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Ira Salls is an inspiration for her history-making role as a McDonald’s franchisee. Salls, a Cincinnati, OH, native, graduated from Northern Illinois University and later earned both an MBA and a master’s degree in public administration from Northwestern University. She secured her franchise title in 1991, as she explained during an interview with WHAS 11 in 2021. Before becoming an owner and operator, she first worked at the fast-food chain as an accountant. “I was hired by McDonald’s because I already had a degree and (was) a CPA. McDonald’s was forward thinking, and they wanted Black CPAs working in their accounting department,” she recalled to the outlet. Salls’ pivot to owning her own McDonald’s locations led her to become the first Black woman franchisee of the chain in Kentucky and Indiana in 1991, the Louisville Business Journal reports. She would go on to become one of the company’s most successful operators, managing six locations in Louisville, KY. She also understood the...
Many NFL players shine on the field, but not all translate that success into thriving businesses — Zaire Franklin is making it happen. The Indianapolis Colts linebacker has teamed up with his longtime mentor, Eric Taylor, to open a Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard franchise. Taylor was coaching youth football in Philadelphia, PA, when he met a 9-year-old Franklin, and their bond quickly developed. While he acknowledges that it may sound “crazy” for an adult to have much in common with a younger person, that’s exactly what it was like when he met Franklin. “I think the basis and foundation of our relationship comes with the love of our grandmothers,” Taylor shared in an interview with AFROTECH™ . “At the time, when Zaire was a young guy, his grandmother was instrumental in his life. She was at all the football games, she was very supportive.” Taylor had a similar bond with his own grandmother, so when Franklin lost both his mother and grandmother just months apart in 2013, their...
New Orleans Saints Defensive End Cam Jordan is strengthening his investment portfolio. Sportico reports that the athlete purchased a stake in eight Little Caesars locations in Indianapolis, IN, and its surrounding areas. The pizza chain holds early memories for Jordan as he would eat there while playing football at his former high school in Chandler, AZ. “It’s just the natural evolution of life and always trying to get the best out of it,” Jordan told the outlet. “I hope this is going to be something I look back on in 15 years and think, ‘This was one of the greatest [decisions] of my life, and this is how many things we’ve done.’” The deal was made possible with the help of his business partner, Andrew Feghali, who owns over 50 locations, and restaurant insider Michael Khalil. Together, they hope to scale their presence in Little Caesars’ franchising. Jordan’s expectations are leveled in part due to the advice of his father, who advised him to apply it to his time in the NFL, which...
A teenager is on his way to making history in Indiana. ABC-7 in Chicago, IL, reports that at age 15, Khaya Njumbe is set to become the youngest college graduate in Indiana. As the first generation of his family born in the U.S., the teen lives in Gary, IN, and attends Indiana University Northwest. He will cross the graduation stage in May 2024 — making him the first to do so in his family. The outlet details that to get a head start on the achievement, Njume took dual-credit courses at 21st Century Charter High School. Theresa Canady, a social worker at the charter school, shared that he initially started taking college courses at age 11. “When I was younger, I had a lot of ambition,” Njumbe told the outlet. “I always just wanted to do more, impress my parents mainly. I was always an overachiever in school.” Jack Bloom, one of Njumbe’s professors at Indiana University Northwest, shared, “It’s pretty amazing. Obviously the stuff he can do is beyond what most people can do.” He added,...
Dominique Kemp is yet another inspirational story and Black history in the making. The recent graduate of Indiana University is the first Black man in the university’s history to graduate with a Ph.D. in mathematics, Indiana Daily Student (IDS) reports. “I’m interested in problems that connect harmonic analysis with geometry. In particular, decoupling, restriction and Kakeya theory, and Böchner-Riesz are my current focus. I also enjoy exploring applications of decoupling inequalities to problems in number theory and geometry,” he said on his personal statement page. Kemp has co-written three academic papers, all in the field of discrete mathematics. He also got his undergraduate degree in mathematics from Stanford University in California, where he double-majored in physics and mathematics before fully concentrating on the latter from his junior year forward. The Lansing, MI native also tutored math students and played the piano while attending IU. And while his experiences have...
While much ado has been made about the US Space Force — and not all of it has been good — Judah Officer has made history by becoming a part of it. According to Fox 59 Indiana, the aptly-named Officer — a native of Indiananapolis’s East Side — said that enlisting in the Space Force fulfills a dream he’s had his whole life. “I feel like being the first African American applicant in Indianapolis, and Indiana perhaps, is like really, really big,” Judah Officer said to the Fox affiliate. “I just can’t get the words for it. It feels really great to be able to do it and be able to represent myself, my family, and the people that support me.” According Fox 59 Indiana, the purpose of the US Space Force — which was formed during the Trump regime — is to secure and protect space. It plans on enlisting nearly 400 recruits in this fiscal year. While there’s no shortage of snark about the newly-formed branch of the American armed forces, it’s part of the Department of the Air Force, and it’s a...
