PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Wednesday is National Bosses Day, and one organization in Portsmouth is celebrating the occasion by making sure some Black businesses owners are getting the recognition they deserve.
The Black Brand's "Good Company Tour," a parade to surprise three area Black businesses with micro-grants, took to Portsmouth streets on Wednesday.
At each stop on the Black Brand’s “Good Company Tour,” they handed out checks to well-deserving business owners.
Tim Armstrong with Bloom Coworking received one of those checks.
Armstrong said, “Just to have someone to say thank you and to affirm what we’re doing, I’ll tell you it pays off.”
The event is just ahead of Black Diamond Weekend, Virginia’s largest Black business conference.
Even though the conference isn’t until next month, Blair Durham, co-founder of Black Brand, says local businesses need support now.
Durham said, “It’s is our way of reminding businesses that you don’t have to go in alone. In fact, you are seen. You are valued in this community."
Organizers handed out three checks worth $1,000 to the bosses at Bloom Coworking, Hard Times Skate Shop and Thyme on The River in Portsmouth.
Durham said, “I’ve seen small businesses translate one thousand dollars to ten thousand dollars. So, the sky is the limit.”
To bosses, like Armstrong, this surprise was more than he bargained for.
“We work hard every single day," he said. "Our 'why' is to change lives. So we’re trying to do that every single day with the people we touch.”
Black Diamond Weekend will run from Nov. 7 to the 9th.