Albany Black Chamber of Commerce reaches 100 members

ALBANY, N.Y. ( NEWS10 ) — Black business owners are few locally and nationally. The Albany Black Chamber of Commerce & Social Club wants to bridge that gap by being a support system and hub for black and minority business owners. The young organization is celebrating enlisting its 100th member.

Deshanna C. Wiggins puts the C in CEO. “Fall of 2023 we opened and not even reaching a year yet it is significant because it shows there is an appetite for the services that we are trying to render and for the work that we are doing,” said Wiggins. Less than a year later, the 100th member to join the organization was Central Med & Urgent Care in Colonie.

The Black Chamber offers help with business promotion and growth, business management training, and connecting owners with government grant and contracting opportunities. Numbers from the state comptroller’s office confirm the need is there.

“There are about 3.5% of African Americans who own minority businesses in this state. Now while that statistic is far-reaching for the national average, it is still very small” Wiggins explained.

The state comptroller’s office puts New York’s black business ownership rate at 3.5 percent, and the Brookings Institution says the national rate is at 2.7 percent. The comptroller’s office finds that the Empire State’s share of majority minority-owned firms, 26.4%, is higher than the national average (21.7%), but lower than other large, diverse states, like California, Florida, and Texas. Asians are the largest minority business owner group in both New York and the entire country.

Part of the CEO’s inspiration was the late Doctor Alice Green. Wiggins attended her tribute services on Sunday. “If it wasn’t for her work just on the social justice side, then we wouldn’t have the opportunity to talk about black ownership and businesses,” said Wiggins.

Below the building is where the social club aspect really kicks in. The chamber is home to what Wiggins says is Albany’s last functioning bowling alley. The entrepreneur says this space is not just so business owners can learn but also socialize in a space that meets all of their needs.

“We want to make sure that this facility is a one-stop shop,” said Wiggins.

A shop where they can access everything from Virtual p.o. boxes to kid-friendly spaces.

“My whole idea with this facility was making sure that we fill those voids where we bridge those gaps so that we’re thinking about every square inch of this place intentionally” Wiggins added.

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