Minority Business Council

“What is Freedom”
Dr. Gary Freeze is a retired professor of history at Catawba College. The Statesville native earned all his degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has lived in Salisbury since 1994. At Catawba College he won five teaching awards and at one point served as chair of the faculty senate. In the community he has been a member of the boards of the Tourism Authority, the Historic Salisbury Foundation, the Historic Properties Commission, and the Rowan Public Library. Dr. Freeze’s scholarship has focused on the modernization of the North Carolina Piedmont. He is most noted for his local heritage trilogy, The Catawbans, which chronicles life in Catawba County from colonial to contemporary times. He is also author of a half dozen scholarly articles about Salisbury, Asheboro, Concord, Statesville, and Hickory. He also wrote a middle school textbook on our state, North Carolina: Land of Contrasts. He will share his research on a new exhibit at the Rowan Museum on “What is Freedom,” a new look at African-American history in Rowan County.

The Rowan Chamber’s Minority Business Council was organized in 2016 by a great group of local minority business leaders. Elia Gegorek (Gegorek & Associates Realty) is the chair of the Council. Over 40 attendees usually attend the various functions.

The goal of the Council is to help minority businesses grow and prosper. The Rowan Chamber coordinates meetings, seminar and networking events. The City of Salisbury serves as a co-sponsor of the program. Rowan-Cabarrus Community College’s Small Business Center and Livingstone College also provide support.

The Minority Business Council Action Plan includes:

• Monthly meetings on the Third Tuesday of Each Month at 9 a.m.
  • Two Minutes to Promote Your Business
  • Profile of a Successful Minority Business
  • Expert Speakers: CPA, Attorney, Marketing exec’s
• Promote the RCCC Small Business Center’s free counseling and seminars
• Work with the new Rowan IDEA Center at West End Plaza to encourage entrepreneurial development in our community
• Work with the City of Salisbury on an Angel Investment Fund for minority businesses
• Mentor minority students at Livingstone, Catawba & RCCC who are interested in starting businesses
• Host an Annual Meet and Greet
• Assist interested persons with Minority Supplier Development Certifications
• Promote City of Salisbury bid opportunities for minority business contracts
• Encourage major employees to increase their minority business vendors
• Produce a Minority Business Directory in conjunction with the Chamber’s Annual Membership Directory

For more information on the Minority Business Council, please contact Elaine Spalding at 704.633.4221 or espalding@rowanchamber.com