Business Focus
Briefs
School receives grant to
encourage entrepreneurship
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation recent
ly awarded Wake Forest University's Calloway
School of Business and Accountancy a $47,300 grant
to foster undergraduate entrepreneurship at the uni
versity.
The grant will support the Calloway School's
Center for Undergraduate Entrepreneurship, an inter
disciplinary hub that will provide physical facilities
and business mentoring to undergraduate liberal arts
students. The money will be used in ^variety of
ways, including bringing guest speakers to campus
who are successful entrepreneurs from a liberal art*
background; expanding entrepreneurial ri&btiifce
materials in the university's library; tb|king monetary
awards for best new venture proposals, IfWarong
summer stipends for students working on a rieW ven
ture; and developing curriculum. - . iv.yJfcV
The center, directed by associate profleisor of
business Page West, will be housed tn the Cattovtfay
School's new F.M. Kirby Hall, set to open in fall
2003. West says Wake Forest, like many colleges and
universities, is seeing more student entrepreneurs on
campus who are not necessarily business majors.
"Students from the liberal arts and sciences are
very creative and every bit as fascinated by new ven
tures as business students,'.' West said. "But they often
do not realize that entrepreneurial pursuit of their
own arts-based or sciences-based ideas is a real
career possibility. The Kauffman Foundation grant
will bring greater exposure to the link between the
liberal arts and entrepreneurship, and will help us
develop resources that assist students in turning their
ideas into reality."
West says Wake Forest is one of only a few uni
versities that provide renewable scholarships in entre
preneurship. The university has offered an annual
Presidential Scholarship in entrepreneurship since
1987.
Major jewelry chain is
charged in federal bias suit
(Special to the NNPA) - Friedman's Jewelers, the
nation's third-largest jewelry chain, is being sued in
federal court by four former employees who claim the
chain used racist policies to deny promotions to
blacks.
The suit claims that, under company policy and a
senior manager at Friedman's, they were pressured to
hire only a certain number of black employees and to
transfer black workers to balance the staff's racial
mix. They are claiming unspecified damages for lost
pay. benefits and emotional distress.
"Friedman's is operating in a Jim Crow world,"
Thomas A. Warren, a counsel for the plaintiffs, told
reporters. "The corporate office forces managers to
base their hiring, firing, and promotion decisions on
the most appalling racial stereotypes."
Jack Steele, a division vice president, alleges he
was fired in early 2000 "for reasons related to the
allegations in the lawsuit," Denis Shanagher, a lawyer
for Friedman's told reporters.
An audio tape recorded by a white .plaintiff
allegedly contains Steele's voice blaming the condi
tion of a Maryland store on black people. "We got to
get a staff in there and get rid of all those, get rid of
half the black people in there," the voice is heard say
ing, according to a tape made by plaintiff Rondall
Mitchell.
Friedman's Jewelers, which Jias its headquarters
in Savannah. Ga., has more than 600 stores in 22
states and employs about 4,000 people.
Judge rejects class-action status of
lawsuit against Cracker Barrel
LEBANON, Tenn. (Dow Jones/AP) - A federal
judge in Georgia has denied class-action status to a
lawsuit against Cracker Barrel Old Country Store
inc.. which alleged discrimination against African
American workers at the company's restaurants.
In a 175-page ruling issued Friday, U.S. District
Court Judge Harold Murphy said the employed# did
not prove the merits of a national efass-action suit.
,"The Court... concludes that the statistical evidesce
simply does not demonstrate that the Defendant
engaged in a consistent pattern of adverse treatment
of African-Americans," he wrote.
It was the second time in six months that Mdrphy
rejected a class-action lawsuit brought by the same
attorneys against the Lebanon-based restaurant
chain. In October, Murphy ruled against a group of
black Cracker Barrel customers, saying their case
failed to show a common set-of circumstances exist
ed to justify class-action status.
"We are very pleased with the court's ruling,
which supports what we have said from the begin
ning." said Cracker Barrel President and Cnief
Operating Officer Donald M. Turner. "In both law
suits. there was simply no evidence Cracker Barrel
engaged in a pattern of discrimination against
African-Americans - either our employees or our
customers."
