Innovation Black Chamber of Commerce looks to expand with help from the city | Business

A big goal for the chamber, which currently has approximately 300 members, is to add new employees. Russell specifically highlighted the need for a paid receptionist. He told the City Council on July 9 that one obstacle the chamber faces is that when he is gone, he sometimes has to close the doors because of the lack of staff. He currently has a volunteer receptionist, but he said additional funding is needed for the chamber to be able to provide her with the “ability to survive.”

Another position brought up was a grant writer. Russell expressed a desire to hire one and noted that if the IBCC was able to, they would be able to utilize that position to obtain additional money for the city and local economy by helping local organizations get approved for more grants.

Beyond that, the chamber would use funds to keep the lights on and bolster their various programs. “We have programs just like any other organization,” said Russell.

Those programs range from the Culture on the Square events and the Juneteenth Festival to the Community Economic Resource Summit and Black Business Excellence Awards to name a few. One initiative Russell highlighted is the organization’s efforts to teach businesses how to incorporate artificial intelligence in their practices. He said the AI cohort they have established is the only program of its type in this area.

Behind the programs in place, the chamber has a list of statistics to back up their funding request. “I have the data,” said Russell. “We already do the work.”

IBCC has helped numerous organizations get grant money, laid the groundwork for businesses to deposit over $700,000 in local banks and assisted entities in getting over $3 million in loans.

This year alone, the chamber has heralded the grand opening of 25 businesses and created approximately 80 jobs. Both are numbers Russell said he expects to increase in fiscal year 2025.

Beyond that, more than 10,000 people voted for the IBCC’s 2024 Black Business Excellence Awards, which had more than 250 business owners involved. There were also more than 200 runners for the Juneteenth 5K. Founded in 2019, the IBCC already has numerous successful initiatives and projects under its belt.

In addition to the funding request, two other asks made of the City Council on July 9 were to be made an ex officio member of the Killeen Economic Development Corporation, or KEDC, and to add the IBCC as a resource for workforce development under the city’s economic plan.

Progress is already being made on the latter request. Russell said he met with Edwin Revell, executive director of development services for Killeen, and that change is expected to be completed in August. The IBCC is currently listed under the “other partners” section.

Scott Connell, president of the KEDC, said he believed any board can add an ex officio member, but noted that he would need to consult with the city’s legal team before giving a definitive answer.

Following the IBCC presentation at the City Council meeting on July 9, Councilman Jose Segarra mentioned the possibility of adding the IBCC as a voting member instead of an ex officio member.

It is an idea the IBCC obviously supports. “Your voice can be heard,” said Russell. “Your vote can be effective.”

Another key question raised at the City Council meeting was how the IBCC could be funded. There was limited discussion on it with a Councilmember Riakos Adams motion that was approved unanimously, assigning city staff to determine the funding logistics. That project has not been completed yet.

One note Connell had about the subject, if Killeen decides to approve the IBCC’s request for funding, is that clear differentiation between the responsibilities of the different organization’s working to improve economics in the city would be helpful to prevent confusion or overlap.

A key theme throughout the IBCC’s advocacy for funding was equity. Russell said the organization hopes to operate in a similar fashion to the Greater Killeen Chamber of Commerce. By making the IBCC a member of the KEDC, it would improve inclusivity. That is something Russell said was currently lacking from the organization. That is especially true when taking into account that the plurality of residents in the city are Black or African American.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Black or African American population is approximately 57,000, which is more than 35 percent of the Killeen’s population.

Citing historical data, he said, “It will always, constantly and consistently not be fair for minorities.”

The City Council cannot change history, but a vote in favor of funding the IBCC would be a step towards combatting, what Russell describes as, a “disparity.”

Notably, despite the request for funding Russell still has no intentions of taking a salary. He continues to work to bolster and promote prosperity “because it’s necessary.” He said, “I love this city; I love the opportunity that the city has for the community.” His goal is for the IBCC to become one of the seeds of opportunity that the city plants.

The biggest accomplishment of the IBCC, according to Russell, was getting Juneteenth to be recognized on the county level. In the two years after it became a federal holiday, approximately 12,000 Bell County employees were still required to go to work. The IBCC, along with other organizations, changed that.

Russell drew parallels between the two-year wait for the holiday to be locally recognized and the two-year wait many slaves had to endure before receiving news of the Emancipation Proclamation.

If the city finally grants the Innovation Black Chamber of Commerce funding after half a decade of hardwork, there will likely be parallels to be drawn there too.

In the meantime, Russell is optimistic that the city will approve the request. “It’s our time,” he said. “We can do a whole lot more.”