African American Business Council Announces Guest Speakers for February Meeting
Wilmington, N.C. – The African American Business Council, a member council of the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce, is excited to announce the guest speakers who will be featured at the next AABC meeting on Wednesday, February 19.
Heather Wilson, Deputy Director at Cameron Art Museum, will be speaking about the Wilmington United States Colored Troops Public Sculpture Project. Cameron Art Museum was the site of the Battle of Forks Road, a Civil War skirmish whose victory was won by the United States Colored Troops and led to the fall of Wilmington. Many of the 1600 African American soldiers who fought there were native to this area, and, after the war, many of them stayed to settle, raise their families, and build community. Their impact is significant, yet their story is virtually unknown.
Tufanna Bradley, Assistant County Manager for New Hanover County, will also be speaking to AABC meeting attendees about the county’s new procurement process. In November 2019, New Hanover County announced new purchasing policies and procedures with the goal of improving awareness and opportunities for minorities and women to participate in all aspects of the county’s contracting and procurement programs, including construction projects, supplies, and material purchases, and professional and personal service contracts. The county’s updated Minority and Women Business Enterprise (MWBE) Policy went into effect November 1, 2019 and is designed to encourage staff who are involved in purchasing to make a good faith effort to utilize MWBE vendors.
Chamber member businesses who are interested in aligning their purchasing policies with New Hanover County’s updated MWBE policy are encouraged to attend and gain a greater understanding of how the program is benefiting our county. The next African American Business Council (AABC) meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, February 19, from 11 am until 2:30 pm at the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce offices.
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The mission of the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce is to drive economic growth through active engagement and advocacy for our business community. We take a stand on issues on the local, state, and national level to make Wilmington a stronger business community. We bring business and community leaders together toward the common goal of economic growth as well as providing emerging leaders opportunities for professional development. We provide opportunities for the business community to connect and grow. We unite over 1,000 member businesses to accomplish much more than one person or business could achieve independently. 
African American Business Council Announces Guest Speakers for February Meeting