Funding for this program was made possible by The Heinz Endowments.

Thank you.

[♪♪] - That's right.

It's perception.

What they see on TV, and a large percentage of black people who are on TV, unfortunately, it's around issues of violence.

[♪♪] NARRATOR: Crime or sports dominate the way African American men and boys are portrayed in the media because this is not a story you might see often on TV, African American male entrepreneurs who are succeeding like Jamie Wallace.

- Running between two restaurants is pretty challenging.

NARRATOR: Like Greg Spencer.

- Primary business is a chemical manufacturing company I bought in 2006.

NARRATOR: Now a major figure in business who could only dream about it as a boy.

Yes, he did have a challenging childhood.

- My mom was the kindest woman you'd ever want to meet.

She used to go to bed... ... hungry.

NARRATOR: But Spencer hopes the media will tell more success stories like his.

So does Charles Toran, Jr., who owns Sci-Tek Engineering with offices in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

- Perhaps there's a bias in the media, I'm not really sure, but I think it's because as a society enamored with other roles that we play such as the athlete, the star, the entertainer.

NARRATOR: Entrepreneurs all who mentor young men to take charge to better portray themselves as well.

- Wanting more out of life I think is a first step.

Secondly, I believe education plays a role.

- Well, I would like to be a lawyer.

NARRATOR: These hard working entrepreneurs have a story to share about making it and owning it.

[♪♪] - Washington, PA is a relatively small city, humble beginnings and that kind of stuff.

But I had a good loving mother, and my father loved me.

NARRATOR: 63-year-old Greg Spencer comes back to Washington, PA often, and he loves walking down memory lane.

- Let me see if I know you ladies.

No.

[LAUGHTER] - Hi, Gregory.

How are you?

- Hey!

[LAUGHING] How you doing, girl?

NARRATOR: If you think successful African American men don't want to return to the public housing projects where they grew up -- - Get out of here!

[CHATTING] NARRATOR: -- then you haven't met Greg Spencer.

- Drive from my father in terms of hard work, and I picked up the personality from my mother.

And I think I had -- there was some high expectations being the only boy.

NARRATOR: The only boy in the family who was given lots of opportunities by his supportive parents growing up here at the Lincoln Terrace Projects in the shadows of Washington and Jefferson College where his father was a janitor.

- I used to just sit there and just dream, and think of what life ahead would include or would be.

And so it has a unique spot for me, and I can only say because of that, that it represented success.

And I enjoyed hanging out there.

Nobody would know I would do that.

NARRATOR: Eventually, he took a few classes at W&J and then went on to get an undergraduate degree at Pitt and ultimately a Master's degree.

He and his wife, Janet, are grandparents now, empty nesters, and they live in this elegant stately home in Oakland.

Greg left corporate management in his early 50's to become an entrepreneur.

He remembers the pressure.

- Because there's a lot of risk at this.

There was no paycheck coming in here.

NARRATOR: But his hard work paid off.

He now owns several real estate companies and a chemical supply company in Indiana, PA. - Antwan asked if you were coming back in.

NARRATOR: Janet works for her husband.

INTERVIEWER: You started as a volunteer, is that what you told me?

- Yes.

I thought I'd go down a couple hours a week and help out.

- Because fancy pants needed work.

You thought he needed some help, right?

Yeah.

- I was just volunteering.

- And then -- and now you're a paid employee?

- Yes and no.

NARRATOR: Things are going so well for Greg Spencer he's now putting a great deal of his energy into influencing younger African American men to become entrepreneurs.

He recalls a frustrated 20-something man who reached out to Greg for help.

- I was walking down the street, and he said to me that he felt he had done everything he could to become successful.

If you want to work with me, because I needed some help, you want to work with me, I said, I'll at least get you exposure, and I'll help you learn.

NARRATOR: That young man was Derrick Tillman of Homewood.

He, too, graduated from Pitt but couldn't get a job.

After meeting Greg Spencer by chance -- - Greg believed in me, unlike a lot of other people.

So he says, "You know what?

I'll allow you to come work for me."

NARRATOR: Tillman worked so hard Spencer decided to give him an entrepreneurial interest in owning the City of Bridges restaurant at the airport.

That's not all.

- He said, "Hey, let's -- let's team up and do this thing on a larger scale."

- So you're a co-owner of a real estate company?

- Yes, yes, yes.

