Entrepreneur Talks Business, Relocating to a New City and Growing up in East Cleveland

Chardonnay Graham is owner of Touch Cleveland LLC, a marketing and public relations practice. She created Touch Cleveland to focus on community and business development while supporting minority-owned businesses. According to Touch Cleveland’s website, the organization offers a full suite of marketing and public relations services including strategic planning and organizing major events that bring communities closer together.

Graham relocated to Tulsa, OK. in September 2021 while still managing Touch Cleveland’s work here in Ohio. She said, when making the decision to relocate, she was just ready to do something different. “I needed to expand my horizons and experiences,” she said. Graham applied to Tulsa Remote, a program that offers a $10,000 grant and additional benefits to eligible remote workers who move to and work in Tulsa. When she relocated, she said Touch Cleveland had no contracts to work with. “I left for Tulsa with no business on the table,” she said. “I knew I was going to have to work to land some contracts, or make something shake in Tulsa.” The business owner said right after she made the move, the Touch Cleveland team landed five contracts back-to-back.

She and her team passionately continue to offer services to multiple clients including the Cuyahoga Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Coalition, a non-profit organization offering free tax credit services to Cuyahoga County residents who earn up to $60,000 in annual income. Other recent clients have included Achieve Staffing, an organization that “places job-ready Clevelanders with previous involvement in the criminal justice system into competitive temporary, temp-to-hire jobs, and permanent jobs”; and Destination Cleveland, a “private, non-profit convention and visitors bureau that stimulates economic growth by attracting people and connecting them to experiences that illustrate Cleveland’s diversity.”

Graham also recently assisted with managing media relations for NBA All-Star Weekend 2022 in Cleveland. She said she got an email invitation to submit the Request for Proposal (RFP). “I was so excited when I read [the email]...but I later realized we didn’t qualify,” she said. “They wanted us to have a staff of eight full-time employees, not contractors or interns.” Acknowledging this fact, Graham remained diligent once personnel from the NBA followed up asking her to submit the proposal. She was transparent with the NBA contact letting them know that getting the work done would not be an issue. “I could absolutely bring more people in to help me,” she expressed to the contact. Graham asked that the staffing requirements be lifted in order to hire contractors and submitted her proposal. “We went from a team of three to a team of six, and we got it,” she exclaimed. Touch Cleveland’s responsibilities during NBA All-Star Weekend included pitching to media outlets, organizing NBA activities around the city, managing media on event days and securing interview opportunities with NBA staff.

The thriving firm also produces a video web series “Unspoken” which tackles community and business development issues. Graham said the series focuses on economic and social justice issues that impact community and business. “We talk about some of the underlying barriers that you don’t necessarily see,” she said. “We look for ways to express and vocalize the things that we are concerned about, things that we are passionate about.” “Unspoken” became a marketing activity for Touch Cleveland while giving others in the business space an opportunity to voice topics that don’t always meet the eye.

Graham also shared with The East Clevelander Magazine fond memories growing up in East Cleveland; she re- members everyone being out on the street knowing each other and kids being able to come out to play from sun up to sun down. “But you know, when the street lights came on, you had to go home!” She reminisces about playing flag football on the fields at the end of the streets and at the basketball courts in the middle. Graham said the neighborhood was very tight-knit and she enjoyed the block parties. “We had these great parties every summer and our street was literally blocked off,” she said. “You could not even try to come up or down [the street].”

The East Cleveland native also admits to feeling hindered growing up in the city. “As a child, you don’t realize how much you’re being hindered until you become an adult,” she added. “You realize the stigmas and the stereotypes that a certain area may come with. You begin to see how the resources are not flowing into that community.” Graham said she’s noticed the lack of funding in education, safety and healthcare. The entrepreneur also said she didn’t realize she was from ‘the hood,’ growing up, however, being from East Cleveland equipped her with street-smart skills that she wouldn’t obtain living anywhere else. “I gained wisdom from seeing things I probably shouldn’t have as a child.”

Graham’s advice to young Black and Brown girls is to first decide what you want, then find someone that can help you do that. “It might seem kind of corny when you are young, but join those clubs. Join Big Brother, Big Sister,” she said. “Join those organizations so that you can meet mentors and people that will advocate for you as early as possible.” Graham said no dream is too big and youth should surround themselves with people who believe in their successes.

When she isn’t wearing one of her many entrepreneurial hats, she said she writes. Poetry is one of her biggest hobbies even though she doesn’t often share. She loves Spoken Word and said that maybe, with more time, she will begin publishing. “I’ve always had a wild imagination, and I like telling my stories,” she added. For more information on Graham or her business you can visit touchcle.com.