Marketing by Monrae is proud to announce the official launch of the Ghetto CEO Podcast. This new podcast is dedicated to removing the curtain on some of the most taboo topics to discuss in entrepreneurship. Giving light on struggles and trials that CEOs face daily, the Ghetto CEO Podcast is a platform for raw and unfiltered conversations with successful entrepreneurs, innovators, and game-changers.

Hosted by Marketing By Monrae, founder of Millionaire Mob University, each episode delves into the unique journeys of successful businessmen and women and the lessons they have learned while building. Highlighting the hustle, grit, and determination it takes to overcome obstacles to succeed, the Ghetto CEO Podcast provides an honest and relatable perspective on what it truly means to be a CEO in today’s world.The inspiration for the Ghetto CEO Podcast comes from the American Sesh created by Pinky Cole, owner of the popular restaurant chain Slutty Vegan.
Pinky was the first guest on the Ghetto CEO Podcast. During their conversation, she spoke candidly about the uncomfortable realities of being an entrepreneur that is often overlooked by society.

Pinky said, “Being an entrepreneur is very uncomfortable. Most times, 95% of the time, social media society glorifies entrepreneurship as this grand, beautiful thing. While it is, nobody really identifies the part that stresses you out at night, the anxiety when you look at your bank account, or when customers stop being as consistent, nobody tells you about that part.”
Monrae says, “The Ghetto CEO Podcast provides a space for authentic and transparent conversations with entrepreneurs who have overcome adversity and are willing to share their stories. We want to give light on the struggles that CEOs face and discuss taboo topics in entrepreneurship.”

In celebration of the launch, Marketing by Monrae is hosted the first annual Ghetto CEO Awards Brunch on March 30 in Atlanta, GA. Honorees included celebrity entrepreneurs Kandi Burruss, Tamara Young, Jazzy McBee, and Ebony Austin, and the first episode’s guest, Pinky Cole. In addition, the Ghetto CEO Podcast will air a new episode each Thursday evening, with season 1 guests including Pinky Cole, Matty J, BB Judy, and more.

The Ghetto CEO Podcast Awards Brunch, which took place during March Women’s month, celebrated the mighty women making waves in the business world. Monrae is thrilled to honor Kandi Burruss, Tamara Young, Jazzy McBee, Ebony Austin, and Pinky Cole at this event.
“These women are trailblazers in their respective industries, and I am honored to be able to recognize them for their hard work and dedication,” says Monrae.
Awards Categories:
● TrailBlazer of The Year – Ebony Austin
● Media Award – Jazzy McBee
● Spirit Award – Tamara Young
● Legend Award – Kandi Burruss Tucker
● CEO of The Year Award – Pinky Cole

The “Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure” exhibit is coming to Los Angeles following a successful run in NYC, and the sisters of the iconic artist gave BLACK ENTERPRISE an exclusive first look.

Located at the Grand LA, the four-part installation features over 200 never-before and rarely-seen Basquiat paintings, drawings, and artifacts specially selected from the family’s estate. Opening on March 31, his sisters, Lisane Basquiat and Jeanine Heriveaux, served as executive producers and curators of the exhibit that offers a visual of what Jean-Michel’s life was like in New York and the time he spent working in Los Angeles.

Lisane and Jeanine spent years working on the exhibit that became an idea following their father’s passing in 2013.

“My sister and I, our dad passed away in 2013, and we became the executors of his estate, Jean Michel’s estate, and we needed some time to kind of get that straight and realized that we wanted to do something more,” Jeanine told BLACK ENTERPRISE.

After speaking with their stepmother, the sisters came into possession of several works that were being stored in a warehouse.

“‘They need to be seen,'” they recall their stepmother saying. “We agreed with her, but at the same time knew that we had never curated an exhibition before.”

Speeding up to 2020, when the world was in lockdown, and lingering racial tension and social injustice plagued the country, the Basquiat sisters knew it was time to bring the exhibit to life.

“It actually was a domino,” Lasine said. “And it took 20 months to kind of pull this together.”

“The intention was really to not only show works that haven’t been seen, but to give a family perspective of Jean Michel’s life.”

The exhibit includes recreations of Basquiat’s studio on Great Jones Street in New York and the dining and living room of the Basquiat family home in Brooklyn. Other recreations include the Michael Todd VIP Room in the iconic Palladium nightclub from the 1980s, where two massive paintings Basquiat created for his favorite nightclub are on display.

