Becoming an entrepreneur/business owner has been a part of the “American Dream” for as long as time can tell, and a growing aspiration for many. But did you know that according to the 2018 Annual Business Survey, Black/African American owned employer businesses account for only 2.2% of the 5.7 million employer businesses in the United States? While this number has been increasing since 2002, this population is still disproportionately smaller than the population overall. Why might this be the case? Based on a poll of 400 Black business owners commissioned by Groupon and the National Black Chamber of Commerce, 80% of Black business owners said they faced significantly more challenges getting their business off the ground because of their race. This episode of The Workforce Wire features a discussion between three successful black business owners taking their seat at the table. Join us as we speak with Korey Neal, President of K. Neal Truck & Bus Center, Delegate Darryl Barnes (District 25), President of Men Aiming Higher, Inc. & Barnes International Ltd., and Laurie Sayles, President & CEO of Civility Management Solutions (Civility MS) about their experiences and challenges as Black entrepreneurs.

Slavery, Jim Crow, and decades of economic inequalities have severely impacted the earnings and wealth of black Americans. McKinsey & Company reported that the median white family had more than ten times the wealth of the median black family in 2016. Additionally, McKinsey & Company stated that, “the racial wealth gap between black and white families grew from about $100,000 in 1992 to $154,000 in 2016”. Two years later the Business Insider include the following stated in their article, “In 2018, the average black American was earning roughly 60% of the average white American, and that ratio has been largely stable throughout the past two decades.” In this episode of The Workforce Wire, Walter Simmons will be joined by Marcus N. Daniels, Associate Broker at NAI Michael, and April Richardson, CEO of DC Sweet Potato Cake to discuss strategies behind increasing the earnings of black Americans and increase the overall wealth of black America. As Money Under 30 stated, wealth meant to sustain a healthy financial future for years to come, characterized by long-term financial prosperity in combination with your total net worth. If the income gap wasn’t alarming enough, The Brookings Institution found that the net worth of a typical white family ($171,000) is nearly ten times greater than that of a Black family ($17,150).

In the final episode of the Walk in My Shoe series, we will explore the life of a returning citizen who was convicted of a crime, served time, and was INNOCENT! Part 5 features Huwe Burton, a Bronx native, who was wrongfully convicted of murdering his mother in 1991 and sentenced to 15 years to life in prison at just 16 years old. After spending more than 20 years wrongfully incarcerated, Burton was released on parole in 2009 with the help of the famed Innocence Project. In January 2019, Burton was finally exonerated.  Learn about Huwe’s experience, journey, and reflection as a wrongfully convicted returning citizen.

Part 4 features entrepreneur & justice reform advocate, Marcus Bullock. Following his 2004 release from prison, Marcus Bullock launched a construction business that grew to employ other returning citizens. Bullock is also the Founder & CEO of Flikshop, Inc., a software company that builds tools to help incarcerated people stay connected to their families and build community. He is also a member of the Justice Policy Institute's Board of Directors and serves as an advisor to the Aspen Institute’s Opportunity Youth Incentive Fund.

Join Walter Simmons, as he hosts a business owner, human resources executive, and diversity expert in a discussion about racism in the workplace on the Workforce Wire, finalizing the two-part series on Discussing Racism in the Workplace. Podcast Guests: Adrienne L. Stay, Chief Human Resources Officer, Employ Prince George’s and Nithya Pramekumar, Senior Consultant, Thomas P. Miller & Associates.

The Workforce Wire podcast series, “Walking in My Shoes”, features returning citizens who have successfully transitioned from incarceration and identify, in their words, why they were successful, why many are not successful, and what can be done to decrease the recidivism rates of returning citizens. Part II features Joseph Tolbert, a father and Community Activist from Prince George’s County, Maryland.  After his release from prison, Joseph graduated from DC Central Kitchen and started a career in the hospitality industry.  Eventually seeing many problems in his community, Joseph became a Community Activist, fighting on the behalf of concerned residents, returning citizens and youth.  In 2019 Joseph launched a clothing company, Been There Done That (BTDT), and became a board member at DC Central Kitchen.

Part 1 of Walking in My Shoes features Qiana Johnson, founder of Life After Release, Inc. Life After Release provides reentry services to formerly incarcerated Prince George's County residents and was founded by Qiana after she couldn't find the services she needed once released from incarceration.

Join The Workforce Wire as Qiana shares her story of incarceration and subsequent return to the community. Discover the policy changes that need to happen to help individuals successfully integrate back into society upon release from imprisonment and the support that is needed from the community.

Join President & CEO, Walter Simmons and EPG’s Education and Training Manager, Martin Copeland III tomorrow as they discuss LGBTQ discrimination in the workplace, what people are experiencing and pathways and resources to make changes that prepare and protect everyone in the workplace.

The Prince George’s County Local Workforce Development Board in partnership with Employ Prince George’s (EPG) dedicates the month of March as ReEntry Month in Prince George’s County, Maryland by hosting a series of events dedicated to helping returning citizens get back into the workforce. This year we decided to interview former returning citizens, Sheldon McDowell and Dajaune Goode, that have completed the Employ Prince George’s Pathway to Success Program and have transitioned successfully back into society. The interview is conducted by ReEntry Coordinator Provider, Pete Goodson, and Community Outreach specialist, Lawrence Barbour.

Many people dream of obtaining a federal job, and many people achieve this dream, but many don’t. This episode will discuss tools and tips to help jobseekers successfully gain employment with the federal government. The guest is Kathryn Troutman, President, The Resume Place.

Commonly, people associate apprenticeships with the building trades and men. This episode will discuss nontraditional apprenticeship occupations and how to integrate women, minorities and other demographics into apprenticeships. The guest is Emma Brennan, Women in the Trades Project Manager at Metro Washington Council AFL-CIO.

Millennials are commonly the reference of negative connotations in today's workforce. The Success Millennial is a New Wire series dedicated to highlighting successful millennials while providing tips to assist in the development and growth of millennials in the workforce. This episode will discuss careers in government and how millennials can achieve success with the public sector.
This episode features an interview with Erin Roth, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Maryland Department of Labor & Ryan Middleton, Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff, Office of the Prince George's County Executive.

#Millennials are commonly the reference of negative stereotypes in today’s workforce. At the #WorkforceWire, Employ Prince George’s in-house produced podcast series, we’re debunking the myths that surround Millennials by showcasing Successful Millennials in Government, Nonprofit and Workforce Development.

Episode 4 of EPG’s the Workforce Wire, features a candid conversation between Three successful male Millennials working in Prince George’s County: the Honorable Shawn Maldon, Mayor of Capitol Heights, MD, the Honorable Jazz Lewis, Delegate, District 24, Maryland House of Delegates and Walter Simmons, President & CEO of Employ Prince George’s.

This episode features an interview with Shay Curry, Manager of Human Resources, Aerospace Group – Fluid and Electrical Distribution Division at Eaton Manufacturing.

Discover the opportunities and career pathways within advanced manufacturing, the positions that Eaton Aerospace posts most frequently, and what makes advanced manufacturing different from other jobs and industries.