Page 4 - RCBCC Annual Report 2018

RIVERSIDE COUNTY BLACK CHAMBER OF COMMMERCE 2018 ANNUAL REPORT

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

The RCBCC is now moving into its fourth year as an organization designed to support and assist in
the growth and leadership of minority small businesses. We feel it is vital to engageon all levels of
commerce, if we are collectively going to march together into a brighter prosperous future.

The RCBCC has a unique perspective of defining what the “business” of its chamber identity should
look like. A traditional “Chamber of Commerce” tends to have tunnel vision in which they only look
for ways to promote the interest of small businesses. Sometimes this self-serving interest, to always
look-out for the business man’s interest, leads to a conflict with the people he or she may employee.

For example, there is an Assembly Bill 1522 which is being debated whether or not employers
should have to pay mandatory employee sick time. As a business owner, the question becomes,
“Why should I have to pay a person if they are too sick to perform their duties?” As a traditional
chamber of commerce the answer would be, “it’s an unfair burden” for that small business owner to
have to shoulder the cost to cover an employee’s sick time off.

While the economic concern in the above example is a real issue, it is certainly not the only
consideration. One very obvious danger is that, by essentially, forcing that employee to come into
work, it could farther cause economic lost, if that sick employee is put in a position,
(due to a day of lost pay) feels forced to come into work sick, thereby exposing other fellow workers
or customers the consequences could more costly than covering the cost of one or two sick days.

The RCBCC takes a “Holistic” approach to issues that are at the heart of smart business
strategies for the minority small business owner. We encourage our business owners to see their
business in its “big picture” frame. We look to find ways where there is a win-win outlook for both
the business owner and their employees.

Our “Holistic” approach of how we operate RCBCC programs is both specific and inclusive, we
specifically reach out to the minority business community, and we also include the economic
development of the community surrounding those minority businesses. In our view, we understand
that an entrepreneur can have the best business model in the state, but if that community in which it
has decided to serve does not have a solid economic base which can use its discretionary income to
patronize that business, than that business will fail. Therefore, the chamber’s holistic strategy is to
foster employment opportunities surrounding the minority businesses in the minority communities.

It is our mission to empower and inspire minority entrepreneurs, in their indigenous
communities to be successful, and to this end, we will partner with like minded individuals,
companies, and nonprofit organizations to achieve our mission. We believe that our greatest
opportunity to empower and inspire minority communities and businesses lies in cooperation
and collaboration with the industries of tomorrow.

We encourage you to contact us for more information on how to get involved. “Engagement
through participation, success comes to those roll up their sleeves.”
Respectfully Submitted,
Pepi Jackson