Triad Minority Business Expo
continues to grow
BY TEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE
Last Saturday, Aug. 20,
more than 70 minority
businesses gathered inside
the Wake Forest Innovation
Quarter to network, and
promote their various busi
ness ventures during the
third annual Triad Minority
Business Expo.
Designed to increase
opportunities . for small
business owners and entre
preneurs in the Triad, since
its inception in 2014 the
event has grown in size and
attendance every year.
This year entrepreneurs
even traveled from
Charlotte, Raleigh and
other areas to participate in
the growing event.
Along with the various
vendors at the gathering,
attendees also had the
opportunity to attend edu
cational workshops on top
ics, including how to start a
business, creating a busi
ness plan, marketing your
business and various other
topics.
Eric Hairston, owner of
Creative Genesis LLC, a
business that helps music
artists book events and get
paid for their music, said,
he traveled from
Greensboro to get tips on
how to improve his busi
ness plan. He said he also
learned a lot from the ses
sion on marketing.
"The workshops were
great. I learned how the
brain works when it comes
to marketing and how to
better reach my target audi
ence," Hairston said.
While many who
attended the educational
sessions were already busi
ness owners, others, such
as Greensboro native
Melissa Counts, came
seeking information on
how to get their businesses
off the ground.
Counts, who is looking
to start a cleaning business,
said she heard about busi
ness expo on the radio. In
between sessions. Counts
said, "I'm impressed by
everything this event has to
offer.
"I've learned quite a bit
just by visiting the various
vendors and connecting
with the people here," she
continued. "It's a wonder
ful idea. I can't wait to get
started with my business."
Reginald McCaskill,
president of Maximum
Enterprises and event
director, said he is excited
about the growth and
expansion. He said he
hopes the event continues
to grow as it has over the
past three years.
"The turnout has been
phenomenal," he contin
ued. "We really want the
community to recognize
and understand the impact
that minority businesses
make, not only in the city
and the state, but the entire
country."
"Minority-owned busi
nesses play an important
role in our country, and it's
time we recognize that
within ourselves."
The expo also featured
a number of special guests,
including actor and entre
preneur Lamman Rucker,
actor, and music composer
Jullian Brittano, and Petri
Hawkins-Byrd, Best
known for his role as the
bailiff on the hit court TV
show Judge Judy.
During a exclusive
interview with The
Chronicle Rucker, who is
best known for his role in
Tyler Perry's "Why Did I
Get Married" series, said
outside of acting, he has
always been an entrepre
neur. He mentioned he has
a hand in a number of dif
ferent businesses. He said,
"It's always about business
and building relationships.
"That's why business
education and entrepre
neurship is extremely
important. No matter what
field you decide to go into,
you have to know how to
market and present your
self. That's why events like
this are so important," he
continued. "I am amazed at
what Reginald and his team
have put together here in
Winston-Salem."
A number of elected
officials were on hand to
promote small business,
including Mayor Allen
Joines, who served as the
events honorary co-chair.
Joines said the city is fully
tocommitted to the devel
opment and promotion 01
minority-owned businesses
in the area.
East t Ward Counci
Member Derwir
Montgomery, State Sen
Paul A. Lowe Jr., who rep *
resents District 32 ir
Forsyth County, and Mayoi
Pro Tempore Vivian Burkt
also attended the expo.
For more informatior
on the Triad Minority
Business Expo, visi
www.maximumenterpris
esinc.com.
Photo by Tevin Sanson
Reginald McCaskill, president of Maximum
Enterprises and creator of the Triad Minority
Business Expo, addresses the crowd and various
entrepreneurs during the event held on Saturday,
Aug. 20. More than 70 minority business owners
participated in this year's expo, which is designed to
promote small businesses in the area.
Photos by Tevin Stmson
Dr. Ant wain Tate Goode, founder of'TATE Consulting, leads a workshop during
the third annual Triad Minority Business Expo on Saturday, Aug. 20. The expo
is designed to increase opportunities for minority business owners.
'If you build it, they will come'
Forsyth County considers creat
ing new business park
BY TODD LUCK
fHE CHRONICLE ?
