Kate McDermott 2022-12-12 08:57:18
Meet some of our local women- and minority-owned businesses who can help make your next Chicago meeting or event a resounding success. Discover other local Chicago business leaders. FELLOWSHIP FLEET LIMOUSINE & BUS COMPANY Travis Latham started Fellowship Fleet Limousine & Bus Company in 2004 after an earlier career in IT left him frustrated. “I kept hitting the proverbial glass ceiling,” Latham says. After the dot-com bust, he decided to go into business for himself. Fellowship Fleet offers chauffeured limousines, limo buses, coaches, luxury sedans, and SUVs, perfect for transporting a single VIP or an entire guest list safely and comfortably. The company’s initial focus was on funeral transportation, but soon expanded to work with local universities and corporate clients. Over the years, they’ve worked with large-scale events like the Chicago Gospel Music Festival, Taste of Chicago, and Chicago Jazz Festival. “A lot of companies are too big to be nimble,” Latham says. “We’re truly customer focused with a concierge-like mindset.” And that high-touch service is what brings repeat business. “Word-of-mouth and return business is really what’s taken us to the next level.” Outside of the day-to-day operations of Fellowship Fleet, Latham is passionate about economic growth in the local Black community. He supports Black entrepreneurship through organizations like 100 Black Men of Chicago and the Black Wall Street initiative. E3 PHOTOGRAPHY At e3 Photography, founders Beth Hollander and Elizabeth Fraiberg believe that great event photos and video can both document a successful event and be a valuable marketing tool. “We create imagery that’s appropriate not only for the events team, but also has real commercial value to the company’s sales and marketing team,” says Fraiberg. “Our collateral has a value that is purposeful to the corporation, driving ROI back to our clients.” For 20 years, this boutique studio has been shooting product layouts, lifestyle imagery, hospitality, architecture, and events. Such breadth allows them to meet a wide range of client needs. “My background is in photography and Beth came from film. So, our studio is really built on the mélange between the two mediums,” says Fraiberg. While they’re based in Chicago, clients have shuttled the pair around the world for shoots. They’ve captured elephants in India, the ruins of Machu Picchu, and the mountains of Aspen. Their high production values turn event photos and video into handsome marketing assets, making them an investment, not just an expense. Since they always work together, clients get two experts instead of just one. Hollander recalls, “We had one client who used to call us Ninja 1 and Ninja 2, because we’re everywhere but we’re nowhere!” GONE AGAIN TRAVEL & TOURS In 1999, Crystal Dyer hung her first business license for Gone Again Travel & Tours on her bedroom wall. Within seven years, she had opened the first African American-owned storefront travel agency in the Austin neighborhood, handling local and international hotel accommodations, air travel, and group tours for businesses and families. While the internet has made booking travel easier, working with an agency like Gone Again removes the stress — especially for corporate clients. Dyer notes, “When event planners have a travel pro handling all their arrangements, they can go on with their everyday business and get a phone call back that everything has been taken care of.” The storefront is also a community hub, offering a meet-and-greet location for vendors and neighbors alike. “I’ve always been more than just a travel company. I’m also a community partner and advocate,” Dyer says. “My address is 5940, so I call it 5940-Chill.” Beyond handling the logistics of group travel, Gone Again also offers specialty trips, like Black Heritage Travel Experiences to several African destinations. Closer to home, the Chitown Soul Trolley tour explores Chicago’s historic Black communities, with stops for great food along the way. THE QUARRY EVENT CENTER Part community center, part event space, The Quarry Event Center anchors and supports Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood. General Manager Angela Phillips explains, “In order to create economic viability in each community, money must be spent locally to create a tax base. We’re attempting to provide services so people don’t have to leave their community to get what they need.” The venue is part of the mission of founder Yvette Moyo, whose Real Men Charities nonprofit is dedicated to strengthening Black families through wellness initiatives and encouraging paternal role models. With event spaces that can accommodate up to 150 guests, The Quarry Event Center is a key community resource for local entrepreneurs and neighborhood residents. But non-local events are also welcome at The Quarry. Phillips says, “We want to show that there are other options besides Hyde Park or downtown where you can get quality service in an excellent venue, and get to explore some of the other wonderful areas of this beautiful city.” The Quarry is also home to regular programs for locals, including self-defense classes and Friday Night Jazz. “We definitely have a lot to offer the community,” notes Phillips. MANDALA SOUTH ASIAN PERFORMING ARTS “With the changing demographics of Chicago, we thought it was important to have a platform for Asian dance and music,” says dancer and choreographer Pranita Nayar. “That was largely missing in the Midwest.” To fill that need, Nayar founded performing ensemble and dance academy Mandala South Asian Performing Arts. This company of award-winning dancers and musicians has been sharing rich traditional Indian and South Asian culture with Chicago since 2014. Nayar’s career of dance and choreography spans nearly 30 years. She choreographed for Shakira at the MTV Video Music Awards and performed at the Salt Lake City 2002 Winter Olympics, among other prestigious events. Mandala provides both community and private performances around Chicago. “Sometimes our clients don’t know what they’re looking for. They say, ‘We want 30 minutes to entertain our audience.’ We get a feel for the age, the industry, and the occasion. Is it a scientific seminar or a breast cancer awareness event? And then we theme it accordingly.” Ensembles usually include two or three dancers, but larger groups can also be arranged with as many as 80 performers.
©Chicago. View All Articles.