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International Marketplace Coalition welcomes new chief operating officer with diverse global background

Jade Jackson
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International Marketplace Coalition welcomes new chief operating officer with diverse global background

The International Marketplace Coalition is proud to announce Mo Adewunmi as their new chief operating officer (COO).

With a background in economic development, a passion for embracing diversity and an impressive international footprint spanning 7 countries, Mo Adewunmi brings invaluable expertise to the team.

This significant addition to our leadership team comes as part of our commitment to furthering the mission of revitalizing the Lafayette Square area and transforming it into the International Marketplace.

Adewunmi boasts a track record of successful project management, most recently as a Project Manager at VS4 Consulting.

Her roles included the development of standard operating procedures for businesses, budget management, and the creation of innovative marketing strategies.

She has also managed grants and foundation contracts while working at Indiana University Center for Global Health and advised on non-profit grant policies during her tenure in Nigeria.

Furthermore, Adewunmi has an academic background that complements her professional achievements, having pursued a Master’s Degree in International Affairs at Columbia University.

International Marketplace Coalition

Married with two children, she resides in Carmel and has a deep passion for listening to podcasts during her downtime.

With her appointment as COO, we are confident that she will play a pivotal role in advancing the International Marketplace Coalition’s vision of creating a vibrant, economically strong, multi-use international community in Indianapolis.

“We are thrilled to welcome Mo Adewunmi to our team as our new Chief Operating Officer,” said Mary Clark, Executive Director of the International Marketplace Coalition. “Her expertise and dedication align perfectly with our mission to foster economic development and celebrate the rich cultural diversity of our community. We believe Mo will help us continue to grow and flourish as an organization.”

Mo Adewunmi in her new role as COO, will work closely with the Executive Director, community leaders, local businesses, and engaged citizens to drive sustainable economic development in the Lafayette Square area. She will also focus on expanding our community’s visibility as a place “Where the World comes to eat,” as recognized by the New York Times.

The International Marketplace Coalition is dedicated to providing opportunities for everyone to experience and learn about other cultures, making Indianapolis a more inclusive and vibrant place. Mo Adewunmi’s leadership will be instrumental in achieving these goals.

Minority Business Highlight: DYC Fitness 

Jade Jackson
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Minority Business Highlight: DYC Fitness 

DYC, which stands for Disturb Your Comfort, Fitness was founded in 2017 as an online training company between two friends: Joshua Hibbitt and Jeremy Stephens. 

When DYC Fitness began, the duo focused on health and nutrition by creating weight loss and fitness plans for clients. They would also sell athletic gear.  

In 2021 they opened a brick-and-mortar location at 1703 E. Michigan St. 

RELATED: Minority Business Highlight: Maven Space

“We met freshman year [of] high school at Lawrence Central. We’re locals here in Indianapolis. We both played sports our whole lives. Josh did track at Tennessee State University, and I went on to play football at Butler University,” said Stephens. 

After leaving Butler, Stephens gained 300 pounds. He eventually lost weight by working out and training.  

“I was able to apply the fundamentals of getting fit because I knew it, but I didn’t always apply it. That’s what disturbing your fitness is all about: get out of your comfort zone and being disciplined in your fitness journey,” said Hibbitt.  

DYC Fitness recently opened a second location, at 1480 W. 86th St., offering workout equipment for trainers and clients to utilize for their fitness journey.  

They currently have approximately 70 clients and six trainers. 

DYC Fitness hopes to eventually expand further across the state and beyond.  

This minority business highlight was composed by Jade Jackson at the Indianapolis Recorder, who can be reached at (317) 762-7853 or via email at JadeJ@IndyRecorder.com. 

If you would like your business highlighted in the Indianapolis Minority Business Magazine, click here! 

Marion County part of National History Day Rural and Urban Outreach Program  

STAFF
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Marion County part of National History Day Rural and Urban Outreach Program  

National History Day (NHD) has recently announced the first phase of its Inclusive History Initiative. The initiative is a series of programs and publications designed to promote diversity, equity, access and inclusion. Inclusive History will not only focus on diverse topics, events, people and ideas but also how to make participation more accessible to students and educators with various backgrounds, educational levels and socioeconomic statuses.  

