Women Breakfast Series
    MAY 10—Chatham University’s Center for Women’s Entrepreneurship will host its Women Business Leaders Breakfast Series from 7:30-9 a.m. at the James Laughlin Music Hall, Woodland Rd., Oakland. The topic is “The Business Food: Accessibility, Affordability and Capacity Building.” Jennifer Flanagan, Josephine Caminor Oria and Alice Julier will be the guest speakers. Attendees will learn about the different facets and movements involved in the food industry in Pittsburgh and get a feel for what it takes to be a food entrepreneur. Registration is required. For more information, call 412-365-1253.
Entrepreneur’s Conference
    MAY 10—Duquesne University’s Small Business Development Center will host the 15th Annual Entrepreneur’s Growth Conference from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at the Duquesne University, Duquesne Union, 600 Forbes Ave., Uptown. Attendees will learn how to maximize profits and minimize expenses, turn market opportunities into sales and tackle tough business challenges. The keynote speaker will be Will Knecht, president of Wendell August Forge. Registration is required. For more information, call 412-396-1633 or visit www.duq.edu/sbdc.
Equity and Inclusion
Roundtable
    MAY 13—The Duquesne University Office of Human Services will host the Corporate Equity and Inclusion Roundtable from 8-10:30 a.m. at the Power Center Ballroom, Forbes Ave., Uptown. The event will feature a discussion that will set the tone and foundation for future conversations, and action to increase diversity and inclusion throughout the Pittsburgh region. Registration is required. For more information, call 412-396-1403 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Growth & Profitability Workshop
    MAY 14—The University of Pittsburgh Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business’ Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence will host the “Best and Highest Use: Creative Strategies for Growth & Profitability” workshop from 7:30-10 a.m. at the Duquesne Club, 325 Sixth Ave., Downtown. Andy Birol, author and founder of Birol Growth Consulting, will help individuals cut to the core of what one needs to know to grow their business. Registration is required. For more information, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Brand A Series
    MAY 14—L. Denise Edwards of Sitara Social Marketing will host the Brand A Digital Brand Strategy Training Series from 2-4:30 p.m. at Umoja African Arts Company, 707 Penn Ave., Downtown. Tuesdays in May, Edwards will teach interested individuals how to create more brand awareness. The goal is to help more small businesses and brands meet the challenges associated with online branding and social marketing. For more information, visit www.sitaramarketing.con/blog.
Developing A Business Plan
    MAY 17—The University of Pittsburgh’s Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence will host “The Second Step: Developing a Business Plan” from 7:30-10 a.m. at the university’s Posvar Hall, 230 S. Bouquet St., Oakland. Attendees will learn everything they need to know about operational and production planning, conducting market research and creating financial spreadsheets to attract funding to one’s business. Registration is required. For more information, call 412-648-1542 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Business Workshop
    MAY 22—Sandler Training by Peak Performance Management will host the Business Leaders Workshop: Break the Rules and Close More Sales from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the Four Points by Sheraton, 910 Sheraton Dr., Mars. Sales force development expert John Rosso will discuss insights into leading sales in the new economy. Registration is requested. For more information, call Debbie Nahm at 412-928-9933 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
    (To have information on Business Calendar, send information at least two weeks in advance to: 315 E. Carson St., Pittsburgh, PA 15219; Fax: 412-481-1360 or e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .)      

by Heather Kelly

(CNN) -- Internet shoppers could be one step closer to having to pay sales taxes on online purchases.

I started last week by being traumatized by an ad released by Mountain Dew, which I referred to as “the most racist ad in history.”  The commercial featured a battered White woman being intimidated by a police lineup full of Black men, along with a demonic negro goat making a series of ebonic threats.  As the goat told the woman that he was going to “dew her up” (sounds like s-xual assault to me),I remember sitting at my computer with my eyes crinkled and my bottom lip hitting my keyboard.  I couldn’t believe the company had released this ad to the public.

