Conference participants eye minority-business concerns

Growing up in a West Philadelphia neighborhood just blocks from Penn's campus, Will Johnson said he had a lot to learn about how to succeed in business -- especially as an African-American. However, hard work, a little luck and a lot of networking -- in addition to his Wharton MBA credentials -- enabled him to succeed, the Visage Energy chief executive officer told a small audience last weekend at the Whitney N. Young Business Conference. Johnson joined more than 800 students, professionals and corporate and community leaders at the Pennsylvania Convention Center to discuss current business issues, learn about African-American progress in the business world and honor the legacy of 1960s civil rights leader and business educator Whitney Young. The three-day conference and career fair sponsored by Penn's African-American MBA Association -- which attracted students from schools such as Harvard, Stanford and Cornell universities -- is "the largest student-directed conference at Penn, Wharton and arguably any business school in the United States," according to first-year MBA student Olukunle Malomo, who is a member of the conference planning committee. Panels of successful African-American businesspeople -- including several Wharton School alumni -- addressed a variety of current topics of interest to the African-American community, such as community development, building economic ties with African nations and Internet marketing. "We wanted to be reflective as well as looking forward to the future," added second-year MBA student Eme Essien, the vice chairperson of the conference. Julian Bond, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, gave the keynote address at the conference Saturday, where he spoke about the struggle African-Americans face in business and politics. The Young Conference -- sponsored by such companies as Goldman Sachs Co., the Campbell Soup Company and Citibank -- also kicked off the AAMBA's newest initiative. At the conference's opening ceremonies, the group pledged $250,000 toward the multi-million-dollar Wharton classroom building. Construction is set to begin this summer at the site of the former University Bookstore at 38th Street and Locust Walk. "We are the first student group to make that type of contribution on that scale," said conference spokesperson Veronica Woods, a second-year MBA student, who noted the group's intentions to memorialize Young's name on a classroom in the new building. And the conference also held a "New Venture Competition," which awarded $10,000 of start-up money each to the student and non-student entrepreneur with the best business plan. Eugene Wade -- who graduated from Wharton's MBA program in December -- won the contest for his work with LearnNow Inc., a for-profit education organization seeking to open public charter schools in urban areas. "If Whitney Young were alive today, he would be talking about technology in the African-American community, improving education, globalization and the strides corporations have made [in giving African-Americans more opportunities]," Essien said.