The initiative is funded by the Bezos Family Foundation.  

“For nearly 50 years, National History Day has bolstered an interest in history and civics education,” said Marilyn López, program officer of the Bezos Family Foundation. “We are excited to support their geographic expansion and ensure a more inclusive history is made available for all young people.” 

The first phase of programming will involve piloting outreach to urban and rural schools in four states: Alabama, Indiana, North Carolina and Oklahoma. NHD will also co-lead a series of professional development workshops to engage teachers and strengthen their programs in various counties, including Marion County through the Indiana Historical Society. 

NHD will expand its “Moving Freedom Forward” series – a collection of teacher sourcebooks that include various teaching materials, such as essays by historians, lessons plans and graphic organizers – through the second phase of the Inclusive History Initiative. 

“We are excited to collaborate with schools and teachers in these communities to engage more students in the process of historical research. Quality history education helps young people gain a deeper understanding of our shared history and encourages students to become involved and active citizens,” said NHD Executive Director Dr. Cathy Gorn. 

To learn more about NHD’s Inclusive History Initiative, visit www.nhd.org. 

Jason Kloth, Ascend Indiana president and CEO, to step down

STAFF
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Jason Kloth, Ascend Indiana president and CEO, to step down

INDIANAPOLIS (Oct. 24, 2023) – Ascend Indiana today announced that President and CEO Jason Kloth, will step down on January 1, 2024. Kloth who helped to create the talent and workforce development organization nearly nine years ago, will serve in a consulting capacity after the first of the year to ensure a smooth transition. In addition to consulting for Ascend, CICP, and others, Kloth plans to focus on his family and spending more time with his two young children. Ascend Indiana is an initiative of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP).

“Jason and his talented team have created an organization built on values that have led to impactful work in helping thousands of Hoosiers find jobs, internships and apprenticeships,” said Mark Hill, managing partner of Collina Ventures, and founding chairman of the Ascend Indiana Board of Directors. “Jason had a vision that he brought to CICP to create economic opportunity for all and because of his leadership and his team, that vision is being realized in many ways today.”

Kloth helped launch Ascend in 2016 and to date, the organization has received more than $50 million in philanthropic funding from organizations including Lilly Endowment Inc., the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation and Glick Philanthropies. The funding has allowed Ascend to advance its work as a labor market intermediary bringing together educational institutions and employers to connect job seekers to good and promising career opportunities.

“An initiative like Ascend would only be possible with the support of CICP and direct involvement of business, higher education and philanthropic leaders,” said Kloth. “It has been an honor to work with such wonderful colleagues and partners to advance our shared vision for Indiana to be a place of economic opportunity for all. I am confident that Ascend’s momentum will continue.”

“Jason’s leadership and contributions to Ascend and to CICP have been invaluable,” said Melina Kennedy, CEO, Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP). “He and his team have built an organization with a strong foundation of understanding the talent supply and demand in the state, bringing together leaders across philanthropy, industry and higher education in a shared vision that is making a positive impact on thousands of Hoosiers and developing a workforce for the future.”

During Kloth’s tenure, Ascend has connected nearly 4,500 individuals to jobs, internships and training opportunities at more than 750 employers in Indiana with a focus on serving individuals from historically underserved backgrounds, including those from low-income backgrounds and first-generation college students. The organization has partnerships with 40 colleges and universities across the state.

Ascend does this work in three strategic ways, through their online job matching platform the Ascend Network; Ascend Services, which comes alongside employers and education providers to create talent pipelines to equip youth and adults with the skills they need now and into the future and through Ascend Insights, which informs public policy to create systems-level change in the labor market.

Prior to forming Ascend, Kloth served as deputy mayor of education for the City of Indianapolis under Mayor Greg Ballard’s administration. He served in several roles for Teach for America, including founding executive director of Teach for America-Indianapolis and senior vice president of public affairs. Kloth also served as a 6th grade Language Arts teacher where he was named teacher of the year as a Teach for America Rio Grande Valley Corps Member.

