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MAIL: P.O BOX 1851, DURHAM, NC 27702 | WEB: WWW.GDBCC.ORG | EMAIL: THEGDBCC@GMAIL.COM
Greetings! The Board of Directors of the Greater Durham Black Chamber of Commerce (GDBCC) thanks you for
your support and for joining us at the Inaugural Black Business Gala. Tonight, we come together to
commemorate the rich history of Durham's Black Businesses, to honor Andrea Harris and Mayor William "Bill"
Bell for their innumerable contributions to our business community, and to plant seeds for the future growth
and development of this community.
Since 2008, the GDBCC has worked to support a thriving Durham business ecosystem, focusing on the support,
growth, and development of black businesses. We have worked to create a collaborative partnership with big
and small businesses, city and county government, for-profit and non-profit corporations, individuals and
groups. We are especially grateful for outstanding support from the City of Durham, NC Mutual Life Insurance
Company, NCIMED, Mechanics and Farmers Bank, and Durham County.
Over the years, the GDBCC has planned and executed a number of seminars, workshops, business fairs, and
various networking events to research, develop, and support Durham's black businesses. In the days ahead, we
plan to continue these efforts while strengthening our services to the community. We hope and trust that you
will continue to join us in our efforts to strengthen the black business community.
As we take this occasion to celebrate our past, seize present opportunities, and look to our future, we say thank
you. The Board takes this opportunity to especially thank our members, for whom we work. Thank you for your
support, trust, energy, time, and treasures. We look forward to continuing to serve you by helping to create and
fulfill more opportunities, growing and developing your businesses. We say thank you to our sponsors,
advertisers, and individuals who helped to make this important event possible.
We thank you for joining us tonight and ask that you please continue to support each other and black-owned
businesses. THANK YOU!
Signed on Behalf of the GDBCC Board of Directors,
Cyril Broderick, Jr., Chair
GDBCC Board of Directors: Donald Baker, Anissa Barbee, Dr. Georgiary Bledsoe, Larry Borders (Vice-Chairman),
Cyril Broderick, Jr. (Chairman), Keelan Brown, Richard Brown, Faith Bynum, Pamela Gales, Larry Holt, Thomas
Leathers, Jacquelle Leggette, Dr. Wanda Lester, Connia Watson, Jr., Thomas Whitehead, Shawn Williams,
Carolyn Winder, Justin Reid (Intern), Keiosha Staton (Intern)
Andrea Harris
NCIMED Co-Founder and Senior Fellow
Andrea Harris is Founder and Senior Fellow of the NC Institute of Minority Economic Development (generally
referred to as The Institute). The Institute works to build the assets of limited resource populations through
economic development strategies that build businesses, create jobs, and sustain institutions vital to a vibrant
economic environment. The Institute’s core goals are to expand access to affordable capital (money), expand access
to public and private sector market opportunities (markets), and to support management efficiencies that enhance
profitability and sustainability (management).
Andrea provided the leadership for Executive Orders and state statutes that significantly expand the utilization of
minority and women owned businesses by state and local units of government; that codified into state statutes the
establishment of a state office of Historically Underutilized Businesses with the resources to assist and track the
utilization of minority and women owned business throughout all of state government; and promoted the
appropriation of state funds for disparity studies of all of state government, including the NC Department of
Transportation on a regular basis. Its work generally results in between $50+ million in market contracts and
financial transactions for their business clients annually.
The Institute is headquartered in Durham, North Carolina and owns one of the few national African-American
Landmarks in the country (the original home of North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company and Mechanics &
Farmers Bank). It also operates the Women’s Business Center of North Carolina, the NC Minority Business
Development Agency (Raleigh), and administers the Public Allies North Carolina program. The Institute completed
reports for several NC HBCUs on the Economic Impact of HBCUs on their host communities. These reports help the
broader community value HBCUs as major economic engines, especially in their host communities.
Success for the Institute comes from the organization’s belief in collaboration. For example, the Institute has
partnered with major financial institutions, challenging them at first, and then working to strengthen relationships
and opportunities for HBCUs, and for minority and women owned firms. In one partnership alone, a major vendor
increased its contracts with minority and women owned businesses from $50 million to more than $250 million in
one year. In another, the Institute worked to build a new culture of expanded opportunities for small businesses in
collaboration with a major corporation, minority businesses, and others.
Andrea is a Bennett College alumna and currently serves on its Board of Trustees. She is also a member of the
National Advisory Board for the Institute for Emerging Issues, the Research Triangle Regional Partnership, the Vance
County Economic Development Commission, and Raleigh Advisory Board for Wells Fargo. She is also a member of
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.
City of Durham Mayor William V. “Bill” Bell
Short Biography
Stepping into Durham politics approximately 42 years ago, Bill Bell wanted to maximize Durham’s economy,
education and other resources, believing that government best serves citizens by partnering with them and the
private sector.
Bell, a retired IBM Senior Engineer (1996), served as an elected Durham County Commissioner for 26 years (1972 –
1994; 1996 – 2000) and Chairman of the Durham Board of County Commissioners for12 years (1982 - 1994). As
Chairman of the Durham County Board of Commissioners he was recognized as the architect of the 1992 merger of
the then “Durham City Schools System” and the then “Durham County School System” into the now “Durham Public
School System” (DPS). He was elected Mayor of Durham, NC in 2001 and continues to serve as the Mayor of
Durham, NC as the longest serving Mayor in Durham’s history. He is past Chairman of the NC Metropolitan Mayors
Coalition an organization of the 27 largest cities in NC with populations of more than 30,000. He presently serves as
Chairman of TTA (the regional Transportation Authority responsible for bringing Light Rail to the Region). He has
over the years served on numerous local, state and national boards and committees. He continues to serve on many
committees and boards, such as the NC Film Commission; past Chairman of Mutual Community Savings Bank and
past Board member of Mechanics and Farmers Bank; member of M&F Bank Durham Advisory Board; US Conference
of Mayors; Board member of the African American Mayors Association, Inc. (AAMA), and over the years has been
the recipient of many local, state and national awards and honors.
Born in Washington, DC, Bell attended the public schools in Winston-Salem, NC graduating from Atkins High School
in 1957 prior to the integration of Atkins High School. He received his B.S./Electrical Engineering from Howard
University in Washington, DC in 1961 and his M.S./Electrical Engineering from New York University in New York, NY
in 1968. He served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps as a 1st Lieutenant from 1961 to 1963. He has worked as an
Electrical Engineer in both the private and public sectors respectively at Martin Marietta Corporation, Orlando
Florida, the U.S. Research and Development Laboratory Ft. Monmouth, NJ and the IBM Corporation, Research
Triangle Park, NC where he retired in 1996.
He presently is the Executive Vice-President/Chief Operating Officer of UDI/Community Development Corporation, a
501(c3) Non-Profit Corporation here in Durham, NC. He is married to Judith Chatters Bell and they are the parents of
4 children and grandparents of 4 grandchildren.