Urban Call Briefs

Bernard Bell

Operations Analyst and Business Builder

Carla Matthew

Cosmetologist & Community Volunteer

Tameran Davenport

Vegan, All-natural Beard Specialist

Dr. Deborah Bartlett

Media Entrepreneur & Beauty Instructor

Bernard Bell

Beauty Operations Analyst and Business Builder

Greensboro, North Carolina -

Bernard Bell is the Shuford Program in Entrepreneurship executive director in the UNC College of Arts and Sciences and has worked as an entrepreneur-in-residence for the program. In this role, Bell has been responsible for teaching, mentoring and coaching students with a special emphasis on social entrepreneurship ventures. His leadership program has grown from 200 students to a student body of almost 800 students. The Shuford Program is the only entrepreneurship program in the country housed in the College of Arts and Sciences. Bell is also the chairman and CEO of Urban Media Solutions (UMS), a media consulting firm that coaches high-growth startups, corporations and government agencies on traditional media and digital strategy around the urban market. He was most recently the senior vice president in the Office of the President for TV One, the lifestyle and entertainment cable network. He joined the network in 2003 as the second employee and led the successful growth of the network from a $130 million investment to an over $600 million valuation within 54 months. As TV One’s senior vice

president of sales and marketing, he successfully negotiated and managed all affiliate network distribution agreements, growing the subscriber base from zero to 34 million within 36 months. These license fees have generated over $400 million in revenue for the network.

Before joining TV One, Bell was vice president of sales for Tribune Media Services, where he oversaw the successful launch of Tribune’s electronic

program guide Zap2it into the cable television industry. Prior to joining the Tribune, Bell was a regional vice president of sales for ICTV, an internet startup based in Silicon Valley. He was previously regional director of affiliate sales for Home and Garden Television Network (HGTV) and started his television career as a sales executive for the Discovery Channel. His sales career began at IBM as an account executive. Before that, he worked as an operations analyst for Dudley Products Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of hair and skincare products for the African American community. Because of his association with Dudley Products, he was recently interviewed for the Dr. Joe L. Dudley, Sr., Legacy Project (www. patreon.com/joedudleysr). The project is being conducted by Every.Black, a company that assists entrepreneurs in creating wealth by leveraging technology and utilizing a global networking strategy. Bell holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from UNC-Chapel Hill and an MBA in marketing from the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. Additionally, he attended the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College for Executive MBA coursework. Bell most recently served as a corporate director for ICLUB, an investment software company, and is on

the board of entrepreneurship for UNC. He has also served on the advisory board for the American Film Institute and is active in Next Generation

Men - a non-profit focused on teenage African-American young men.

Carla Matthew

Cosmetologist & Community Volunteer

Raleigh, North Carolina - Carla

Matthew is a licensed cosmetologist who holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and a certificate in project management from the

University of Phoenix. Matthew has a varied background in the community volunteer sector and as an entrepreneur in the cosmetology and event planning industries. She has actively engaged in the community by serving on several non-profit teams, including the MLK Jr. Memorial Organization, Inc., Hubbard House, Clara White Mission and as a volunteer and sponsor of the Arlington 20/20 of Revitalize Arlington community endeavor. Matthew has always been a giver of her time and talents to her community. She often volunteered her services as a hairstylist to local programs such as the Boys and Girls Club of Northeast Florida and the Healthy Families Jacksonville Children’s Commission program. She organized Back to School Certificates for local students to receive services at the Natural

Strands salon she managed in 2018. She has since transferred her cosmetology license to North Carolina, where she and her family have recently relocated. As a seasoned hairstylist with more than 25 years under her belt, Matthew can vividly remember salon visits by Dr. Joe Dudley, Sr. of Dudley Products. Clad in a suit and wingtipped shoes, he often offered stylists industry insight and education, not just product sales pitches. “He would ask questions to get you thinking about what you are doing and why you’re doing it,” she said. “Dudley’s workshops were about more than being certified to use a product. Mr. Dudley wanted to ensure he gave you something to build a future of success. For that, I envisioned owning a salon someday, but also to be professional at everything I set my hands to do.”

Matthew immediately bonded with Every.Black and became a member. She has connected with several small business owners in Raleigh to create a network of vetted vendors to be a resource and offer support and referrals. The businesswoman is also a part of the Launch Wake Forest business

program. She is passionate about family, developing children, and education and teaches part-time in Wake County Public Schools. Her continued education demonstrates that business acumen and persistence can take you far. She boldly proclaims, “I believe I am here to lead by example, love like God, leave a legacy of faith and help build stronger families in our community.”

Dr. Deborah Bartlett

Media Entrepreneur & Beauty Instructor

Nassau, Bahamas – Dr. Deborah

Bartlett is the founder and president of the CEO Network, which was

established in 1997 to strengthen work ethics, raise productivity levels, and create a networking platform for economic empowerment. The CEO Network hosts some of the most powerful international conferences and awards ceremonies in the Bahamas and Atlanta. Political, business and

professional leaders attend from the Bahamas, the Caribbean, the United States and international communities.

