Black-Owned Businesses In Tallahassee Exceed National Average, Local Credits FAMU
A new survey finds that Tallahassee, Florida, has twice the percentage of Black-owned businesses compared to the national average.
A LendingTree survey on U.S. cities with the highest and lowest numbers of Black-owned businesses ranks Leon County in Tallahassee among the top 15 nationwide for its percentage of Black-owned businesses. The findings are prompting local economic developers to explore new ways to support and launch even more Black-owned businesses in the area.
'We found that 7% of businesses in Tallahassee are Black-owned and that puts Tallahassee tied for 14th among the 50 biggest metros in the country,' Matt Schulz, chief credit analyst for Lending Tree, told WFSU.
The survey revealed that out of 7,828 businesses in Tallahassee, 549 — or 7% — are Black-owned, doubling the national average. Katrina Tuggerson, president of the Capital City Chamber of Commerce, sees the study as a sign of positive progress — and she credits Florida A&M University for playing a significant role.
'It's the largest Black business in the state of Florida. So if you look at what trickles down in the community that holds FAMU, it can't be nothing but greatness,' she told WCTV.
However, despite the percentages, the numbers still fall short of Leon County's Black population.
'When you contrast that to the fact that about 32% of the population of the city is Black, there's a lot of room for growth,' Schultz said.
Darryl Jones, who oversees minority, women, and small business programs at Leon County's Office of Economic Vitality, emphasized that the community offers a wealth of resources to support business growth. While there is still progress to be made, the OEV is pleased to see local Black-owned business numbers moving in the right direction.
'Resource partners like the FAMU Small Business Development Center, DOMI Station, Jim Moran Institute,' Jones said. 'And then you have lending partners like the FAMU Federal Credit Union and the Smart Steps Loan Program.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Gets Real: Exploring Filipinotown is Seattle's CID
Seattle's International District is well known for Chinatown, Japantown, and Little Saigon. But at the center, you'll also find Filipinotown -- and it's been there for more than 100 years! ' [In the] 1920s to 1980s, we had 88 Filipino-owned and operated businesses here. We catered to the primarily the first-generation Manongs who came here,' said Cynthia Mejia Giudici, with the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS). Since then, she says the number of Filipino-owned places dropped significantly in the CID. 'Many, many businesses and many, many hotels, some that have been torn down, some of them have been remodeled. But we remember the stories, and that's our history,' said Giudici. It's an almost forgotten or even unheard history that was put back on track this month -- arriving in the form of a streetcar! 'It was an unexpected joy, the kind of joy that's so deep you cry along with it,' said Devin Cabanilla with King County Metro. The word 'Filipinotown' is the newest addition to a trolley making its way through downtown Seattle. He says it's more than just a name on a streetcar. 'It highlights something that's always been, but it's always been forgotten, so now it's more obvious,' Cabanilla explained. The community says the streetcar is en route to a new era, while honoring those that have been here for generations. 'I think about, you know, all of the sacrifice, all of the love, all the struggle, all the resilience of our people who were trying to make a new home,' said Chera Amlag, Co-owner of Hood Famous Bakeshop, Cafe & Bar. Amlag keeps pieces of history at Hood Famous Bakeshop, which she and her husband opened in 2019. 'We wanted it to feel both new and fresh, but also nostalgic at the same time,' Amlag added. 'The little things that we thought about in the space that we really wanted people to feel that sense of connection to the Philippines.' They specialize in comfort food and delicious desserts, but this shop became the first Filipino food restaurant in the CID in more than 30 years. It's bittersweet moment for Amlag. She says their efforts are headed in the right direction, but there's still much more to do. 'I want to be able to name even more businesses, to the point where you just don't have enough time to name them all, and for us to just all be able lift each other up,' she said.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
WNBA Renews Broadcast Rights With Scripps' Ion Television
The WNBA and Ion Television, the Scripps-owned broadcast network, have renewed their media rights agreement. The initial three-year deal, which Ion reportedly paid $13 million for annually, began in 2023 and was the league's second traditional TV deal independent of the NBA's longstanding agreement with ESPN/ABC. The W also has a deal with CBS, which includes games on broadcast CBS and its cable sibling CBS Sports Network. Both the Ion and CBS Sports deals are set to expire at the end of the 2025 season. Advertisement More from Financial details as well as the length of the Ion extension were not disclosed. In April, ahead of Scripps' upfront event at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., Scripps Sports president Brian Lawlor expressed confidence that the WNBA would remain on Ion beyond this season. He referenced how the league's games on the network were not included in the new NBA media agreement forged last summer. 'The one thing you didn't see bundled in was Friday night,' Lawlor said in the interview. 'They really value what Ion brings with that national distribution, the new audience, the incredible visibility, so they protected Friday nights. I fully expect that—not just this season, but for many years down the road—we'll be long-term partners with them.' Advertisement The hysteria around Caitlin Clark last season helped Ion more than double its viewership versus 2023 as the network averaged 670,000 viewers per game, a 133% growth versus the prior season. Clark and the Indiana Fever were responsible for Ion's seven games with 1 million viewers or more. More important, more than 20 new advertisers bought commercial time on Ion last season thanks to its WNBA broadcasts. Growth continues for the network through the first four weeks of this season. Ion's total viewership is up 4% compared to the same timeframe last season, which included four Fever games. Viewership with one key demographic, women aged 18-49, is up 27% through the first four weeks of the season. Ion has the most games among the WNBA's legacy media partners this season with 50 as part of its WNBA Friday Night Spotlight, which includes the first weekly studio show exclusively dedicated to WNBA coverage. The success of the Friday 'franchise' inspired Ion to create a similar template for NWSL games on Saturdays. Certainly, the Ion renewal will get the attention of the players as they look to improve their labor standing with the league. After last year's WNBA Finals, the WNBPA exercised its opt-out clause in the CBA, which expires on Oct. 31. The players are pushing to revamp the current revenue-sharing system to be more favorable for them, one that gives them a bigger share of money coming in from the new NBA media deal and the independent Ion pact. Advertisement Best of Sign up for Sportico's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
McDonald's settles Byron Allen's $10 billion lawsuit over commitment to Black-owned media
By Jonathan Stempel (Reuters) -McDonald's has settled a $10 billion lawsuit by the media entrepreneur Byron Allen challenging the fast-food chain's alleged refusal to advertise with Black-owned media. Friday's settlement between McDonald's and two of Allen's companies, Entertainment Studios Networks and the Weather Group, averts a scheduled July 15 trial in Los Angeles federal court. It also resolves Allen's related $100 million lawsuit against McDonald's in Los Angeles Superior Court. McDonald's said it will buy ads "at market value" from Allen's companies "in a manner that aligns with its advertising strategy and commercial objectives." Settlement terms are confidential. McDonald's, based in Chicago, denied wrongdoing in agreeing to settle. In a statement, Allen's companies said "we acknowledge McDonald's commitment to investing in Black-owned media properties and increasing access to opportunity. Our differences are behind us." Allen had accused McDonald's of "racial stereotyping" by not advertising with Black-owned media, and lying when it pledged in 2021 to boost national ad spending with those media to 5% from 2% by 2024. He said he relied on that pledge when seeking new business from McDonald's, only to be rebuffed. Allen also said his Allen Media Group represented more than 90% of Black-owned media. Allen's networks include The Weather Channel, Justice Central, and
