Earl G. Graves is a philanthropist, author, publisher and founder ofBlack Enterprise Magazine.

Earl G. Graves was born on January 9, 1935, in Brooklyn and raised in Bedford Stuyvesant, where he learned hard work and perseverance from his parents, Earl Goodwin and Winnaford Colette Sealy Graves.

Graves attended Morgan State University, where he became a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics in 1958. After writing a letter to the Democratic National Committee, he became a volunteer for the 1964 presidential campaign of Lyndon B. Johnson.

His work with the party gave Graves the opportunity to serve as administrative assistant to newly elected Senator Robert F. Kennedy in 1965. Following the assassination of the senator, Graves landed a seat on the advisory board of the Small Business Administration in 1968.

In 1970, he founded Black Enterprise Magazine–a business-service publication targeted to black professionals, executives, entrepreneurs and policy makers in the public and private sector.

It has been profitable since its tenth issue and yearly sales (currently over $53 million) are steadily increasing. BLACK ENTERPRISE has a paid circulation of 475,000 with a readership of more than 4.1 million. It is carried on board most major airlines, and can be found on newsstands nationwide.

In 1972, he was named one of the ten most outstanding minority businessmen in the country by the President of the United States, and received the National Award of Excellence in recognition of his achievements in minority business enterprise.

He is also listed in Who’s Who in America, and in 1974, was named one of Time Magazine’s “200 Future Leaders” of the country.

Graves served as a Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the U.S. Army from 1978 to 1980. He attended Airborne and Ranger School and finished his Army Career (in the rank of Captain) as a member to the 19th Special Forces Group, the Green Berets. He is also the recipient of the U.S. Army Commendation Award.

Earl G. Graves also served as Chairman and CEO of Pepsi-Cola of Washington, D.C., L.P., the largest minority-controlled Pepsi-Cola franchise in the United States. He acquired the $60 million franchise in July of 1990.

The company covers a franchise territory of over 400 square miles including Washington, D.C. and Prince George’s County, Maryland. At year-end 1998, he sold the franchise back to the parent company where he continues to be a significant stockholder and is Chairman of Pepsi’s Customer Advisory and Ethnic Marketing Committee.

In 1997, he authored a book entitled, “How to Succeed in Business Without Being White.” It chronicles the success strategies of America’s premier African-American businessman. Published by HarperBusiness Publications, the book made the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal Business Best Sellers lists.

The book was also selected as a finalist for the 1997 Financial Times/Booz-Allen & Hamilton Global Business Book Award.

In 2002, Graves was named by Fortune Magazine as one of the 50 most powerful and influential African Americans in corporate America. He also serves on the Board of Selectors of the American Institute for Public Service, the Advisory Council of the Character Education Partnership, The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and the National Advisory Board of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.

In addition, Graves is a trustee of Howard University, the Committee for Economic Development, the Special Contributions Fund of the NAACP and the New York Economic Club.

During the span of his business and professional careers, Graves has received numerous awards and honors for his outstanding business leadership and community service, including (but not limited to) the Ronald H. Brown Leadership Award from the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Dow Jones & Company Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence in 1992.

In 1999, he received the 84th NAACP Spingarn Medal, the highest achievement award for African Americans and was named one of the Top 100 Business News Luminaries of the Century by TJFR, a publication that covers business journalism.

In 1995, he was named New York City Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young, and was also inducted into the National Sales Hall of Fame by the Association of Sales and Marketing Executives.

Graves is a member of the National Black College Hall of Fame and has received honorary degrees from 53 colleges and universities, including his alma mater.

Today, he continues to serve as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Earl G. Graves, Ltd., parent company for the Earl G. Graves Publishing Company, publisher of Black Enterprise Magazine

In his 50-year career span, Graves has become one of the most powerful and influential businessmen in the country and clearly a champion of community service and philanthropy.

Currently resides in Westchester County with his wife, Barbara, of 42 years. Mr. and Mrs. Graves have three married sons, all successful professionals who work in the family’s businesses.

Earl G. Graves, we acknolwedge your lifelong service to your community, and we honor your tireless efforts toward developing leadership in black businesses.

