Rolling out caught up with Jerome Love, CEO of Texas Black Expo, to talk about the 13th annual expo that will be held May 12-15 at the George Brown Convention Center. This year’s expo will include an Old-School concert, corporate awards luncheon, Diva Dialogue, Texas Black Comedy Show at the House of Blues and a Family Day.
How did you determine your career path? Why did you start the Texas Black Expo?
I was a business owner at the age of 19 and I began to recognize the significance and importance of marketing and advertising and the significant cost that goes with it. So I was in search for a platform to create a venue for businesses to market on an affordable scale. The Texas Black Expo was a place to do so. To be more than a business — [to] develop a community.
What is the goal of the Texas Black Expo?
The goal of the Texas Black Expo is to strengthen businesses, empower youth and build better lives. We believe in order to have strong, vibrant communities, it takes economics and money. We feel the best way to generate that money is to build strong businesses. So most of our community outreach revolves around business development and youth membership programs that teach them the fundamentals of entrepreneurship. We feel that is critical in building our communities. With strong businesses we can create our own jobs, support our own organizations and events. Economics and business goes hand in hand.
How do you measure success?
Well, it depends on how many people come out and are engaged. Also, [the] amount of people we are able to mentor.
This is your 13th year, how do you feel?
I feel good and we are excited. There have been a lot of different organizations that tried to do an event like the Black Expo in the Houston area and across the country, and some did not have the longevity we have been blessed to have. I am excited, blessed and thank God he allowed us to have made it to our 13th year.
What is new and what can the attendees expect this year?
It is going to be great we have our Old-School concert with Case, Chubb Rock and Force M.D.’s, Diva Dialogue panel with LeToya Luckett, our new Family Day with Carl Anthony Payne from the “Martin” Lawrence show, Comedy Show with Billy Sorrells, Feel Good Friday with Stephen Bishop from “Being Mary Jane.” The Old-School concert is free, but VIP seats are available for purchase.
For more information, visit www.texasblackexpo.com, or follow us #tbe2016, @texasblackexpo.
Photo courtesy of Texas Black Expo
