.  In order to be real competitive, you must have people who do their jobs at their very best, and allow them to make decisions. Let them know what the expectations are and reward the whole team, not individuals. People will do what you reward them to do. I don’t see companies automatically increasing wages because of competition because for every person who is employed, there are five people looking for a job. I think today, you’re going to have to work more than one job.

 

Interview with Bill Cannon, V, Owner, WS Cannon Company

 

WingcomLtd:  Are networking events like this one beneficial for minorities to acquire business contracts?

 

Cannon: Being a marketing consultant, the success of networking events depends on how well people market. A lot of times I hear people say, “It was just another party,” but not everyone realizes the advantages of having access to a large amount of people.  You can’t be shy and non-aggressive about meeting people you don’t know and asking certain questions. Networking works for me.

 

As far as the low amount of state contracts awarded to minority firms, you have to remember that the state is a political entity, so everything that moves there is based on politics. Each minority has a different agenda, and there are some things that they have in common. There are some areas they need to work on together, and some they need to work on individually. Each has to work on getting the body politic to move in their direction. 

 

There was a study conducted in 1991 dealing with minority participation that compelled then Gov. Zell Miller to write the Executive Order that directed all state agencies to make an immediate and concerted effort to increase the participation of minorities in the procurement process.  That was two administrations ago. What it did do was require the agencies to keep track of minority participation which it had not done before, so at least you had the evidence that it (minority contracting) was not happening. 

 

WingcomLtd:  Marketing moves business right now, so if you don’t have a good marketing strategy or mindset, you will not be competitive. 

 

Cannon: That’s in any market.  Marketing is a science of affecting the desired result, no matter whether you’re selling Coca Cola or home supplies for Home Depot, or trying to get votes for a candidate for presidential office, or contributions for Morris Brown College, or trying to get people to join your church. One of the things that I love about it is that it’s universal. 

 

WingcomLtd:  Some major corporations don’t want to deal with small businesses that are not established, so it’s sort of hard for minority businesses to become successful unless they can partner with a major firm. Do you think that’s true?

 

Cannon: No, I don’t think that is true. I think the larger problem is that most companies don’t know how to market themselves, how to package themselves; how to market and whom to market to. There are a lot of companies in the zone that need to update websites. We were guilty of the same thing. One of the things that we emphasize is having our clients be very mindful of where technology is taking people with marketing and e-commerce. That is critical and is not something that is going away, just like hip-hop, computers, and cell phones. When they do go away, they will be replaced by something even more technologically advanced. 

 

We realize that the world is adapting media andmanufacturing. Computers in restaurants are replacing cash registers.  At every juncture of our lives now, we are finding that technology…20 years ago we said you must have a brochure or business card in order to have affective marketing.  Today, you must have an email address and a website in order to let folks know what you do…and the ability to do business electronically. The world is moving…your message has to be concise, professional, and specify your capability with references. That’s how you get contracts.

 

“It’s important that you understand how business is done today.  You must sell yourself the way the buyer wants to purchase their goods and services. You must understand how the game is played.” 

 

WingcomLtd: What advice can you give to youth on how they will be able to succeed in this competitive environment in the 21^st century?

 

Cannon:  As a parent, to be very honest, today’s parents do a poor job parenting. Their parenting skills are woefully short.  Too many parents of this generation are operating like today’s developing entrepreneurs; they do it the way they want to do it instead of the way experience dictates using better techniques. A lot of it requires spending a great deal of time. You must develop standards from birth. That doesn’t mean that they’re not going to slack from time to time like we all do; but the most important thing is that they develop a sense of worth and a sense of aspiration; that there is something that they want, that there is something that makes them happy, that there is something that they’re willing to go after. 

 

I used to say to my son that he has two jobs, and I said this from the time he was in 1^st grade: his morning job was school and he had to do well in school and behave himself.  That was his job from the neck up.  He also had to develop himself from the neck down, and that was physical. He had to be physically fit. He needed to be fit from the head to the toe.  I also told him that as long as he had the education to be capable in a career, that’s fine, but get the education that will allow you to be successful at whatever you want is important. Helping our young people to identify something that they want, willing to work for and sacrifice for…that they’ll feel good about getting up in the morning…just because they will get money…the money will not last in terms of happiness. They must be able to pursue their own dreams and goals. It must be something that makes you feel good about yourself and you see where you are providing a service. That makes you feel good.

 

WingcomLtd:  And on the other end, you have to be realistic.  You’ve got to eat.

