JSU Director Of Public Relations Named Professional Of The Year

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

February 6, 2024

JSU Director Of Public Relations Named Professional Of The Year

Jackson State University's director of public relations, Rachel James-Terry, has been announced as the 2023 Outstanding Professional of the Year by the Public Relations Association of Mississippi.

Jackson State University (JSU) is celebrating an honor for its director of public relations. Rachel James-Terry was named the 2023 Outstanding Professional of the Year by the Public Relations Association of Mississippi (PRAM) at its ceremony in Jackson on Jan. 31.

The award is bestowed on individuals working in public relations in Mississippi who have displayed excellence in their field. James-Terry was announced as one of the three honorees for the past year via JSU’s official website, which detailed the PR aficionado expressing her gratitude for being nominated among her chapter members.

“I am completely floored to receive this recognition from my peers,” James-Terry said.

“Making a difference and leaving an impact in the public relations industry is something that I strive toward daily. I enjoy the work that I do and serving the Jackson State University community. So, this acknowledgment just reaffirms my journey and God’s plan. Thank you, PRAM Central. It is an honor.”

James-Terry is a veteran in the media profession and corporate litigation, with over 20 years of experience since receiving her Bachelors and Masters degree at JSU. Through her position as Director of Public Relations, she has produced segments for prominent networks such as SiriusXM, MSNBC, and programs like Good Morning America, doing considerable work toward her alma mater. Her work as in this role has elevated the JSU’s brand to a vast audience through numerous media, also utilizing her position as editor-in-chief of its alumni publication, The Jacksonian, to make it the sole HBCU finalist for the 2023 PRNews Platinum Award for online publication.

Her accolades also include becoming 2023 Maynard Fellow from The Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education, as she continuously works to break the barriers surrounding her industry for the next generation. JSU’s associate VP of marketing and communications, Alonda Thomas, spoke on behalf of their school to remark on James-Terry’s “deserving” achievement.

“Rachel is the consummate professional, and she is so deserving of this recognition by the Public Relations Association of Mississippi,” shared Thomas.

“Her passion for creative storytelling and enthusiasm for enhancing the JSU brand is evident throughout her work. I look forward to her continued success as an industry leader.”

FIDELITY: WEALTH BUILDING TIMELINE, homeownership

by Rafael Pena

February 6, 2024

Housing Market Remains Unattainable Amid Soaring Prices And Mortgage Rates

The American dream of homeownership is slipping away for the middle class as the housing market becomes increasingly unaffordable.

Fortune reports that the American dream of homeownership is slipping away for some in the middle class as the housing market becomes increasingly unaffordable, with mortgage rates hitting a two-decade high in late 2023. According to Ali Wolf, chief economist of building consultancy Zonda, “In the past, if you were middle class, it was almost assumed you would become a homeowner.” While the aspiration to own a home remains, it is now significantly more challenging, requiring wealth or luck.

The Pew Research Center reveals that while household incomes have increased considerably over the past five decades, the rise has not kept pace with those in upper-income households. A middle-class household income is $90,000 on average, and a middle-class American with a median household income of $74,580 would struggle to afford a median-priced home of $410,000, according to Realtor.com.

Tate Kelly, a broker with Coldwell Banker Warburg, notes that finding an affordable home is nearly impossible for many Americans, with “affordable” housing requiring 35%-40% of household income. Buyers are advised not to spend more than 30% of their income on housing, and for the middle class, this means affording a $270,000 home if they put 10% down and have minimal debt.

Per Inman, Christopher M. Naghibi, executive vice president at First Foundation Bank, says the historical middle-class path of buying a starter home and progressing to larger homes has shifted. Homeownership used to be central to the middle-class lifestyle. Today’s housing affordability crisis, on the other hand, is being compared to the turbulent 1980s and the aftermath of the 2008 housing bubble.

Naghibi says that the current housing market is the least affordable in history, with mortgage rates approaching 7%, hindering new buyers and depriving them of crucial equity-building years. Despite forecasts predicting a drop in mortgage rates and home prices for 2024, adjustments are being made, with Zillow now projecting a 3.7% increase in home prices, according to Inman.

