Black-Owned Business Excellence Symposium in Tacoma available both virtually, in-person

Seattle Public Library is co-sponsoring the fourth annual Black-Owned Business Excellence (BOBE) Symposium, scheduled for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb 1 at the University of Washington Tacoma, Philip Hall, 1918 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, as well as online.

The 2023 theme is “B(l)ack in Business – Building Our Legacy for Our Children.” George Fraser, CEO of FraserNet and founder of the PowerNetworking Conference, will serve as keynote speaker. Other speakers include Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards and state Sen. T’wina Nobles.

Participants can register using EventBrite. It is free to attend virtually, while the in-person event has a fee of $15. Scholarships to cover the fee are available to qualifying individuals. Send an email to L2B@spl.org for details.

“Our goal is to make sure that the business owners that are furthest away from access are aware and eligible for available resources,” said Jenefeness Franke, one of the principal collaborators of BOBE.

Panel discussions, workshops and breakout sessions will focus on topics including marketing, financial management, branding, leadership, operations and nonprofit management.

Black-Owned Business Excellence is a volunteer-led 501c3 business focused on the advancement of BIPOC businesses.

Black-Owned Business Excellence will award five $1,000 grants to business owners in the state. Small business owners registered in the state can enter by filling out an application before Jan. 24. Grantees will be notified Jan. 27 and also will receive a ticket to the VIP dinner.

The symposium is organized in collaboration with the U.S. Small Business Administration, City of Tacoma, Black Dot, Urban Leagues, Seattle Credit Union, The Seattle Public Library, Greater Seattle Business Association, Washington State Small Business Development Center, Minority Business Diversity Association, and the Washington State Microenterprise Association.

For more information and the event agenda, go to www.bobe-wa.org.