BLACK HISTORY: Elijah McCoy (McCoy Manufacturing)

McCoy Manufacturing -Elijah McCoy: McCoy worked for the Michigan Central Railroad as a locomotive fireman. After becoming a mechanical engineer, he invented a device that made it possible to oil machinery while it was running. To distinguish it from cheaper imitations, it became known as “The Real McCoy”. McCoy patented fifty different automatic lubricators and, at age 77, began the Elijah McCoy Manufacturing Company in Detroit.

Source: www.tnj.com

BLACK HISTORY: Fred Jones aka "Thermo King"

Thermo King -Fred Jones: Jones was born in Covington, Kentucky, in the late 19th century. His father was a white Irishman and his mother was Black. At eight years old, his father took him to Cincinnati, Ohio’s St. Mary's Catholic Church rectory. There, he performed duties around the church in exchange for being fed and housed. Early on, Jones demonstrated an interest in mechanical workings.

After college, he developed a cooling process that could refrigerate a tractor-trailer, and in 1939 he and his partner, Joe Numero received a patent for the device which would soon be called a "Thermo King". Thermo King was critical in the birth of the frozen food industry.

Source: www.tnj.com

BLACK WOMEN IN HISTORY: Beverly Mascoll (Mascoll Beauty Supply)

Mascoll Beauty Supply - Beverly Mascoll: Mascoli, a Canadian, took $700 in 1970 and created her own line of Black hair-care products, selling them from the trunk of her car. She convinced a U.S. manufacturer to be her first Canadian distributor, which is now, one the biggest in the Canadian Black beauty supply industry.

Not only did she build her business, but in 1998 was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada for her outstanding entrepreneurship and assistance with Canada's youth.

Source: www.tnj.com

#EMind: Women-Owned Businesses on the Rise

With daily headlines highlighting the importance of creating more jobs and getting Americans back to work, it is timely to discuss the importance of women-owned businesses. This was the topic of a report and a series of nationwide roundtables with women entrepreneurs sponsored by the Office of Advocacy.

The Office of Advocacy, the independent voice of small business in government for 30 years, has a mission of encouraging policies that support small business start-up, growth and development. The office is headed by Dr. Winslow Sargeant, a former small business owner.

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#EMind: Beyond the Struggle: Brooklyn Library Finds a Way to Finance Small Business Owners

Omar Forrester, 26, of Gotham City Motorsports, a high-performance automotive parts and accessories store in Brooklyn, won one of the top three prizes at the Eighth Annual PowerUP! Competition on January 10, 2012. “I’m still waiting to receive the cash prize of $5,000. I am thankful for the opportunity and look forward to opening up the shop!” Forrester says.  

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