In Fortune, Tate Kelly emphasized that while a drop in mortgage rates might help, “To many Americans, finding a home that is considered ‘affordable’ is nearly impossible.” The limited options available to buyers only exacerbates the crisis. With housing market experts expressing such pessimism, it appears that the struggle for middle-class Americans to achieve homeownership will persist this year.

Sarah Mayrant Walker Fossett, streetcar, Ohio

by Atiya Jordan

February 6, 2024

Sarah Mayrant Walker Fossett’s Fight For Justice Helped Integrate The Cincinnati Streetcar

The fight to integrate streetcars dates back to the mid-1860s, when Black voices sought to spark racial freedom. Civil rights pioneer Sarah Mayrant Walker Fossett used her voice and harnessed her power of perseverance and justice to claim her right to ride in a Cincinnati, Ohio, streetcar.

Fossett’s stand against the Cincinnati streetcar system took place before the abolition of slavery and nearly a century before Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott. By the 1850s, Cincinnati was the sixth largest city in the United States, with a population of 115,000 and about 3,600 African American residents by 1860.

On January 16, 1860, Fossett, a hairdresser from South Carolina, was on her way to an appointment to fix a client’s hair for their wedding. Fossett had diligently cultivated a network on her journey to building her own hair salon empire in Cincinnati. She decided to take the Third Street line, operated by the City Passenger Railroad Co. When Fossett ascended the platform, a white conductor denied her entry. But Fossett held onto the streetcar rails as the horses trod on, while the conductor remained persistent in prying her hands off. According to a story provided by the Cincinnati Preservation, Fossett bit the conductor’s knuckles until she finally released her grip after three blocks. She suffered multiple injuries.

To pursue justice, Fossett filed a lawsuit against the streetcar and had the white conductor, Henry Kimber, charged with assault and battery. The judge presiding over the case fined Kilmer $10 plus costs, which is about $344 today. Fossett sought $1,000 in damages but only received $65 for the entry denial. According to the company, Fossett did not step on the platform and claimed the car was already in motion when she lunged onto the rails.

The Weekly Law Gazette reported that Fossett testified that the “the Conductor stopped for her and said she could not ride. She told him it was her impression that it was a public conveyance and that she was not committing any offense. The conductor then commenced beating her across the breast and shoulders; still, she held on to the car and refused to get off. The conductor then told the driver to go ahead. When the cars had proceeded a square or so, the conductor pushed her off.”

James J. Robbins, president of City Passenger Railroad, testified that the conductors were following his orders not to permit “colored people” entry on the streetcars. The company’s official rules, however, were not indicative of his orders in his testimony.

In favor of Fossett, the judge acknowledged, “It is not pretended that the passenger was in any way disorderly, that she refused to pay her fare, that there was any lack of room for her accommodation, that any of the passengers objected to her being received, or that there was any objection to her whatever but her complexion.”

As a result of his verdict, Black women and children were legally allowed to ride inside the streetcar, while Black men were permitted to ride outside on the platform. It took another incident, two years later, for the city to desegregate all streetcars.

Fossett’s legacy lives on, not only for her legal victory but also for how she changed society and fostered community as the first pastor of First Baptist Church of Cumminsville in 1879. She established the church with her husband, Peter Farley Fossett, and in December 2023 was recognized with an Ohio historical marker placed outside the church.

Beverly Johnson Advocates For Black Models Ahead Of New York Fashion Week

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

February 6, 2024

Beverly Johnson Advocates For Black Models Ahead Of New York Fashion Week

Legendary supermodel Beverly Johnson is kicking off New York Fashion Week by advocating for Black models' rights.

Legendary supermodel Beverly Johnson is kicking off New York Fashion Week by advocating for Black models’ rights.

The first Black woman to grace the cover of Vogue was outside the Elysabeth Kleinhans Theatrical Foundation building on February 4 to bring awareness to the Fashion Workers Act, which proposes to oversee unregulated management firms in New York in order to curb predatory practices in the modeling industry. Johnson used the moment to advocate for Black models of the present and the past who have survived abuse they were afraid to speak up about.

Johnson also called out the obstacles Black models face in securing employment, fair compensation, and workplace safeguards, and expressed her concern about artificial intelligence becoming a new threat to Black models.