Do you know any professional women whose stories are inspiring? Contact Cassandra Mickens at (601) 961-7280 orcmickens@clarionledger.com.

$1,000 Economic Success = Partnership Grants Available

Lawrenceville, GA – November 30, 2011, the Upsilon Alpha Omega Chapter, along with its non-profit affiliate, The Gwinnett Pearls of Service Foundation, Incorporated, will end the application phase in their second Economic Success = Partnership business grant program.

First awarded at the beginning of 2011, these $1,000 grants were designed to aid newly established businesses owned by African-American women. To stress the importance of building a business within the community, the grants include a membership to the Gwinnett County Chamber of Commerce.

The ESP grants are awarded to two non-traditional entrepreneurs in an effort to help them increase their area of influence and reach their full potential. “In today’s economic climate, women are finding opportunities to cultivate their niche and focus on gaining a piece of the market share,” said Sarah Lewis, Upsilon Alpha Omega Vice President/Program Chairman. “While starting and sustaining a business is no small task, many women are choosing entrepreneurship as a means to securing their future.” Kathy Jackson, president of Upsilon Alpha Omega, added, “We are honored to support these dreams by providing a stipend that could push these new and rising businesses to the next level. We care, and we want them to succeed.”

Applicants must have a business that is three years old or younger, must have a valid business license and must have a business account (awards will not be written to individuals). For-profit and not-for-profit businesses are welcome to apply. Applications for the ESP grant can be downloaded from http://upsilonalphaomega.com/upsilonalphaomega/?page_id=34. Scroll to the bottom of the page to download a description of the award and the application.

The Upsilon Alpha Omega chapter and Gwinnett Pearls of Service Foundation strive to not only empower the nontraditional entrepreneur, but to also make an investment in the economic betterment of Gwinnett .

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Upsilon Alpha Omega, the Gwinnett County Graduate Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, has served the County and beyond since 1994 and is nearly 200 members strong.  For more information about the chapter, visit www.upsilonalphaomega.com.

The Gwinnett Pearls of Service Foundation, Incorporated is the non-profit 501(c)(3) affiliate of the Upsilon Alpha Omega Chapter.  Gwinnett Pearls of Service Foundation was established on October 13, 2005, in Gwinnett County, Georgia. The purpose of the foundation is to focus on education, health, youth development and mentoring. Visit www.gwinnettpearlsofservice.com for more information on the foundation.

Most college students are trying to endure the daily challenges and tribulations of higher learning, but Ryan Gibbs is a man with a plan — and his own book.

Gibbs, a senior at USC Aiken double majoring in psychology and communications, wrote a self-help book entitled, “Idle Time.”

Those who knew Gibbs were rather questionable of him writing and publishing a book as an undergraduate.

After much hard work and perseverance, Gibbs’ book is available on websites such as Amazon, Barnes & Nobles and E-Books.com.

Gibbs has more books lined up, however, the titles and concept will remain a secret until readers catch of glimpse of what he has to offer.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 10, 2011

CONTACT: 213.537.3873 or ed@edthesportsfan.com

The Sports Fan Journal – the evolution of Eddie Maisonet’s Ed The Sports Fan, a new online sports publication to launch 11.11.11

CINCINNATI – Eddie Maisonet and Kenny Masenda of Ed The Sports Fan, have announced their launch date and roster of contributors for the highly anticipated online editorial The Sports Fan Journal. The Sports Fan Journal will focus on generating original, thought-provoking and innovative content to sports fans all across the globe. Maisonet will now serve as the Editor-In-Chief and Masenda as the Senior Editor. Both will contribute to the site as well. The Sports Fan Journal is scheduled to launch on November 11, 2011 that will feature original commentary, exclusive interviews, podcasts and more.

