Statesville Black Chamber of Commerce in Downtown Statesville

Signage outside of SBCC office
Signage outside of SBCC office

By FRAN FARRER


Vincent Brown

STATESVILLE, NC – After three years of running three successful businesses in Statesville, initiating board member, Vincent Brown, best known as the owner of Statesville Painting Company, saw the need for a Black Chamber of Commerce. “I saw so little progress among African American male owned businesses and women owned businesses in the area and could only think of one solution – Black Chamber,” Brown said.

“After many trips to Washington, DC to get credentialed, applying for 501 c3 status, getting the approval of the US and National Chamber boards, I was finally able to obtain a charter for a Statesville branch, and recognized a few local Black businesses with the same vision to form a board of directors. Following only a few meetings we were able to secure office space in downtown and are working on growing the Chamber,” said Brown.

The board seeks to not only expand opportunity for African American business owners, but residents and groups as well, with the ultimate goal of assisting in improving skills in managing, operating, and setting enterprising forecast. By furthering the development of locally owned or operated business enterprises we can improve the economically underprivileged communities at-large.

The Statesville Black Chamber finds it urgent and imperative to assist and help develop African American owned businesses and women owned business that have been historically left behind due to lack of access to capital, adequate training and technical and managerial skills.

In North Carolina there are billions of dollars being spent on construction contracts, unfortunately most of the dollars are being consumed by out-of-state and regional contractors because so few African American contractors are properly licensed to bid for or accept state approved monies.

The Statesville Black Chamber’s goal is to assist in solving the problem by not only directing individuals to ways of obtaining skills and preparing bids, but finding workers willing and able to work in green jobs and a variety of professions. With the amount of green jobs in North Carolina a business owner should never be without work. There is work in Iredell County but not enough skilled labor to accept the jobs. The goal is to improve that so every African American family can enjoy the core of the American Dream of “Peace, Justice, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” And, the goal extends to assisting in reducing the barriers that exist in the startup of local businesses of color.

The Statesville Black Chamber seeks to employ and develop employment for Iredell County citizens. There are job opportunities immediately available within the current membership for those seeking permanent employment and committed to working.

The Chartering of Statesville Black Chamber of Commerce makes it the most recent added to the 140 affiliated chapters based throughout the nation as well as international affiliate chapters based in Bahamas, Brazil, Colombia, Ghana, Kenya, France, Botswana, Cameroon and Jamaica.

Mission Statement of the National Black Chamber of Commerce®

The National Black Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to economically empowering and sustaining African American communities through entrepreneurship and capitalistic activity within the United States and via interaction with the Black Diaspora.

Statesville Black Chamber of Commerce is located at 104 Court Street, Suite B, Statesville, NC 28677. For further information please visit: www.statesvilleblackchamber.org.