“The lack of regulation in our industry makes it so much more difficult for Black models to flourish. Black models are fighting for basic dignity and respect,” the veteran supermodel explained. “Something as exciting as signing a contract to a modeling agency can take a quick turn into an agency becoming your decision maker, and having power over your finance, life, and body.”

Her advocacy comes on the heels of a recent tell-all interview she conducted where she revealed the racism she faced at a luxury hotel during the height of her career in the 1980s. At the time, the hotel drained its pool after Johnson had stepped inside it.

“So you get a lot of that. People draining pools, it was racist,” she told “Page Six.” “As a model, there were different kinds of things that would happen to me because I was Black.”

The Fashion Workers Act was introduced to New York legislation in 2021. It has yet to pass lawmakers and become a bill, hence models joining NY state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal (who sponsored the bill) to rally for its passing, CBS News reports.

“We are going to change the law in New York, close the loophole,” Hoylman-Sigal said.

by Rafael Pena

February 6, 2024

Tiger Woods Secures Ownership With The PGA Tour In Groundbreaking $3B Deal With SSG

Tiger Woods and other PGA Tour players are set to become equity holders in PGA Tour Enterprises following a $3 billion investment from Strategic Sports Group.

In a historic move that promises to reshape the landscape of professional golf, Tiger Woods and other PGA Tour players are set to become equity holders in PGA Tour Enterprises, a newly established for-profit company, following a monumental $3 billion investment from the Strategic Sports Group, according to MSN. The deal, finalized after months of negotiations, marks a significant moment in sports history as players will now own a share of the PGA Tour, a concept unprecedented in professional sports.

The announcement was made during a conference call featuring key figures such as Tiger Woods, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, and Boston Red Sox owner John Henry, according to Golf.com. The call, described as a pivotal moment by insiders, began with Woods expressing his excitement about the groundbreaking agreement.

“Thank you, SSG, for believing in us and believing in our sport. Believing in the potential growth that we could enjoy together,” said Woods, recognized as one of the greatest players in PGA Tour history, during the call. “Golf is an amazing sport. It has allowed communities to heal and grow. And we, as a team, are going to offer that according to what we believe is the true compensation and meritocracy that our sport has been built upon for all these years.”

The $3 billion investment from SSG, led by Fenway Sports Group, is a landmark agreement that values PGA Tour Enterprises at $12.3 billion. This infusion of capital is set to benefit not only elite players like Tiger Woods but also close to 200 PGA Tour members who will receive equity shares based on criteria such as career accomplishments, recent achievements, and Tour status.

Monahan emphasized the deal’s significance, stating that the equity grants would vest over time and an additional $600 million in recurring equity grants would be distributed starting in 2025. This move aims to align the interests of players, management, and investors, ensuring stability and growth within the sport.

The SSG consortium, which includes prominent sports figures like Steve Cohen, Arthur Blank, and Marc Lasry, was chosen over more than two dozen entities that submitted investment bids, highlighting the widespread interest in owning a piece of professional golf.

NFL, Brother-Sister Duo, Ashley & Trey Smith

by Daniel Johnson

February 6, 2024

As Black Team Presidents Increase In The NFL, A Luncheon Seeks To Give Them Their Flowers

Minorities in Sports, a network dedicated to providing opportunities and access to sports professionals of color, and Diverse Representation, an organization dedicated to increasing Black representation in all aspects of the sports and entertainment management industries, will be honoring the Black executives with a luncheon.

Sandra Douglass Morgan became the first Black woman president in NFL history in 2022, part of a growing class of Black front office executives.

Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis approached her in 2021 about taking the open position following the departure of two team presidents. Morgan has unexpectedly become something of a role model, as she recounted to CNBC the story of a father telling her that his daughter now wants to get involved in football, all because she saw Morgan.

“He told me that he brings his son and daughter to the games and that his son always talks about wanting to play for the Raiders while her daughter says nothing,” she says. “But when she saw me on the field, she turned to her dad and said, ‘Maybe I can work for the Raiders, too.'” Morgan continued, “I realized, at that moment, that this job is much bigger than me. It’s giving people hope, visibility, and optimism that this is something you can strive for.”

The number of Black NFL team presidents has grown significantly since 2020 when the Washington Commanders hired Jason Wright. Since then, Wright has been joined by Kevin Warren (Chicago Bears), Sashi Brown (Baltimore Ravens), Morgan, and Damani Leech (Denver Broncos). The rapid rise of Black team presidents in the NFL created a juxtaposition where the front office and team composition were overwhelmingly Black, but the coaching ranks were not.