The initial launch of The Sports Fan Journal will also feature the following contributors:

• Phillip Barnett – The California writer is a contributor to ESPN’s Truehoop Network and Ed The Sports Fan.
• Joe Boland – Editor of The House That Glanville Built, a popular Philadelphia-based sports blog and contributor to Ed The Sports Fan
• Bryan Crawford – The Chicago scribe is a contributor to SLAM Magazine and the accompanying website, SLAMonline.com
• Syreeta Hubbard – Editor of The NFL Chick, a popular football blog from a knowledgeable female’s perspective. She’s also the co-founder of Gridiron Gals.
• Joslin Lofton – Founder and editor of Pigskin Loving Lady, which delivers “Hot off the Wire” daily content about the National Football League
• Joe Simmons – Founder and editor of Bull City State Of Mind and works as a color analyst for North Carolina Central University Sports Network. Simmons is a member of the NCCU Hall-of-Fame.
• Justin Tinsley – Tinsley is the Associate Editor at The Smoking Section, with a focus on hard-hitting sports insight and music commentary
• Mark Trible – Trible works as the Sports Editor at FauquierNow.com, an analyst at Inside Hockey, and a co-host at Flyers Corner Radio

“What’s deemed popular in the sports blog genre rely on salacious news, rumors and conjecture. Those things just aren’t important to us and our movement,” said Maisonet. “I care about sports and the culture that surrounds it. There’s nothing more unique than the perspective of the sports fan. It’s irrational, nonsensical, biased and that’s what makes it beautiful. I love sports because it’s the ultimate reality television show. It’s got comedy, horror, action, sci-fi, history. It’s got it all.”

“The Sports Fan Journal will be much more philosophical, as we’ll talk about the lifestyle and the perspective of being a fan and telling stories from that viewpoint. We don’t try to be experts. We’re just fans, and that’s the only perspective we know,” Maisonet said.

About Eddie Maisonet, Kenny Masenda and Ed The Sports Fan

Maisonet is the founder and co-editor of Ed The Sports Fan, a blog that was created in 2008 which focused on Maisonet’s personal musings and rants about any and everything revolving around sports. Maisonet is also a contributor to SLAM Magazine, where in 2010 his self-named basketball blog along with his pieces in print have become a staple for hardcore basketball fans to follow. In 2011, SB Nation brought Maisonet on-board as their South Region News Editor to cover breaking news and updates from the Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and Kansas City regions.

Masenda is the co-editor and senior contributor of Ed The Sports Fan. Masenda’s “Soul on Ice” persona was exemplified on ETSF, as his cool demeanor and personable writing style has been an integral part of the success on the site. Masenda has also contributed for other great online publications like SLAM, The Fresh Xpress and Chan-Lo.

Ed The Sports Fan is a two-time winner of the Best Black Sports Blog award and has been cited in numerous online publications including ESPN, Yahoo! Sports and Fox Sports. In 2009, Maisonet, Kenny Masenda and Brandon Lewis created The Unsportsmanlike Conduct Show, a one-hour weekly podcast with exciting commentary and colorful debates between the three co-hosts now averages 1,000 listens/downloads per show.

First introduced into Atlanta school systems in 2007, CoolJuice has expanded to include supermarkets across the country and is now available in the chilled beverage section in over 297 Publix stores in the Atlanta division, which includes areas ofGeorgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and South Carolina.

Currently, 1,200 schools offer CoolJuice as a healthy beverage selection with school lunches in the greater Atlanta area. CoolJuice is a line of all-natural, 100% juice blends that contain no high-fructose corn syrup, no preservatives or artificial colors or flavors, and no added sugars.

Co-founder and Atlanta resident, George Gamble, is a former PepsiCo executive. He co-founded CoolJuice, with Robert Paladino in 2006 in an effort to help tackle childhood obesity. As a diabetic, Gamble was searching for a healthy alternative to juice drinks that include high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) preservatives and artificial flavors and dyes. As an African American, Gamble was well aware of the associated health risks to his community and wanted to create a solution that would satisfy a personal desire while creating a brand for today’s consumer.

“CoolJuice is committed to providing families with a healthy beverage alternative. We can all get behind the idea of establishing better eating and drinking habits early on to help improve the overall health of our children,” adds Gamble. “The distribution deal with Publix marks a monumental breakthrough for CoolJuice and it’s very special to see CoolJuice on the shelf in the supermarkets I shop in or have shopped in while growing up in Atlanta.”

According to the CDC, during the past 40 years, obesity rates for children age 6 to 11 nearly tripled—from 5% to 14%—and more than tripled for adolescents age 12 to 19—from 5% to 17.1%.

