In Celebration of Differences - Our Salute to Diversity
Frederick Feliciano
Hispanic Business Alliance
It might be easier to describe what Frederick Feliciano hasn’t done when it comes to helping advance the stature and health of the Hispanic community in metro Detroit. Born in southwest Detroit and raised in a strong family atmosphere, Feliciano went to work for the Catholic Youth Organization, where he saw creation of the Youth Athletic Enrichment Program, the Southwest Detroit Recreation League and the Annual Hispanic Youth Leadership Conference. He has served as manager of community relations for the Detroit Tigers, implementing the team’s first strategic plan to penetrate the Hispanic market (which led to a similar plan for the Arab American market). And for four years, Feliciano served as multicultural liaison to the mayor of Detroit. Feliciano is president of the Hispanic Business Alliance, which has seen a 300 percent growth in membership in his tenure, and was the driving force behind the annual Hispanic Business Expo and Economic Summit.
Joel I. Ferguson
President, Ferguson Development L.L.C.
Joel Ferguson must be used to hearing the word “first.” In 1967, he was the first African American elected to Lansing City Council (and the youngest) and was the first African American elected to the Ingham County Board. Ferguson served on the Democratic National Committee and helped Jesse Jackson’s 1988 victory in Michigan. In 1995, President Clinton appointed him to the board of the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation. But politics is not the only thing that keeps Ferguson energized; he founded two television stations and was instrumental in the startup of Capitol National Bank. Ferguson also co-founded F&S Development Company, which owns and develops major commercial buildings, including the Michigan House of Representatives building and residential complexes in 16 cities. He chairs the Michigan State University board of trustees and is vice chair of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation. In 2007, Ferguson received the NAACP Freedom and Justice Award.
V. Diane Freeman
GM Senior Manager,
Supplier Diversity Program
General Motors is one big place. But when it comes to supplier diversity with an emphasis on women, few would argue that Diane Freeman has been one of the most influential individuals in transforming the automaker as a place where opportunities abound for women business owners. Freeman has done so in many ways, including having one-on-one conversations with executives and hosting facilitated workshops that help share best practices in supplier diversity. Freeman mentors women business owners as well, partly through her membership on numerous boards (among them, the National Minority Supplier Development Council, Michigan Minority Business Development Council, Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Native American Business Alliance and the Michigan Women’s Business Council). She is also on the board of the Center for Empowerment and Economic Development. She says a key to building supplier diversity is performance. “We want to make sure we are building strong performing minority suppliers that are positioned for growth.”
Jane C. Garcia
Chair, Latin Americans for
Social and Economic Development
Formed in 1965 as a means to better meet the needs of the Hispanic community in southwest Detroit, Latin Americans for Social and Economic Development, chaired by Jane Garcia, was the first Latino agency in the city. Today it serves seniors and youth as well as offering continued information and referral services in an area where some 45 percent of the population is Hispanic (and where continued growth has helped to balance the declining population in other areas of the city). In its early days, a key purpose of the agency was to help immigrants with language and cultural barriers receive needed services. LASED, a United Way agency, now has a meals program and helps organize chore services for seniors, the intention being to help the elderly stay in their homes as long as possible. LASED also networks with other agencies and schools, encouraging educators to become role models for a future generation.[PAGE[
Yousif Ghafari
CEO, GHAFARI, Inc.
Born in southern Lebanon, Yousif Ghafari became a U.S. citizen in 1978, four years after earning the first of several degrees, three of them from Wayne State University. A licensed professional engineer, Ghafari heads the architectural, engineering and staffing firm that bears his name, an organization he founded based on responsive customer service and the latest in technology. But Ghafari, a Lebanese Christian who immigrated to the U.S. in the mid 1970s, is passionate about more than designing great buildings (although the firm has received numerous awards for doing so). He has a well-deserved reputation as one of the area’s leading philanthropists and is a member of the Institute of Metropolitan Detroit’s “Hall of Fame.” Ghafari is a board member for several organizations, including the College for Creative Studies, Oakwood Healthcare, Inc., the Automobile Club of Michigan, Dura Automotive Systems, Inc., the Economic Club of Detroit and the Wayne State University Foundation.
William Hardiman
Michigan State Senator
The list of organizations to which Republican State Senator Bill Hardiman has contributed his leadership skills is a long one. But that doesn’t mean the Michigan State Senator isn’t focused. Indeed, the recurring theme for the long-time resident of Kentwood (where he served as mayor from 1992-2002) is bettering the human condition. Hardiman, who according to his Web site is “exceptionally active” in his church, gained national attention as one of the founders and current chairman of Healthy Marriages Grand Rapids, formerly known as the Greater Grand Rapids Community Marriage Policy, a broad-based program to promote strong marriages and family life. Hardiman was elected in November 2002 to represent the 29th State Senate district, which includes the cities of Grand Rapids, Kentwood and Lowell and the townships of Cascade, Lowell, Vergennes and Grattan.
Darryl Hart
Commodity Sourcing Group
Growing up in the state of Washington and earning a degree in business administration from the University of Washington, Darryl Hart first went into the banking industry before taking a sharp right turn — as owner of an Adventures in Advertising franchise, which he developed over five years to become a successful enterprise. Selling the company in 1999, today he is smoothing the road for health care clients. As co-founder of Commodity Sourcing Group, Hart is providing commodity sourcing, commodity integration and supply chain management services. He’s also a firm believer in the power of minority owned businesses and how they can effect change in society. “We have written into our policies and procedures, explicitly, our desire and intention to engage in all areas of socially responsible behavior including proactively engaging in diversity programs with an emphasis on minority reciprocity within our own community.” Hart and his wife Lori have two children and are active in their community.
Gregory Jackson
Jackson Automotive Management
One might think running the first black-owned dealership to surpass $1 billion in sales would be enough achievement for one person. But they wouldn’t know Gregory Jackson, whose Prestige Automotive now includes six dealerships representing Pontiac, Saturn, Lincoln, Mercedes, Ford, GMC, Buick and Mercury. Jackson, who two years ago served as president of the GM Minority Dealers Association, was also named Dealer of the Year by Black Enterprise magazine. In an industry where competition is clearly keen, Jackson continues to hold a leadership role, something that Rick Wagoner, the head of GM, would attest: “Greg Jackson is the advantage that Prestige Automotive has over other dealerships. Greg recognizes that an integral part of running a successful business requires a commitment to his customers and their complete satisfaction, and being an active member of the community in which the dealership operates.” Today, Jackson Automotive Management is considering several non-automotive ventures as part of a growth strategy.
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