Message from the Board of Directors

It has been an eventful few months as the BBI entered new periods of great excitement and momentum. With many noteworthy achievements captured over the past years, I want to extend sincere appreciation to Angela Johnson, on behalf of the BBI Board, for her service with the Black to Business magazine. Angela’s role in sharing the community’s stories has been instrumental to highlighting the excellence in the African-Nova Scotian business community. I know that because of her dedicated work, we are better. At the end of last year, we successfully launched our 2020-2021 Black Business Directory, a long-standing tradition of the BBI which has been around almost as long as the organization. Refreshed every two years, the directory provides entrepreneurs and business-owners with resources and information about agencies and organizations in the public sector that offer entrepreneurial support. It is also a great tool for finding local, Black-owned businesses that offer high quality products and services. We hope that the Black business directory listings will lead to connections and networks and opportunities, including participation in new supply chains. BBI also had the privilege in being part of what will be a historical event, as it was the first time President Barack Obama has come to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Presented by the Nova Scotia Cooperative Council, we were honored to have been a partner and Platinum Sponsor of the event “A Conversation with Barack Obama.” I was extremely honored to have attended and been a part of this inspiring evening that brought together over 9,000 people, including 3,000 Future Leaders.

Last November, we held our annual BBI Board retreat to explore how the strategic initiatives outlined in our 2019-2022 Strategic Plan could be further enhanced to maximize positive results in the future. The BBI Composite Boards, partners, and stakeholders came together to take stock, assess current practices, and identify ways that our services can be targeted to meet the shifting tides and to capture emerging markets. During the retreat, conversations and important arguments were distilled to guide us in building upon the important work that has been carried out by BBI over the past 23 years. After a day of workshops, panels and passionate conversations, three key themes were identified as the core of the discussions: shift, communications, and relationships. The retreat sparked new questions and fueled powerful conversations. It was an opportunity to help garner new ideas and possibilities to consider in our current and future efforts. With significant changes in business, technology, communities, diversity and complexity of issues/needs, and financial restraints, the value and potential of BBI have never been greater. We are very grateful for the continued support that we receive from our strategic partners in the private and public sector and from the community, particularly our main funding partners, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and the Government of Nova Scotia through the Nova Scotia Business Inc. (NSBI). It has been because of these partners and their support that we continue expanding our reach and changing lives by enabling economic independence. We look forward to the great work we will continue to do with your backing.

Respectfully,

Carlo Simmons, Chair