Kloth holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Illinois – Urbana Champaign and a Product Management Certificate from the University of Maryland – A. James Clark School of Engineering.

Kloth is active in his community and has served on a number of boards including Indiana Education Savings Authority, Ivy Tech Community College Indianapolis, United Negro College Fund Indianapolis, Early Learning Indiana, EmployIndy, Downtown Indy and the Oaks Academy.

CICP will work with Kloth on a transition plan, including a plan for a successor, over the next few months.

Remarkable realty redefined: Black Realty Company

Braxton Babb
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Remarkable realty redefined: Black Realty Company

Black Realty Company is where excellence and diversity beautifully converge in the world of real estate. Situated in the heart of Indianapolis, this women-owned brokerage is committed to delivering exceptional services to both its clients and the local community.

Their mission revolves around empowering individuals, providing them with unwavering support and trustworthy guidance and ensuring that the dreams of homeownership and investment opportunities become a reality for each client they serve.

Summer Black is the CEO and managing broker of the company. With a prior real estate background, she started this business in 2022. Since then, she has brought onboard Erica Nelson, who serves as a realtor, and Kylah Black, who serves as a realtor and project manager.

According to the company’s official website, clients Brandon H., Marilyn B. and Melissa C. said that while working with Black Realty Company they were impressed by the company’s exceptional service, dedication and friendliness.

Collectively, they have set out to create an inclusive and supportive environment where diversity is celebrated, real estate transactions are seamless, and clients are not just heard but genuinely valued. Their ultimate aspiration is to become the most trusted and sought-after brokerage in the region.

To learn more about Black Realty Company, visit www.blackrealtycompany.com.

This minority business highlight was composed by Multimedia Staff Reporter Braxton Babb at the Indianapolis Recorder, who can be reached at (317)762-7854 or via email at BraxtonB@IndyRecorder.com. If you would like your business highlighted in the Indianapolis Minority Business Magazine, click here!

Deion Sanders to headline Steward Speakers Series in Indianapolis

Noral Parham
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Deion Sanders to headline Steward Speakers Series in Indianapolis

Pro Football Hall of Famer and Colorado University Buffaloes football coach Deion Sanders is the featured speaker at the 2024 Steward Speakers Annual Gala and Award Ceremony, occurring April 11, 2024, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Downtown Indianapolis.

The Steward Speakers Series’ mission is to “inform, inspire, and invoke action by fostering meaningful dialogue and cultural exchanges, by providing exceptional lectures and events designed to engage youth, families, adult learners and others who rarely have access to nationally and internationally-renowned African American leaders.”

This is the eighth consecutive year that IUPUI is acting as the title sponsor of the Steward Speakers Series.

IUPUI Communications and Community Engagement Strategist Vernon Williams recently shared his excitement about “Coach Prime” Deion Sanders joining the Steward Speaker Series.

“Coach Sanders’ impact on HBCUs and all of college football is immeasurable,” Williams said. “Sanders’ presence in college football has single-handedly brought the history, pride, and challenges historically black colleges and universities face to the forefront, bringing national attention to the pressing issues that impact equitable access to education and resources.”

Sanders, known for his flashy personality, outspokenness and successful NFL career, is the former head coach of the Historically Black College Jackson State University football program and current head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes.

Steward Speakers President and Founder Matthew Steward said the organization is excited to bring Sanders to Circle City.

“We are excited to be the vehicle that brings Coach Prime to Indianapolis, supporting our mission to bring attention to issues that impact our community,” Steward said.

The event is part of Steward Speakers’ 2023-2024 speaker season, which is appropriately themed “Sports & Education and the Impact on the African American community.”

Deion Sanders joins the 2024 Steward Speakers Annual Gala and Award Ceremony takes place April 11, 2024, 7 p.m., at Lucas Oil Stadium. For more information, click here or call 317-297-2905.

