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-A prestigious event that celebrates an extraordinary group of individuals who exemplify the power of perseverance, vision, and hard work in transforming their dreams into thriving local businesses.

Hello, I'm Peter Noll, and on this edition of Tennessee is Talking, the topic is the 24th Annual JEWEL Awards, recognizing those who have not only built successful ventures, but also contribute to the growth and enrichment of our community.

Let the conversation begin.

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West Tennessee PBS presents Tennessee is Talking.

Let the conversation begin.

-Thanks for joining the discussion here on Tennessee is Talking.

Hello, I am Peter Noll.

The JEWEL Awards honor the entrepreneurial trailblazers who continue to inspire and shape our community.

Here to tell us more is Don McCorry, Director of the Jackson-Madison County Chamber of Commerce.

Don, thanks for coming in.

-Thank you, Peter.

It's great to be here.

-I can't b.. the 24th Annual JEWEL Awards is almost here.

-That was a crazy year, and it was a very, very fast year.

It seems like you just left, and we're excited that you're coming back.

-Yes.

For those viewers out there that aren't fami.. with the JEWEL Awards, give a little summary of what the JEWEL Awards are.

-The JEWEL Awards, I have to say, is our flagship fundraiser that we do every February during African American History Month, which is an event where we get to showcase and celebrate minority businesses in West Tennessee based on-- First off, is to showcase them for their tenacity, for perseverance, for fulfilling their dream.

We have four different categories based on how long that they've been in business.

-It's taking place when again this year?

-It is Saturday, February 15th, 6:30 PM at the Carl Perkins Civic Center.

-If people want to attend, what do they need to do?

-Oh, if you want to attend, you can get tickets at eventbrite.com, or you can contact our office at 731-424-2030.

We have individual tickets.

We have tables.

We have some sponsorships that are still available also.

Tickets are going fast, and we encourage you to do it as quickly as possible.

It's a very popular event.

-It's popular, and it's quite fancy.

People get dressed for the night, right?

-Hey, it's date night.

It's Valentine's Day weekend.

Yes, get dressed up, bring your significant other.

Come out for an evening of dining, showmanship, and dancing.

We always have great entertainment each year.

This year, our musical guest is Magi.

Magi is a very popular group here in West Tennessee with an amazing following.

Come on out, enjoy the show, and stick around for the entertainment at the end.

We also got a little surprise for you in terms of the entertainment.

Because many of our individuals say they wish they could stay longer for the show, we're going to actually have them perform for at least half hour while they're having the buffet dinner.

It will be instrumental.

It won't be a whole lot of people screaming and yelling and dancing and singing over you.

You'll get to enjoy the entertainment, and then they'll be back later in the show.

-How many JEWEL Awards have you been to?

-My first one was in 2015.

At that time, they were held at the Oman Arena, and it was an amazing night.

They were highlighting individual musicians throughout West Tennessee.

One of the features of the program is something called historical pioneers.

The founding members of the organization, they wanted to acknowledge people that you can call trailblazers, if you want, individuals who have made a significant contribution to West Tennessee.

We've honored firefighters, police officers, musicians, performers.

Last year was dentists.

We had five dentists who were honored, two of which were-- no, only one of which was still alive.

Unfortunately, he's passed away since.

It's one of the key features that people like.

They want to be remembered.

They want to recognize the fact of the hard work and sacrifices that have really made it so much better for so many others, including people like me.

-Why are the JEWEL Awards needed?

-Why is it needed?

Let me say this, if we don't celebrate ourselves, who's going to do it?

What we want to do is we want to take the time out and not wait for somebody to showcase and celebrate minority businesses.

Do it yourself.

That has been an opportunity for us to just go out and, as you say, get fancy, have a great meal, and have a little bit of suspense and drama, because no one will know who the recipients are until they are revealed on stage.

You get to see so many people in the community that you haven't seen in quite a while.

That's why we do it.

It grows and grows in popularity each and every year.

We just enjoy it.

It's for a great cause.

It really is for a great cause.

As I said, it's a fundraiser.

We have two programs that we put on each summer.

One is called Follow Me Into Business, and the second one is our Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, or STEM program.

The Follow Me Into Business program was started back in 2002.

