February 20, 2023

February is Black History Month, and as I write this, the temptation is to focus on decades old history. Instead, I’m going to focus on two recent Josiah Marvel Cup winners and remind everyone about the special accomplishments these individuals made to all Delawareans.

In 2019, the State Chamber awarded the Marvel Cup to Joshua W. Martin III, Esq. and Cynthia Primo Martin. Joshua had been president, general counsel, and secretary of Bell Atlantic (now Verizon Delaware), and a Delaware Superior Court Judge for eight years, among many other high-level accomplishments. Cynthia Primo Martin is an accomplished nonprofit executive and founder of Trustees of Color, a nonprofit dedicated to the development of people for service on boards as companies and nonprofits focused on board diversity.

Earlier this year, we awarded the Marvel Cup to Stacey J. Mobley, Esq., former Dupont senior vice president, chief administrative officer, and general counsel. He joined the company in 1972 and rose through the ranks to senior leadership positions. Along the way, he encouraged the company, law firms under contract with DuPont, and others to provide meaningful job opportunities and senior advancements to well-deserving members of the Black community.

The State Chamber is proud to shine a spotlight on these people and their accomplishments. We recognize them again, here, to salute their contributions to our state, and hopefully encourage others to do great things.

The economic news of the week gets started on Tuesday with existing home sales data from January. We expect to see a slowdown as the effect of higher interest rates cools the real estate market. On Wednesday, the minutes from the February 1 Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting become public—these notes could shed added light on the plans and attitude at the Fed and interest rates. On Thursday, initial jobless claims for the first part of February are out. On Friday, consumer and personal spending data from January is released, as are January new home sales figures.

Companies with earnings calls this week leads off on Tuesday with Chesapeake Energy, Home Depot, and Walmart. Wednesday includes Bath & Body Works, eBay, and Etsy. On Thursday, we will hear from Dillard's, Intuit, Modern, Planet Fitness, and Warner Bros. Discovery. The week concludes with calls from Carter's, Cinemark, and Lamar Advertising.

Last Thursday, NBC News featured the Delaware Pathways program: "Learn by doing: A program in Delaware teaches kids about different types of careers through hands-on experience — and it’s working!" Watch the clip >

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