UBR Morning Post: BE 100s CEO Michael Roberts Talks Legacy Building

This week on The Urban Business Roundtable, UBR Executive Producer TaQuoya Kennedy talks with business titan and Black Enterprise 100s CEO Michael V. Roberts about what it takes for entrepreneurs to establish a legacy in business. Roberts talks with Kennedy about the impact that a successful entrepreneur can have on business, family and community.

Along with his brother, Steven Roberts, this master entrepreneur has built a diverse, multimillion-dollar business empire, including ownership of three city blocks in his native St. Louis, Missouri. Roberts Brothers Properties, the centerpiece of Roberts’ holdings, is ranked No. 41 on the Black Enterprise list of the 100 largest Black-owned industrial service firms, reporting sales of $92 million last year.

Founded in 1979, the Roberts Properties L.L.C is a subsidiary of The Roberts Cos.—a multifaceted real estate and media enterprise. The St. Louis-based company is the premier minority-owned commercial and residential redevelopment firm in Missouri. The firm’s portfolio consists of six properties located across St. Louis, including the Roberts Orpheum Theater, Roberts Lofts on the Plaza, Roberts Place Lofts, Roberts Place Homes, Roberts Tower, and Bahamas-based Roberts Isle.

Speaking of real estate success, contributor Renita Young speaks with real estate expert, coach and trainer Marki Lemons of Marki Lemons Unlimited about why she believes real estate remains a legitimate pathway to building wealth, even in the current economy on the mend. Banking on a decade of experience, Lemmons shares the realities of the current real estate market and what you’ll need to know to make the most of it.

In addition, every week on UBR, you’ll get motivation and inspiration from author and entrepreneurial icon Farrah Gray, a weekly wrap-up of business news from USA Today business correspondent Charisse Jones, our Patient Investor Report from Ariel Investments and key economic intelligence for small business owners from our UBR economists Derrick Collins and Rasheed Carter.

And finally, in my “Alfred’s Notepad” segment, I explain why valuing time, both your own and that of others, can mark you as either a professional or an amateur. UBR listeners who’ve registered for the Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Conference, scheduled for May 22-25, 2011 in Atlanta, will get even more information about what it takes to put your best foot forward as a business owner, in a way that leaves no doubt of your professionalism. Don’t miss this gathering of bosses in Atlanta!

If you have a question you want answered or a topic you want addressed on The Urban Business Roundtable, connect with me at BE Insider, the social media network for people who are serious about Black Enterprise. You can also find me on Twitter and Facebook.

Alfred Edmond Jr. is the senior VP/editor-at-large of Black Enterprise and the host of the Urban Business Roundtable, a weekly radio show, sponsored by Ariel Investments, airing CST Wednesdays at 8:30 a.m., Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 9:30 a.m. on WVON-AM 1690, the Talk of Chicago. You can also listen live online at WVON.com. Check back each Wednesday for The UBR Morning Post, which features additional resources, advice and information from and about the topics, entrepreneurs and experts featured on the show.