The May 2021 issue of the Habitat for Neighborhood Business newsletter features two HNB entrepreneurs, Annette Smoote, owner of Children are Unique Academy, LLC, and Kia Hollis, owner of Mykial Rose, LLC and Markeith Cuts and Styles. Read about their products and services. Our HNB mentor of the Month is Verlean Nicks, owner of Step by Step Preschool. Verlean mentors HNB entrepreneur Annette Smoote, owner of Children are Unique Academy, LLC and has mentored other business owners for more than 40 years. HNB Board member Rich Weinstock, a retired Boeing executive and HNB Board member, shares his role as Mentor Executive for the HNB Board. Our final article is on SLU's Service Leadership program undergraduate business students and their work with HNB entrepreneurs during the pandemic. HNB continues to support minority entrepreneurs to impact underserved communities in the city of St. Louis.
If you have an interest in supporting Habitat for Neighborhood Business, as a
mentor, industry consultant, or donor, contact Gladys Smith, Ph.D., Program
Director, at 314-341-0868.
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Contact Us:
Habitat for Neighborhood Business
3674 Lindell Blvd., DS 108, St. Louis MO 63108
(314) 977-3625,(314)341-0868
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Habitat for Neighborhood Business (HNB) partners with volunteer business professionals and Saint Louis University to help restore economic vitality to under-served neighborhoods through mentoring, networking, and education for existing and aspiring minority entrepreneurs.
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HNB Entrepreneurs of the Month
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Annette Smoote - Children Are Unique Academy LLC
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Annette Smoote has been in the Early Care Education field for over 25 years. She is one of the co-founders of Children Are Unique Academy. Annette has worked with all age groups from 6 weeks to 12 years old, both in daycare and preschools. She says, "Working with children is one of my most rewarding experiences."
Open Sunday-Saturday from 6 AM – 9 PM, Children Are Unique Academy offers all-day care for children who are 6 weeks old to preschool-aged. The academy has one building for infants and toddlers, and a larger building for preschoolers. They also offer before and after-school care for elementary and middle school children (ages 6-12) in their larger building. They consult with families to create a program that makes sense for the parents and their busy schedules. See their website for more information.
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Kia Hollis - Owner of Mykial Rose LLC & Markeith Cuts and Styles
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Kia “KJ” Hollis is a 34-year-old entrepreneur. Her business Mykial Rose LLC, pronounced Michael Rose, was founded in 2013. It started as a business with lingerie and all things for the night. In 2016 the company rebranded and focused on candles and body care products. All candles are scented and made from premium soy wax. The storefront at 4140 Dr. Martin L King Dr, 63113 in the Ville Plaza has all your candle needs and is located three doors down from her salon Markeith Cuts and Styles, 4134 MLK. Services offered at Mykial Rose are create-a-scent, candling with a twist, and retail candle sales. For more information call Kia at 314-240-8959.
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Verlean Nicks - Owner of Step by Step Preschool
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Verlean Nicks owns and operates Step By Step Preschool at 5261 Delmar Blvd. She has been in the Early Childcare business for nearly 45 years and loves it. During these years she has tried to help many others who wanted to start a childcare business by sharing information on how to get the process started.
When she was contacted by Ms. Smith at Habitat for Neighborhood Business to help an up-and-coming childcare center, she was delighted. Helping to mentor HNB entrepreneur Annette Smoote at Children are Unique Academy has been a rewarding experience for both Annette and Verlean. They have been in constant contact since the mentoring relationship began, even during the pandemic. Annette has been very receptive and they have made some great strides. For Verlean, it has certainly been a pleasure getting to know Annette and to support her goals. Congratulations to HNB Mentor of the Month Mrs. Verlean Nicks!
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HNB Board Member of Month
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Rich Weinstock - HNB Board Member
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Rich Weinstock, (retired) Boeing executive for over 38 years, joined the HNB organization over 10 years ago. As Mentor Executive on the HNB Board, his primary duties are mentoring and helping to connect other mentors with business owners. He enjoys getting to know and working with business owners to help them identify and implement solutions to their business challenges. Rich stated, "It has been very gratifying to be part of HNB’s success – when I started we were working with a handful of businesses located on Martin Luther King Blvd to now supporting over 40 entrepreneurs that provide a wide range of products and services throughout the city."
Rich was attracted by HNB’s mission to help entrepreneurs achieve their dreams of owning and operating their own businesses. Important to him was HNB’s approach of teaching key skills, providing advice and support while recognizing the business owner retains primary responsibility. He says, "This mission recognizes the independence and satisfaction business ownership can provide, and the associated benefits of improving neighborhoods/serving as role models. The business owner’s courage, determination, and hard work continue to impress us, encouraging our support efforts."
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SLU's Service Leadership Program Covid Relief Workshop with HNB
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The Service Leadership COVID Relief Grant Teams workshop, held on April 16, 2021, highlighted the impact the service leaders have had on the St. Louis community and the long-term relationships that have been formed between students and the minority entrepreneurs in the HNB program. Through this program, HNB entrepreneurs received support as they have faced extreme challenges due to the pandemic. At the workshop, Service Leadership welcomed Habitat for Neighborhood Business program director, Gladys Smith, to highlight the struggles small businesses have endured during the pandemic. Furthermore, two HNB entrepreneurs, Leslie Christian Wilson and Jana Gamble, outlined the challenges of the pandemic on their businesses, and a response to how the students helped was "the students represented a light through a dark time of uncertainty." The Service Leadership students' hope is to continue this program in the future and focus on positive impacts they can have on the community.