Through the lens of his family and estate, “King Pleasure” highlights Basquiat’s childhood memories, including the time the Haitian-Puerto Rican artist spent in Puerto Rico, his trips to the Ivory Coast, and family videos showing him as a baby and toddler in Brooklyn. It also includes personal portraits the late Andy Warhol made for Basquiat’s mother, father, and sister Jeanine.

“it was important that we were able to executive produce,” Lasine said.

“We were able to say, this is our vision, and that we didn’t need to apologize or explain that. Because, you know, it’s like, this is a house we’re building.”

The sisters also wanted to make sure there was a community component to the exhibit that includes bussing children free of charge to the installation as well as a fashion show in New York City with Black designers who showcased apparel inspired by Basquiat’s work, a film created by young aspiring filmmakers, and family-style dinners inspired by foods the Basquiat family enjoyed as kids.

“It’s not just an exhibition, it’s an experience,” Jeanine said.

In addition to the four-part installation, visitors can get their hands on exclusive Basquiat merch, including hoodies, sweatshirts, sweatpants, bags, and other collectibles, and an in-depth catalog that tells more of Basquiat’s story.

• Business

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

April 2, 2023

Black Dad Buys, Gives His 13-Year-Old Son 40 Acres of Land in California

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Faheem Muhammad, an African American father and entrepreneur from San Diego, California, has gifted his son with 40 acres of land on his 13th birthday. He says that he wants to teach him the importance of land ownership and generational wealth.

Muhammad, who is the co-founder of a real estate investment firm, says that he bought the land in 2021 as a place to get away from city life.

“We see clear space, where we can uninterruptedly enjoy nature, especially growing up in a congested city like L.A. when we are out here it’s totally different,” Muhammad told CBS8.

Muhammad said he learned the importance of owning his own property and helping his community through his mother Aminah Muhammad who taught him and his siblings when they were young. Taking that as an example, he gave his son 40 acres of land when he turned 13 on March 16.

“I thought it would be a great opportunity to teach him a life lesson about the land,” he said.

His son was excited about his new property, which he envisions to be an open space for camping. He said, “You could build, like, ATVs around the whole thing. Build a zipline from the mountain.”

This news first appeared on Blacknews.com

• Business

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

April 1, 2023

Chemico Receives 2022 Overdrive Award from General Motors

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General Motors (GM) recognized Chemico as an Overdrive award winner during GM’s recent 31st annual Supplier of the Year awards event in San Antonio, Texas. Chemico is one of 16 companies to earn an Overdrive award for 2022. While this is the company’s first Overdrive award, Chemico has been named a GM Supplier of the Year seven consecutive times from 2009 – 2015 and again in 2020.

First presented in 2012, The Overdrive award is a distinction reserved for suppliers who display
outstanding achievement across the Global Purchasing and Supply Chain organization’s key priorities.
These include sustainability, innovation, relationships, total enterprise cost, launch excellence and safety.
Chemico was acknowledged for nurturing relationship with GM and its “out of the box” solution to helium
shortages.

“What an honor it is to receive the 2022 Overdrive award from General Motors,” said Leon C. Richardson,
president and CEO, Chemico. “This recognition would not have been possible without the lasting
collaborative relationship we’ve enjoyed with GM and the unwavering commitment to service, quality and
excellence demonstrated by our team each day. This award also illustrates the mission we’ve maintained
since 1989 — to add value to our customer’s supply chain, add value to the lives of our employees and add
value to the communities in which we live and work.”

“We are thrilled to recognize these outstanding suppliers after yet another challenging year in the
automotive industry,” said Jeff Morrison, GM vice president of Global Purchasing and Supply Chain. “They
overcame countless obstacles and exemplified what it means to be resilient, resourceful and determined.
Beyond that, these suppliers demonstrated their commitment to sustainable innovation and to driving
advanced solutions in collaboration with the GM team.”

Each year, the Supplier of the Year and Overdrive award recipients are selected by a global, cross-
functional GM team for their performance in criteria such Product Purchasing, Global Purchasing and

Manufacturing Services, Customer Care and Aftersales and Logistics. Founded in 1989, the Chemico Group is the largest veteran-owned, minority-owned chemical management firms in the nation. The Group specializes in integrated solutions for the entire chemical lifecycle — from procurement to on-site inventory management to environmentally conscious disposal.