That’s when I wrote an article that apparently got the attention of White America.  To be truthful, I write most of my content for the 600,000 people who follow Your Black World, and I don’t care much about what anyone else is thinking.  Crossover appeal can be highly overrated, and often leads one to become to a watered down version of who they once were.  The man who initially stood firm for black America is suddenly bought off to go campaigning for gay rights and immigration reform, while black families continue to be surrounded by joblessness, a lack of education, poverty, violence, workplace inequality and the prison industrial complex.  Honestly, I’ve accepted the fact that standing up against racism is going to create a few enemies, so I am comfortable with white America not liking me very much.

A conversation I had the other day with the rapper Rhymefest out of Chicago reminded me of just how silly the Mountain Dew situation actually was, and how silly it ended.  It all starts off with my writing an article about the company’s racist ad and their decision to sign Lil Wayne.  Then it proceeds to the company removing the racist ad, after which, they choose to dump Lil Wayne.  The finale is that Mountain Dew/Pepsico executives can sleep better at night firmly believing that they’ve fully alleviated “the negro problem” in their company (similar to how Adidas responded when Rev. Jesse Jackson and I spoke out about their “brilliant” shackle on the ankle sneakers that no one seemed to connect to slavery).

Not so fast.

Sometimes when we address the symptoms of a problem, we believe that we’ve actually addressed the problem.  I can say, as a  person who has taught in business schools for 20 years, that the decision to release one of the most disrespectful pieces of corporate trash in history was indicative of deeper problems with the Mountain Dew/Pepsico corporate infrastructure.  Their shallow response is even more indicative of their way of thinking.

The fact that this ad was able to ease itself through the internal review process without so much as raising an eyebrow shows that there are few, if any, individuals in the company who are either capable  of, or empowered to, express meaningful cross-cultural sensitivity.  If my grandmother knew that the ad was unacceptable after the first ten seconds of seeing it, why weren’t all those Ivy League MBAs able to pick up on the same thing?  Possibly because their Ivy League MBAs led them to believe that black people don’t really matter (Lil Wayne thought the same thing).

Here is my advice for Pepsico as they move forward, so as to avert another multi-million dollar tragedy. 

I tried to  reach out and give them this advice in person, but a series of non-returned phone calls reminded me again that perhaps they see me as the enemy.  But then again, it might be the case that seeing your critic as an enemy means that you’re still in denial, like the alcoholic who gets angry at a family intervention.

But either way, here are some quick thoughts on Pepsico:

1) Pepsico MUST Adjust its corporate culture:  The fact that Pepsico was sued for millions for racially-discriminating against its employees is a firm reminder that there is a problem within the company.   Releasing this ridiculous ad shortly thereafter clearly implies that the issue has not been resolved.   A lack of diversity in senior management could be a problem, or there could be no diversity in perspective.  Black faces don’t save you if they either a) do not have an authentic and intelligent voice, or b) are afraid to use that voice.  Nearly every black person I know saw the ad and immediately wanted to vomit, so I’m sure someone within the firm felt the same way.

 2) The company must do more authentic outreach to the black community:  With all the millions that Pepsico/Mountain Dew were willing to give Lil Wayne to buy more sizzurp, I am hopeful that they can use a fraction of those dollars to pay for scholarships, community centers and educational opportunities for impoverished communities.  Putting money into the pocket of a hip-hop artist, the Tom Joyner Morning Show or your favorite civil rights leader is not the same as showing support for the African American community.  If you’re going to use us for our consumer dollars, you should be investing in the people, not in artificial figureheads.

3) Replace Lil Wayne and Tyler the Creator with artists who are doing positive things:  I felt bad that Tyler the Creator lost his contract, since he is not nearly as toxic as the worst artists out there.  I can’t say I felt the same way about Lil Wayne, who refused to even apologize for his Emmett Till flap until it was too late.  But I hope that as Pepsico decides how to replace the crater in its marketing plan created by Lil Wayne’s removal, they will look at some of the stronger black artists out there who don’t always get deals with companies like PepsiCo.  Names like Common, Immortal Technique, Jasiri X or Vigalantee come to mind, and even my friend Rhymefest.  These artists should, in turn, be asked to use their platforms to benefit the broader community, so that everyone in black America has a full incentive to “Do the Dew.”