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Donate to HNB Today Through Amazon
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Amazon will donate 0.5% of your Amazon purchases to Habitat for Neighborhood Business when you buy your Amazon products through their website for donations smile.amazon.com. Consider Habitat for Neighborhood Business each time you buy a product through Amazon and let Amazon’s donation help minority entrepreneurs in the city of St.Louis.
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HNB Businesses - Products and Services Available
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Small businesses have struggled due to the shut-downs of the COVID-19 pandemic. The HNB entrepreneurs are still operating their businesses and we encourage you to consider HNB entrepreneurs for your products and services. Listed below are HNB participating businesses and contact information. Check them out!
HNB is growing! We now have 45 entrepreneurs in the HNB program.
Diversity Gallery LLC Natural Hair Products Web Page
Joe-Jo's Fish and Chicken Carry Out Restaurant Web Page
God First Religious Specialty Items Web Page
KDZ Demolition and Construction LLC Web Page
SHR Builders LLC Construction 314-280-2092
Bryan Young's Catering Kitchen Catering Web Page
Brooks Family Entertainment Bounce Houses Web Page
Institute of Personal & Professional Development LLC Individual and Family Counseling Web Page
The Royal Court Event Center Special Events Planner Facebook Page
KG Bookkeeping and Tax Preparations Services 314-210-7326
Gill Industries LLC Vehicle fuel additive Web Page
Create Community LLC Corporate and Event Training Web Page
Personal Touches by Jeanetta, Inc. Special Events Decorator Facebook Page
KJ Styles LLC Specialized Barber Shop 314-240-8959
Travel Angel Planner Travel Agency Web Page
Gregory's Healthy Alternatives LLC Colon Hydrotherapy Web Page
Personal Home Health Services Home Health Care 314-664-1100
EAS Financial Service Tax Services 314-553-9292
Children Are Unique Academy LLC Day Care Service Web Page
SILLYBLES Game for groups 314-402-1750
DJ Owe Disc Jockey 314-688-3627
J Murphy Construction Construction Consultant 314-207-9701
SoHeart LLC Addiction Recovery Service Web Page
Fleur De Lis Development Corporation Real Estate Development 314-249-5957
Healthful Beauty LifeSpa & Wellness Health and Wellness Boutique 314-439-6636
Jon Que Barbecue Grill Sales 314-443-6753
Blue Realty Real Estate Company 314-324-6272
Softest Touch Full-service Beauty Bar 314-484-9599
Eminence Financial Consulting Credit counseling 314-249-3985
Fancy Girl Event Planning Event Planning and Catering 314-437-3470
R&W Logistics & Escort Shipping and Escort Freight 314-267-2140
Clean Cycle Lounge LLC Laundry Services 314-600-8618
Mykiel Rose LLC Beauty Product Sales 314-240-8959
BeauTee Inside Out Retail Clothing & Decor 314-482-2361
Buddy's Auto and Tire Repair Auto Repairs 314-659-0587
Paton Redevelopment Series LLC Property Redevelopment 877-649-4770
SPOTS Enterprises LLC Property Redevelopment 314-550-2301
Counseling and Educational Center LLC Counseling Center
314-440-4448
Gourmet Soul LLC Soul food restaurant, catering, event venue
314-339-5658
The Butler Group LLC Film production 314-479-2938
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Linda M. Jones
Executive Director
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Gladys Smith, PhD
Program Director
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Johnny Dolan
Graduate Assistant
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Samantha Schmidt
Marketing Intern
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Tom Bailey - Urban League of Metro St. Louis, VP Development
Steven Barron, Vice President - Phillip H. Barron Realty, President
Doug Brown, Chairman - Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Waterway Wash, WingHaven, Retired Executive/Principal
David Copeland, Secretary/Treasurer - Rubin Brown LLC, Retired CFO
Terry Donohue, Chief Information Officer - Enterprise Rent-A-Car Retired Executive
Steven Frank - Plancorp, Vice Chairman
Brooks Goedecker - St. Louis Midtown Redevelopment Corporation, Executive Director
Robyn Heidger - Enterprise Bank & Trust, Senior Vice President, Strategic Alliances and Inclusion
Mark Higgins - Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business, Professor of Accounting
Christopher Pickett, Legal Counsel - Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale PC, Officer & Chief Diversity Officer
Thomas Stern, HNB-SLU Program Chair - Gershman Commercial Real Estate, Executive Board Chairman
Rick Sullivan - Strategic Advisors LLC, President
Lynette Sledge Watson - Missouri Small Business Development Center, Business Development Manager
Richard Weinstock, Mentor Executive - Boeing Company, Retired Executive
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The Pettus Foundation
Guy B. Jaffe and Judy Schwartz Jaffe Charitable Foundation of the St. Louis Community Foundation
Commerce Bank
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