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Tom Britt: Their objective is to help new and existing local businesses reach their potential.

Hello, I'm Tom Britt on this edition of Tennessee is Talking.

The topic is the Jackson, Madison County African American Chamber of Commerce.

What they do, how they do it, and how they help West Tennessee businesses.

So let the conversation begin.

FEMALE_1: That's so cool.

MALE_2: Then that's when I said that.

FEMALE_2: The problem with that idea is.

MALE_3: Wow, that was amazing.

FEMALE_3: Then I came up with a solution.

MALE_4: What was that about?

MALE_5: Here's what I think about it.

MALE_1: Now we're talking West Tennessee PBS presents, Tennessee is Talking.

Let the conversation begin.

Tom Britt: Thanks for joining the discussion , I'm Tom Britt.

Today, we're talking about the Jackson Madison County African American Chamber of Commerce.

We're speaking with the Executive Director Don McCorry, thank you for joining us.

I think probably the most important question be is, tell us what the African American Chamber of Commerce is all about.

Don McCorry: What it's all about?

Tom Britt: Yeah.

Don McCorry: It's good to see you, Tom.

The African American Chamber celebrating our 25th year, is an organization that was designed and developed by a group of local community leaders and business owners back in 1998 initially, before it was incorporated in '99.

The reason for doing so is these business leaders, they really wanted some additional resources that they were unable to find anywhere else, including the then Jackson Chamber.

The Jackson Chamber just did not have the membership base of the database of individual members that basically looked like them, that shared ideas.

The other issue was cost.

It was really prohibitive for them to be able to take advantages of some of the other services.

So the question became, why can't we do this ourselves?

Once they had a discussion about it, they realized that they could.

They brought in some other individuals, and then they started talking about what their mission is.

Does it mirror what the Jackson Chambers mission is?

It clearly took a different turn.

One of the things that we do that the Greater Jackson Chamber doesn't, is we really focus on youth entrepreneurship.

We give the guys the idea that you can actually never work a day in your life, by simply finding your passion, marrying at that with a need and there you go.

As well as benefit your community by hiring other people.

Tom Britt: What services do you provide your members?

Don McCorry: What we do is we provide a network of resources that are available to them.

We have a relationship with the US Black Chamber that we have access to grant opportunities that are available to them, that they may not be aware of.

We offer advertising through not only our website, but our e-blast letters.

We do what we call business mixers, where we all get together, talk a little bit about the businesses that we own and what we do or that they own, not me, they own and share common ideas.

We work with our youth as well as showcasing our own individual businesses.

That's why we've got this great, big event that's coming up in about a week or so.

Tom Britt: We're going to talk about that I think a little bit later.

Don McCorry: Okay.

Tom Britt: How are your member of businesses doing in 2024?

We know COVID, it affected everyone.

Post-COVID, how are they doing?

Don McCorry: It's a mixed bag of results.

There are some individuals businesses who were unable to revise a business model and they went under during the pandemic and through various efforts, they tried to come back, but were not able to.

Businesses had moved on and resources had dried up.

They decided that they wanted to do something else, but most of our businesses are thriving.

They are happy to be able to, like most of us, be back in person again.

They have a different plan of what they are doing going forward.

Many of them come back staffing.

Tom Britt: As many businesses did.

Don McCorry: As many businesses have.

They're working harder with less people, but they are still able to turn a profit.

So we have been happy to see even start ups come back in 2024.

That new businesses, people that have thought about it for a while and still had that dream of opening that restaurant, and sure enough they're doing it and we're excited for them.

Tom Britt: So are you having a lot of start ups?

You mentioned that.

Don McCorry: So far, this year I am aware of and this is just from February, and there have been at least three new start ups that have come to us.

Tom Britt: We all know that first quarter of the year is often tough on business.

Don McCorry: That's the hardest, because you're supposed to go and start a new business with several years worth of revenues stacked aside.

Because what they really say, it takes about three years before you actually turn a profit.

So if you go in with a reserve, it helps the cushion.

Tom Britt: Shoestring a little bit.

Don McCorry: It's going to be hard.

Tom Britt: Is it hard for your businesses to find that funding that they need to sustain during that period?

Don McCorry: It really is, because first off, I asked a number of my businesses.

Do you have a relationship with your bank?

Many of them don't because I asked what about capital financing?

Did you get your business plan done and get your model in place of what your projected income is going to be for your first year?