In 1958, Bartlett was born in Nassau on the island of New Providence. Her

father, Frank Bartlett, was a Permanent Secretary, a senior official in charge of a government ministry. Her mother, Mizpah Bartlett, was a senior executive in several companies, a real estate developer and an entrepreneur. Bartlett attended St. Anne’s Primary and High School in Nassau, where she was Head Girl. In 1974, she matriculated at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, where she received her bachelor’s degree in mass communication. Bartlett received her doctorate of philosophy degree in Organizational Leadership/International Media from Michael University in 2011.

Bartlett’s leadership role in the business, professional and civic communities continue to prepare and equip her to expand her vision for media and economic empowerment for the disenfranchised in the Bahamas and global community. The veteran journalist and host of the “Rightside” television show is the only Bahamian to have a syndicated talk show in the United States. She was also a part of the Empowerment Radio Network’s Live from the Bahamas show.

In 2006, Bartlett started the media arm of the CEO Network with the

and Republican Conventions and the inauguration of U.S President Barack Obama. Gems launched the weekly Economic Emancipation Show in 2020, with Bartlett hosting and interviewing an impressive slate of local and global trendsetting guests. The media guru also launched the multi-media platform, the Caribbean Digital Network (CDN), a digital newspaper that targets the Caribbean, Latin American and global communities. Bartlett has interviewed three of her country’s prime ministers and has also interviewed the late Nelson Mandela, former President Bill Clinton,

the former president of Haiti, Jean Bertrand Aristide, and Dr. Tony Oreilly, the chairman of Heinz.

Early in her career, the entrepreneur served as an instructor for Dudley Cosmetology University in Kernersville, North Carolina. Because of her association with the Dudley Beauty College and Dudley Products Inc., she was recently interviewed for the Dr. Joe L. Dudley, Sr., Legacy Project (www.patreon.com/joedudleysr).

Tameran Davenport

Vegan, All-natural Beard Specialist

Charlotte, North Carolina -

Tameran Davenport is the owneroperator of Tameran Baxter, Inc., the parent company of vegan, all-natural beard and hair care company Positive Outlook Beard Care. Its brand Positive Outlook Grooming is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. Davenport was born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she resides with her daughter, Imunique, and her son, Khalil. Her eldest son lives in Ankney, Iowa. Educated in clinical aromatherapy consultation and the manufacturing of natural skincare products, Davenport holds an MBA in Business Administration and a bachelor’s in management from the University of Phoenix. In addition, she has more than 10 years of professional experience in B2C business management in the financial industry, including leadership roles in relationship management, resolution and mediation, risk mitigation and compliance controls, and marketing operations, as well as a BA and DA certification. Because of her association with the Dudley Beauty College/ Dudley Products Inc., she was recently interviewed for the Dr. Joe L. Dudley, Sr., Legacy Project (www.patreon. com/joedudleysr). Davenport’s passion for positivity and good health shines in her work with Positive Outlook Grooming. Since its infancy in September 2016, Positive Outlook’s mission has been to celebrate and show unconditional

love to men and women of color through the placement and advocacy of a high-end, environmentally harmonious and inclusive beard and hair product program. Davenport created positive Outlook Grooming in loving memory of Davenport’s father and brother, who died in a plane crash when she was a youth on December 25, 1987.

About Positive Outlook Grooming

Founded in September 2016, Positive Outlook Grooming promotes a healthy lifestyle for consumers looking to grow full, soft and moisturized hair using all-natural products containing only natural oils, pure products and essential oils. With complete collections of handmade products for men and women, including shampoos, butters, beard and hair oils, tonics, serums and conditioners, Positive Outlook Grooming prides itself on its exclusion of chemical additives or preservatives, perfumes and alcohol– a nod to the distinctive hair care needs of people of color. Yet, it extends an invitation to all people seeking a higher quality of haircare. Shop for Positive Outlook Grooming products at www.pogrooming.com. Shop wholesale at www.pobeardcare.com. You may also visit Happy Kat Candles and Gifts at North Lake Mall Charlotte, North Carolina. Follow @

pogrooming on Facebook and Instagram, and watch out for appearances of Positive Outlook Grooming products in your local barbershops and trade shows, festivals and university homecomings.

Each month, Urban Call Briefs covers subjects that provide readers of OTC Beauty Magazine with information on multicultural consumers, Hispanics and African Americans, who are the fastest growing consumer segments in the U.S. The mission of this column is to build a bridge of communications and information between manufacturers and retailers and the ethnic consumers they wish to serve better. The column offers resources covering marketing, retail merchandising, consumer research, purchase behavior, fashion and beauty trends, industry events and people, trade association news, new product launches and a potpourri of information designed to help the readers make intelligent decisions about the customers they serve. Urban Call is a registered trademark of Segmented Marketing Services, Inc. (SMSi). For more information, call 336-759-7477 or visit www.segmentedmarketing.com. The preceding article is the property of SMSi – Urban Call Marketing, Inc. and may not be reproduced without written permission from the author.