Before this year’s hiring cycle, the league only had three Black head coaches. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ Mike Tomlin, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Todd Bowles, and the Miami Dolphins’ Mike McDaniel. Over the past few months, the league executed its version of a hiring blitz. The league now boasts six Black head coaches, and one of them, Houston’s Demeco Ryans, is receiving buzz for coach of the year after he guided the Houston Texans to an improbable playoff run. The other Black head coaches are Raheem Morris (Atlanta Falcons), Jerrod Mayo (New England Patriots), and Antonio Pierce (Las Vegas Raiders).

Ahead of the Super Bowl, two organizations are coming together to celebrate the achievements of these Black team presidents. Minorities in Sports, a network dedicated to providing opportunities and access to sports professionals of color, and Diverse Representation, an organization committed to increasing the hiring and exposure of Black attorneys, agents, managers, publicists, and financial advisors in the sports and entertainment industries will be honoring the Black executives with a luncheon.

According to Jaia Thomas, an attorney and founder of Diverse Representation, “The 2023-2024 NFL season is the first season in NFL history to boast five Black team presidents. We’re excited to celebrate their accomplishments and the numerous ways in which they’ve opened opportunities for greater diversity in the league.”

The NFL, according to the press release, is currently the league with the most Black team presidents across all major American sports. The luncheon plans to honor Wright, who kicked off the Black team president hiring frenzy, and Warren, the most recent hire among Black team presidents. The event will take place on Feb 8 at the Resorts World Hotel in Las Vegas.

According to Shaina Wiel, the founder and CEO of Minorities in Sports, the event is an attempt to give these Black team presidents their flowers. “With our Toast to Black Sports event, we aim to highlight and celebrate the top Black sports executives in the industry. Too often, Black executives are behind the scenes accomplishing phenomenal feats with little to no recognition. Our goal is to give proverbial flowers by recognizing them for their work.”

by Jeffrey McKinney

February 5, 2024

Tech Accelerator Gains $1M Grant, Plans To Boost Investment In Black Startups

The funding will be used to support diverse business owners in South Los Angeles and surrounding cities and neighborhoods.

Plug In Ventures, a Black-owned tech accelerator, has secured a new $1 million grant from the California Office of Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA). Plug In Ventures will receive $250,000 annually over four years. The funding aims to empower Black and brown early-stage startups in Southern California, fostering a more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem through access to capital, mentorship, resources, and educational programs.

CEO and Founder Derek Smith says the funding will be dedicated to supporting diverse business owners in South Los Angeles and surrounding cities and neighborhoods. The grant will be used to enhance his firm’s accelerator program and support new founders outside the program. That will include tailoring services to prepare Black entrepreneurs for VC opportunities and connecting them to potential capital investors.

“Our focus will be on equipping them with the skills and resources needed to develop venture-backable business models and ideas, particularly in the realm of software technology,” he tells BLACK ENTERPRISE.

In general, tech startup accelerators are run by seasoned entrepreneurs who help early-stage tech firms connect with investors, advance their products, and sharpen their business plans. Capital infusion is crucial. Funding to Black founders has steadily declined for three years after the murder of George Floyd in 2020. That was a banner funding year with promised pledges from tech firms. However, last year, just 0.48% of all VC dollars were raised by Black founders, based on tech research firm Crunchbase. That means roughly only $661 million out of $136 billion went to Black firms.

Smith started his South Los Angeles-based firm in 2014, focusing mainly on supporting Black startups. Since 2019, companies in his firm’s ecosystem have raised over $22 million in VC dollars, coming from areas such as climate/sustainability, the creator economy, and athletic apparel.

But now, Smith wants to see the number of companies his firm helps secure investment grow conservatively by 10% to 20% by 2025 and expand into new sectors like automation, healthcare, and digital technology. Plug In Ventures now works with over 30 companies, including about 20 owned by Black entrepreneurs.

Smith explains that his firm has provided all labor at no cost to help its founders thrive until now. But this spring, it is shifting to an equity-based model targeting 5% to 7% ownership, allowing founders to participate in its accelerator.

