Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Dr. Tiffany Bussey. She is the founding Director of the Morehouse Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center. They assist in the development of minority entrepreneurship.

The Morehouse Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center (MIEC) is a global model for higher education and industry collaborations to foster innovation and entrepreneurial leadership. Established in 2004 as a unit of Morehouse College, the Center has continually operated with an internal and external focus to promote innovation and entrepreneurship with people of color.

Since its inception the Center has secured grants and contracts in excess of $50M and impacted over 2100 students. Through the Department of Defense Mentor-Protégé Program we partnered with over 17 large mentoring corporations and assisted over 100 technology protégé growth companies nationwide. Our efforts of providing developmental assistance to these protege companies resulted in an increase in $20M in revenue and created over 150 new technology jobs.

● MIEC will unveil the findings from the “Building Black Business Report 2024” at 9 a.m. at
the Shirley A. Massey Executive Conference Center at Morehouse College.
● The Building Black Business Report 2024 summarizes an 18-month community research
initiative involving Atlanta-based Black business-serving organizations.
● MIEC is hosting a 20th Legacy Impact Luncheon Celebration, highlighting the significant
impact of transforming Black entrepreneurship and bold plans for the future.
● Since 2004, MIEC has developed lifechanging opportunities for more than 400 small
businesses resulting in more than $255 million in revenue growth and $35 million in
capital access.

NEW INITIATIVES
● Boost Your Business is an exclusive online event for alum network members .The members will learn about resources to support
revenue growth for their small businesses, including:
○ Structuring the Capabilities Statement
○ Certification preparation and filing
○ Social media account setup and optimization
○ General account support
○ Financial modeling and forecasting
○ Proposal writing assistance
○ E-commerce setup and support

● Construction Cohort is a six-month Small Business Executive Program initiative that provides strategies for Georgia-based Black-owned businesses with an annual revenue of $650,000 or more to successfully do business with prime contractors.

○ Program Benefits
■ Bi-weekly executive development sessions
■ In-person and online meetings
■ Individualized coaching
■ Capital readiness
■ Contract readiness
● Retail Cohort: MIEC is recruiting 20 small businesses to focus on the retail industry,
including consumer packaged goods, clothing, and merchandising

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Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Jennifer Ledwith.

She has a business degree from the University of Oklahoma. She is the owner of Scholar Ready, an educational services company. She meets with clients online and her company Scholar Ready tutors Math, conducts personal essay writing workshops, and prepares students for PSAT, SAT, and ACT exams.

Houston native, entrepreneur, and educator, Jennifer Ledwith understood from a young age that education and literacy were crucial to success. Again and again, people told her that her mother — a single parent with serious debt and no child support — made too much money for her to get any free money for college.

She didn't finish in the top 10% of her high school class (which is academic poison in her home state of Texas).

Thankfully, her PSAT scores were high, and she could write the essays to get the money.

She knew how to beg for money tactfully in 100 words. She knew why she wanted to get a business degree from the University of Oklahoma. From her junior year of high school to her junior year of college, she wrote essays for over 30 scholarships. She won enough money to pay for tuition and fees.

She had the most scholarships when she walked across the stage at graduation. The announcer was still reading them after she had crossed the stage.

Even then, she didn't have enough money for school. She worked and worked and continued to apply for scholarships. She graduated from an out-of-state university (University of Oklahoma) with no credit card debt and only $1,000 in student loans. Hey, a girl needs plane tickets.

Jennifer Ledwith is the owner of Scholar Ready, an educational services company. She meets with clients online. She also studied Personal Financial Planning at Rice University and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™.

Company Description *
Scholar Ready tutors Math, conducts personal essay writing workshops, and prepares students for PSAT, SAT, and ACT exams.

Many of Scholar Ready's students have earned academic scholarships, including full rides to Mississippi Valley State University, Fordham University, Texas A & M University, and the University of Houston-Clear Lake.

We strive to instill our students with confidence that is earned and true. We teach them how to learn, how to advocate for what they need in the classroom, how to study, and how to set goals and expectations. We do not allow our students to be limited by experiences of the world they currently inhabit. We want them to have the confidence and work ethic to reach a better life and achieve any goal they set for themselves.

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Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Dominique Leonard.

The founder of Jus' Free Parole Package Services. Once classified as an inmate a few short years ago, he wrote my own parole plan and was granted the privilege of freedom. Since his release, He has been dedicated to humanizing inmates with favorable representation in their quest to obtain parole.
Jus' Free is a parole package provider that goes above and beyond to bring forth and present the best potential of our clients. Due to a lack of knowledge, inmates are unaware of what is given to the Board of Pardons and Parole. Our company works with offenders and their loved ones to ensure the Board hears YOUR story. Together, we humanize and purposely create a narrative for the Parole Board that deems those requesting the privilege of parole worthy of the transition to freedom.

At Jus’Free, they recognize imperfection as part of the human experience. Our mission is to restore dignity to those who have been dehumanized and bring families back together. Through our programs and initiatives, we strive to empower individuals, promote understanding, and foster reconciliation. While we can't guarantee specific outcomes, we're committed to supporting each person's journey with compassion and empathy. Together, we work towards a more just and compassionate society.

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Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed T. Dallas Smith.

T. Dallas Smith began his commercial real estate career in 1982 at Atlanta Air Center Realty under the guidance of Thomas W. Tift, Jr. as leasing and management representative for the portfolio. In 1989, he became the first African American broker at Cushman & Wakefield of Georgia. His affiliation with the company opened doors for many minority brokers. In 1995, he pioneered the brokerage division for H.J. Russell & Company, an African-American-owned construction and management firm, where he served as VP of the Brokerage Division. In 2006, with the blessing of the late Herman J. Russell, Dallas opened T. Dallas Smith & Company (TDS&Co), specializing in tenant representation. Now, he leads the firm’s branding and strategy efforts, which includes creating and overseeing all new business verticals within TDS&Co that align with the company’s core business. Dallas is a proud Atlanta native who prioritizes industry exposure and active community engagement in his day-to-day life and as part of the company's culture.

Company Description *
T. Dallas Smith & Company (TDS&Co) is the country's largest African American-owned pure tenant rep commercial real estate firm. For more than 17 years, TDS&Co has taken pride in catering to the needs of clients requiring office space, industrial space, and land. As an exclusive tenant and buyer representation firm, TDS&Co eliminates any conflict of interest when negotiating leases and/or purchases for clients.

Based in Atlanta, GA, the TDS&Co team has more than 150 years of combined commercial real estate experience and has collectively worked on assignments in over 40 states exceeding $16 billion in aggregate value throughout their careers. The TDS&Co team has served in leadership roles at some of the largest, most reputable real estate services companies in the country including Cushman & Wakefield, JLL, CBRE, Newmark, Physicians Realty Trust, H.J. Russell & Company, Equitable Real Estate, Lend Lease Real Estate, Morgan Stanley, Colliers International and Bank of America. The TDS&Co team has also represented the commercial real estate interests of some of the most notable corporations in the country, including but not limited to, Airbnb, ALSAC/St. Jude, AT&T, The Athlete’s Foot, The Coca-Cola Company, FedEx, IBM, JPMorgan Chase, Microsoft, Truist and Veritext.

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