Leigh Christian

ASSOCIATION Ms. Christian is all about forging pathways for small businesses in every industry. She has a particular soft spot for HUBZone businesses because she has personally seen the impact they have had in communities in Alabama and across the nation. What is very special about this Trailblazer is her zeal. She brings joy and fun to every project she touches, no matter how difficult it may be. She truly believes that entrepreneurship is about finding the business that brings you bliss, then do it each day with purpose. Entrepreneurship Certificate Ms. Christian noticed that the HUBZone workforce and the business community were not working together; they didn’t know they needed each other. She was hearing from her local HBCU that students needed jobs that Leigh Christian, Tech Rich 7 (j) Project Manager, Catalyst Center for Business & Entrepreneurship provided them with meaningful work experience. They were becoming increasingly frustrated with the job market. All the while, Ms. Christian was fielding complaints from HUBZone business owners, who were finding it difficult to find qualified HUBZone employees to meet their HUBZone compliance requirements. They both needed a winning solution. This Trailblazer found a way to minimize the extensive learning curve associated with government contracting while putting smiles on the faces of both the workforce and business community. The Entrepreneurship Certificate program partners a HBCU with HUBZone companies to provide critical infrastructure training. Through their partnership with Drake State Community & Technical College (an HBCU), Catalyst offers scholarships to 7(j)-eligible individuals residing in HUBZones to complete a 15-credit-hour program to gain a Business Administration Entrepreneurship Certificate. This program allows HUBZone employees to gain meaningful work and educational experience as part of the program. The curriculum includes training in QuickBooks, accounting, marketing, and government contracting. Additionally, Ms. Christian has established an in-house continuous learning process that allows participants to attend all Catalyst workshops for free.

The program’s success is rooted in students’ ability to get real-world education with a local employer while working on their degree. One shining example is a HBCU (Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University) graduate, Ms. Shakeria Hayes. Ms. Hayes started out as a part-time HUBZone employee, moving from an Administrative Assistant to the Vice President of Administration for Cortina Solutions. She worked hard to obtain an Entrepreneurship Certificate from Drake College and is now the chair of Catalyst’s Workforce Development Program. A lifelong learner, Ms. Hayes recently graduated from the Florida Institute of Technology with a Master

HUBZone Accelerator Program

The HUBZone Accelerator at Catalyst is what happens when a small group of HUBZone business owners does not despise its small beginnings. This group from Huntsville, Alabama wanted to develop a place where HUBZone businesses with a similar ethos could connect and grow. In 2018, they approached Catalyst with their idea to create a national initiative that would connect, improve, and expand the HUBZone program. Their small beginnings have given HUBZone communities and their businesses a hand up all over the United States.

Ms. Christian believes that having the right resources when a business needs them will allow both the business and the HUBZone communities they support to thrive. The HUBZone Accelerator Program was created to facilitate that growth. Catalyst is the one-stop resource for HUBZone companies to grow their company, share resources, understand the HUBZone incentives and credential requirements, and market their capabilities to government agencies and large prime contractors. Ms. Christian said, “the HUBZone Accelerator Program offers a safe place where businesses can share lessons, advice, and resources. They are raising themselves up and really empowering their communities, from banding together as teaming partners to employee development.”

Don’t Stifle the Nation

We need to invest in America’s workforce, and we can do that when leaders increase HUBZone government opportunities and the number of HBCU/HUBZone high-paying job. Ms. Christian is concerned that various leaders might be stifling our nation’s HUBZone workforce when they don’t invest in it. She further elaborated that when our nation is not actively taking measures to encourage [entrepreneurs’] dreams and potential by providing opportunities for work, then our leaders are passively crushing, limiting, suppressing, curbing, withholding, impeding, smothering, and finally, suffocating, our nation’s growth.

Photo Source: The Catalyst Center for Business & Entrepreneurship

Each day, this Trailblazer helps people reach their dreams, often with just a little bit of encouragement. Her greatest joy is to witness individuals as they start to believe in their own potential while acting on their beliefs. Ms. Christian said, “I think through our workshops, one-on-one coaching, and events, we are encouraging and inspiring our community. They can see that vision of how they can be successful. I think too often, people put themselves in a box. They say, ‘I have too many things against me. I don't know how I'm going to succeed.’ I think we provide them with the seeds of success. They can see that if they start planting and doing these things: networking, continuous education, and learning, they're going to grow and thrive!”

You Belong at the Table

Many years ago, this Trailblazer had an encounter that changed the atmosphere of the entire room. Ms. Christian was at her first big team meeting. She was the youngest and only female member at the table. She sat down next to a retired Colonel. He looked at her and said, “do you want to get us some coffee?” Ms. Christian knew right then that this was a big moment in her life. She told him, “I don't drink coffee, but if you need me to get you coffee I can.” At that moment, the retired Colonel realized that he was putting her in a position of hospitality and not one of an equal. This act was a career changer for her. She was treating herself like she belonged at that table. A few moments later, he reached over and leaned towards her and said, “I will never again ask you to get me a cup of coffee. I'm so sorry I did that.”

That one act changed the atmosphere - it changed every person's opinion of Ms. Christian at that table. She went from being an extra to a leading lady. It is wrong to use HUBZone Businesses and HBCUs as checkmarks for your diversity program. HUBZones and HBCUs must be collaborators or partners, and they must be allowed to have real value and receive the respect they deserve while you reap the benefits of their inclusion. Ms. Christian wants everyone to know that we all belong at the table. HUBZone and HBCU voices are critical to the innovation, creativity, ideas, and growth of our nation. Ms. Christian’s final words on this subject were, “Treat yourself like you belong, speak up! People need to hear your opinions. I want to encourage people to really just speak up -- You deserve to be at the table, the world needs you, don’t opt out.”

Healthy Leaders

All the resources at Catalyst will do our trailblazers no good if they are physically and mentally worn out and unable to use them. Her final golden nugget is about physical and mental health. She is still learning how to balance them. Ms. Christian finds it so much easier to take care of her entrepreneurial responsibilities rather than. She has had to put measures in place to ensure that she is resting, eating, and exercising appropriately. Ms. Christian hopes that the COVID pandemic has taught her fellow stakeholders to appreciate health more than ever – because without it there is no business!