The company said 13 current and former Jjlgck
workers filed the case in late 199?, alleging
Barrel did not provide thetn with pauper mHi
evaluated them unfairly and dental Wtm'ipriHe
ment opportunities.
About 23 percent of Cracker Barrel's more than
50.000 employees are minorities, with about 13 per
cent being African-American, the company said.
More than 7 percent of Cracker Barrel's store man
agers are black, and the company's three top execu
tives who handle human resources, employee train
ing. and purchasing also are black. Cracker Barrel
Old Country Store. Inc. operates 469 company
owned restaurants and retail stores in 41 states.
San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, Intel Chairman Andy Grove, T-Mobile USA Vice
Chairman Bob Stepleton and Airport Director John L. Martin "cut" an ethernet com
puter cord last week at the San Francisco International Airport at a reception to
announce the "uhwiring" of the airport. The reception, attended by more than 75
city officials and media representatives, was held to promote the availability of
high-speed wireless Internet access via T-Mobile HotSpot service for passengers
traveling through the airport.
Man propels
'throwbacks'
to high fashion
BY MONICA LEWIS
PHILADELPHIA TRIBUNE
PHILADELPHIA (NNPA)?Some of the biggest .
stars in sports, music and entertainment know the man
to call for a classic sports jersey for their collection,
awards or video show.
They connect with Reuben Harley, the West
Philadelphia native who has made throwback jerseys
the hottest urban clothing item for everyone from Sean
"P. Diddy" Combs to the high school kid next door.
"We had the content and the history of sports, but
Reuben took it and made the general public aware of
it. He believed in what we did and now the rest of the
world wants to see it," said Peter Capolino, president
of Mitchell & Ness, a wholesale distributor that has
benefited from Harley's efforts.
Last year. Mitchell & Ness, which began as a mom
and pop company, grossed $25 million, nearly five
See Horlay on A9
Lawyer receives Cosby charity award
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE ,
STUART, Fla. - Prominent
attorney and cable television
executive Willie E Gary was
honored with the first annual
William H. and Camille 0.
Cosby Philanthropic Award
during the 17th annual Black
History Makers Awards Dinner
held recently at the New York
Marriott Marquis.
The award was presented to
Gary by the Associated Black
Charities board members for his
commitment to furthering the
progress of African-Americans
in America. Ed Bradley of "60
Minutes" fame served as master
of ceremonies.
Rayton Gerald, chairman of
the Associated Black Charities
Board of Directors, said Gary
and the nonprofit foundation he
and his wife. Dr. Gloria Gary,
established in 1994 serves "as
role models to be emulated by
other economically capable
African-Americans."
"Gloria and I are humbled
to be honored with this award,"
Gary said. "When we started
The Gary Foundation almost 10
years ago, we just wanted to
make a difference in the lives of
young people who otherwise
might not have the opportunity
to go to college. And while
moments like this serve as con
firmation that we are 'making a
difference.' it should also serve
as a call to action - for there is
much more still to be done."
The Gary Foundation's
Challenger Scholarship Pro
gram awards college scholar
ships to at-risk eighth-graders
as an incentive to finish high
school and go to college. The
foundation has also awarded
millions of dollars to dozens of historically black col
leges and universities, including an astonishing $10
million to his alma mater, Shaw University in Raleigh,
N.C.
Gary is the chairman and CEO of the Major Broad
casting Cable Network (MBC), the nation's' only
African-American-owned. 24-hour cable network,
which recently announced the launching of a 24-hour
news network devoted to African-American news and
issues. He has donated millions of dollars of free adver
tising on MBC to help historically black colleges and
universities recruit new students. MBC is also the coun
try's leading provider of live black college sports.
Known as "The Giant Killer," Gary has challenged
some of America's most powerful corporate giants,
winning billions of dollars on behalf of hisr clients. In
1995, he won a $500 million verdict - one of the high
est jury verdicts ever - against a Canadian funeral home
company. In 2000, he won a $240 million verdict
against Disney when a jury found Disney stole the idea
for a sports complex from Gary's clients. In 2001, a jury
awarded Gary a $139 million verdict from Anheuser
Busch or behalf of the family of baseball great Roger
Maris. In addition, Gary has earned settlements of $205
million, $185 million and $175 million for his clients.