Contact multi-media staff writer Noral Parham III at 317-762-7846. Follow him on Twitter @3Noral. For more news from the Indianapolis Recorder, click here. You can also check out the Indiana Minority Business Magazine by clicking here.

Minority Business Highlight: Maven Space

Jade Jackson
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Minority Business Highlight: Maven Space

Webster’s dictionary defines a “maven” as an expert or connoisseur.  

The term aptly fits Maven Space: an Indianapolis co-working space, event venue and social club created by mavens, for mavens.  

Co-owner and CEO Leslie Bailey said the space serves to support entrepreneurs, remote workers, executives, creatives, dreamers and doers. It was created for those who crave opportunities to make connections. Maven Space is for people to find the resources they need to get their big ideas off the ground.  

RELATED: Minority Business Highlight: Rejuvenate Massage & Wellness

“First, there was Indy Maven, which is our website. I saw a gap in the market when it came to storytelling and news for women. It was really supposed to launch as a website with a newsletter, but women kept asking can they join something, so we added a membership to the website,” said Bailey.  

Indy Maven launched in 2019.  

Five months after its launch, the pandemic happened.  

Minority Business Highlight: Maven Space
Indy Chamber’s Women in Economic Development event hosted in the conference room inside Maven Space on September 6, 2023. (Photo/Jade Jackson)

Bailey said connecting women was an initial part of Indy Maven. She remembers hosting numerous one-on-one phone calls with members. 

“I didn’t know what it was going to be, but when I think back to the vague general vision I had, I feel like I spoke the space into fruition,” said Bailey.  

All Bailey initially wanted was an old building with a new feel. She never thought Maven Space would turn into a tangible location in the heart of Downtown offering members much more.  

“The launch of Maven Space has been a labor of love from day one. It happened with my husband’s and my personal savings, my co-founder, Kate Tauton-Rigsby, and a healthy dose of optimism or insanity, depending on how you look at it,” said Bailey in a statement made when launching the space’s IFundWomen crowdfunding campaign. 

“Given that only 2% of venture capital dollars go to women, I knew better than to even try that route. And yes, there are small business loans available, but that only increases your overhead and makes it harder to break even.” 

According to of 2019 Small Business Administration (SBA) report, only 28% of total SBA loan dollars went to women-owned businesses.  

Those loans came with a nearly 10% interest rate.  

With a lot of community support and partnerships, Maven Space opened on the first floor of the historic Gibson Building, at 433 N. Capitol Ave. Suite 100. 

The space offers a fully equipped podcast studio – available to rent by the hour –  virtual mail services, exclusive member programming, as well as private and semiprivate meeting spaces.   

Along with several other amenities, the space also offers a mother’s room, a private place for women to pump their breast milk that includes a mini fridge for milk storage and complimentary pumping supplies provided by The Milk Bank.   

Maven Space’s memberships are open to everyone, and you can find further details on the perks it offers HERE.

Minority Business Highlight: Paul’s Kitchen

CHLOE McGOWAN
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Minority Business Highlight: Paul’s Kitchen

Paul Dickens, a local freestyle chef and owner of Paul’s Kitchen, has been serving home cooked meals in Indianapolis through his private chef and catering business for the last seven years.

Now, he has expanded his culinary creations to the public in a new way: a food truck.

Dickens grew up with a love for food without even knowing it, he said. Raised in Indianapolis, Dickens said he was surrounded by loved ones who were always cooking, but he did not take it seriously until he was in school and realized he flourishes in the kitchen.

Graduating from The Chef’s Academy in Downtown Indianapolis in 2012, Dickens worked in several restaurant kitchens — such as Harry and Izzy’s, Bucca di Beppo and Crooked Stick Country Club — until 2017.

“I started finding myself actually enjoying what I was doing,” Dickens said, “[But] with the restaurants, I felt like I was just being held back, doing the same thing repeatedly every day, so I started to lose interest.”

It was then that Dickens began planning his way out by laying the foundation for what would be his own business, allowing him the freedom to cook whatever he wanted and experiment in the kitchen. 