What your expenditures are projected to be for that period of time also?

I have to say that some individuals really do things out of order.

They've got the dream, they go out and rent the building.

Tom Britt: Get ahead a little bit.

Don McCorry: Get a little ahead, it's like, I've got to pay the rent on this next month too, so how am I going to do that?

I'm going to rush and get open and turn a profit and then I'll pay for it.

Doesn't always work that way.

So it's good to be a little thoughtful.

That's why a network of businesses who have done this before, learn from experience.

Tom Britt: I think probably the thought comes to my mind that some of those people probably asked them from a shark tank questions.

Like what do you got?

How long it's going to end.

Don McCorry: Give me pitch it.

Tom Britt: Pitch it.

Don McCorry: We want to know exactly what you're going to do and how you're going to go about doing it.

Is this realistic?

Did you do any marketing?

What's your demographics?

All of those things have gone into the process.

There may be a dry cleaner across the street from you, how are you going to compete with them?

There was cheaper rent over this side of street.

Tom Britt: Which is important but may not be the best location.

Don McCorry: May be the best location exactly.

Tom Britt: Do you find that entrepreneurship is still there and people just want to jump and really like me, I would have no idea how about going about it?

I guess everybody has an idea and they want to be their own boss and do it, don't they?

Don McCorry: I would say that it is not as great as I would say it was worth my relationship with the chamber has only been for the past 10 years and that's after moving back here to Jackson.

There were more people that were willing, people that had children that had graduated college and now they were on their own and they had these ideas that they've been holding in the back of their head for years.

It was time for them to take the lead and do it.

Of course, they could use their children as free labor, but now it's not nearly as great.

One of the things that people are looking at are partnerships with other business.

It's like many brands are partnering with each other to put these two mainstay products together into one package.

Which is why we talked to our children during the summer months about that.

Because I grew up in an era where my parents told me, go to school, graduate and go get a job.

They never said anything about what the job is supposed to be or the one that I could create, it was like go work for somebody else.

Tom Britt: If you do get that idea, do you still have that family cohesiveness where family members want to help people?

Don McCorry: Typically they do because I think the kids have heard about what the parents wanted to do for so long.

Tom Britt: Perhaps didn't do it.

Don McCorry: Didn't do it, and it's ingrained in the kids, and they realize that they may be at an age of a little bit of independence and could be either of financial or physical assistance to the parent if they wanted to be able to do it.

They're clearly supportive of the ideas, they really are.

Because it's like maybe this could be ours, this is family wealth, this is something that we were told that was important for us as a family unit.

They believe in being a little forward thinking and wanted to try to do something a little different.

Tom Britt: I know in my years in the business and interacting with the Jackson, Madison County African American Chamber of Commerce, you have that program, follow me into business.

I thought, gee, what a great way to introduce young people to the workings of businesses and really look inside a business.

Don McCorry: That program started in 2002, and the purpose of it was to take young men and women and teach them basically skills that were not being taught at home.

There is workforce development, there is communication, there's how to dress, how to introduce yourself, that 32nd elevator speech.

How to leave the elevator memorable that the person will never forget who you are.

How to shake somebody's hand, when to wear a tie, when is it not okay to wear a tie.

Everything that we do is we want to show individuals the possibilities, because there are other individuals that don't actually know how things get started, they just assume that you just walk in and it happens.

How do you answer a telephone?

Hello, no, you got to do a little bit more than say hello here.

But it's life lessons, we have to realize that I deal with a lot of students that come from a single parent household, so there may not be an adult there to be able to share these lessons with them.

During the months of June and July, we get to work with them and we introduce them to local businesses.

If they are under the age of 16, they get to what we call shadow.

We place them with an employer a couple of times a week and just sit and observe.

They're not able to work, but they can watch and they can lend a hand, but they can't work.

Now, the older individuals between the ages of 16 and 18, we actually place them with an employer to allow them to earn up to 40 hours a week in minimum wage for the last four weeks of the program.

We have been gracious to have students that have worked in a doctor's office, who've worked with Walgreens, who've worked in my chamber office, who've worked in a florist, printers, a number of different businesses throughout the city that we partner with to be able to give these kids this wonderful opportunity.

The best part about the program is you can come back next year.

Tom Britt: Wow.

Don McCorry: It's not limited to just one year, as long as you don't age out.

Once you hit 19.

Tom Britt: You're on your own.