I'm also a co-owner of a weatherization company as well.

- If you never met Greg Spencer, where would you be?

- I would still be an entrepreneur.

I just probably wouldn't be as far along as I am today.

NARRATOR: Now Tillman mentors young African American men.

- My Mom and Dad when they first moved here -- NARRATOR: And that's the whole point, says Greg Spencer, who comes home to 246 Lincoln Terrace to steer young black men into education, hard work, ownership.

- When you were -- your bedroom was in the front there.

Is that right?

- Yeah.

- When you were a little boy in here... what did you dream about?

What did you think about?

- I didn't know what success was.

I mean, I didn't have a definition of it, but I wanted my parents and people in the community to be proud of me.

Whatever I did, whatever -- I had no context of being an entrepreneur, owning your own business.

That was never even -- that never came along.

But that's probably the greatest thing I used to think about and glad that I was blessed to have a good Mom and Dad.

- Greg, as we stand here, I know you're bright, - maybe some luck came along -- - Lot of luck.

but you worked really hard.

Isn't that true?

- Absolutely.

I mean, what I didn't have for brain power or if I didn't have for other things, nobody could ever say that I didn't work hard.

I'm one of the hardest working guys I know.

That's blessed because I had the energy to do it.

I mean, not everybody has that energy.

NARRATOR: He remembers fondly being able to swim and play basketball right next door to the projects at the Lemoyne Community Center.

In those days, it was the only pool in Washington County where African Americans could swim.

After becoming a successful entrepreneur, Spencer not only helped Lemoyne financially, but he remains active in growing the community center.

- Center looks a little different, doesn't it?

- Yeah, it does.

It was painted and everything.

NARRATOR: Lemoyne Community Center Executive Director, Joyce Ellis, takes pride in taking Spencer on a tour, showing off all the remodeling improvements and new programs for young people.

- This is the big -- say hello to Mr. Spencer.

GREG: How you doing?

BOY: Hello.

Hi, I'm Greg Spencer.

How you doing?

NARRATOR: Joyce Ellis is credited with growing this center far beyond what Greg remembers as a child.

Children are fed here.

They study here.

They are tutored here, get physical activity, and they build their futures here.

- It's not how you start the game.

It's how you finish, and you started where a lot of them are starting, and they're disgruntled.

They get upset, and their parents haven't finished school, but we got to get this next generation through and with your help, we're going to do this.

- With your leadership.

- No, no, with your help.

- So you remember the outline of the pool?

- Oh yeah.

I remember the pool.

NARRATOR: The Lemoyne pool is long covered over.

It's a playground now.

Joyce Ellis is grateful that Greg Spencer stays focused on this place.

- Thank you for moving forward because people like you made it possible for me to use your name and say Mr. Greg Spencer grew up in the projects.

Look where he is today.

Don't you tell me you can't do it.

They'll say, "Who's Greg Spencer?"

I say I'm bringing him back here!

- That knuckle head kid.

- It's a perfect scenario for the kids to understand that.

It's not how you start it.

It's how you finish it.

- You can be anything you want to be, right?

NARRATOR: Spencer meets in small groups with boys, many of whom live in the Lincoln Terrace Housing Projects.

And he hopes they have dreams and can fulfill them, too.

- I'm what's called -- you know what?

Called an entrepreneur.

And it means I own -- I happen to own a few different businesses, but the business that really makes a difference is called Randall Industries, chemical manufacturing company.

Now, if you would have grown up with me over at 246 Lincoln Terrace and somebody said that Greg Spencer's gonna own his own company, you know what they would have said?

- They said it ain't going to happen.

- It ain't going to happen.

Ain't going to happen.

And why wouldn't it have happened?

- Because they think probably like you live in the project.

They thought you wasn't going to be anything.

- Yeah, yeah.

You ever notice when sometime you live in the projects around here how people look at you?

NARRATOR: The boys promise to stay focused on their dreams, and they pummel Spencer with questions.

- How many years of college did you have to go to?

- How much do you earn?

- Sometimes you're really not supposed to ask people how much they earn.

NARRATOR: Spencer admits he can be hard on African American boys who don't appear to be focused on their futures.

But he rejects stereotypes and perceptions and wants all kids to be treated as individuals who can make it.

- Swimming pool which is now gone is where I -- - The whole issue that I see is really what people are exposed to, and they're exposed to what they see unfortunately.

