by John Reid

As the Northern Virginia Black Chamber of Commerce concludes its second Corporate Leadership Summit, a new voice will lead them.

Earlier today, longtime Communications Director Tonya White was named the new Chair of the Board of Directors. She replaces Samuel Wiggins, who served for three years and rather than seek re-election, he believed it was time to hand the reins over. Prior to the summit, they spoke with the PW Perspective’s John Reid on the transition.

“I’ve been in my term for 3 years, and normally a chair board can go for six years,” said Wiggins. However, I’m not seeking re-election, and turning over the reins to Tonya.”

White is looking forward to the opportunity.

“I’m very excited and to be honest,” she said, “I want to thank Sam and my fellow board directors for trusting me in the position. To be leading such a position is very critical.”

He explained how the mission of the NVBCC is helping Black businesses.

“The NVBCC is a non-profit. We are distinctive in that of the chambers of commerce, we are the only one to receive federal from the U.S. Congress. We’re the only chamber to help their members have an advertising platform with Urban One Radio. We’ve had our first cohort from the Accelerations Program graduating.”

“We’re the oldest Black chamber of commerce, which started in 2008,” he continued. “We have a lot of distinctive qualities which set us apart. It is so great that Tonya’s taking over. She was a supervisor and leader in the FBI, and a successful business leader when she created her own business. She can answer the questions of our members.”

White touted the foundation established during Wiggins’ leadership. “Prior to Sam being in leadership,” she said, “and making sure we brought on new members, he could bring on innovative programs, such as Thrive magazine. We also received over $300,000 of congressional funding to bring on the Accelerator Programs. We have so many new resources to bring to the members. They’ve placed in the position to continue doing great things.”

Wiggins was excited about the Corporate Leadership Summit, where the announcement took place in Ashburn. “The goal is to advance Black businesses in the NoVA area to reach an equitable solution,” he said. “We provide advocacy, programming, resources and events.”

“One event which combines that is the Summit. It allows us to bring in experts from the private sector, and this year we’re talking about access to capital. It is the number one barrier to Black businesses. We talked about traditional lending last year, now this year we’re talking about alternative funds of income. P2 Lending, P2 investments and grants.”

“One of the biggest issues we get from our members is how to get access to capital,” Wiggins continues. “What makes it so important is that we can reach across the broad spectrum of partners to get the information our members need to hear.”

Helping Black businesses post-pandemic. Tonya, “Part of our mission statement is to provide opportunities for Black businesses in the NoVA area. It’s going to help those seeking capital, because many businesses don’t know about alternative funding. They’re going to learn about the funding which they woldn’t know about previously, and cash in those and fund their businesses with it. We are in position to provide these opportunities which are available.”

So, how were they able to help Black businesses remove the barriers to entry?

Wiggins, “When you talk about Covid, a lot of the businesses received the PPP loans. We didn’t have a relationship with the banks. If you didn’t have a checking account, then it was harder to obtain a loan. A lot of Black businesses trying to get loans, and the banks turned them down. So they had to go to third-party vendors, and by the time they got to them the loans were gone.”

“Also, a lot of forms were hard to fill out, so the NVBCC stepped in to help them what they need when they needed it.”

Alternative funding measures, Wiggins said, helps to close the wealth gap.

“Our goal is to connect our businesses with those who have the funding they need. For example, with the peer-to-peer investments, or state and local government, a lot of businesses may not know the requirements. We’re here to help bridge the gap, to provide the resources.”

He also addressed the challenges facing Black businesses.

“It’s a different dynamic for Black businesses, as we are a step behind. We’re more worried about getting our funding together so we can stabilize. Our advocacy focuses on budget balancing, and we can approach agencies like the Small Business Supplier Diversity Agency, who has $250 million in federal funding to provide loans through secondary lenders like banks and CDFI’s, and our member businesses can approach them to get what they need.”

White says the vision is to build upon what the organization established. “We have so many things ahead of us, and Sam has set the stage for so many great things we have done,” she said. “We’re going to continue to create innovative resources, and it’s going to resonate with our members, and be something they need.”

As Wiggins transitions, he is not looking back, but forward.

“I don’t really look back as my nature, I know the chamber is in great hands with Tonya, and our board going forward. That’s the job of each new chair, to take it one step further, and she will do so.”

“What that means for me,” he continued, “I am moving on to become Chief Executive Officer of Virginia Minority Chambers, Inc. We’re a new organization that serves as a platform for all minority chambers across the state of Virginia. In unity, there’s power. We can come together to get funding from both the private sector and government.”

“All the different chambers, whether they are Hispanic, Asian, or otherwise, operate together, while many Black businesses operate in a silo. So the organization Tonya and I created will be to bring everyone together to achieve great things.”

Visit their website to find out more information about the Northern Virginia Black Chamber of Commerce.