Forsyth County commissioners heard plans to turn
nearly 170 acres next to Tanglewood Park into a business
park during their Thursday, Aug. 18, briefing.
The land, which is off Idols Road, was acquired years
ago by a commissioner-appointed park authority that ran
Tanglewood before the county took direct control over the .
park's management in 2000. The land has been considered
for many things through the years, including golf course
expansion and equestrian use.
The new plan to turn it into a business park for light
industrial use, addresses a challenge that the county has
with a lack of available land for business development*
The plan divides the land into six lots
of varying sizes. Businesses have
already expressed interest in purchas
ing lots one and two, which are
approximately 15 acres and 83 acres
respectively.
"The old saying is, 'If you build
it, they will come' and that's what
happened to this business park," said
Dan Kornelis, county director of
housing and community develop
monf
1I1VIII.
Currently, the site is undeveloped. The county will
need to develop the land, installing water and sewer to
serve the businesses that will locate there.
A road will also need to be constructed to serve the
new businesses. The property is part of unincorporated
land and the county is looking to the Village of Clemmons
to annex it. The hope is that Clemmons will build and
maintain the road, and possibly help pay for development.
In the next couple months, the
county will need to rezone the area
for light industrial use.
It will also need to approve an
annexation and inter-local agreement
with Clemmons, along with various
other aspects of the development.
County Manager Dudley Watts
said the county will make money
from selling the land, so the project
should pay for itself.
county commissioner waiter
Marshall said that, while county land is a precious com
modity, he felt this was a good use of it that will attract
businesses to the area.
"It's a good project," said Marshall.
County Commissioner Chair Dave Plyler also thought
it would benefit the county.
"It will bring us more industries, more taxes and be
good for the citizens as a result," said Plyler.
Marshall
Plyler
OnceLogix makes Inc. magazine's annual ranking
SPECIAL TO
THE CHRONICLE
Inc. magazine has
ranked Winston-Salem
based OnceLogix 3,719th
on its 35th annual Inc.
5000 list, the most presti
gious ranking of the
nation's fastest growing
private companies. The list
represents a unique look at
the most successful com
panies within the American
economy's most dynamic
segment - its independent
small businesses.
"When you decide to
start a business, you have
an idea of the things you
want to accomplish and
where you want to be at
some point in the future,"
stated Trinity Manning,
CEO of OnceLogix.
"Being recognized in Inc.
magazine's list of
America's 5,000 fastest
growing private companies
in 2016 was certainly not
one of those things.
OnceLogix made the list in
an industry that is rarely
known for being based on
the East Coast, or the
South, and founded by
three African-American
males. We are honored and
humbled at the same time.
This accomplishment has
been a pleasant surprise for
the entire OnceLogix
team."
Complete results of the
Inc. 5000, including com
pany profiles and an inter
active database that can be
sorted by industry, region,
and other criteria, can be
found at
wwwinc.com/inc5000.
"The Inc, 5000 list
stands out where it really
counts," says Inc. president
and editor-in-chief Eric
Schurenberg. "It honors
real achievemertt by a
founder or a team of them.
No one makes the Inc.
5000 without building
something great - usually
from scratch. That's one of
the hardest things to do in
business, as every compa
ny founder knows. But
without it, free enterprise
fails."
OnceLogix provides
custom, enterprise-level,
web-based applications
with a particular emphasis
on building white-label
solutions for the healthcare
industry.
Manning says that
more than 350 mental
healthcare agencies use
OnceLogix service's.
Sharenote is OnceLogix's
enterprise solution to man
age customers' practices
daily.
"Over 15,000 mental
health professionals
use www.sharenote.com,"
Manning says. "Our clients
require specific outcomes
to be delivered with a high
degree of certainty. They
call upon OnceLogix to
simplify and organize their
processes required to oper
ate healthcare organiza
tions."
The annual Inc. 5000
event honoring all the com
panies on the list will be
held Oct. 18-20 in San
Antonio, Texas.
A
Wfciwi?h>i'iiiflMltB?C.I??
ma M hmerital t.trn f wfcn prtirti i nip i ill i ? mm
Chronicle File Photo
(L-R) Ty McLaughlin, Trinity Manning and Rod
Brown founded OnceLogix over a decade ago.
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