And then it gets supported when they see loud black kids down by the trolley stop.

But they're kids, you know?

And so I think sometimes people lose sight of kids laughing and having fun.

I mean, and these perceptions are really difficult to address.

Now, sometimes -- and my wife tells me be careful.

I'll tell a kid, "Pull your pants up, man."

NARRATOR: Spencer gets a laugh telling these kids he was never the best basketball player, but he just might be one of the best entrepreneurs, the kind that doesn't just make money, but makes sure others get opportunities just like he did.

- Think about where you came from.

You know what I mean?

Because that is not what's going to happen.

It's where you going to go.

And so I remember the first time I knew we were poor.

We were coming up the street, and this guy said, who I did not know very well, he said, "Where do you live?"

I said, "Right there in Lincoln Terrace."

He said, "That's for poor people."

I had no idea.

I never let that stop me.

Don't let anybody put you in a box.

You got a dream, go for it.

[♪♪] - Hi.

What's going on?

[BABY CRIES] - Shh.

Shh.

[BOTH LAUGHING] NARRATOR: When baby Atticus wakes up, it brings pure joy to Jamie Wallace and his wife, Heather.

JAMIE: Well, he's 15 months old, and really an active little guy.

I think in that respect, he unfortunately takes after me.

Bad sleeper and high motor.

[♪♪] NARRATOR: Meaning constantly active.

Whether watching over the fast-paced preparation at Alma Pan Latin Kitchen at Forbes and Braddock in Regent Sqauare where they rustle up Cuban sandwiches, shrimp with lime and garlic sauce and other delicious creations or at Highland and Center Avenues in East Liberty.

- Hi, guys.

- How you doing?

- I'm Jamie.

I'm the owner.

Very nice to meet you.

NARRATOR: Making sure patrons are happy at Abay Ethiopian restaurant where popular combination platters of beef, chicken, collard greens are served up.

Never accuse Jamie Wallace of not paying attention to his two popular unique restaurants.

He works an average 12 hours a day, shuttling back and forth to Alma and Abay all because he wanted to be an owner.

So eight years ago at age 32, this University of Pittsburgh law graduate gave up a high paying steady income to fulfill his dream of becoming an entrepreneur.

- You had kind of a fancy career at Buchanan Ingersoll and then corporate counsel at Alcoa.

And then -- - Yeah, and then I lost my mind and decided to open a restaurant.

Yeah.

And it was really -- to me, what I'm passionate about is culture and -- NARRATOR: After law school, Wallace studied for a short time in Africa.

He loved it.

Loved the food.

Wanted to share it with Pittsburghers, but that's not all.

Becoming an entrepreneur would keep his family here.

He had offers to move out of town as a lawyer and becoming an owner, he says, means you do business where you want to.

- To me, I wanted to be happy, and I got to a point where I was either going to really leave Pittsburgh and do what a lot of my friends who graduated from law school did.

They went back to a larger city.

Or if I was going to stay in Pittsburgh, do something that I thought would add to the city and make it just a more diverse and cooler place.

NARRATOR: Abay opened in 2004, and this ethnic cuisine became an instant hit.

The Bryant family came from Washington County.

- Pretty good.

- Is it spicy?

- Yeah.

It's very spicy.

- Fantastic!

Spicy as you can see.

But it's definitely good.

- That's not our camera light making you sweat.

- No, not at all.

- I thought you were sweating because -- - Well, don't -- I get in trouble every time I put this own.

So don't shoot this part.

- Why are you -- why are you wearing a New England Patriots shirt?

- It was dark when I got dressed.

NARRATOR: Jamie Wallace was sweating it out when he first opened.

He took an entrepreneurial risk on the neighborhood and it paid off.

The Highland Avenue, Center Avenue area is now a trendy upscale fashionable place, but he says he worried whether Pittsburgh was ready for Ethiopian cuisine.

- I think were some naysayers -- because what they kept saying to me was -- even people who were familiar with the cuisine, is Pittsburgh ready for an Ethiopian restaurant?

Like are we like progressive enough to embrace that?

I was pretty confident that if we could get going and do it well that it would be received.

NARRATOR: So well received, Wallace was then able to open his new Alma Pan Latin restaurant and a catering company.

- It's going exactly like I thought it would be which is crazy.

It's running between two restaurants is pretty challenging.

