Business

Vive La Différence(s)!

Thursday, 09 August 2012 02:34 Cheryl Pearson-McNeil, NNPA Columnist

I’ve always loved the French expression “Vive la différence,” which originally referred to the difference between the sexes, then evolved to celebrate the differences between any two or more groups of people. Nielsen holds our annual Consumer 360 Conference each year, where we provide clients with more granular insights about today’s consumer.

City wants green Northside homes

Wednesday, 08 August 2012 21:42

City of Minneapolis calls for proposals by developers to build 100 "green" homes in North Minneapolis;
$3 million in construction loans and grants available

A new housing program, called Green Homes North, will build sustainable homes to green standards using local minority and women contractors, workers, and locally-sourced green products.

Are you prepared to stay in business?

Monday, 06 August 2012 15:10 Patricia Brown-Dixon, Region 7 Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration

Imagine stepping into your store, or restaurant, or the office where you run your business a day or two after the tornado has passed, or floodwaters have receded. Unfortunately for thousands of business owners across the country, this scenario is more than just imagined. It's a reality that leaves them to deal with the heartbreak of picking up the pieces in the aftermath of a disaster, and with a whole host of unanswered questions.

U. S. Black Chamber: Economy game changer

Monday, 06 August 2012 15:02 Hazel Trice Edney

Pictured: National Bankers Association President Michael Grant; U.S. Black Chamber Inc. President Ron Busby and Industrial Bank President/CEO B. Doyle Mitchell Jr. celebrate the deposit that they believe could be the catalyst for a new Black economic movement.

WASHINGTON (TriceEdneyWire.com) - Ron Busby appeared reflective as he sat at the mahogany board room table at Industrial Bank, a Black-owned establishment, based in North West Washington, D.C. Busby, the president/CEO of the U. S. Black Chamber Inc. (USBC) then summed up his thoughts in one sentence:

"This is a game changer," he declared.

New rules on door-to-door salespeople

Wednesday, 01 August 2012 09:46

The Minneapolis City Council unanimously approved new rules for door-to-door sales that will protect consumers and make it more difficult for out-of-state companies to exploit youth workers. A series of changes to City ordinance affect salespeople who travel from place to place, either selling merchandise door-to-door, taking orders for future delivery of merchandise, or setting up a temporary business at one location to sell merchandise.

Historic mortgage discrimination settlement: Wells Fargo to pay Black, Latino borrowers $175 million

Monday, 30 July 2012 15:34 Charlene Crowell

For the second consecutive month, one of the nation’s largest banks has agreed to a multi-million dollar settlement of mortgage discrimination complaints. According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Wells Fargo Bank will pay more than $175 million to resolve unfair lending claims against African-American and Latino mortgage borrowers from 2004 through 2009. It is the second largest fair lending settlement in the department’s history.

Bill Tompkins named to take Black Press helm

Monday, 30 July 2012 15:28 George Barnette, Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspaper

Publishing veteran Bill Tompkins will get a crack at moving Black newspapers forward as he’s been named president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, the umbrella organization for America’s Black newspapers.

Tompkins has 19 years of experience with the {Washington Post} serving as vice president of marketing and director of national advertising among other roles. After leaving the {Post}, he moved on to Kodak to become chief marketing officer of its entertainment imaging business unit. Tompkins, whose first day on the job was July 2, said that both experiences, as unique as they were, prepared him for this endeavor.