2024 May Mag
May 2024 Mag
“She believed she could, so she did.”
Very few companies can rebrand and build back better. It takes gut, will power, and know how. And then there is exceptionalism.
Building sustainable businesses has been the singular focus of the NBIC since it opened its doors 38 years ago. NBIC has been the launching pad of several successful minority and women-owned businesses such as Slim & Husky’s and The Grilled Cheeserie. The program’s foundation is built on three tenants: business sustainability, capacity building, and job creation. Essential to NBIC’s success has been its leadership. At the helm is Angela Crane Jones, CEO, and a small business advocate.
Angela is wearing Cerese D’s Green Billow Necklace.
Angela, a former Dairy Queen franchisee, joined the organization in 2003 after selling her two stores. “At that time, I did not know I could run a business and have a family. Most of my friends were employees at Fortune500 companies and could not relate to my dilemma. It was a challenge for my husband and I to conceive.
So, I thought selling the businesses and focusing on my family was my only option,” she shares. Angela has since realized she could have done both and has made it her mission to ensure other women understand they, too, can do both, especially with the help of a supportive community.
After selling her business, Angela sought employment at a local business development center. But it was NBIC, and its then Executive Director Mildred Walters, who made the offer. In the fall of 2003, Angela stepped into purpose. For ten years, she worked as Assistant to the Executive Director, developing competency in the small business development space and building a Rolodex of supporters. Angela’s hard work and commitment did not go unnoticed. In 2012, she was named Interim CEO, then CEO, of the Nashville Business Incubation Center.
During that time, Angela’s vision for NBIC began to take shape, but it came with challenges. In 2016, NBIC’s longstanding relationship with a strategic partner ended. “Rebuilding NBIC as a separate entity was difficult but necessary. We were still seeing too many business owners fall through the cracks, be it losing the business due to a lack of succession planning or an inability to grow because of insufficient resources. The rebrand of NBIC shifted the focus to empowering small business owners, specifically minority and women owned business owners, who on average earn just $24,000 in revenue annually, compared to their white counterparts at $140,000+.”
Under Angela’s leadership, NBIC successfully reorganized and rebranded, going on to relocate to a new building featuring a modern design, executive offices, classrooms, and most importantly, a suite of programming targeted to the unique needs of emerging entrepreneurs and established but stuck companies. The pinnacle of that programming is NBIC’s Mighty Oak program that prepares business owners to build sustainable companies to achieve at least $1M in revenue ($500,000 for professional services businesses), create jobs, and scale.
“It is our goal at NBIC to shift business owners’ mindsets from scarcity to abundance. They can only do that if they get out of the ‘worker bee’ mentality and put on their CEO hats, working on the business every day instead of working in it. That is hard to do, and we understand that. That is why we walk alongside them as they make the transition.”
Angela is proud of the track record NBIC has on meeting small business owners where they are, providing educational resources for them in somewhat of an academic style, supported by knowledgeable instructors, mentors, and coaches.
When NBIC pivoted in 2016, little did Angela know that less than five years later, she would need to tap into the same strength and agility she used to rebrand and relaunch NBIC to rebuild again.
In March 2020, a tornado devastated the North Nashville community NBIC called home, causing considerable damage to their new building. Displaced yet not discouraged, Angela and her team immediately contacted all clients to offer support. The ability to do that was predicated by a decision Angela made two years earlier.
“Early on, I realized that if NBIC did not embrace technology, we would be closed or on the blink of closure within a year.” Angela saw technology enablement as the future of sustainability and growth for NBIC and its clients. “We brought in an Entrepreneur-in-Residence exceptionally skilled in technology to help us build technology infrastructure. With everything cloud-based, we could work from anywhere. That framework was NBIC’s saving grace after the tornado as operations shifted from in-person to online.
Then the pandemic hit, and once again, a visionary leader’s thinking was relied on. NBIC’s early adoption of technology proved a benefit as classes went virtual. But for Angela, offering online instruction was only half the battle. She recognized that what small business owners in Davidson County needed most was access to technical assistance that helped them pivot. At the heart of that pivot was technology.
“It became clear to me that businesses needed a digital presence to survive the aftershocks of COVID-19.” Thanks to her efforts, NBIC was awarded a $600,000 grant from Metro Nashville under the CARES Act. “This grant enabled us to provide direct technical assistance for up to 200 small business owners struggling to keep their doors open.” That assistance included financial services, e-commerce/website capability, digital strategy development, and legal support.
With Angela’s ability to help so many small businesses go from surviving to thriving as they navigated the pandemic, banks and foundations took note of the work at NBIC. In 2022, Truist Foundation made a $1.25 million commitment to NBIC’s focus on cultivating the growth and development of local women-, racially and ethnically diverse-, and veteran-owned small businesses. Specifically, the grant provides tools, training, mentorships, and curriculum support to NBIC’s RISE UP Academy, which collaborates directly with women-owned businesses. Truist investment also supports NBIC’s expansion to Huntsville and Birmingham, Alabama; Louisville, Kentucky; and other rural communities in Tennessee.