Luckily, they're not very far from one another even though to be an entrepreneur you have to be a risk taker to a certain extent.

I think calculated risk makes a lot of sense.

NARRATOR: Wallace says if you want to be an entrepreneur expect to put in long hours, hard work, and be able to deal with setbacks.

If you can do all that, he recommends owning it.

- And again, really understand that you're in a place where we're built on entrepreneurism and success -- this country.

And there aren't similar opportunities in a lot of other places.

And so even if you haven't been raised in the best set of circumstances here, you still have a leg up compared to many people in the world, and I think honestly having just being really driven and really focused and very pragmatic about what you're doing helps a lot, too.

And really reaching out to mentor.

NARRATOR: Wallace hopes to continue growing his businesses not out of ego or for more money but because he's building a future for his wife, Heather and baby, Atticus.

- I hope that I can be more a part of his life.

I'm really busy right now and so we just took a vacation recently, and it was a good reminder to me that I haven't spent as much time with him as I've wanted to, quite honestly, because I have long days.

It's really exciting for me to have him in my life.

NARRATOR: And to stay in his beloved hometown of Pittsburgh where he's realizing his unique entrepreneurial spirit.

JAMIE: Because I feel like there's a lot of room for growth in the city and so to me, I wouldn't have opened a business that didn't add something to the cultural landscape as we say.

What's cool to me is pushing the city forward, like moving it more and more and bringing something new.

NARRATOR: Right next door to Jamie Wallace's Abay restaurant, [♪♪] Ava Lounge is just getting jammed on an early Friday night.

Ava is relatively new, owned by Justin Strong, who opened the legendary Shadow Lounge some 12 years ago.

- 33 years old.

- Yeah, well my knees about to turn 52 tomorrow.

NARRATOR: Strong has become an influential tavern owner and real estate entrepreneur here in East Liberty.

- Another real estate development company in the works, S&G Holdings, which will be focusing on parcel [INDISTINCT] in the near future hopefully.

- That's development [INDISTINCT].

- Yes, yeah.

Real estate development.

NARRATOR: Strong, who grew up in Point Breeze, comes from a long line of family entrepreneurs dating back to 1945.

But it was here in East Liberty where Justin Strong made his mark at age 21, when he opened Shadow Lounge, believing this part of East Liberty was on the upswing.

He was right.

He's invested in real estate in the neighborhood, too.

He's delighted people like Jamie Wallace are investing here, too.

Strong works an average of 70 hours a week, and his advice for future entrepreneurs, if you're in it to make a quick buck, you'll get crushed.

He says entrepreneurism pays off over time while you become exhausted.

- I'm so -- I wish I could just sweep and mop.

No decisions, please.

Just -- some days you're like I'd rather have a job at one of these drive-thru late night... At least you get a guaranteed paycheck.

- Are you making money?

- Yeah.

I mean, but it's like most businesses.

Sometimes you can work 70 hours a week and lose money, and that's what a lot of people don't understand.

You keep on doing it because you see the long term vision and you keep your eyes on the prize, and you're going to have the ups and downs.

As long as you don't get -- the key is not to get all wrapped up on the low points.

It's like watching the stock market.

You can just watch that stock -- you'll be like, oh.

But then you're like -- you look at it over a period of time -- - The aggregate, the whole picture.

- Yeah.

And you got to just maintain so you'll have slow nights.

Actually, I always tell people I get real nervous when we're doing really good.

I'm like, aw this ain't -- it's like something's about to happen because I've done it long enough I know it's a rollercoaster.

[♪♪] When it's -- we have a slow week, I'm like, ooh, something good's about to happen.

Stay humble and just keep on doing what you love.

NARRATOR: Justin Strong, Jamie Wallace and other African American entrepreneurs predict you will see even further aggressive investment in this East Liberty neighborhood in the near future.

- It sounds like everything's going well.

NARRATOR: It sure is at Sci-Tek Consultants in Penn Hills, an engineering firm with offices here and in Philadelphia.

- These days we're doing a lot of work here in Pittsburgh and also in Philadelphia with the agencies that are responsible for protecting the surface waters.

NARRATOR: Sci-Tek has mostly government agency contracts and many of its local projects deal with making sure our drinking water is safe and heavy storm sewage overflow is contained.

Sci-Tek was founded in 1996 by Charles Toran, Jr., a native of Baltimore who came here to Pittsburgh to get his engineering degree and MBA at Pitt.