“We intend to also facilitate follow-on investment directly and through our community of investors,” he says.

Smith expects his firm’s revenue to grow conservatively by 30% to 40% this year, although he did not provide exact amounts. He expects the uptick to come from increasing the firm’s program base and new funding sources and expanding into new markets such as Atlanta and New York this year.

“With the scale back in venture capital flowing into Black and brown entrepreneurs, the work that we’re doing to support these enterprises is more important now than ever,” he explains.

Yara Shahidi, TED talk, perfume, Divine, Jean Paul Gaultier

by Stacy Jackson

February 5, 2024

Yara Shahidi is The New Muse For Jean Paul Gaultier’s Newest Fragrance ‘Divine’

Jean Paul Gaultier looked to the Harvard graduate as the muse for the new Eau De Parfum that represents divine womanhood.

Actress Yara Shahidi is one of the golden muses behind Jean Paul Gaultier’s newest fragrance, Gaultier Divine.

A parallel message to Shahidi’s activism for equality, equity, Gen Z voting, and women’s rights, Gaultier launched the new “feminine and radiant” eau de parfum in 2023 to celebrate womanhood. The campaign features the Grown-ish actress dripped in gold alongside a diverse selection of models Gaultier called upon to represent the new fragrance. As grand doors open to reveal Shahidi centered in an all-gold room, the actress shakes around a glass bottle with a ship at sea sealed inside.

Gaultier styled Shahidi in a gold ensemble that reflects the voluptuous corset design of the fragrance bottle, a symbol of feminine liberation. According to Gaultier, the golden silhouette honors the diversity of the female body. The new perfume is a balance of floral and gourmand notes “interspersed with a salty vibe” and an airy meringue.

The Harvard graduate discussed her “message of hope” for women as part of the campaign. “My piece of advice is to lean into community,” she said in a video published on the brand’s Instagram page. “It’s through being in community with other women that I learn something that I didn’t know the day before, that I get another dose of hope, where I feel inspired.”

The actress dressed elegantly in a gold corset and shared that her secret to maintaining balance in life is unknown.

“I graduated from school and literally said, ‘How did I do that?'” Shahidi said, emphasizing the importance of community. “I’m only as good as my support network.”

The young activist added: “So much of my work is the product of love, but my ability to do it is the product of being loved.”

Throughout September, several videos and photos were published on Instagram by Gaultier. They featured other muses like South African model and prosecutor Thando Hopa, who shared that she carries many “institutions of womanhood” inside her, including albinism and being African and Black.

POV: You just knocked on femininity’s door.@Yarashaahidi @thando_hopa #LolaRodriguez @Jumbojanet_ #AnaeBrito #TessMcMillan
More on: https://t.co/DlI9Z1Tc2J #GaultierDivine #JeanPaulGaultier #IAmDivine pic.twitter.com/attZpwniuo
— Jean Paul Gaultier (@JPGaultier) October 26, 2023

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

February 5, 2024

Stephen Curry Addresses NBA Immediate Future Amid Team Losing

'It's up to us to go out and perform and hold our ground as a team that's, you know, a legitimate team that can win'

You may sense the frustration in the voice of Stephen Curry as he speaks about his team (which has been losing a lot recently) after scoring 60 points in a recent game and still not coming up with a victory. As the NBA trade deadline nears, he admitted he can’t make personnel decisions for the team, but stated that he and his teammates as players, “have to be able to control what you can control.”

After losing the latest contest to the Atlanta Hawks, the Golden State Warriors have a record of 21-25, falling four games under .500 and resting at 12th place in the Western Conference, out of the playoff race at the moment, according to The Associated Press. Scoring a season-high 60 points and losing in overtime by a score of 141-134, you can see the growing annoyance on Curry’s face.

Steph Curry on the trade deadline: “Until it’s said otherwise or decisions are made, it’s up to us to go out and perform and hold our ground as a legitimate team that can win. If you’re not, then you approach things differently when the opportunity presents itself.” pic.twitter.com/jV5zgm6fLI
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 4, 2024

After being questioned about the looming deadline and the possibility of getting help via a trade, he responded by saying, “It’s up to us as players to perform, play at the level that we’re supposed to so that those conversations and decisions, maybe a little easier. And, obviously, I’m not a GM; I’m not in that position where I’m getting asked that every single day. My job is to go out there and perform. The closer you get to it, it’s the nature of the NBA; you can’t be naïve and act like the calls aren’t being made or whatever it is. For us as players in the locker room, you have to be able to control what you can control. And, until it’s said otherwise, or decisions are made, like, it’s up to us to go out and perform and hold our ground as a team that’s, you know, a legitimate team that can win. And if you’re not, you approach things differently when the opportunity presents itself.”