Don McCorry: You're on your own.

Tom Britt: I was thinking too, because I have grandkids and young people are so much different than when I was young because it seems that if it's not right here in my hand, I don't even know whether it's real or not.

You know what I mean?

If I don't put in an address, I don't think I can find my way downtown.

Do you have to teach kids about looking around instead of looking here?

Don McCorry: Looking at that digital computer.

We like to say, let's put it down for a while and realize that there are other ways to do this.

Maybe a little slower, maybe not as convenient, but hey, I didn't have a cell phone growing up, and I somehow managed to get from point A to point B. Tom Britt: It is interesting because I was in the news business so long, we'd get new young people into business and we'd say, you need to go downtown to the courthouse or City Hall to cover whatever's going on, and they'd go, can you give me an address?

Don McCorry: I have to plug it into GPS.

Tom Britt: Always joke with him I said, you really should just get out some day and drive the city and look around and see what's where because you may drive up on a better story than what you're going.

Kids don't do that as much I don't think.

Don McCorry: I would say no.

Tom Britt: Nothing against them.

It's just that's how it is.

Don McCorry: Laser focused on whatever the moment is calling for and whatever thing is attracting their attention, what TikTok video is going on or what celebrity is doing what.

It's like, let's dial it back for just a couple of hours.

Tom Britt: I'm sure they follow me into business program really opens their eyes sometimes it does it.

Don McCorry: It does because we invite community leaders in, it's really interesting to have the question and answer session when my banking people come in to talk about finance, talk about budgeting, to talk about credit.

When they hear the stories of credit and how it follows you, literally follows you, they are like, what do you mean?

I didn't pay for it, so it's like I just couldn't afford it, so isn't it like you get a pass?

No, you don't get a pass, it stays with you.

Tom Britt: Who can join and what's the best way to become involved with the African American Chamber company?

Don McCorry: That's a great question, and I'm happy to share every chance that I get that this organization is open to everyone.

While our focus and our mission has primarily been on minority business, we have other individuals that are members of the organization, that are not minority, that are also a member of the Greater Jackson Chamber as well.

I would say that they believe in what we do, and it's all about the mission, it's all about community service, it's all about making a difference.

We would invite you to visit our website for more information about the organizations in the program we offer, and that can be found at jmcaacc.org, that's Jmcaacc.org.

To give more about our history to tell you about our upcoming events, to tell you about who our members are, our membership director is out there.

We would invite you to explore and give us a call in our office, I would love to meet with you and talk to you about what we do and see if we could partner and make a difference.

Tom Britt: Is the business community in Jackson and Western willing to share and offer tips and maybe share knowledge?

Don McCorry: In my experience, yes.

There's nothing proprietary that people want to hold onto, maybe a recipe, nobody's going to tell you everything.

But in terms of shared ideas and shared problems and solutions, those are very easy to come by.

Because you put individuals in a room together and their natural shared passion for what they do comes through, and because of that, they're willing to help out anywhere they can with anyone that they can.

Tom Britt: Which is important, isn't it?

Don McCorry: Which is.

It's a form of not just communication, but it's also the civic and the right thing to do.

Tom Britt: Community is.

Don McCorry: Sense of community.

Tom Britt: Yeah.

That's true.

Don McCorry: We do love our community here.

Tom Britt: The benefits that you say would come from taking part in the chamber, you walk away with.

Don McCorry: That warm and fuzzy feeling that you get, but look whose life I changed.

I'm serious, look at the impact you have when you see these in the summer, these kids that are walking away from this program.

Tom Britt: Or even people who just succeed.

Don McCorry: Or even people that succeed, and we've had a number of students that have gone on to graduate college and they come back, and they've shared the importance of these workforce development skills that they learn at an early professional age that gave them the hope and the incentive that they can.

Tom, I just have to say that not often enough students don't get to see people that look like them, to allow themselves to dream bigger than outside of their own backyard.

We have students, specifically, that live in the East Jackson community that have never been out north.

They have no idea what's beyond.

Tom Britt: Interstate 40.

Don McCorry: Interstate 40, really.

Old Hickory Mall was about the, and now that it is not as attractive as it has been.

Tom Britt: But hopefully coming back, under a different format.

Don McCorry: We do know about the plans that are going on for the city.

Tom Britt: Which is exciting.

Don McCorry: Which are very exciting.

Tom Britt: Tell us about this year's the Chambers big event, of course, the Jewel Award.

