Robert DeJournett saw Black-owned businesses struggling to thrive in Akron. So, acting on his compulsion to help, he formed the Black Chamber of Commerce, Summit County as a way to uplift minority-owned businesses and the business community as a whole.

“The purpose of this chamber really is for us to unify our resources, and our knowledge and our connections to be able to empower Black-owned businesses to thrive, be sustainable in the community,” said DeJournett, president and CEO of the Black Chamber of Commerce.

There are other organizations in Akron doing similar work as the Black Chamber of Commerce, he said — Greater Akron Chamber and Western Reserve Community Fund, for example — but none of them, with the exception of some of the Akron Urban League’s activities, are primarily focused on Black businesses.

Misty E. Beasley, the chamber’s vice president and chief operating officer, said the group intends to drive entrepreneurship and foster an inclusive business environment.

“One of the ways,” she said, “will be through education and training — making sure that our business owners are equipped with the information, knowledge and the resources that they need to become sustainable and thriving businesses.”

Other strategies include building relationships between businesses and corporations and organizations that can help those businesses, and ensuring that entrepreneurs are ready to utilize those connections, Beasley said.

Who is eligible to join the chamber?

DeJournett said that the chamber’s focus on Black-owned businesses isn’t exclusionary.

“We’re open to everyone,” he said, “not just Black businesses, although that’s our primary target.

“We need the support of the broader community to keep the playing field level, so to speak, so that there is true equity and it uplifts our entire community so everyone will be able to succeed,” DeJournett said.

He points out that the 2017 Elevate Greater Akron study found that, “much of Akron, particularly its Black population, is excluded from economic opportunity — which represents a major threat to growth and competitiveness.”

White and Black entrepreneurs might be similarly qualified, said Beasley, but the Black business owner might have a harder time securing funding at the same interest rate and conditions.

“We just want it to be fair across the board,” Beasley said, “and so where race or color is not a factor when you’re deciding who to give an opportunity or the resource to.”

How will the chamber address the Black business community’s needs?

In order to discern the Black business community’s needs, Beasley said that focus groups and “listening tours” have been underway to determine what Black entrepreneurs in Akron need.

Several issues have been raised, she said, including a lack of opportunities to grow larger and insufficient access to resources and startup capital.

Addressing those disparities in opportunity and funding means sitting down with banks to determine “why our smaller, minority-owned businesses can’t get funding,” Beasley saidi. Then, she said, the chamber will help those businesses align their ducks in the proper row to ensure funding eligibility.

“And then when they go apply for that funding and we know they’re eligible based on standards that the banker has told us, and they don’t get funded, then we can advocate to the banks, to the bankers, and the different entities (to make sure) sure that its equitable in obtaining opportunities and resources,” Beasley said.

When is the Black Chamber of Commerce opening?

The organization doesn’t have a physical location yet, but DeJournett and Beasley are planning a fundraising event for early next year.

Beasley said the event will be held 6-10 p.m. Feb. 20 at House Three-Thirty, 532 W. Market St.

The organization is still looking for donations to help get off the ground. It has raised $52,000 so far, Beasley said.

DeJournett said they have commitments from others, but are still waiting for the funds. By the end of the year, he said, he hopes to have reached the 100-donor mark with each donor giving $100 — resulting in $100,000 of startup money.

The February fundraiser will be in addition to the current donor drive.

Those interested in connecting with the Black Chamber of Commerce, Summit County can reach out at info@blackchambersc.org and can sign up for an online newsletter at the chamber’s website: https://www.blackchambersc.org/.

“This is a movement, so to speak, or organization that is there to serve the people, and so we want the people to be engaged and involved with it because it’s not just an organization we started for ourselves,” said Beasley. “It’s an organization that we’re starting for the community, so we just want the community to be a part of it.”

Contact reporter Derek Kreider at Dkreider@Gannett.com or 330-541-9413