Texas Black Expo’s “Coffee and Conversation” breakfast opened with a welcome from Leonard James III, president and CEO of the Greater Houston Black Chamber. Judson Robinson III, president and CEO of the Houston Area Urban League introduced the keynote speaker Jeff Hoffman, founder of Priceline. Hoffman had some great advice for entrepreneurs and business owners. He also stated small businesses are the backbone of every American community. The moderator for this event was motivational speaker Jonathan Sprinkles. The panelists gave both the hows and whys of business. They included Toni Harrison, president and CEO of Etched Communication; Thomas Jones Jr, CPA and partner at Tax & Small Business Solutions and McConnell Jones Lanier & Murphy; Darryl King, co-founder and CEO of The Principle Partnering Group; and Carla Lane, president and CEO of Lane Staffing.
Following “Coffee and Conversation” were two small business development workshops: first was “Healthcare Reform: Good or Bad for Small Business,” featuring Anton Gunn, former adviser to President Barack Obama, presented by Houston Area Urban League. Second was “Goldman Sachs Speakers Bureau” presented by Greater Houston Black Chamber of Commerce. After these two sessions was the lunch with keynote speaker Senator Wendy Davis. And the last session, “Leadership Development Forum“ with Anton Gunn was presented by Greater Houston Chamber of Commerce, NBMBAA-Houston Chapter and Port of Houston Authority.