It was the brainchild of Mr. Clarence Boone, who wanted to introduce students to the concept of being their own boss.

Entrepreneurship is not something that is always taught.

When I was growing up, my parents told me to go to school and go get a job.

No one ever said anything about the job could be something that I created, something where I satisfied a need in my community.

I was just told, "Go get a job."

We want individuals to have a little bit of experience in understanding your community, what the community needs are.

If they're not being met, how could you solve this problem?

Not only create a job for yourself, but for your neighbors and your friends and your family anyway.

Therefore, you're impacting the community.

The second program, as I said, is a STEM program.

We like to have a hands-on experience of challenging issues.

Let's just be realistic.

Some of the minority students in our urban area don't always get the leg up.

They don't have the resources that are made available to them that other students may have.

We want to give them that opportunity also.

We have a great partnership with the Jackson-Madison County School system.

We've got instructors that are coming in.

Wonderful principal at JCM Early College High, Dr. Nathan Lewis, allows us to use his facility and their equipment for these programs.

The STEM program, the first year for it was three years ago.

We are excited that we can continue to offer this.

It is for students between the ages of 12 and 18.

You can come back next year as long as you don't "age out."

-All the funds raised from the JEWEL Awards go to support these programs- -Correct.

--that are put on by the Jackson-Madison County African American Chamb.. -Correct.

-Tell our viewers about that organization and how they can get involved.

-The organization itself was founded back in 1999.

The purpose of the organization was to be a network of resources for minority businesses.

Our founders saw a problem with getting essential information that was not made available to them.

I have to be honest, they had gone to the greater-- the Jackson Chamber at that time to talk about some of the needs.

Needs for accounting services, needs for networking amongst us, to talk about taxes.

The greater Jackson Chamber did not have the resources in that small business area.

Outside of Shelby County, it didn't exist.

What they did was they did their own research, they got their bylaws drafted, and they developed their own program.

What they've done is brought in some key business individuals, recognizable individuals in the city who have a storied history, who were reliable and fair.

Since that time, we have increased our membership to well over 175 members.

Members, supporters, and sponsors.

It is not just for business owners.

If you believe in our mission, if you believe in the work that we do for our children, we want to be able to invite you to join our organization.

The other thing I really want to share is we are an inclusive organization.

Now, the name may throw somebody else that the only thing I care about is African-American business.

That's our function and our role, but we want members who look like everybody because there are so many things that we can do better together than apart.

We have members who are members of both chambers.

We don't compete with the other chamber.

Their mission is completely different than ours.

There is a place for all of us.

We invite you to visit our website, ask any questions you might have, look at some of the events.

-Let's put that website up right now.

-Oh, our website.

-What is that website?

-It is jmcaacc.org.

That's jmcaacc.org.

-You mentioned a phone number.

-Phone number.

-Is that the same for the JEWEL award tickets?

-Yes.

For our primary office, it's 731-424-2030.

You can get tickets, information about the JEWEL, or any of our other upcoming events.

We have another event that's coming up March the 27th, which is our business mixer.

It's an evening where you get to socialize, meet other business owners.

One of the things that we do, we give you the opportunity to pitch your ideas to the people in the room.

Usually, you talk amongst yourself, and somebody makes a speech, and you eat, and you drink a glass of wine.

No, this is your pitch.

Go ahead and make it.

Make those connections.

-What type of pitches do people [crosstalk]?

-Oh gosh, the most recent one we had was right before-- on December 14th.

We had a holiday mixer.

We had an individual who was a new photographer.

She pitched the ideas and settings.

We had the location that we were in.

It's a place called Lavoie Studios, which is a place where individuals can have their, what do you call them, incubator space, a great place to work.

If you want to host a meal or a meeting there, they've got a full-size kitchen.

We've got people that do arts.

It was an absolutely amazing space.

We also had a woman who pitched-- She's a nutritionist.

She wanted to talk to people about a very common problem in the African-American community, which is diabetes.

She wanted to pitch the idea of Know Your Numbers.

Whatever your business is, we invite you.

It's a free event.

It's open to members and non-members of the chamber.

-How long have you been involved with the Jackson-Madison County Chamber?

-With the chamber?

