Earlier this year, 15 Black men gathered in the Chicago downtown offices of Quant16 at the invitation of the company’s founder, Robert Blackwell, Jr.
That evening, Chicago, long hailed the Black business capital of the world, hosted the genesis of Blackwell’s brainchild, TESC.Love.
TESC.Love (an acronym for The Entrepreneurial Saving Cities), is premised on the belief that the free enterprise system works for all Americans and can yield success for anyone willing to excel in an area where they possess world-class potential, if given the opportunity.
The initiative is fitting of Blackwell, a visionary business leader who for more than 25 years has led Quant16 (formerly EKI-Digital), in providing cutting-edge digital solutions for public and private sector organizations.
“We ask that everyone takes action by partnering with Black and Brown Businesses,” Blackwell says of the new initiative. “We also require that those businesses impacted through the TESC.Love, tangibly reach back and pull other individuals and businesses from their communities forward.”
The goal, he explains, is to foster direct participation by Black businesses in the modern sectors of the economy to the tune of $40 billion by 2028. The strategy is two-pronged: persuade government entities and Fortune 1000 companies to “Just Do Business” with able Black companies and entrepreneurs through TESC.Love’s Lead Partner Program, and, encourage those Black companies to collaborate, in turn, with younger and smaller entrepreneurs as subcontractors.
“The absence of real business participation opportunities for Black entrepreneurs perpetuates a cycle of poverty and its accompanying symptoms, including inadequate education, healthcare and safety,” Blackwell asserts in an article published in February in the African-American-focused North Dallas Gazette. “While well-intentioned lectures and nominal grants are offered, these gestures fail to translate into genuine business opportunities. It’s disheartening that our community’s talent goes largely untapped due to a lack of meaningful engagement with Black entrepreneurs.
TESC.Love’s strategy is that of a movement bent not only on building a pipeline of talent and capacity, but also on creating greater business opportunities, while cultivating the entrepreneurial aspirations of coming generations.
“Part of the goal of The Entrepreneurial Saving Cities is to create modern versions of thriving Black economic hubs, akin to the historic ‘Black Wall Streets’ of our nation’s past,” Blackwell states. “We have the power in our hands to realize our mission. But, this can’t happen without each and every one of us dedicated, and working collectively toward the goal.”
TESC.Love is moving aggressively with its mission. Already it has reached out to Black and non-Black business communities locally and nationally, as well as to suppliers and state and local governments. It’s establishing strategic partnerships with higher education institutions and impact-driven community organizations, and aligning with technical and non-technical professional services, micro-developers and housing advocates.
“We strongly advocate for the principle of equal opportunity for every individual, and firmly believe that when the Black community is fully engaged in the economy commensurate with their talents, it will lead to widespread prosperity across the nation,”
Blackwell states.
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