Listen to a panel of marketing professionals discuss the importance of multicultural marketing and learn how to implement it into your business marketing strategy.
Thanks to the Sponsor of the Black- and Diverse-Owned Business Series:
Watch A Recap Of The Event:
Panelists:
Dennis W. Archer Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, sixteen42 ventures
Dennis W. Archer Jr. is the chairman and chief executive officer of sixteen42 ventures, the parent company to several operating companies and strategic investments. Archer leveraged his background in marketing and advertising, creating a portfolio of companies, each of which thrives in a specific
niche. The operating companies include Archer Corporate Services, Ignition Media Group, and Central Kitchen + Bar. The investments occupy several industry verticals including tech, alternative health care, film production, targeted hedge funds, hospitality, and cannabis.
In addition to his entrepreneurial endeavors, Archer is a real estate developer who is dedicated to giving back to Detroit and the surrounding areas. In the early 2000s, he realized it was the perfect marketplace to acquire, reposition, and sell properties while simultaneously encouraging job creation, creating affordable housing units, and bringing entrepreneurial opportunities into the city to promote economic growth.
Archer’s civic and philanthropic involvement includes past chair of the Detroit Regional Chamber’s Board of Directors where he also sits on the executive committee and chaired the 2016 Mackinac Policy Conference and the 2019 and 2020 Detroit Policy Conferences. In 2020, Archer was appointed chair of the Chamber’s Racial Justice and Economic Equity Steering Committee. He is a founder and the chairman of the Paradise Valley Foundation and sits on the boards of the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy, Dennis W. Archer Foundation, Citizen Detroit, and the Wayne County Youth and Senior Education Board.
Archer received both his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Michigan and has a certification in the NMSDC Advanced Management Education Program from Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management. He resides in Detroit with his sons Trey (Dennis, III) and Chase.
Lydia Michael, President and Owner, Blended Collective
Lydia Michael is the president and owner of Blended Collective, a multicultural marketing and brand consultancy. Michael focuses on helping brands and organizations reach and engage diverse audiences and consumers through brand, content, and multicultural marketing strategy, which requires an authentically and culturally engaging approach. Her project work includes Deloitte and L’Oréal during her time in Germany.
Since starting Blended Collective in 2017, Michael has worked with nonprofit organizations, corporations, and small businesses. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she consulted and worked with 50+ small businesses in the State of Michigan to help them pivot as they experienced various business and marketing disruptions.
Michael has received several diversity and marketing-centered awards for her work through Blended Collective. She also leads workshops and speaks to audiences about topics such as marketing, diversity and inclusion, entrepreneurship, and leadership. Visit blendedcollective.com and lydiamichael.com to learn more and connect on social media @blendedcollective.
Billy Strawter Jr., Chief Executive Officer and Publisher, BLAC Magazine, Inc. and MILO
Billy Strawter Jr. is the chief executive office and publisher of BLAC Magazine, Inc. and MILO. He was bitten by the entrepreneurial bug early on and after several ventures from an early e-commerce manufacturing supplier to capitalizing on the new frontier of social media at the same time, Strawter solidified his footing in the world of marketing and advertising. Today, among other ventures, he owns the full-service marketing agency MILO, headquartered in Detroit, is a partner in Busted Bra Shop in five locations in Detroit, Rochester, and Chicago, along with his newest opportunity, BLAC, Inc.
In April 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Strawter purchased BLAC Detroit magazine, a 22-year-old publication focusing on Black life, arts, and culture in the Detroit area.
Strawter is guided by natural curiosity and constantly questions “how we can take something, and how can we make it better? How can we grow this?” Those answers are leading BLAC to reach new heights, including community involvement and partnerships, expansion into other markets, and evolving BLAC into a holistic lifestyle brand.
Moderator:
R.J. King, Editor, DBusiness Magazine
R.J. King is editor of DBusiness magazine, DBusiness Daily News, Tech and Mobility News, and Detroit 500, all of which cover companies in Metro Detroit and Michigan that are expanding locally, nationally, and internationally. King also is the author of five books — “Grounds for Freedom: Saving Chernobyl,” “Detroit: Engine of America,” a gold medal recipient of the Midwest Book Awards, “8 Track: The First Mobile App,” “Passport to the Corner Office: The Starter’s Guide to Corporate Life,” and “Mystical.”
Prior to launching DBusiness in 2006, King was a business writer for The Detroit News for 16 years, where he wrote more than 4,000 articles covering economic development, automotive, aerospace, health care, technology, and more.
King is a board member of Beyond Basics, Detroit Aircraft Corp., Detroit Spacecraft Corp., ASX, and the Asian Pacific American Chamber of Commerce. In addition, he serves on the Board of Trustees for The Parade Co. and Detroit Sessions. He is a member of the Detroit Athletic Club, and on the board of the DAC Executives Club and the DAC Car Club. Named a Knight of Woodward, he is a member of the Boston-Edison Historic District and the University of Michigan Alumni Association. In 2014, King was inducted into the International Heritage Foundation’s Heritage Hall of Fame and is the youngest recipient so far.
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