I have been involved with the chamber since, I guess, the fall of 2014.

I'm proud to say that I am a resident, as well as a native Jacksonian, graduated from JCM High School.

I did go off to college in Nashville and then ultimately moved to Washington, DC.

I stayed there until coming back to Tennessee in 2014, thinking that I was "retired."

I suddenly had to find something to do because there are only so many episodes of Law and Order that I hadn't seen.

[laughter] I was introduced or reintroduced to three of the original founding members of the organization.

They said, "You know what, we could really use your finance skills," because that was my expertise.

Being a fundraiser, an event planner, it was never on my radar.

They hired me as the director of finance.

I was the guy in the back room with the little green visor on.

They would trot me out for board meetings with all of the financial statements, and that was it, and I could go back.

Suddenly, life changed with the pandemic.

Our office manager wanted to stay home.

Our then-executive director was a woman that lived in Memphis, Tennessee.

The board said, "You stay home."

They said, "Don, you're going to handle the office.

You're going to do your work and some of the administrative work as well."

That was in March of 2020.

The director chose to leave the organization in August of the same year.

The board said, "You're it."

We put on a virtual JEWEL award in February of '21, because, of course, nobody was doing anything together.

The board saw that that was a success.

We had a really great interest.

We interviewed the recipients.

We broadcast it live on Facebook.

The board said, "You know what?

We can make this work."

We don't want to drop any balls.

We could still get some sponsors.

Because face it, in a nonprofit organization, you survive based on donations from donors.

-We know that here at Channel 11 very well.

-[laughs] I had to learn to ask.

I'll never forget that my first in-person meeting with what became a sponsor, I was a nervous wreck.

I just said, "People actually do this for a living?

Ask for money?"

People give.

[laughs] It's the approach.

It's all about the approach.

I have been honored to be in this position.

I will say, honestly, that this is probably the most rewarding and fu.. that I have ever had.

My experience has always been in finance.

It was a career that I chose that was lucrative, but I had never been one to want to go out and be of service the way I have.

It's a good fit for me.

I love to see the kids in the summer.

I call it my reward for going out and kissing babies and shaking hands and raising money for them.

They will be at the JEWEL Awards themselves.

They are our junior volunteers.

Our guests will get to see them as well.

We're excited about that.

-Back to the JEWEL Awards, since you brought that up again, how do you pick the people that get the award?

-Who are the recipients?

There is a criteria list that individuals must meet.

I am, fortunately, not a part of the JEWEL review team.

I don't want that pressure.

We have two private citizens and one member of the board of directors.

They meet privately and review all of the individual nominations.

Based on the information that they provide, which includes a copy of your business license, letters of support from your clients or people that you serve, photographs of the products and services that you provide.

All of those things are part of the nomination packet.

We want to make sure that we are truly showcasing somebody who the public believes in as well.

You can nominate yourself or you can have someone nominate you.

Again, you cannot win in the same category in a multiple year.

Let's say after your business is five years old and you can come back and you'll be in the 6 to 10-year category, you are eligible to win in that category or participate in that category as well.

-I think you mentioned the people that are getting the awards, they don't know it.

-They know they've been nominated because they're invited to.. but they don't know who the recipient is going to be.

We do it similar to, let's say, the Oscars.

We have a presenter who will have an envelope that says, "The nominees in the Ruby category are."

Then on the video screen, you will see the name of the business and the name of the business owner.

Then they will go through all of the individuals.

Then they will say, "And the Ruby Award goes to--" and they will open an envelope and read off the name.

By magic, that name will appear on the video screen as well.

-The Channel 11 team last year at the JEWEL Awards, it takes a village.

You have a lot of people.

-A lot of moving parts.

-A lot of moving parts.

I don't know how you keep track of all, but you have a lot of people helping put this great event together.

Tell us about that.

-We solicit the help of a great team of peo.. that have done this sort of thing in the past.

Again, I have had no experience in putting an event of this magnitude on in the past.

You've got to get presenters.

You've got to get tables.

You've got to get food.

You've got to get all of the necessary components.

Flowers on the table.

You have to get table signs.

You have to get security.

Everything that goes along with that, one person can't do it.

I am grateful to have some volunteers from the community.