- And I met and married a local Pittsburgh girl, and it was pretty much over from that point.

It was -- there was no leaving after that.

NARRATOR: Charles and his wife, Veronica, who grew up in Swissvale raised two kids, Dolan and Calen.

Charles began his engineering career at Westinghouse but the entrepreneurial bug bit.

- You're bitten by the entrepreneurial spirit and you sort of think everything is going to work out.

NARRATOR: But Toran would feel the pressure.

He had to get clients and make sure he had something they needed.

He was either going to win as an owner or lose.

- If you're not winning, you're not doing the things that any company needs to do to win business from a client which is uncover the needs of the client and provide a solution.

NARRATOR: Toran has been winning since starting Sci-Tek 16 years ago with plenty of awards to prove it.

He's soon to be president of the Engineer's Society of Western Pennsylvania.

- Even today are plenty of meetings and board rooms that I walk into where I'm the only African American in the room.

It happens a lot, but I don't dwell on it because I'm just too busy with getting down to work.

And then figure out once you decide you want to be an entrepreneur, what's your angle?

What is it that you have to say or to do or to sell that's a little bit different, a little bit unique from what everybody else is selling or doing?

Because that's going to be your value proposition.

That's going to be what helps you to win business from other people because really, this economy is fairly flat.

It's not really growing so if you're getting business especially in this market, you're taking it from someone else so you need to have that value proposition.

NARRATOR: Toran wasn't immune to government budgets being slashed.

- In a way, we've continued to grow rapidly because there have been some contracts that have expired especially at the federal level, and we've been able to replace that business so our revenues and our growth haven't decreased.

NARRATOR Charles Toran, Jr. was taken aback, really, when we called him to profile him for this TV show, agreeing it's rare and he's never seen a local TV story about African American men entrepreneurs even though he says it's a growing entrepreneurial group.

- We always have been so perhaps there's a bias in the media.

I'm not really sure, but I think it's -- I think it's because as a society and as a community we've become enamored with other roles that we play such as the athlete, the star, the entertainer.

I think there's been an over reliance on those roles that African Americans serve in our society.

And I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that.

It's just that it's not -- it's not a level playing field if you will.

NARRATOR: Toran and others, though, try as often as they can to push African Americans into entrepreneurism.

Now at age 51, he's committed to this region where he's doing well and he expects Western Pennsylvania to enjoy growth.

- As you get older and especially as you have kids, you begin to appreciate this region for the things it has to offer so I'm very glad that we stayed here.

- Rev.

Jones.

Fantastic.

Thank you for your time.

It's good to meet you as well.

- Well, let's have a conversation.

- I wanted to take an opportunity to welcome you to Pittsburgh.

- Building diversity in business, promoting African American entrepreneurism.

- I just wanted to tell you that I'm a resource for you.

NARRATOR: It's Chase Patterson's business, an entrepreneur who owns Corporate Diversity Associates.

He's here at the historic St. James AME Church on Lincoln Avenue to welcome its new pastor from Baltimore, Rodrecus Johnson.

It seems only fitting they'd meet here.

St. James was established more than 150 years ago.

It's where for generations African Americans celebrated faith, family, respect, hard work, ownership.

- Well, right now I'm still in my introductory phase.

NARRATOR: Pastor Johnson believes African American entrepreneurism most often is fostered in the church.

- And the church was able to provide those things in order for us to be able to go toward our dreams, our goals and our desires, gearing them in the right direction.

A lot of them have ended up in college and have started their own business.

NARRATOR: Chase Patterson works with African American entrepreneurs and businessmen to expand their relationships.

- I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that I would not be in the position I'm in with a fully functioning business, a staff, a budget and real clients if I did not have strong relationships.

NARRATOR: And all of these African American entrepreneurs agree with that.

They will tell you it's not about getting this kind of attention.

It's about fairness.

It's about seeing African American men as successes.

It's about living and celebrating the American dream.

- I'm what's called -- you know what?

Entrepreneur.

NARRATOR: Owning it and showing young people they can do it, too.

- Ask somebody for help.

When you start to feel down and reach out, if you got to pray, pray.

If you got to reach out, ask somebody for just a little hand or find somebody you can just talk to.

- Never let it stop me.

- Something inside says there's more, and I want that.

[♪♪] Funding for this program was made possible by The Heinz Endowments.

Thank you.