Don McCorry: Our signature event, the Jewel Awards, and the jewel stands for joining entrepreneurs with enterprising leadership.

This as I said earlier is our 23rd year, and the reason for the idea came behind celebration.

These business owners had never been recognized for anything.

And they said, "Let's celebrate ourselves.

Let's reward ourselves for first having the dream and being resilient and persevere, and able to make a difference in our community."

We've got four different categories that we recognize businesses based on how long they've been in service; the Ruby award is businesses up to five years, diamond award, 6-10, emerald between 11 and 20, and the jewel itself for more than 20 years of service in the industry.

Businesses can nominate themselves or can be nominated by someone else.

There is a panel that reviews all of the individual nominations and the eligibility criteria that they sit on.

I am so happy that I am not on that committee so I don't have to make that decision.

Tom Britt: Very tough, yeah.

Don McCorry: I just get to see the results and we will announce them.

It's like any other award ceremony.

It's a little suspense and people get to dress up, come out, see people they haven't seen, network, and I am thrilled to say that, first, the event is sold out for the first time that I have been aware of and we are now opening up the balcony for the event, and thanks to West Tennessee PBS, they will be filming and broadcasting this event to be shown at future days.

So we are really excited about that one.

People are talking about, "You mean I have to really get dressed up now because I'm going to be on television?"

I said, "Yeah, it's tied."

Tom Britt: Going to be there.

It's interesting we're talking about because I have a friend that has a relatively new business and she has become involved with the African-American Chamber of Commerce and she was really excited, and I thought, "That has to be good for a new business."

To find an organization, you can fill some camaraderie and play off of and talk with people.

Don McCorry: I hope so, and that's one of the things I try really, really hard to do to create those relationships with a new business, to talk to us about where they are in the process, and if there is something that I have experienced before, maybe with another business, that I can direct people to talk together and to share ideas and try to find some positive solution.

The biggest one, of course, is everybody wants to increase their revenue.

That's the number one wish for every business.

Tom Britt: It takes money to pay the bills.

Don McCorry: It takes money to pay the bills, absolutely.

You got to keep the lights on.

We are doing a number of things to try to help businesses with that.

For the first time, we are into a partnership that we had with CVS Health and Lane College in April.

We're putting on what's called an Executive Learning Series Summit for three days.

We've got leaders that are coming in from the Small Business Administration, coming in from the bank, talk about capital financing.

We've got two people to talk marketing, whether it's direct marketing, social, or digital marketing.

It's a new age of how to get people interested in your goods and your services.

We're going to have the same program that people are going to pitch their ideas.

We've got marketing professionals that are going to be able to listen to you to see where you are and give helpful hints on how you can improve that, and also talk about some funding options as well.

We're really grateful for that.

It's probably going to have about 20-25 individuals.

CVS people are coming in from Rhode Island.

We've got local individuals as well who are going to take part in this, but it's a time commitment for individual businesses.

Can you be away from your business for three days between 9:00-3:00.

It's going to be impactful, but can you make the time to be able to make it work for you?

Tom Britt: I don't know too.

You have that golf tournament and we're pretty close on time, a couple of minutes left, but you have that big golf tournament every year or too, don't you [inaudible]?

Don McCorry: Ooh yes.

Our favorite celebrity golf tournament.

This is a fundraiser for The Following into Business Program, and it's also a place where we reward the Follow Me into Business students for an essay contest so that they participate in at the end of the summer.

But the Follow Me into Business celebrity golf classic, we've, for seven years, one of the favorite sons of Jackson comes back every year to play for us, Ed too Tall Jones, and we hope that he comes back again.

We've got several other sports figures that join in for a round of golf.

Great day of fun.

You go out to play, there's a ball drop contest, there's a silent auction for a really, really worthy cause.

Tom Britt: There will be more information I'm sure coming about there.

Don McCorry: There will be more information about sir as we get further along throughout the course of the summer.

Tom Britt: Well, Don, thanks for stopping by and talking today.

We've about run out of time.

Don McCorry: It's been great pleasure.

Thank you for having me.

Tom Britt: From the Jackson Madison County African American Chamber of Commerce.

Don McCorry has been here on this Tennessee is talking.

I'm Tom Britt, and remember, you can stream today's program and allow Channel 11 programs on the PBS app, the West Tennessee YouTube channel, and on westTNPBS.org, and you can keep the conversation going.

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