Willie E. Gary, left, and Ed Bradley at the recent event in New York.
Cash-strapped Kmart is trying
>
to attract Asian-American shoppers
The retailer has tried
similar methods in the
past with African
Americans and Hispanics
tojfeASSOCIATEQ may.:. ?
FRESNO. GaUW - bankrupt
retailer Kmart iS'rf'yfng to court
Asian shoppers with an Asian
language publication, but it may
have missed its Fresno market.
The Troy, Mich.-based dis
count store has created a weekly
newspaper printed in Chinese,
Tea Leaf, which debuted Sunday
in the Chinese Daily SF newspa
per in Fresno.
However, most of Fresno's
Asian population is Hmong.
according to the U.S. Census.
Hmong resident!) outnumber Chi
nese by more than 5-to-1.
The retailer didn't target the
Hmong population because it's
focusing on the largest Asian lan
guages. said Kmart spokeswoman
Michele Jasukaitis.
Tea Leaf, which also debuted
in Asian newspapers in Los
Angeles, Sacramento. San
Bernardino. San Diego. San Fran
cisco. Santa Barbara. Santa Cruz
and'Ventura, is also printed in
Korean and Vietnamese.
All Kmart stores in Fresno
have closed during the past year,
although two stores remain open
in Fresno County, with one in
adjacent Clovis.
Kmart officials say they hope
to reach about 2 million Asian
customers monthly with Tea
Leaf, which features an interview
with Julie Chen, CBS News
anchor of "The Early Show." The
publication includes a profile o"fr
an Asian-American Kmart
employee and a health and beauty
column by "General Hospital"
actress Gwendoline Yeo.
Asians have about $254 bil
lion in buying power nationwide.
Kmart said. About 10.2 million
Asian residents live in the nation,
according to the U.S. Census,
with 36 percent living in Califor
nia.
Tea Leaf is Kmart's third pub
lication to target specific ethnic
groups. It launched Spanish-lan
guage La Vida in September
2002. In February. Kmart
released Urban Direct, a publica
tion created to target blacks.
Minorities
urged to
high-tech
careers
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
CINCINNATI - As vice
president of information tech
nology at Procter & Gamble
and the newest member of the
company's powerful Global
Leadership Council (GLC),
Robert Dixon has a message
for young minorities who
aspire to be corporate execu
tives.
"Stay in school and pur
sue a college education, and
take those challenging math,
science and literature cours
es," he said. "Pursue techni
cal degrees like engineering,
information technology and
life sciences that will give
rise to new technologies 10
years out."
As a member of the GLC
- a team of top executives
who run worldwide business
es, geo
graphic
units and
corpo
rate
f u n c -
tions -
Dixon
uses the I
Internet |
to build |
informa
tion sys
tems that help P&G supply
products to grocery store
shelves fast and reliably. He's
the company's first African
American appointed to the
GLC.
Of the selection, A.G.
Lafley, Procter & Gamble
chairman of the board and
chief executive officer, said,
"Robert's intimate knowledge
of information technology
and the wealth of managerial
experience he has amassed
during his tenure at P&G
make him a valuable resource
to both the council and Proc
ter & Gamble as a whole."
Dixon joined P&G in
?+977 aller graduating from
Georgia Tech with a bache
lor's degree in electrical engi
neering. He began his career
in the company's Albany, Ga.,
plant, where he worked for
five years before transferring
to the company's headquar
ters in Cincinnati. His Albany
experience prepared him for
several managerial promo
tions.
"Albany taught me how to
manage and value the power
of diversity." he said. "I dis
covered that I could learn as
much from technicians work
ing shifts as I could from the
engineering specialists.
"I also discovered that
teams with diverse skills, eth
nicity, and thinking styles
really do deliver sustainable.
See Dixon on A9
Dixon