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If you own an Anker PowerCore 10000 power bank, now’s the time to check your device. Anker issued a major recall after receiving 19 reports of fires and explosions, pulling more than 1 million units from the market. The recall, announced by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), highlights growing concerns about the risks tied to lithium-ion batteries. What Devices Are Being Recalled? Anker’s website states the recall covers PowerCore 10000 power banks (model A1263) sold between June 2016 and December 2022. These portable chargers were widely available online and in stores across the U.S. To check if your device is impacted: Find the serial number on the bottom of your charger. Enter it on Anker’s recall website to verify. Double-check letters and numbers carefully (common mix-ups like using “O” vs. “0” or “I” vs. “1” can lead to errors). If your serial number is missing or unreadable, Anker advises reaching out to its support team directly for guidance. This isn’t the...
Jamaica’s largest fast-food chain, Juici Patties, is planning a U.S. expansion, with 57 franchise agreements signed and locations set to open by 2027, Black Enterprise reports. Founded in 1980 by Jukie Chin in May Pen, Clarendon, Jamaica, according to its website, Juici Patties began with one standout product: the Jamaican beef patty, a flaky pastry filled with spiced beef. What started as a teenage side hustle in his mother’s kitchen has become a household name with more than 60 locations across the island today and exports throughout the Caribbean. The chain had already begun branching out into the U.S. market, launching locations in South Florida in 2024 and more recently in Brooklyn and the Bronx, according to Eater. The strong response to these locations shows that the appeal of Jamaican cuisine reaches far beyond diaspora communities. “This is more than just a business. This is an opportunity for a Jamaican company and brand to expand on the global stage and show the world...
Slutty Vegan has named tech executive Lauren Maillian as its new president, signaling the company’s latest chapter of expansion and innovation, Founder and CEO Pinky Cole Hayes announced. According to Black Enterprise, the first outlet to break the news, Maillian officially stepped into the role on June 4, a strategic shift for the Atlanta, GA-based vegan fast-food chain . The move, which Cole Hayes told the outlet is “Slutty Vegan 2.0,” comes after she recently reclaimed control of the company following a challenging stretch, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. Marked by a car accident and internal ownership issues, that chapter left her with some powerful lessons. Starting a new leadership direction, Maillian is a seasoned entrepreneur who will bring a wealth of brand and marketing knowledge to the role, having spent over two decades working in venture capital, media, technology, and the food and beverage industries. Cole Hayes told Black Enterprise that Maillian’s appointment makes...
A new center is set to be the first of its kind for Black-owned businesses and professionals in Charlotte, NC. Innovation Center According to The Charlotte Observer, a project called the Innovation Center is underway, guided by a mission to promote economic growth and combat food disparity. The initiative is led by Cathay Dawkins, an entrepreneur and chairman of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Black Chamber of Commerce, along with other members of the organization. “Think of it as a one-stop shop for professionals and small businesses,” Dawkins told the outlet. Why It Was Needed After visiting similar establishments in cities such as Atlanta, GA; Washington, DC; and Durham, NC, Dawkins says he felt it was essential for Charlotte to have a center of its own. Now, the Innovation Center is set to become the city’s first hub specifically geared toward amplifying Black business people. “As things in the community get taken away, like federal funding and grants, we want to be a safe space,”...
Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™. President Donald Trump’s tariffs have rocked industries across the globe, from manufacturing to fashion and retail. The current crop of tariff policies will do damage to retailers, large and small and one of the retailers that has gotten caught in the crossfire is Nike . Nike has been an American staple in the world of business and fashion since the company was founded in 1964 by University of Oregon track coach Bill Bowerman and his former student Phil Knight as Blue Ribbon Sports. The company originally started as a distributor for the Japanese shoe brand Tiger (now ASICS) but began making its athletic footwear in 1971 and rebranded as Nike, named after the Greek goddess of victory, as reported by The Street. The iconic “Swoosh” logo was designed by Carolyn Davidson, a student at nearby Portland State University, for just $35 as reported by Reuters and became one of the world’s most recognizable...
Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” proved to be good business for Chicago, IL, locals. The entertainer who won Best Country Album at the 2025 Grammy Awards for “Cowboy Carter” is currently touring its tunes with a stop in the Windy City. According to USA Today, the three planned concerts took place on May 15–18 at Soldier Field . View this post on Instagram A post shared by Beyoncé (@beyonce) The tour brought great momentum for the city and was beneficial to several Black-owned businesses, including Bronzeville Soul. The restaurant first benefited from the Carter family in 2023. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Hip-Hop mogul Jay-Z had been in the area to celebrate his wife Beyoncé’s second night of her “Renaissance World Tour,” which was also held at Soldier Field. The soul food restaurant had been “up and down” for nearly a year before Jay-Z’s visit, but it was able to gain new momentum afterward. “The element of that surprise was huge. It was overwhelming,” Bronzeville Soul Co-Owner Mario...
Chef Kwame Onwuachi is taking his culinary talents to Las Vegas, NV! As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the James Beard Award-winning chef opened the Afro-Caribbean restaurant Dōgon inside the luxury hotel Salamander in Washington, DC, on Sept. 9, 2024. Two years before, he had opened his flagship Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachi in New York City, NY, which earned the top spot as the city’s best restaurant, per The New York Times. Now, Onwuachi is spreading his wings yet again, this time with Maroon, a Caribbean steakhouse that will be opening at the Sahara Las Vegas. “We were intentional in selecting Kwame Onwuachi as our partner for the next chapter of Sahara Las Vegas’ culinary journey,” Sahara owner Alex Meruelo told Travel + Leisure. “His incomparable fusion of storytelling, culture, and outstanding cuisine is uniquely captivating. Maroon will not only advance chef Kwame’s personal vision but also revolutionize the current steakhouse experience on the Strip and beyond.” As for what...
Candace Mitchell wants Black founders to think generationally. Mitchell is the founder of MYAVANA, a haircare company powered by artificial intelligence (AI). According to its website, the company’s offerings include MYAVANA HairAI™, which leverages AI to provide users with instant product recommendations, saving them time and money. It has also launched MYAVANA HairSI™, a hair strand analysis kit that provides a personalized haircare plan and access to expert haircare specialists. MYAVANA’s innovations have allowed its footprint to scale to Ulta Beauty in 2023. Additionally, it has expanded to a brick-and-mortar retail store in Uganda, Africa, which also carries products from Black-owned businesses including Moisture Love, Texture Crush, Afro Unicorn , U Go Girl Hair, and LushUs Hair, as AFROTECH™ previously told you. “From a business standpoint, it made more sense for us to start our franchise in the motherland and actually target each nation to open up global product...
Cleveland, OH’s first Black-owned brewery has touched down. The origins of Black Frog Brewery traces back to 2014 when its founder Christopher Harris, who is also a husband, father, and veteran, began working on the craft from his garage, an Instagram post reveals. Two years later, he scaled the business from his garage to its first location in Holland, OH, and it has been a part of the nearby community ever since. According to its website, Black Frog Brewery offers five different core beers crafted in-house: Amphibian (Pale Ale); Flying Frog (India Pale Ales); Cream of the Frog (Cream Ale); Ebony Prince (Milk Stout); and Froglicious (Honey Brown Porter). It also offers specific brews for its summer, spring, fall, and winter seasons and has a lineup to honor legends in the Hip Hop community such as Left Eye (Kolsch Watermelon) and Aaliyah (Kolsch Raspberry). “Our Hip Hop Beer Series, where we raise a glass to hip hop legends! Each brew is crafted with inspiration from our...
Megan Thee Stallion is set to become a franchisee! The Houston, TX-born rapper is diving deeper into her entrepreneurship bag. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, through her music career, she already has full ownership of her master recordings and publishing thanks to her deal with Warner Music Group. She has also gone on to launch her own tequila brand, Chicas Divertidas. At the time of this writing, the brand boasts two offerings: Blanco and Reposado. Photo Credit: World Red Eye “As someone who values good vibes and great memories, I knew I wanted to create a tequila that was designed to be shared and savored with my Hotties,” Megan Thee Stallion said in a news release shared with AFROTECH™. “Smooth, sultry, and premium. This process has been years in the making, and I’m so proud to take this next step in my journey as an entrepreneur and launch this brand. I know the Hotties are ready, it’s time to give them a drink made by me! I’m excited to share this labor of love with you all...
