Monique Greenwood, part of the husband-and-wife team behind the Akwaaba chain of bed & breakfast inns (B&B), is the featured Entrepreneur of the Week on this week’s edition of the Black Enterprise Business Report, hosted by Caroline V. Clarke. Started in 1995 with the opening of a groundbreaking urban B&B in Brooklyn, NY, Akwaaba now also boasts locations in Washington, D.C., and New Orleans, and two additional inns in Cape May, NJ.
Greenwood, author of the book Having What Matters: The Black Woman’s Guide to Creating The Life You Really Want, owns and operates Akwaaba with her husband, Glenn Pogue. Together, they’ve overcome challenges including several recessions and Hurricane Katrina (which hit only months after the July 4, 2005 grand opening of Akwaaba in the Bayou in New Orleans). Greenwood talks with BEBR Correspondent Shannon Lanier about what it took to establish a hospitality brand that is recognized as the standard bearer for urban B&Bs, one that has inspired other African American innkeepers.
This week’s Power Player is Connie L. Lindsey, executive vice president and head of corporate social responsibility at Northern Trust in Chicago. She’s also the national president of the Girl Scouts of the USA, the renowned organization dedicated to building “girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.” Lindsey talks about the future of the Girl Scouts, which is comprised over more than 3.2 million members.
Also, in our Wealth for Life segment, Black Enterprise
consumer expert Sheiresa Ngo answers the question that will inevitably be faced by consumers of electronics stores: “Should I purchase the extended warranty?” Ngo explains when, and when not, to make that purchase, which can cost between 5% and 40% of the purchase price of that new flat screen TV or other products you may buy.And finally, we look at the growing trend of craft beer-making in our Executive Style segment.
Black Enterprise Business Report is the award-winning weekly, half-hour program offering a mix of one-on-one Power Player interviews with top Black corporate executives, Wealth for Life discussions on personal finance, Entrepreneur of the Week profiles of successful small business owners, Quick Tips providing actionable advice from top business leaders, and Executive Style featuring the hottest lifestyle trends and luxury living for today’s consumer.
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