An Omega Psi Phi fraternity member, Gamble is involved in the Atlanta community and is a board member of the West End Medical Center and also serves as a board member of the Atlanta Public Schools Health & Wellness committee. Additionally, he serves as a committee member of the Youth Diabetes Awareness program.

About CoolJuice® Beverage Company: CoolJuice® Beverage Company ( ) was founded in 2006 to help tackle the child obesity epidemic in the U.S.A. CoolJuice produces all natural, 100% juiceblends with vitamins A, C, D and Calcium that contain no high fructose corn syrup, no preservatives or artificial flavors, no added sugars or colors, and are gluten-free. CoolJuice® is available in select markets in the following flavors: Tropical Rhythms, Tropical Blue, Fruit Punch, and Mango Groove.

On June 6 the Marcus Graham Project (MGP) began its 3rd annual iCr8 Summer Boot Camp. Eleven young professionals were selected from across the nation to participate in the boot camp program, forming a real-life integrated marketing communication firm – Bippitus – to train them to become mavericks within the advertising, marketing and media industries. In an effort to introduce fresh perspectives to the media industry the students are documenting the 10-week experience, and sharing it via a live Ustream show entitled The Drum and YouTube web series called The Us.

The members of Bippitus were each given cameras to document their personal journey through the program. The students release their footage as a web series entitled, The Us. New episodes are posted every Monday at 3 p.m. on YouTube, www.youtube.com/bippitus.

In addition to The Us, Bippitus hosts a live web series entitled, The Drum. This is a venue for the members of Bippitus to share their experiences and give book reviews on required readings from the MGP curriculum. The show is interactive and viewers are encouraged to call and tweet in to have their questions answered during the show. The Drum is broadcast live on the Bippitus Ustream page at www.ustream.tv/channel/bippitus-agency-live at 2 p.m. every Friday.

Meet the “Us” in Bippitus:

Every Friday throughout the summer Bippitus will host The Lemonade Stand, a social networking event held at the MGP Dallas headquarters on 1409 S. Lamar St., Suite 1021.

This event will provide the media and public an opportunity to meet this year’s boot camp team.

To arrange an interview, or for more information about Bippitus please contact Marcus Graham Project program director, Lincoln Stephens, by calling 972.897.9985 or by e-mail: Lincoln@marcusgrahamproject.org or visit www.marcusgrahamproject.org.

About Bippitus:

Bippitus is an integrated marketing communication agency specializing in advertising, public relations and retail marketing. It’s composed of 11 young professionals ages 22-29 from across the United States. The students were selected through a rigorous portfolio and video submission process. The agency will function for 10-weeks as an extension of the Marcus Graham Project, under its 2011 iCr8 Summer Boot Camp Program

About The Marcus Graham Project:

The Marcus Graham Project is a Dallas-based nonprofit organization, which consists of a national network of diverse professionals that have purposed themselves in developing the next generation of thought leadership within the advertising, media and marketing industry.

Our mission is to identify, expose, mentor, and train ethnically diverse men and women between the ages of 16 and 34 in all aspects of the media industry, including advertising, entertainment and marketing. The vision of The Marcus Graham Project is to provide long-term access to information, technology, financial and people resources that will strategically develop a viable pool of talent and leadership within the industry.

In the News:

The Marcus Graham Project & John Legend’s The Show Me Campaign Partner to Take Action on Education Reform: http://bit.ly/kDf2Jp

The Spring 2011 Issue of Dovely Magazine is here! In this issue: National First Anti-Basileus and 2012 IGB Candidate Mary Breaux Wright has A LOT to say, Soror Kendra Hatcher-King and her Power Moves as a Top Advertising Executive, Dr. Syleecia Thompson on maintaining a healthy business, Soror Tamara Manning on living FINER, and Soror Stephanie Arnold on the BRAND of ZETA. Not only can you read it online in your browser, it is also available for download.

http://www.dovelymag.com/issues/spring-2011/

After being raised in a single-parent family and incarcerated for a crime he did not commit, Darrell Barnes found his calling as a motivational speaker and author.

Barnes, a Houston resident who graduated from Texas Tech in 1995 after studying television communications, is described by friends as a trooper.