As the economy begins to stabilize, Angela is looking ahead to how NBIC can best serve MWBEs with events like Sips N’ Strategies that are sponsored by women led partnerships for women entrepreneurs. Angela realizes that business dynamics in Nashville and beyond are changing. Before the pandemic, businesses sought office space with all the bells and whistles. But after a few years of working from home, many are turning to virtual offices and remote teams. “Our goal is to be what firms need now, which looks different from years ago. In the past, our space was a draw, but NBIC’s secret sauce has always been its commitment to giving business owners not only the knowledge but also access to mentors, practitioners, and funders they need to scale.”
With technical assistance comes accountability. “We’re looking for business owners who are coachable and want that level of oversight.” NBIC serves the whole person, helping business owners consider all factors impacting their business trajectory. “We do not operate in silos. We help you define your goals – business and personal – then develop a road map to get you there.” It is that commitment to preparation and their history of success that enables NBIC to change the narrative of small business ownership.
“Build it they will come.” The community she longed for to encourage her in goals and aspirations as she embarked on the journey to begin a family, she built that for the women entrepreneurs that are part of NBIC. Having a strong team allows Angela to be the big sister, give a listening ear, chief cheerleader, a counselor, and prayer partner. No one can do this kind of sweat equity alone. “I am thankful for the team at NBIC that allows me to operate in purpose every day.”
Angela pours her wisdom and heart into others. Not one for the spotlight but many have given this Tennessee State University Alum her roses. Now! She was recognized by the Nashville Business Journal (NBJ) as a Power 100, an annual business list of movers and shakers that is considered THE list to be on in Nashville. She has served faithfully as a coach for NBJ annual Mentoring Monday events, and she was recognized by NBJ as a Women of Influence Honoree.
The one job that Angela longed to hold was “Mommy.” She and her husband Roger Jones, a former NFL athlete, are blessed to be parents to “King Donavan,” a NICU 2009 graduate. Because of him, Angela and Roger are strong supporters of the March of Dimes and often help families who are facing fertility challenges.
While it is important for Carol to cultivate an inclusive workplace, this sentiment carries over into her decisions to intentionally bring diverse business partners into her locations. Women and minority-owned businesses are sorely underrepresented but have dynamic offerings that can thrive and prosper if allowed to be recognized by the masses. Our business should reflect the many travelers who come through our airports. Travelers should experience a “sense of place.” Bringing some of the city’s unique aspects inside the airport allows Hudson to pay homage to what the city and state offer.
Her interests include improving all people’s lives and mentoring young professionals. She actively serves on several boards in Alabama, most recently joining the Sloss Furnace Board in Birmingham.
From the earliest memory she has, Marquita has always found comfort “off the beaten path.” So, with the encouragement of a professor, forgoing the traditional job route and jumping right into entrepreneurship after obtaining her Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations from Wayne State University (Detroit, MI) seemed more in-tuned to her purpose. Before her degree was in hand and armed with one client she obtained at the completion of an internship, Marquita launched Rich Creative Branding (RCB) a PR and social media firm whose tagline was, Don’t Leave Your Brand to Chance. After about a year, she decided to turn RCB into a part time gig and get corporate employment full time. Though a short-lived experience, Marquita gained some very valuable lessons on business and communications. 
Working with large and larger companies across the country and managing projects of $10+ Million, growing teams and providing thought leadership in the growing landscape of Change Management principles and DEI, Marquita has more than made her mark after eight years and tenures at two of the four largest audit firms in the world.
From this place, Sweet Paws Creamery was born. Sweet Paws Creamery is a pet treat brand on a mission to make products that are good for dogs and the communities they bark in. Committed to sourcing locally, empowering and supporting local initiatives, and serving pet owners and businesses that embrace our canine companions, Marquita is making doggy ice cream with a purpose. 
She created the first formalized Risk Management Policies for the sorority and Amicae auxiliary and created the risk training program, which is now a Certification program that is highly regarded by the Sorority’s insurance carrier and campus professionals. 
Born and raised in Harlem, New York, Karen Boykin-Towns emerged from challenging times with a determination to defy expectations and champion social change. Her college years marked the beginning of her activism, a journey that would lead her to cross paths with then State Senator David A. Paterson, setting her ablaze with a profound passion for public service and advocacy.
Karen’s 
Kyla Thompson, APR, has been a consultant in Public Relations, Marketing, Media Crisis, Media Relations and Public Affairs for more than 35 years. She owned her own company in Denver, CO for 20 years. Her expertise includes Product Marketing, Economic Development, Large Event Management, Real Estate Development, Media Training, Community Relations, Corporate Imaging, Change Management, Key Message Development, Grass Root/Constituency Relations and fundamental communication strategies.
Account experience includes such diverse industries as non-profits, health care organizations and hospitals, banking, construction, large real estate developments in CO and NM, environmental hazardous waste sites, environmental science companies, large engineering firms, the Denver Broncos, the Denver Avalanche hockey team, Coors Field, Denver International Airport, University of Colorado, Vail Associates and Winter Park Ski Area.
Throughout her career, she 
In her spare time, she likes to collect African-American Memorabilia and owns one of the largest collections in the United States. Her collection was on display at the African American Research Museum 