A new hub for Black-owned businesses is opening in Evanston, IL. Led and owned by a team of predominantly Black community leaders, The Aux is a 16,000-square-foot commercial space that will feature a wellness studio with services provided by practitioners of color, pop-up marketplaces for healthy food entrepreneurs, flexible space for small business owners, and office and co-working areas, according to information on its website. “We are transforming a vacant property into a beautiful, environmentally sustainable building that emphasizes a quadruple bottom line for cultural, social, economic, and environmental impact,” The Aux website reads. The Aux acquired the property in 2021 and in that same year announced it was seeking a $6 million raise to renovate the space — a project managed by Black-owned, Chicago, IL-based firm Ujamaa Construction. The project’s final cost increased to $10 million with support from public and private donors, per the Evanston Roundtable. In 2022, the City...
The majority of Levi Strauss & Co.’s shareholders have voted against anti-DEI proposals. WWD reports the company received a proposal from the National Center for Public Policy Research requesting that its shareholders “consider abolishing its DEI program, policies, department and goal.” At a time when other major corporations have rolled back their diversity, equity, and inclusion policies in response to President Donald Trump’s efforts to eliminate DEI across the federal government , the proposal referenced that “Alphabet and Meta cut DEI staff and DEI-related investments; and Microsoft and Zoom laid off their entire DEI teams.” Levi’s executives, however, do not believe the company has partaken in discriminatory policies in its recruitment or promotions, according to David Jedrzejek, Levi’s senior vice president and general counsel, per the outlet. Still, Stefan Padfield, executive director of the National Center’s Free Enterprise Project, made a point to mention at the...
Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™. Recent viral videos on TikTok by Chinese wholesalers are claiming that luxury handbags and other items are made in China . This is a strong assertion when the trade war between the United States and China has consumers thinking about how much more they will have to pay for everyday items, as well as more frivolous purchases. Luxury goods aren’t as necessary when compared to food, clothes, and certain machinery. However, in recent years, consumer purchasing habits have diverged among various generations. Some Millennials and Gen-Z are focused on splurging on regular items like coffee and little treats, so spending money on big-ticket items has taken a backseat. Even so, while luxury goods have a higher mark-up in price based on brand recognition, many still use quality items to construct their products. For example, Hermés, the French luxury house, does not manufacture its bags in China, according...
Black shoppers’ spending habits have changed at retailers no longer upholding DEI. Amazon, Walmart, and Target have scaled back their DEI commitments, leading some shoppers to take their dollars elsewhere. This also prompted several boycotts, including one on Feb. 28 by The People’s Union USA, which held a 24-hour boycott of major retailers and chains, refraining from both in-person and online purchases, notes PBS. According to Retail Brew, Black shoppers spent under $1 billion on Feb. 28, leading to a $220 million decline. A drop of this magnitude had not been seen within the past year. The outlet also notes that Black shoppers contributed to an 18.7% decline in sales and a 17.6% decline in trips particularly to Amazon, Walmart, and Target, and they are leading the way in the “economic blackout.” Furthermore, for Target particularly it has experienced a great blowback, with 10 straight weeks of its foot traffic in decline across all demographics. CBS News reports it has lost over...
Derek Lewis’ corporate experience gave him the upper hand in becoming a franchisee. Lewis had an extensive career at PepsiCo that spanned 35 years, and he managed multi-billion-dollar operations. He spent the first seven years in various sales roles before rising through the ranks to become Pepsi Bottling Group’s regional sales manager (2001–2004), followed by three separate vice president roles (2001-2008) and two senior vice president positions (2008-2019). He exited the company at the end of 2022 after serving as president of multicultural business at PepsiCo North America for one year. Franchisee Lewis is now occupied as a franchisee of Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks, with 10 traditional locations slated for Central Florida. He is projected to be the largest franchisee in the Southern Region of the United States, according to a news release shared with AFROTECH™. His locations have broken ground at Orlando’s Kia Center and Camping World Stadium, and most recently in Oviedo, FL. Leslie...