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From www.blackengineer.com Awards & Lists If technology is the engine that drives the American economy, Black entrepreneurs in technology are increasingly providing the horse power for that engine. This year’s roster of the 2006 Top Black Technology Entrepreneurs illustrates not only the growing numbers of African-American business owners in technology, but it also reflects the expanding scope of those businesses. The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2002 Survey of Business Owners found that minority-owned firms continue to grow at over three times the national average. It counted four million minority-owned businesses, which represents 18 percent of all U.S. companies. Leading the growth in the number of businesses launched were Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders, who increased ownership rates by 67 percent. The number of African-American firms grew 45 percent, while Hispanic firms grew 31 percent, and Asian-owned businesses increased by 24 percent. The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation recently reports, “While the overall rate of adult entrepreneurial activity declined slightly between 2004 and 2005, the rate of African Americans starting businesses increased.” In 2004, the foundation reports, 40,200 African Americans started a new business every month. Each month during 2005, by comparison, a total of 46,700 Blacks launched a business. “African Americans were the only ethnic or racial group to experience a gain,” they concluded. Minorities still lag in business startups, however, which makes the achievements of the 2006 Top Black Technology Entrepreneurs even more noteworthy. While minorities represented 32 percent of the U.S. population in 2002, they accounted for only 18 percent of all U.S. businesses, generating just three percent of gross receipts and employing only four percent of all workers. Indeed, the average gross receipts for minority-owned firms were $169,000, as compared to $985,103 for all U.S. firms. The average gross receipts ranged from a low for African-American firms at $77,000, to a high for Asian firms of $311,000. A detailed report on minority entrepreneurship is available from the U.S. Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency (www.mbda.gov) in the State of Minority Business Enterprises report. Despite all of the difficulties and the risks, the spirit of entrepreneurship continues to thrive in America. Career Communications Group’s 2006 Top Black Technology Entrepreneurs exemplify this spirit, and we are pleased to recognize them here. 2006 Top Black Technology Entrepreneurs: Jeanette M. Abraham Pedro Alfonso Joseph B. Anderson Jr. Knowlton R. Atterbeary Jr. Lt. Gen. Joe N. Ballard, U.S. Army (Ret.) Pamela Blackwell Robert D. Blackwell Sr. Gen. Roger R. Blunt, P.E. (Ret.) Bernard Bronner Eddie C. Brown Gale E. Burkett Steven D. Burnett Dr. Marvin Carroll Anthony R. Chase Kenton Clarke Dr. Lawrence Crawford Armentha “Mike" Cruise Don Cunningham David Dalton, Ph.D. Robert C. Davidson Jr. Kirkland Dudley Nancy R. Dunson Gerald D. Edwards Dr. Joseph E. Fergus Kenneth Gamble André Gist Carlton L. Guthrie Michael J. Guthrie Col. Verle Hammond (Ret.) Delon Hampton, Ph.D., P.E. Raymond A. Huger John L. Huggins Jr. Rodney P. Hunt Maria Jackson Renard U. Johnson Willie F. Johnson Horace F. Jones, Ed.D. Daryl Z. Laisure Dr. Kase L. Lawal Rodney K. Martin Curtis McCrary Dr. Samuel Metters Harold Mills Tracy E. Mitchell Mamon Powers Jr., P.E. Francis L. Price Gloria D. Redman Kenneth W. Robinson Herman Russell Larry L. Smith Earl W. Stafford John Stallworth David Steward Steven E. Sullivan Sid E. Taylor Maurice B. Tosé Kathryn C. Turner Frank White Jr. Houston L. Williams Evelyn Wilson Mark Wilson Albert Woodard Russell T. Wright Charles Young To read more about The 2006 Top Black Technology Entrepreneurs: Helping America Lead the Way see The 2006 Top Black Technology Entrepreneurs: Helping America Lead the Way in the USBE News archive. © Copyright by Career Communications Group, Inc. 729 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21202 410.244.7101 |