Steph weighs in on the trade deadline looming large after another tough loss pic.twitter.com/n8N4qBln0e

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) February 4, 2024

Curry’s teammate Draymond Green also shared his thoughts about the team’s misfortunes on the cour on his podcast, The Draymond Green Show.

“Very frustrating, especially with Steph having the type of night that he had, 60. The rest of us didn’t play too well. Everybody else shot 38% from the field, 8-for-38 from three, and then you had Steph with ten threes. It always sucks when you lose a game. When you lose a game, and your guy goes off like that? It’s even worse,” Green said.

“Very frustrating, especially with Steph Curry having the type of night that he had… When you lose a game and your guy [goes] off like that? It’s even worse.”

Draymond Green on the loss against the Hawks despite Steph’s 60 🗣️

(via @TheVolumeSports)pic.twitter.com/zelHJVwpl4

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 5, 2024

One thing that both teammates can agree on, as Green stated, is that they have to play more mistake-free basketball.

Two Black Entrepreneurs Receive $300K ‘Shark Tank’ Investment, One Wants To Encourage Trenton Community

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

February 5, 2024

Two Black Entrepreneurs Receive $300K ‘Shark Tank’ Investment, One Wants To Encourage Trenton Community

A Black entrepreneur who received a $300k investment on "Shark Tank" wants to use his success to encourage aspiring entrepreneurs coming out of his hometown in Trenton, New Jersey

Two Black male entrepreneurs who launched a company aimed at combatting bots overtaking the consumer market received a $300,000 Shark Tank investment and now one wants to use his success to encourage aspiring entrepreneurs coming out of his hometown in Trenton, NJ.

Joel Griffith and Maurice Bachelor are golf buddies who live in Los Angeles and found it difficult to book tee times during the pandemic. Once they figured out that companies were creating Bots to buy up all the tee times and resell them online for higher prices, Griffith and Bachelor decided to “fight back” by launching their own company called “Bot-It.”

Bot-It is a website and smartphone app that uses AI to automate various online tasks, much like the Bots people see dominating the online ticket-buying space.

“If you need anything automated—booking time, dinner reservations, concerts, you set up a bot and the system will do it for you,” Griffith tells the Trenton Journal. “You don’t have to be on the computer at the exact time.”

In October 2023, Griffith and Bachelor appeared on ABC’s Shark Tank where they received a $300,000 offer from Mark Cuban and Michael Rubin.

“I felt great,” Griffith said. “We were extremely happy. It’s really hard to get on the show. Once you’re there, the sharks can be sharks. We were lucky to be so prepared. We had all their questions answered in a timely manner.”

Now with his newfound entrepreneurial success, Griffith is hoping to inspire his hometown of Trenton, NJ to do the same.

“The biggest pleasure I got out of being on the show was showing people from my hometown [that] you can become something more. Go to school. Continue to grind. You can do anything,” he said.

“I have a two-year-old daughter. I want her to look back and see her father built something he’s proud of; help inspire her to build things too.”

The Morehouse grad, who worked as an account executive for LinkedIn, Snap Inc., Amazon, and TikTok before co-founding Bot-It, knows Trenton is known for all of the successful athletes the city has birthed. However, Griffith believes his hometown is well on its way to an entrepreneurial breakthrough.

“I think Trenton is prime for a comeback. There’s renewed interest in the city with the mayor being in leadership. Entrepreneurs and small businesses look at Trenton as a place to grow,” he said.

“A new housing development is being built. Trenton has so much potential. It’s the capital of the state. By the end of the decade, we’ll see Trenton much different than it was over the past 20 years.”

Bachelor is a Cleveland native who is also making his community proud with his Shark Tank success. He spoke with Cleveland News 5 last year about Bot-It serving as a solution to securing event tickets online.