 

Cannon:  You can generate income from almost doing anything… as long as you don’t get fixed on luxury but are fixed on being able to sustain yourself. If you’re able to do that, you’re way ahead of most people. There are a lot of us that are having trouble paying rent today, or mortgage notes, or are at risk of having our lights turned out. Whatever you want to do, make a commitment and be honest with yourself.  

 

WingcomLtd:  You sound pretty optimistic on both fronts, on black business entrepreneurship and on the black youth of today.

 

Cannon:  Yes, from being as close as I am to my son and being close to his friends…and the undergraduate members of my fraternity, Omega Psi Phi…I like to see what our young people are doing. An important issue is not winning the game, but finding out what game is in play and understanding the rules of the game. 

 

I would like to mention two quick things concerning state contracts. Yes, the percentage is very dismal, 2 % or less. We are on our third governor, and things have not gotten better.  Our black media has done a very poor job of letting the rest of us know those numbers. We’ve had about eight to ten years of numbers that have identified campus by campus, agency by agency, the levels of minority participation which frequently totaled zero. Our black media has done a very poor job of letting the rest of us know those numbers. 

 

WingcomLtd:  I think you do what you want to do, though…

 

Cannon:  That’s exactly correct. It’s just like being on the highway…if you know there are no police out there, the chance that you’re going to speed is pretty high. So if nobody is watching and monitoring minority participation, then the people in those departments are not going to pay any attention to doing it at all, Executive Order or not. They are just going to do what they’ve always been doing. 

 

WingcomLtd:  That brings me back to my question, “We know all these problems exist, what are we going to do about it?”

 

Cannon:  Well, a lot of us don’t know the statistics, and a lot of us don’t know what to do about it. Why aren’t there more advocates for black business?  Why don’t black business organizations have a lobbying team working in the General Assembly every year?  

 

The Georgia Procurement Registry website identifies procurement opportunities that are $10,000+ regardless of the agency, campus, or institution. That website is  http://www.procurement.state.ga.us/procurement_index.jsp. *

 

*Note:  The opportunities are very limited on this contracting website.

The information in this article is the opinion of the author and, therefore, should not be construed as libelous.

      ©2004 WingcomLtd. All Rights Reserved.

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FROM THE WINGCOM LTD VAULT: KSU students design contest

KSU students win designer challenge award from major home builder By Tomi Morris Johnson   tomij@wingcomltd.com Digital photos by Tomi & Kurk D. Johnson ©2004 WingcomLtd. All Rights Reserved.

August 7, 2004…Thinking outside the box helped students and alumni of Kennesaw State University win the first place award in a two-way competition to decorate model homes. Using global design themes, pieces of silk and pebbles for inspiration, the challenge was made by subdivision developer Larry Thompson and Shawn McLeod, builder of Ebenezer Farms in Marietta, Ga.

Feng shui’s sense of tranquility was used in master bath, family room featuring Japanese sand garden, and guest bedroom.

KSU’s Matthew Craven said the challenge was creating something special using a basic house and a slate of wild colors. “We had a $20,000 budget, and since one of our crew members is a landscape designer, we allotted some of our money to do the backyard water feature which made our house a little more challenging because we had less money to work with inside,” said Craven who chose the ceiling map in the study as his favorite project.

The theme “World Travelers” was depicted on the ceiling in House #1. KSU students and faculty first hear about winning award.

Ceilings and walls were special design features in foyers, dining rooms, and art/craft spaces in both houses.

“In the initial discussions on what the theme was going to be, we decided it was based on a well-educated family with two children who liked nature, traveled extensively, and collected art,” said alumni Shane McDonald whose favorite room was the home theatre. “I just want to go and take a nap right now,” McDonald said after spending several sleepless nights working on the model. He received a $50 gift card from Home Depot along with a lot of exposure.

		KSU alumni Shane McDonald won award and deserved rest for his work.

Son of the builder, Ian McLeod, was caught peeping through the wrought iron office doors in Model Home #2.  “I like anything,” he said when asked about his favorite room.  Each house featured a boys and girls room.

Dr. Linda A. Hightower, Chair of the Visual Arts Department, College of the Arts, Kennesaw State University, was teaching a two-dimensional, entry-level class in Foundations when she coordinated the designer challenge idea with Home Traditions designer Amy Rowe. 

“It has meant a tremendous amount of time for full-time students who also work part-time.  The last two weeks, they spent 24 hours a day on this house.  I think they did extremely well. The pacing of 12 students who had never worked together was important, and they became a team very supportive of each other’s needs. Everyone would scatter to find little objects for one another. 

