Celebrating National Black Business Month

The transportation industry has been a part of my family for a long time. It started with my grandfather, he opened a dump truck business, and my father followed in his footsteps. I did too, at first, but I knew I wanted to branch out a little. Back then, I was fascinated by long-haul driving and carrying cargo. And I liked the sound of something stable and consistent. So, I opened my own trucking company, much like my grandfather before me.

Now, the part of my job I love the most is taking care of my employees. We have almost 80 of them. The ability to know you’re making a difference in their lives is like nothing else in the world. Some have been with us for over ten years, and work as hard as I do. To know that we provide jobs that offer a good living on which someone can support a family; that’s what gets me up every morning.

As someone who grew their business through word of mouth, I hope to see more black business owners embrace networking and rubbing elbows in the community. You can’t underestimate how valuable getting to know your neighbors is and what kind of opportunities that opens up. That’s good practice for any business, but it’s worth raising up during Black Business Month.

And I think that's where I see the value in Black Business Month: the simple act of celebrating and recognizing black businesses. It takes a lot of work for a businesses to stay alive, especially these days. Unfortunately, companies are fighting for labor and cash flow to stay afloat because their expenses have more than doubled, and revenue hasn't. So, to have a moment where we can lift up these businesses that are still making it and letting people how to support them, that has the potential to make a difference in someone's life.