Business news in East Tennessee counties of Knox, Blount, Anderson and Jefferson counties
KNOXVILLE, TN (March 18, 2020) – In light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Knoxville has added the option to view our bid openings and attend pre-bid meetings via Zoom and will be encouraging vendors to…
Fred Lowery is the newest Tennessee Tech University Board of Trustee member appointed by Gov. Bill Lee. By Karen Lykins, TTU COOKEVILLE, TN – In Sept. 2019, Fred Lowery became the first black member of the Tennessee Tech…
Kanika White Appointed to KCDC Board of Commissioners Knoxville, TN (January 2020) – Realtor Kanika White has been appointed by Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon to the Board of Commissioners for Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation (KCDC). White, who has…
Nationwide (BlackNews.com) — If you are like the millions of individuals who go to work on Monday and say, “I can’t wait until Friday,” then you can definitely relate to Martinique Brown, Founder of Today I Want to Be. Even…
Uhai, SaaS (Software as a Service), will be launching a permission-based messaging & collaboration solution in 2020 for the modern organization. Nationwide, BlackNews.com (Dec. 6, 2019) — David Abeiku Cole, Jr, CEO of Uhai, comments, “I realized there is…
Editor’s note: There are few and fewer black businesses in Knoxville and East Tennessee, shopping is growing into a global internet experience. Our local businesses can join this campaign of selling to global shoppers, while local shoppers can…
By Ashley D. Bell, Regional Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration Join in celebrating the 10th year of Small Business Saturday this November 30th! Celebrated each year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, Small Business Saturday is a way for consumers…
GaBBY Bows may be in a major retail store near you. The non-slip barrette invention of seventh-grade Confidence CEO Gabrielle “GaBBY” Goodwin and her mom Rozalynn debuts on the shelves of Target stores this month. The young entrepreneur…
KNOXVILLE, TN (Sept. 2019) – Dr. Enkeshi Thom El-Amin, Sociologist Ph.D is also a professional seamstress who launched a sewing camp to teach children how to sew and the basics of operating a business. The support of…
Nationwide (BlackNews.com) — American Tax Geeks is known as the franchise company that pays all of the startup costs for its franchise owners. But now they’re specifically giving $112 million to African Americans to start an American Tax…
This 2nd annual event honors the enslaved Africans who arrived in 1619 and seeks to reclaim 400-years of Black commerce. On Aug. 23-25, 2019, over 120 Black-owned vendors and consumers will gather at the second-annual We Buy Black…
AMAZON IS LOOKING TO HIRE MORE THAN 700 EMPLOYEES FOR WORK-AT-HOME JOB OPENINGS Nationwide — BlackJobs.com, created by the founders of BlackNews.com and BlackBusiness.com, has partnered with Amazon to promote their virtual (or “work-from-home”) positions available to qualified individuals who…
A Black-owned farm-to-table restaurant based in New Jersey named Cornbread will be opening their newest locations inside 3 Walmart stores in Pittsburgh, PA this year. With the expansion, Cornbread hopes to serve more people with soul food dishes…
Criminal Defense Attorney and entrepreneur develops game played 35 minutes can save teens from serving 3 to 5 years in jail. Nationwide (BlackNews.com) — Chicago native, 19-year veteran criminal defense and civil rights attorney, April D. Preyar, has…
By Wire Reports ATLANTA – Robert F. Smith’s gift of paying off the student loans of Morehouse College’s 2019 graduating class stunned the school’s students and faculty, but it was just the latest act of philanthropy by the quiet…
Rapper and entrepreneur Jay-Z has reportedly made a $3 million investment in Promise, a startup company that helps state and local governments track parolees with GPS technology – and a lot of people, even some of his fans,…
From time to time, there are Black and minority business grants available to help African American and other minority entrepreneurs. Sometimes, the grants are offered by major companies, non-profit organizations, and even government agencies. Admittedly, such opportunities can…
U.S. Small Business Administration Southeast Region IV agricultural industry update for Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Kentucky, North Carolina. By Ashley D. Bell, Region IV Administrator Entrepreneurs in the Southeast’s agricultural industry will now be better able to…
Women’s retailer Dressbarn announced today that they are closing all 650 stores after nearly 60 years in business. It’s the latest hit for traditional retailers whose brick and mortar stores are struggling to compete. Dressbarn’s owner, the Ascena Retail Group,…
Opportunity for All Entrepreneurs to Increase Their Footprint in Government Contracting As a part of the Drive 8(a) effort, the SBA Tennessee District Office is proud to announce the 2nd Annual Business Development Academy. This opportunity is cosponsored…
How he got started Chris, who was once homeless, started off as a car salesman at a local dealership in Arizona. After 2 years of saving up his money, he was able to pay for the tuition needed…
A much-needed venue for hosting almost any occasion is available in East Knoxville. The Tribe of Judah Event Center at 4101 Holston Dr., next to Honey Rock Thrift Store, is hosting a Community Open House from 3-7…
(NASHVILLE, TN) This month Roots Hair & Beauty opened to much fanfare and is the first Black-owned beauty supply store in Nashville, Tennessee, according to reports. “We are proud to be the first, and hopefully we won’t be the…
Local entrepreneurs earn $15,000 from KAUL Business Pitch Contests Randy Boyd, founder, and chairman of Radio Systems Corporation presented checks totaling $15,000 to Audrey Wrushen and…