“We wanted to show people the impact of what an artist can do to a home that is actually different from an interior designer because artists are not inundated with trends; they actually set trends,” Hightower said.  “We used a lot of computers to develop the sketches, play with colors, and scan images. The computer, which doesn’t make art, was another pencil in their toolbox.”  

Hightower worked along with Professor Charlotte Collins to mentor students. “We turned the students loose with their vision, and with them being undergraduates, we guided them with shaping their own ideas. These are their ideas,” Hightower said. 

“This has truly been an experience for me,” said Shawn McLeod who was teary-eyed during award announcement. The houses were judged on creative design, use of surprise elements, and powder rooms.

House #1		House #2
Best Team Player Harold Penland	“After all this work, when I design my own home, it will probably just be filled with books!” said design student Tiffany Spann (standing) who posed in model office with sister Danielle.		Creativity Award Winner Cindy Eassey

Larry Thompson, owner of Thompson Real Estate which has developed over 10,000 lots and houses since 1969, said designer challenges help sell homes. He labeled the winning creations ingenious.  “This struck me as being the missing ingredient in housing right now. What they’ve done on such limited budgets is so creative. It turned out to be just dynamite! What people see is what they buy, and if the interior design is interesting and homey, they will buy the house,” Thompson concluded. Home prices in this subdivision start in the high $400’s, which does not include $135,000 lot cost or interior designs. The two models are open Monday thru Saturday from 10:00am – 6:00 pm.

Designer Challenge judges included Karen Kennedy, KSU; Andrea Yeaman, Marietta Daily Journal;  Jessica Radar, Communities Magazine; Helen Cauley, AJC Homefinder; Tim Prevatt, Mary Barton Productions; Shannon Bentley, West Georgia Board of Realtor; Kristen Holloway, Design Environments, Inc.; Edith Brown and Dee Speckhals.   

The information in this article is the opinion of the author and, therefore, should not be construed as libelous.

©2004 WingcomLtd. All Rights Reserved.

FROM THE WINGCOM LTD VAULT: Competing for black customers

 

Note: It is estimated that African-American spending will reach $981 billion by 2010 (Radio Advertising Bureau), and there will be a shortage of  workers to service sales. ( http://www.rab.com/public/rst/rst_results.cfm?action=bykeyword)