Paul’s Kitchen officially got its start selling meals off Instagram before moving toward meal prep for CrossFit gyms. It then branched off to catering and eventually to personal and private services for families and athletes, which Dickens has been offering for the last five years.

Paul’s Kitchen catering and personal services menu is entirely customizable, including vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options. Dickens said he completes all the shopping, cooking and clean up after a meal. For more information, visit chefpaulskitchen.com and follow @paulskitchenfoodtruck on Instagram.

This minority business highlight was composed by CHLOE McGOWAN at the Indianapolis Recorder, who can be reached at 317-762-7848 or via email at chloegm@indyrecorder.com. If you would like your business highlighted in the Indianapolis Minority Business Magazine, click here!

Minority Business Highlight: Local Initiatives Support Corporation 

Braxton Babb
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Minority Business Highlight: Local Initiatives Support Corporation 

The Local Initiative Support Corporation connects local groups across America with capital and technical knowledge to help build inclusive, resilient communities of opportunity.

They invest in overlapping program areas that reach into every corner of community life, such as affordable housing, childcare and early learning, economic development, education and more. 

RELATED: Plate it Up! Catering

With the mission of “Together with residents and partners, we help forge resilient and inclusive communities across America-great places to live, work, visit, do business and raise families,” they pursue different strategies to successfully accommodate the community. They also have a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and justice.  

“Poverty and other forms of inequity and injustice that LISC works to help redress are largely rooted in this country’s historic and systemic racism, as well as in other forms of discrimination. Pursuing our mission demands that we conceive and implement every aspect of our work through the lenses of equity and anti-racism.” 

In 1992, LISC established its local Indianapolis office and became known for their integrated approach to community development- an approach that recognizes the importance of a set of interdependent neighborhood characteristics to the well-being of neighborhood residents and that coordinates investments in commercial and industrial corridors, community facilities, businesses and job creation in Indianapolis’ core urban neighborhoods.  

To learn more about LISC Indy visit, www.lisc.org/indianapolis/. 

IndyHub & CICP help shape the future of Indy’s youth with conference 

Noral Parham
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IndyHub & CICP help shape the future of Indy’s youth with conference 

IndyHub and the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) will host the SHAPE (Y)OUR FUTURE Summit, a free conference designed for millennials and Gen Z to learn about the future of the Indy region and share their ideas on how to make it a more vibrant place to live, work and plant roots. 

The conference will feature a variety of speaker and panel sessions on topics such as Indiana’s talent and workforce needs, the state’s industries of the future, public transportation and mobility, and sustainability and environmental issues. Attendees will also have the opportunity to learn about the advanced industries that drive Indiana’s economy and to network with each other and with leaders in the community. The event will spotlight industries such as agbiosciences, life sciences, advanced manufacturing and logistics, and technology. 

“Shape (Y)our Future is going to be one of the best opportunities to learn about the various aspects of what makes our city and state special,” said President and CEO of IndyHub Al Carroll. “It will also include ways for young people to ask questions and share their ideas on how to make Indianapolis a more vibrant place to live, work, and plant roots. We want to ensure that they are shaping their future as well as that of our community.” 

The Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) was formed in 1999 to bring together the chief executives of the region’s prominent corporations, foundations and universities in a strategic and collaborative effort dedicated to Indiana’s continued prosperity and growth. 

“Advancing the key sectors of Indiana’s economy and developing our talent and workforce are core to the success of our community, and this event puts those two topics at the forefront of a very important audience,” said CEO of CICP Melina Kennedy, “It’s a natural fit for CICP and IndyHub to work together to help young people learn what makes this a special place to live, work, play, and learn.” 

The summit begins Nov. 14 at 8 a.m. To register for the summit, click here. 

This brief was composed by multi-media staff writer Noral Parham III. Follow him on Twitter @3Noral. For more happening similar to the Shape (Y)our Future summit from the Indianapolis Recorder, click here. You can also check out the Indiana Minority Business Magazine here.

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