There’s a long, storied history of Black people, especially Black women, being mistreated by doctors and hospital staff while in their care. This issue of racial bias has been a factor in many deaths of Black people — including most recently Dr. Susan Moore. Dr. Moore passed away on Dec. 20 at 52-years-old as a result of COVID-19 complications, but according to her documented complaints, her death could’ve been prevented. Prior to her passing, Dr. Moore posted a nearly eight-minute video on Facebook detailing her accounts of inadequate treatment from white medical staff at Indiana University Health, where she was being treated as a patient for COVID-19 symptoms and pain management. This is Dr. Susan Moore. She posted a FB video reporting denial of adequate treatment for COVID-19 and pain management by white medical staff at @IU_Health and pleading for help. She was discharged. After readmission to a different hospital, she died. https://t.co/PnZOwG3bA5 pic.twitter.com/C66WQPNJtP —...
Malomo — a Black-founded information technology startup company that specializes in e-commerce — announced that it raised a $2.8 million seed round today to expand its services and provide a new marketing channel for the Shopify retailers, TechCrunch reports . Financing for the round was led by San Francisco-based firm, Base10 Partners , as well as New York’s Harlem Capital . According to Harlem Capital, the announcement comes as “the largest Seed round by a Black founder in Indiana to date.” We are excited to announce our investment in @gomalomo $2.8mm Seed round, the largest Seed round by a Black founder in Indiana to date. The round was led by three underrepresented funds with us, @Base10Partners and @VitalizeVC https://t.co/HZDfaVnqLH — Harlem Capital (@HarlemCapital) October 2, 2020 Founder and CEO Yaw Aning shared that this funding round will help the startup resolve issues retail clients experience when working with shipping companies and offer a better customer experience....
The world of sports has had a huge question mark over it for the last few months as coronavirus has put all things at a standstill. After the NBA announced they’d be suspending the 2019-2020 season until further notice, players were left with big decisions to make. In light of this, we witnessed many members of the league pivot toward other endeavors to occupy their time. While some turned to philanthropic efforts in their communities, others drew their focus to business ventures — including Indiana Pacers star Victor Oladipo alongside his business partner and marketing manager, James “Jay Belly” Henderson. Photo Credit: James Henderson and Victor Oladipo Under Henderson’s guidance, Oladipo has amassed an impressive and diverse investment portfolio owning several real estate holdings and significant stakes in a wide range of companies including Airbnb, Cholula Hot Sauce, Adventure Chrysler Dodge and Jeep car dealership, Overtime Sports, Genies Technology, and many more. Though his...
The lifeline of a multi-billion-dollar effort to support minority- and women-owned businesses is under investigation. Established in 1983, The Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program provides $37 billion in funding to minority- and women-owned businesses, supporting nearly 49,000 “disadvantaged” businesses, The Washington Post reports. But now the Justice Department argues that this program, provided through the Department of Transportation, violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. The case originated from two Indiana-based transportation companies Mid-America Milling and Bagshaw Trucking, which in 2023 alleged that they lost opportunities when minority- and women-owned businesses were awarded contracts through the “largest, and perhaps oldest affirmative action program in U.S. history.” The DBE program was defended by the Justice Department during former President Joe Biden’s administration, stating that it was essential to combat discrimination in...
Charlamagne tha God has been inspired by his father’s entrepreneurial spirit for as long as he can remember. His father, who owned a fish market and a construction business, told him long ago, “When you get a business, don’t put your name on it. Because people [will] hate on it for no reason.” He’s kept that advice in mind on his journey. Born Lenard McKelvey, Charlamagne has established himself as a radio host, television personality, comedian, and businessman. One of his latest ventures involves expanding Krystal Restaurants. In an interview with AFROTECH™ , Charlamagne said franchising has always been a goal of his, and partnering with Krystal, a beloved Southern staple, was a great opportunity. “It just became one of those things that me and my wife wanted to do,” he told AFROTECH™. “This is one of those situations that just happened pretty organically. And I was with it. My wife was with it. You know, my financial team was with it. And we made it happen.” Charlamagne and his...
Dawn Staley continues to offer a guiding hand to basketball star Aliyah Boston. The pair first teamed up at The University of South Carolina. Staley serves as the school’s head coach of women’s basketball and is currently signed to a historic seven-year contract that has made her the highest-paid head coach in NCAA Women’s Basketball, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. Boston played under Staley’s leadership from 2019 to 2023. Together, they won one national titles against the University of Connecticut in 2022, notes NBC-10 Philadelphia. Boston’s collegiate career would position her as the school’s all-time leader in overall rebounds, offensive and defensive rebounds, blocked shots in SEC games, double-doubles, and triple-doubles, among others, according to the WNBA. She is also a four-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year, two-time National Player of the Year, and two-time SEC Player of the Year. Throughout it all, Staley has remained front and center as a fan even as Boston...
The Forbes Union has walked out after publishing the company’s annual “30 Under 30” list. The list’s Class of 2025 features individuals across industries such as sports, entertainment, energy and green tech, artificial intelligence, food and drink, venture capital, marketing and advertising, science, and gaming, among others. Boston Celtics player Jayson Tatum, country artist Shaboozey , actress Ryan Destiny, Miss EmpowHer founder Caitlyn Kumi, and Foundry Technologies founder Jared Quincy Davis are some of the individuals listed. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Forbes (@forbes) A total of 600 individuals are featured, collectively contributing $3.6 billion in funding and amassing over 300 million followers across social media, Forbes states. Unsurprisingly, the list generates significant buzz and excitement among readers. It’s precisely for these reasons that editorial staffers made a calculated decision to stage a walkout, drawing attention to a three-year-long...