SYNERGY - Juneteenth 2022

Lavelle Whitfield

Story By: Beth Herbert

Lavelle Whitfield, founder of Lavelle Productions, stands by his motto that if he takes care of God’s business, God will take care of his business. Proof of this has been shown time and time again throughout Whitfield’s entrepreneurial journey and multitude of success stories.

Originally from Archer, FL, Whitfield was introduced to the audio, visual and music business by attending church. Music has always been a passion in his life, so, by playing the drums and learning to use mixing consoles, his church gave him the opportunity to practice perfecting his skills until he was able to purchase his own equipment.

He began his career by recording his friends and musicians for free in his home studio, but one of his greatest breakthroughs occurred when he joined a band in 2000. For 15 years, his band member, Lavell Kamma, took him under his wing and taught him the ins and outs of the music industry. Sadly, his mentor passed away and their band no longer performs, but Whitfield was able to continue on Kamma’s legacy after Kamma’s wife gifted him with his music equipment. Whitfield was able to dive deeper into his craft, as this new equipment provided him a way to start working with bands around his town and begin DJing.

As he started to DJ and perfect his sound engineering skills, he crossed paths with Virginia Grant who was looking for someone to DJ her small gatherings and events for her non profit, Gainesville Black Professionals. Whitfield was not only able to serve as the Premiere DJ for all of their events, but he also networked and opened doors for himself to further his career. He was introduced to many people who helped him market his business, both through word of mouth and by teaching him how to cultivate a social media presence.

By staying persistent, visible and consistent, Whitfield was able to connect with many leaders, including Sean Macintosh who is the Senior Vice President of Asset Management for Celebration Pointe. Through this new connection, he began providing the sound and lighting for events and concerts at Celebration Pointe.

Though his journey to success seems linear, Whitfield has experienced many ups and downs as a business owner. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Whitfield was at a loss for a moment when his events were canceled and he lost his full time job. He did not have a solid source of income, but he remained persistent and held onto his trust in God, believing that He would take care of his business.

He began to get calls from churches asking him to help them with their outdoor services. He helped them, most times for free, from March 2020 until December, never giving up hope. Whitfield believed that by working in his community to help others, he would be blessed and everyone in the community would experience growth, which is exactly what happened.

Lavelle Productions has been thriving and Whitfield is still pushing forward. From his humble beginnings as a child playing with his church’s music equipment to becoming a successful business owner, Whitfield’s passion for music and faith in God has never wavered. He believes that, through community organizations like Gainesville Black Professionals, networking was what he needed to change his life, career, and build his business. He advises other leaders to utilize the power of networking and never be afraid to see what might be available. If you have faith, do what you love, and work towards building up your community, opportunities for success are limitless.