May 7, 2013

Customer Service Job Fair -- May 15, 2013

If you are looking for a rewarding career in the customer service industry, then the Urban League of Greater Cincinnati invites you to attend a Customer Service Job Fair which will be held from 3-7 p.m., Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at the Urban League building located at 3458 Reading Road, Cincinnati, OH 45229.  Learn about training and job opportunities and consider upgrading your skills by attending the Accelerated Call Center Education Program (ACE).

For more information contact Rocky Shabazz at 513-487-6516 or rshabazz@gcul.org.

May 6, 2013

A Leap of Faith: How Cheriese Lindsey Went From a Low-Wage Job to a Career

This story originally appeared on the Black Entertainment Television (BET) website on May 2, 2013.  It was written by Joyce Jones.  For a complete copy of the article click on the link below to go to the BET website.

Just a few years ago, as millions of Americans struggled to hold onto their jobs, Cincinnati, Ohio, resident Cheriese Lindsey walked away from hers as a hotel housekeeper.

"It was a really crappy job," she said. "So I decided to take a leap of faith so I could build a career."
Initially Lindsey relied on government assistance for housing, food and health care, and took what she described as "odds and ends" work with temporary jobs firms to provide for herself and her young son.

"I wasn't skilled enough to get a job that paid enough to get off of assistance. Nobody was hiring or those that were weren't offering enough hours to make it worth taking the job," Lindsey said.

Click on the link below for the full story.
http://www.bet.com/news/national/2013/05/03/a-leap-of-faith-how-cheriese-lindsey-went-from-a-low-wage-job-to-a-career.html

Apr 16, 2013

OGS  Telecom  Credits  the  African  American  Business  Development Program at the Urban  League  of  Greater  Cincinnati  for  Business  Growth  

This article is reprinted from the National Urban League March newsletter--In the Black
 
 

The Urban League of Greater Cincinnati devotes a segment of its Annual Meeting to highlight League programs  and  participants.  The past two years, graduates from the Economic Empowerment Center’s  African American Business Development  Program  (AABDP) has been featured speakers during  the  event.  
AABDP is a highly selective six-month program designed for African Americans business owners who want to build sustainable companies that help to create employment opportuniies for  the community.  The  representative from the Alumni Group this year was Osford Ogis, President  & CEO of OCG Telecom. His comments to a  audience of 625 individuals and companies are as follows:

OCG  Telecom  sells  IT  and  Telecom  Equipment  and  Software  like  Cisco,  HP,  Dell,  and Microsoft  to  Federal,  State  and  Local  government  customers.  In  November  2009,  OCG Telecom  entered  the  Urban  League’s  African  American  Business  Development Program (AABDP)  as  a  start-­‐up  with  less  than  one  (1)  year  in  business  and  annual  revenues  of  less than  $5,000.  Since  participation  in  the  Program,  annual  sales  have  increased  to  $  141,000  in 2010,  $  441,000  in 2011  and  $  920,000  in  2012.

The  Urban  League  has  been  critical  to  our  success.    I  started  the  business  with  12  years management experience  at  a  Fortune  100  company  but  no  experience  managing  a  startup.   The  AABDP  program provided  me  with  very  practical  training  on  every  aspect  of  running  a  small  business  from,  marketing and  operations  to  accounting  and  finance.
 
After  graduating  from  the  AABDP,  we  worked  with  our  SBDC  business  coach  Sheila  Mixon to  develop  a  Strategic  Plan,  a  Business  Plan,  and  to  refine  the  marketing  materials  for  our business.    Moreover,  we meet  with  Ms.  Mixon  monthly  to  ensure  that  we  are  on  track  to meet  our  goals.  Ms.  Mixon  has  also given  me  the  opportunity  to  present  my  company  to  the Minority  Business  Accelerator  (MBA)  with hopes  of  becoming  part  of  the  MBA  Portfolio.  
As  we  grew  and  identified  the  need  for  an  additional  employee,  Ms.  Mixon  suggested  we interview  a graduate  of  the  Urban  League’s  ACE  program.  We  hired  the  Urban  League ACE program  graduate  and she  has  been  a  great  addition  to  our  staff,  generating  significant  new business  for  the  company  within months  of  being  hired.  When  we  hire  again,  the  Urban League  will  be  the  first  place  we  look.  
Ms.  Mixon  has  helped  promote  our  company  by  nominating  us  for  posting  on  the  Ohio Secretary  of  State  Business  profile  web  site  and  nomination  for  the  African  American Chamber  Small  Business  Award.  This  promotion  has  helped  with  our  rapid  growth.  Finally, we  attend  a  monthly  AABDP  alumni  meeting  where  we  continue  to  learn  from  experienced
successful  businessmen  like  Steve  Hightower  and  Greg  Battle  to  name  a  few.    In  additionwe share  ideas, give  advice  and  provide  moral  support  to  our  fellow  AABDP  Alumni.  
   

Apr 13, 2013

Cincinnati League Aims to Change the Game with Data Training

Staff leaders at the Urban League of Greater Cincinnati (ULGC) are using the latest techniques such as mapping for data gathering and analysis, to prepare senior level staff so they can make important programmatic decisions and better communicate the impact of their work. This game-changing action plan is the result of a unique, web-based interactive professional development session, created by Dr. Rea N. Waldon, ULGC’s Chief Operating Officer.

Read more about this topic by visiting the link below to the full article on the National Urban League website.

http://iamempowered.com/article/2013/04/04/op-ed-cincinnati-league-aims-change-game-data-training

Apr 10, 2013

Kauffman FastTrac--Start Up Your Idea Series Offered by Urban League SBDC

The Ohio Small Business Development Council at the Urban League is pleased to offer the acclaimed Kauffman FastTrac--Start Up Your Idea program as part of its Business Development Series. 

FastTrack will begin May 4 and run for eight weeks offering information on topics such as:

·                     Structure Your Business
·                     Define your Product/Service
·                     How to market your company
·                     Build a good Financial Structure
·                     Access to Capital and “What is Next?”
·                     Q&A with panel of Advisors/Graduation

The cost of attending the FastTrac series is $575. Advanced registration and seating is VERY limited.  Confirmation you reservations to Trinise Stowers 513-487-1155 or at tstowers@gcul.org.
 
Visit www.ohiosbdc.org for additional information contact Thomas Dillingham Jr. at 513-487-1233 tdillingham@gcul.org