Atlanta, GA, July 21, 2006…Thousands of perspective African American shoppers converged on Atlanta this week, but only a few attended AmericasMart’s International Gift and Home Furnishings Show, a wholesale market limited to pre-approved business traders and their guests. Other major events in town included the National Black Arts Festival, the Summer Olympics 10th reunion festivities, and T.D. Jakes’ MegaFest.    While Jakes was encouraging 80,000 followers at the Georgia Dome to believe in God, purchase spirituality-based products and save money, AmericasMart’s motivational speakers were urging attendees to believe in themselves and sell goods that fulfill material wishes.    Between Peachtree and Harris Street where AmericasMart’s three buildings and 52 floors jammed with merchandise reside, blacks were working as greeters, admissions clerks, baggage handlers, chefs, bartenders, and security guards.  Absent were African American marketing executives, showroom operators, exhibitors, or award winners. There were a few exceptions.   Joe Burford, formerly showroom manager of Rags West in the Apparel Mart, greeted and collected fees from buyer’s guests in Building One. Guests who were not registered were charged $50 to attend the show from July 11-19 when accompanied by a trade member.   Former AmericasMart Pressroom Hostess Ruby Oakley (seated) was honored by international media in a luncheon sponsored by Keri Arroll, marketing director of media services and public relations. Ms. Oakley’s impact and professionalism left a lasting impression on the Mart.    Other drawbacks to black participation at AmericasMart were dwindling numbers of African American retailers at trade shows and lackluster diversity of buyers from major stores.    African American Expressions has a showroom in the Mart 6-17B, Bldg 2. Mellonie Preston is organizational development manager who works in the office and on the sales team. Preston travels to the company’s permanent showrooms in Atlanta and Chicago and is on the tradeshow circuit.    “We offer all of the things that are not offered by other companies,” Preston said. “We fill a niche to express African American people and artists. We present spiritual and Christian-based products.”    When asked about the lack of African American shoppers at the Mart, Ms. Preston said, “I wish I had an explanation for that. On busier days, there are more privately-owned, diverse companies shopping, especially in areas like Atlanta, DC, Baltimore and other predominately Black areas. Across the board, buyers for larger companies are not diverse enough, and that’s why we don’t see more African Americans at the Mart.”   Ms. Preston has advice for retailers wanting to market the African Expression product line: “Displaying our product beautifully is the key. It’s really important to show people you have it and present it well. There are some things that we know work, so we pass the information on to our customers. We advise retailers to always ask for advice; that’s a very good thing. Try out products, create a mix, and figure out what works for you.”    (Pictured with Tomi Johnson from r to l) David Garcia, Carlos Jimenez and Norale Sebastian represented Banilivi & Nabavian Inc. at the 2006 Rug Retailer of the Year (ROY) Awards Ceremony, an AmericasMart sponsored event held at the Georgia Aquarium. Importers of fine oriental rugs on Madison Avenue in NY, their company won the Spanish Design Category Award in 2004.   According to Black Enterprises’ publisher Earl Graves, Sr., the future of black business ownership depends on ability to achieve the following: 1.         secure large corporations as customers, investors, and strategic partners 2.         tap professionally trained, visionary management driven by energy and vision 3.         reward people who build performance-driven network 4.         parlay successful ventures into new ventures with larger growth and profit potentials adapt business model across variety of industries. (http://www.camac.com/newsroom/240787_final.pdf)   WingcomLtd traveled away from the Mart to visit an African American storefront in Atlanta to ask the owner whether he had attended AmericasMart or taken advantage of its business courses, like “How to move from surviving to thriving in today’s gift and retail industry.” Twin Brothers Gallery, located in the Perimeter area at 155 Hammond Avenue, opened in 2003. Owned by twin brothers from Senegal who also previous operated stores in New Orleans and DC, it features African art.    Abdoulaye Bipeye: “I didn’t get a chance to attend this year’s show. I buy my merchandise directly from overseas and California suppliers, so it is not necessary for me to go to the Mart.  The majority of my products are from Africa. Right now, I’m not that busy. I need to get more traffic, but I don’t see that much competition in products I sell. My products range from watch batteries which may cost around $5.00; to custom made jewelry and jewelry repair on gold, platinum and silver; and antique art pieces ranging from $5,000 to $8,000.    When asked how he could increase business to his store, Ms. Bipeye stated, “I don’t have any idea how to increase business. I would love to. If people come here and spend more money, that would be a good thing. More newspaper stories about my business and advertising would help.”    As far as taking marketing and sales courses at the Mart, Bipeye stated, “I don’t have time to take classes. My experience is not enough, but I can continue with my business for a little while. Sooner or later, if I have time, I wouldn’t mind taking a class or attending a convention to improve my business.”    Although Blacks tend to be big on buying in retail stores, their numbers are miniscule when compared to shopping the week-long wholesale Mart. “Maybe it’s because they can’t afford to leave their businesses for eight straight days,” said an anonymous retailer.  “Many black business owners who work with tight margins and high operating expenses can’t leave their businesses to shop and party like rich whites.”    Black buying power continues to increase nationwide and is the focus of marketing studies aimed at securing profits. According to Target Market News), blacks outspend other ethnic minorities. Its “Buying Report” confirms black households had $631 billion in earned income in 2002, an increase of 4.8% over the $602 billion earned in 2001. (http://www.targetmarketnews.com/Buying%20Power%20report%2003.htm) Yet the amount of black retailers is small, leaving African Americans to buy from majority owned stores. Black owned stores are dwindling, and the few that remain have a hard time offering competitive prices.    Nearly 85% of African Americans prefer to buy from companies that have historically supported the black community, according to a 1998 study by Ketchum Public Relations African American Markets Group. The study found that two-thirds of survey participants investigate a company's minority hiring practices or any negative press it may have received relating to racial issues. (http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1365/is_5_30/ai_57943394    After integration, many neighborhood black-owned drug stores and retail establishments closed up. Many black retailers have been relegated to street vendors or small business/family-owned shop keepers who have diversified to make profits.    Some black retailers have found it necessary to establish their own market in the form of the International Black Buyers and Manufacturing Expo and Conference sponsored by International Black Buyers and Manufacturing Enterprise Consortium (IBBMEC). Other technology-savvy black retailers have opted into selling their wares online instead of the traditional retail storefront.   WingcomLtd posed the following questions to AmericasMart’s VP Chas Sidney and Marketing Director Kerry Arroll:   Do you have any statistics on African American participation in the Mart?   In your opinion, why aren't more African American retailers using AmericasMart to promote their products?   How can African American retailers become more aware of AmericasMart's marketing and educational services?   When this article was posted, WingcomLtd had not received answers to these questions, however, we will keep you posted when the information is obtained.   The information in this article is the opinion of the author and, therefore, should not be construed as libelous.

Written by Tomi Morris Johnson Photos by Kurk D. Johnson