“If I had to sum it up, I’d say that he’s a survivor,” said Marquis Washington, a fellow member of Tech’s Alpha Phi Alpha. “Out of all the people that I know, he would be the person who would survive anything, even the end of the world.”

Barnes’ book, “Pit to Palace: 7 Proven Principles for Ultimate Success,” is a plan for readers to improve their lives and achieve success.

According to Barnes’s website, the book will help readers identify negative influences and how to change them, how to believe in themselves and their abilities, and how to develop a personal game plan for the future.

“I was incarcerated for a number of years for a crime I didn’t commit, and in the process, once I was released, I had to come up with a plan of action how to get my life back on track and become who I am able to be,” Barnes said. “And through that process I came up with a set of principles of success, which is how the book came out.”

Washington said he remembers when he and Barnes first began school at Texas Tech and how at ease Barnes was in his new environment.

“I think when we first got to college, though he was the freshman in our group, he was the person who seemed more at home than anyone else,” Washington said. “I didn’t know him then, and I didn’t know what to expect, but after getting to know him, I came to realize he’s like that — he can adapt to pretty much any environment.”

Willie Parker has been a friend of Barnes’s since they were 11 years old and said Barnes was able to change his life and mature through trials and tribulations and succeed, which is what his book is about.

“Obviously he’s been through things in his life, but he’s been able to overcome that, and being able to come to the point where he is at, it’s just a test of his character,” Parker said.

Barnes travels across the United States and speaks to people of all ages about making positive decisions.

“The first thing, I tell them is to believe in themselves because if it is something you believe and envision for yourself, then it is possible,” said the author, who is also a life coach, through Les Brown’s Speakers Network. “Most people, the reason why they haven’t been successful is because deep down inside they don’t believe they can actually accomplish the goals they set for themselves.”

However, it is not Barnes’s experience growing up without a father or being in jail for six years that inspires him to speak to others.

“The No. 1 motivator that encouraged me to get out there was just coming into the realization that that was my true calling,” Barnes said. “I think the freeing expression of the most you’ll ever become is when you realize what you were put on this earth for.”

Terry Davis, 43, the former elected National Treasurer of Phi Beta Sigma, an international fraternal organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to time served of 31 months in prison for committing bank fraud stemming from his theft of more than $50,000 from the fraternity’s bank accounts, announced U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. and James W. McJunkin, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

Davis, formerly of Memphis, Tenn. and Herndon, Va., was sentenced on March 14, 2011 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by the Honorable Reggie B. Walton. In addition to the sentence of 31 months, Judge Walton ordered that the defendant pay restitution of $50,000 to Phi Beta Sigma and be placed on five years of supervised release. The parties had agreed upon the period of incarceration and restitution amount as part of the plea agreement, which Judge Walton accepted as part of the sentence.

A federal jury sitting in the District of Columbia had convicted Davis of bank fraud and other charges on May 3, 2007. The District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals reversed those convictions on February 26, 2010. Davis had been imprisoned as part of the earlier convictions from May 3, 2007 through December 5, 2009.

On November 30, 2010, Davis pled guilty to a one-count Information charging bank fraud. As part of an Agreed Statement of Offense filed in connection with the plea agreement, Davis admitted that between January 2001 and June 2003, while he was the elected, National Treasurer of Phi Beta Sigma, he stole money from the fraternity’s bank accounts by writing checks to cash, which he would then negotiate by means of his personal bank account. In order to circumvent the requirement of a second signature of another fraternity officer on the checks, Davis presented checks containing the forged signature of the fraternity’s National President or simply negotiated the checks without the required second signature.

As part of the scheme to defraud, Davis admitted that he falsely represented on the memo line of some of the checks and to responsible officials at the fraternity that the checks to cash were written to fund legitimate fraternity activities, whereas, as Davis well knew, the checks were used for his own personal benefit. Davis admitted that he used at least $50,000 of the proceeds obtained through the scheme for his personal benefit.

In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen and Assistant Director McJunkin praised the investigative efforts of agents of the FBI’s Washington Field Office. They also commended those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Tasha Harris, Legal Assistant Jared Forney, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vasu B. Muthyala and Michael K. Atkinson, who prosecuted the case.