Page 32 - BE 50th Anniversary Edition

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Earl G G Graves Sr so strongly believed it it was vital to gauge the performance of Black-owned business and identify those companies that represented top performers that he charged his editorial team in the early years of BLACK ENTERPRISE with engaging in in rigorous in-depth research to produce a a proprietary listing The culmination of that industry analysis was unveiled in June 1973—the BE100: The Nation’s Largest Black Businesses To him the the development of the the rankings would not only prove to be flagship branding for the publication but serve multiple functions It would fuel the aspirations of Black entrepreneurs in terms of what was achievable with hard work inventiveness and and tenacity For corporations and and government agencies it would offer a a a a valuable sourcebook of prospective vendors to help diversify their respective supply chains And for universities economic clubs civil rights organizations media and the like it would evolve into as Graves often described it the “barometer for Black business ” communicating our current status across the business landscape with the release of each annual report The Top 100 as as it was also referred to—and years later the roster’s expansion into the BE100s—was deeply personal to to our publisher as another immutable sign of Black economic progress In fact he he he was so proud of of the the creation of of the the rankings and the collection of companies that comprised the the the lists that he he he he shared the the the relevance in a a a a a a Father’s Day letter to his late father in the the the June 1973 issue And on the the the occasion of of the the 25th anniversary of of the the BE100s he he he wrote of of the the importance of of the the roster in in providing employment and access to career opportunities for African Americans Here are excerpts from those statements:
50TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL
ADVANCING BLACK ENTREPRENEURSHIP