They're not all board members, even though we do have some board members that are on the committee.

We start meeting in November to start talking about the categories of who is going to be historical pioneers or gems of the future.

That's another group for pretty much young and up-and-coming businesses.

We want to recognize the fact that we believe in you and support you and to get you in front of a room full of people to know that you exist and the services that you provide.

These people come back for no money every year and give of their time and their talent.

I could not do this event without them.

They are all there full force.

We've got check boxes of who's doing this, who's doing that.

They make it happen.

They make it happen.

-Tell us what your favorite memory of last year's JEWEL Awards was.

-I have to say my favorite memory of last year's event was the surprise recognition of two of our founding members, Mr. Clarence Boone and Ms. Katie Brantley.

They had been asked to attend the event.

Prior to that February, at our November board meeting, they both resigned.

They said they wanted to be involved when needed, but they were passing the baton to another group.

They knew that the event was happening.

They had family that was with them, because I had talked to their family and said, "They're getting an award, but don't tell them about it."

My favorite was watching Ms. Katie get her award.

She made the comment that she's going to dance all the way to heaven.

She was happy.

I was happy for her.

At the end of the event, when the music started, she was out on the dance floor dancing with everybody else.

Yes, that was a great memory.

-I remember from last year, there are a lot of people that have attended all of them since the start.

-That is true.

We have some returning.. "Save me a table.

I'm coming back this year."

They don't care who the entertainment is.

They just want to be present.

Also, we have a lot of places of worship that come to this event, because it is family-friendly, and it's a great place for them to get to meet other people in the community that they don't always get to see.

It's a fun night also.

It is very well-attended.

We want to make sure that it is a fun evening, and safe, and that people continue to enjoy what they're ge.. Who doesn't like to get dressed up?

Who doesn't like to get dressed up and go?

Now it is February.

We know that the weather can be a factor, but we're hoping that the snow stays away that weekend, and everybody can come out and have a good time, and get there, and get home safely.

-Let's remind everyone again when it's happening.

-Once again, Saturday night, February 15th.

-Right after Valentine's Day.

-Valentine's Day is that Friday, so you can have a double date night for that weekend.

Starting at 6:30 PM, Carl Perkins Civic Center.

Tickets can be found on eventbrite.com, or you can call our office, again, at 731-424-2030.

Ticket prices are $100 each, or a table of eight for $800.

-All that money is going to these great- -All of this money will be- --events and programs that the chamber [?].

--used for our students and their programs in the summer of 2025.

-Those students are going to actually be there.

-Yes, some of the students from previous years will be there helping to seat people, and just being present, and to show you the work that we do.

We're excited about that.

-People must just love that.

-They love it.

Their parents love it.

As I said, some of our students come back to this program year after year after year until they reach 19, and they can't come back anymore.

-Do you have success stories?

-Oh, yes.

Yes, we highlight those.

Typically, during the closing ceremony, which is the last Friday in July, we typically invite a former student who is working somewhere.

This year, we have an individual who lives in Murfreesboro, who was a graduate of the program when he lived here in Jackson.

He went to Madison Academic.

He's going to come back and talk to the kids about the impact that this program had on his professional career.

He was sharing a story with me that he had never been told how to answer a telephone.

"Hello."

There's a different way of answering it in the business enviro..

There are soft skills, I guess you could say, that people acquire during the program.

It does change lives.

-That is wonderful.

Thank you for the work and putting together the event and with the chamber.

The stories and the impact it has on our community is amazing.

-Thank you for the partnership that we've had with West Tennessee PBS.

I am so grateful that you presented us with an amazing opportunity last year and even more thrill that you're coming back again.

-It's our pleasure.

-Let me tell you, when people say, "Oh, we're going to be on television?"

"Oh, boy, yes."

-It's our pleasure.

Again, if you want to watch the event from last year, it's streaming right now on our app, totally free to watch.

We're going to be repeating that throughout Black History Month.

Then once the new awards happen, we're going to be showing that.

Don, thanks for joining us.

-Thank you, Peter.

My pleasure.

-We have run out of time for this edition of Tennessee is Talking.

Don McCorry with the Jackson-Madison County African-American Chamber and the 24th JEWEL Awards.

Thank you.

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