Until corporations learn to implement serious and substantive change to their strategies, tragedies like this are going to continue to happen.  Pepsico has learned time and time again, that racism doesn’t pay.  But for some reason, they keep going right back to the well of corporate irresponsibility, driven by an insidious addiction to structural racism that plagues the very fabric of the American socioeconomic infrastructure.  Like any addiction, withdrawal is not a comfortable process, and we all know that to overcome that which ails us, we can’t always look for the easy way out.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the author of the lecture series called Commercialized Hip-Hop, the Gospel of Self-Destruction.

http://www.blackbluedog.com/2013/05/news/mountain-dew-eliminates-the-negro-problem-then-responds-with-nothing/

Chevron North American Vice President Bruce Niemeyer

While all the mayoral candidates were busy talking about creating jobs, the Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board was launching its 7th annual Imagine Career Week focused on mentoring, training and inspiring youth to get ready for the estimated 3 million permanent science, technology, engineering mathematics (STEM) careers that will need to be filled in the energy field alone.
The 3RWIB kicked off the week’s activities with a breakfast meeting for business and education leaders at the Carnegie Science Center, featuring a panel discussion and a keynote presentation by Chevron North American Vice President Bruce Niemeyer.
Investment board CEO Stefani Pashman welcomed everyone, thanked her partners at the Allegheny Conference on Community Development and the Citizens Bank Foundation for underwriting their efforts for another three years before introducing Niemeyer.
“This is about youth going into companies and taking those first steps toward a career,” she said.
Niemeyer said getting kids interested in STEM careers is critical not only to the strength of the region but to the companies based here.

“When I came out of school as a petroleum engineer 30 years ago, all you really needed to work in the oils field was a strong back and the skill to turn a wrench,” he said. “Now, our business is high-tech and we need a cadre of scientists and engineers—who are in school today—to create the energy of the future.”
He pointed to three things, by themselves unrelated to energy, that have made what was impossible two decades ago, almost routine; materials science, computer advancers and global satellite positioning technology.
“We have platforms that drill in water 3,000-feet deep. They can’t be anchored, and a four-inch diameter pipe that long is very flexible so it has to remain straight,” he said. “GPS can keep that kind of ship practically motionless in the ocean.”
But getting kids excited about engineering can be tough. The answer is hands-on working experience.
“My interest didn’t peak until I was actually able to interact with people who were actually doing the work,” he said. “That’s why I’m asking leaders in this community to get involved. We need to facilitate employment engagement, create awareness, promote internships and encourage mentoring. Why—because a skilled workforce is critical. Corporate ingenuity depends on it. The talent pool is straining, and it’s the socially responsible thing to do.”
Beth Crow, Citizens Bank vice president and senior manager for public affairs, said last year they took in 10 summer interns, paid them each a $2,000 stipend and plan to do more this year.
“Citizens was committed to providing an experience that went beyond doing menial tasks,” she said. “We tried to expose our interns to a variety of experiences so they could get a sense of what the various aspects of banking are and what the possibilities could be for them.”
Pashman has sent an email to all who attended the kick off event, and other major employers asking for their participation.
“The employment opportunities for young people within Pittsburgh and nationwide have been on the decline.  It’s time to bend the curve and open our doors to our future workers,” she wrote. “One way to get involved—host a high school intern this summer through WorkReady Pittsburgh and give young people the workplace experiences they need to learn how to become great employees, entrepreneurs and leaders.”
Rick Adams, executive director of CCAC’s Frieda G. Shapira Learning Center said he expects the college to be involved. Carl Cooper, board chair of the Manchester Academic Charter School wants to get as many of his students internships as possible.
“We’re starting an entrepreneurship institute, so I’m here for our kids,” he said. “Start them early so that the so that they’re job ready.”
For more information on 3RWIB internship and mentoring initiatives, call 412-552-7090 or visit www.trwib.org.
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