National Black Business Month

News

August 2024
In recognition of Black Business Month, throughout August we shined a spotlight on Black-owned businesses and shared some inspiring stories.

To begin, National Black Business Month was founded in 2004 by John William Templeton and Frederick E. Jordan Sr. Their goal was to empower Black business owners and raise awareness of the unique challenges they face.

According to the most recent Census Bureau data, in 2021 there were 161,031 Black-owned businesses in the US. This was a 14.3% increase from 2020 numbers.

The first spotlight is on Benchmark Construction Group, a full service, Philadelphia-based, MBE general contractor and construction manager. Benchmark’s principals have more than 75 years of combined experience, providing new construction, renovation, and historic restoration services for commercial, institutional, and residential clients.

The Benchmark team is led by Kenn Penn, CCIM, LEED GA. A former real estate construction lender for the banking industry, Kenn was involved in business development, analyzing financial feasibility of residential and commercial developments, and involved in real estate projects exceeding $500 million.

He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the African American Chamber of Commerce (AACC), the African American Real Estate Professionals Philadelphia Chapter (AAREP), and the Building Industry Association (BIA). Kenn is also the Co-Chairperson of BIA’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee in an effort to improve the diversity in the construction field.

The second spotlight is Trinity Property Advisors. Founded in 2020 by Candis Pressley, Trinity Property Advisors is a successful real estate and development firm with a diverse portfolio. The company provides brokerage, development, and consulting services to the commercial and residential real estate industry.

Earlier in 2024, the company completed the development of Jenice’s Event and Conference Center, a new Philadelphia venue aimed at fostering community engagement and professional networking.

The third spotlight in recognition Black Business Month is shining on Greenwood Commercial Real Estate Group. The company provides comprehensive corporate real estate services to multi-location companies and organizations.

Greenwood CRE was launched by a group of real estate professionals who previously excelled at some of the world’s premier commercial real estate companies. After separately launched their own firms and collaborating on on-off commercial real estate projects, they combined their years of expertise to create Greenwood CRE.

The firm was founded by James Pitts, Jerry Dawson, Alec Wynne, Mark Talley, and Brian Edmonds. Brian leads the Philadelphia office and is also a fellow Board member of African American Real Estate Professionals.

Our Black Business Month spotlight then turned to Company Counsel LLC, founded in 2016. The firm is led by Bernard A. Williams, Esq., an experienced commercial litigator who worked at some of the country’s finest law firms.

The establishment of Company Counsel came in large part due to Bernard’s position as a business owner after leaving the legal industry in 2008. He saw that every business entity needs legal advice and representation, not just large, wealthy corporations.

A certified MBE, Company Counsel helps entrepreneurs and small business owners reach their goals and achieve their dreams.

Our Black Business Month spotlight then swung to AR Spruce, a Philadelphia-based real estate services and development company which plans, creates, and manages real estate.

The company was founded in 2020 by Maleda Berhane, Alan Razak and Jackie Burn, when Spruce Real Estate Partners and AthenianRazak merged. Maleda is currently the CEO and Principal, while Alan and Jackie both serve as Senior Advisors. AR Spruce is MBE and WBE certified.

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