A leader in chemical products and distribution, Chemico’s vast network of suppliers and specialty
manufacturers provides customers a wide variety of chemical solutions. The company’s broad portfolio is
used in customer facilities across the automotive, aerospace, electronics and healthcare industries and the
defense sector. Chemico Group is comprised of two distinct business entities — Chemico LLC (chemical
management) and Chemico Systems (chemical products and distribution). With 50 locations and more
than 450 employees across the U.S. and Mexico, the company is poised for significant growth.
In addition, Chemico has entered a strategic partnership with DuBois Chemicals
(www.duboischemicals.com). Since 1920, DuBois has provided a comprehensive product portfolio
including value added chemicalsolutions and process improvements for industrial manufacturing, cleaning
and water treatment applications. DuBois’ product breadth, local technical expertise and facility footprint,
coupled with Chemico’s industry-leading chemical management service capabilities, deliver unparalleled
value to customers. The partnership combines two market leaders creating a comprehensive portfolio of products, services and technical support.

For more information, visit www.thechemicogroup.com.

• News

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

April 1, 2023

EXIT Realty Quality Solutions’ Triple Threat Leadership Trio Takes on Metro Atlanta Real Estate by Force

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When the “Triple Threat” leadership team of EXIT Realty Quality Solutions, Broker & Co-Owners Sharon and Michele, and Team Leader, Tori, are not serving clients they are coaching and mentoring their amazing team of agents and finding ways to give back to their community. These Boss Brown Girls live to build a legacy for their families and community and are committed to fighting and advocating for Community Revitalization, Affordable Housing, Home Ownership and Democracy in Housing.

As co-owner of EXIT Realty Quality Solutions, Sharon Henry is not merely another real estate broker, but a BOSS with a proven track record of excellence as a leader and successful entrepreneur. For more than two decades, Sharon has been a laser focused visionary honing her marketing, recruitment and relationship building skills. These “super powers” and being a highly competitive and results driven producer, have made EXIT Realty Quality Solutions THE premier organization for real estate professionals looking to level up their real estate careers and for home buyers and sellers who seek razor sharp, highly skilled real estate experts to navigate them through their experience of achieving their real estate goals. Team members and clients of ERQS are privy to Sharon’s expansive vat of resources and connections which sets them apart and gives them a distinct edge over their peers and market pool.

Co-owner and Managing Broker, Michele Calloway has taken her passion for real estate, training, processes and procedures to higher heights and deeper depths while fulfilling her duties as Program Director, National Trainer and Community Development Consultant. Michele is a nationally recognized industry leader who has blazed trails for women in real estate, a highly sought after trainer, and a seasoned HUD Certified housing counselor who has woven her unique skills sets and expertise into her ERQS duties and shares them generously with her team and extended community. Through the intricate and relevant training curricula that she curates, coupled with her proven experience in content delivery, and her dogged determination to build an informed and educated army of experts, Michele inspires her team to provide an exceptional client experience while meeting their personal and professional goals.

Team Leader, Tori Nunley, is the third ingredient to the EXIT Realty Quality Solutions “secret sauce” recipe of success. Tori’s successful 15+ year real estate journey has taken her from a “super star” sales agent and homebuying counselor to her current role of Mentor and “go to” front line warrior for the ERQS team. She provides her agents with one-on-one coaching that prepares and acclimates them to EXIT’s powerful back office of multiple platforms, technical support, and tools which, if utilized, ensure agent success from every facet and angle. Tori is also the gatekeeper to ERQS’ lead generation system that catapults her teammates from “everyday agents to masterful machines” who seemingly live at the closing table with their clients!

This undeniable mix of greatness wasn’t built overnight. Collectively they bring 55+ years of experience and have skillfully conquered the peaks, valleys, ebbs and flows of the industry that they consider to be “their calling versus their career”. They are RESILIENT, RESPONSIVE, and highly RECOGNIZED amongst their colleagues, peers, team members, and community. They have built a brand that is undeniably RESPECTED. Together with their diverse and dynamic team of real estate experts, they will continue to shatter glass ceilings created to defer them, scoff at barriers created to deter them, and kick down doors created to deny them! Team EXIT Realty Quality Solutions is seeking agents who are ready to grow and clients seeking excellent service!