| Cheers, ForbesBLK. Jabari here. This time, I’m writing to you from the sweltering heat in Dallas, where I’m tucked away preparing for our ForbesBLK Summit program. If you haven’t registered yet, what are you waiting for? Don’t miss the opportunity to join us in Atlanta from October 8-10, as we address today’s challenges while strategizing for tomorrow’s opportunities. Speaking of the summit, we’re concluding Black Business Month with a discussion featuring Ed Mitzen, CEO of Business For Good Foundation (BFG). This nonprofit organization supports entrepreneurs in upstate New York. Additionally, BFG is a sponsor of the summit. Still, you might be asking: “Who the (heck) is Ed Mitzen?” As it turns out, Jahkeen Hoke, former BFG CEO, initially asked the same question before meeting Mitzen in 2021. And like Hoke, I wondered the same thing before I was introduced to Mitzen over a year ago. What I discovered was a businessman from Voorheesville, New York, who is still affected by the death of George Floyd in 2020. “It smacked me in the head,” Mitzen says, referring to Floyd’s murder. A year later, Mitzen recruited Hoke, a Morehouse College alumnus, to help start the nonprofit. Since then, BFG has invested around $20 million into Black businesses in Albany. This includes a $4 million investment to purchase and renovate a building downtown to house the Albany Black Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, BFG assisted a local eatery, Allie B’s Cozy Kitchen, with expanded distribution of its famous macaroni and cheese dish in area supermarkets. In May, I visited Albany to see it for myself – to speak with Kizzy Williams, who owns Allie B’s, and to seek why she trusted Mitzen. Then, I spoke with Deshanna Wiggins, the CEO of the Albany Black Chamber of Commerce, to see if Mitzen was the real deal. I discovered that they truly believe in Mitzen, who sold his pharmaceutical marketing company, Fingerpaint Group for more than $200 million to private equity firm Knox Lane back in 2020. Today, Mitzen uses those same funds from the transaction to continue elevating small businesses. Simultaneously, Mitzen is also fulfilling his mission of “offering a hand up, not a hand out.” One thing that stood out during our chat was when I asked Mizten, also the author of Wealthy and White: Why Guys Like Me Have to Show Up, Step Up, and Give Others a Hand Up, what he learned about himself since starting BFG and writing the book in 2023. “I was very ignorant in terms of how hard it was going to be to build this nonprofit,” Mitzen says. “I needed to become a much better listener. I needed to establish relationships in the (Black) community. I also needed to be humble. I think I came in with a sense of arrogance, like, ‘Hey, I’ve been successful. Let me help you.’ And not really trying to understand the root cause of what a lot of these folks were experiencing.” I love the honesty. Mitzen will be at the ForbesBLK Summit in October. After listening to his story, I urge attendees to introduce themselves and discover the impact of Ed Mitzen’s helping hand. My One Interesting Read: A look at how the Netherlands is shifting to a four-day work week, via the Financial Times.
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