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[lively jazz music] ♪ ♪ - Hello, and welcome to "Pathway to Success."

I'm John Harmon, founder, president, and CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey.

I'd like to welcome each and every one of you into a new year.

I'm excited today because I'm joined by one of the members of the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey, who's going to be having a conversation with me today, versus me having a conversation with her.

Her name is Deborah J. Frazier, wealth management advisor, LRG Wealth Advisors, at the firm of Hightower.

We're looking forward to our conversation today about, you know, the chamber, our mission, and my initial vision for establishing the chamber.

The "Pathway to Success" is all about showcasing the relevance and the value proposition of blacks here in the state of New Jersey and throughout America.

We're excited about the success of the show and look forward to what we're gonna be talking about today, so yeah.

Somewhat flipping the script, if you will, but hopefully, I will be as informative and entertaining as some of our previous guests.

And now we'll pass it on to Miss Deborah J. Frazier.

- [chuckles] Good morning, John, and thank you so much for the opportunity to be here and interview you today.

So I do feel that it's quite an honor.

And our members and our audience are gonna have a real treat because we're gonna learn a lot about you as well as about the Chamber of Commerce and the work you do.

And so we'll get right into it, and we'd like to always start out by finding out a little bit about you on the personal side and what was life like for you growing up.

- I'm one of seven kids.

I'm the youngest of five boys.

I have two sisters.

My parents were hardworking individuals that came from Virginia and migrated north into New Jersey, resettled in Trenton.

And it was just-- you know, Trenton, at that time, was a real working-class industrial city.

A lot of-- some of the major industries resided in Trenton.

Trenton, at one time, had five hotels, had a civic center, a very robust retail.

Trenton is, I guess, a city that's in transformation, but nonetheless, state capital, county seat, and that's my home.

You know, being one of seven kids and the--one of the younger of the group, you know, I had the opportunity of living my life through my older siblings, and it was a great experience.

And lastly, my parents.

Neither of them completed high school, and fortunately for me, I eventually went on to complete college, and I'm very proud of that.

- And what college did you go to, and why did you pick that particular college?

- I didn't immediately go to college.

I finished high school, and I worked-- I wanted to be an auto mechanic and also diesel mechanic.

I like working with my hands, and my dad owned trucks, and I eventually started my own business, but I used to hang out at Mercer County Community College, played basketball, and really hustled guys on the pool table.

That's what I did.

Until three women approached me one day and said, "Hey"-- and they called me by my name-- "John Harmon, you're here every day.

Why don't you enroll in school here?"

And so I did enroll at Mercer County College, graduated, and then chose Fairleigh Dickinson.

I chose the Rutherford campus out of the three campuses that they had because the population was only 3% Black.

And given that I grew up in an urban city which was predominantly Black, I had to be exposed to the other side of society, and I thought it was a good choice for me, and subsequently graduated from there, and that's kind of my start in college.

- [chuckles] You know, listening to your stories sounds a little like the Barack Obama story when he said-- when he went to Chicago.

Three Black women pretty much approached him and said, "Look, let us take you under our wing "because there're things you need to know about what you're gonna do, working for the community."

So that was a great story.

It made me think about that.

Now, tell us a little about what you were doing professionally before you founded the MTAACC Chamber of Commerce, the Metropolitan Trenton African American Chamber of Commerce, and then also, later, you founded the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey.

- Upon graduating from Fairleigh Dickinson, I got selected to be a part of a program for the Bowery Savings Bank that prepared individuals like myself to be--one day run a bank.

I interviewed.

There was 151 candidates.

They ultimately chose 12.

I was the only Black person chose within that group.

And during the-- over the course of one year, I got exposed to every facet of the bank.

But I was then tapped by Chemical Bank, and I end up running their loan production operation overseeing New York City, Connecticut, and New Jersey.

So I spent about ten years in banking, primarily in New York-- did a short stint in Philadelphia-- and got involved with a group of people in Trenton looking to establish an organization to help Black businesses.

I was one of the founding members.

There was 21 of us.

And subsequently, I became president of that organization and ran it for ten years.

Then I had the vision to create a statewide organization because I realized, as being president of this regional organization, we did not have direct connection to government at the highest level or corporations at the highest level, and I realized that in order to impact the Black business community in a significant way, you had to have real, credible strategic relationships wherein we could leverage resources and opportunities and information.

And so that was the impetus for rolling out and establishing the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey.

And our mission is really about advocacy.

It's about really bringing Black businesses into the mainstream of New Jersey's economy, both the public, private, and community sectors.

We have about 1.1 million blacks here in New Jersey, north of 80,000 Black businesses, but we're grossly underperforming in a number of areas, and without having direct connection to those who can provide the prerequisites that lead to ultimate engagement and delivery of a value proposition of mutual benefit, you know, we're gonna struggle to coexist in a meaningful way in New Jersey's economy.

- You always mention the relevance of the chamber as well as the value proposition of the chamber.

- Yeah, so when I use the term "value proposition," I mean it wholeheartedly, a product or service that's gonna contribute to the bottom line.

And shareholders and businesses are all about profitability.

And through this engagement, it's all about profit.

And sometimes, our members and our people are excluded because we don't have the relationship.

There's perceptions that exist in the marketplace about Black people, and I think we must just call it the way we see it.

But the reality is, America would not be as great as it is without the contributions of blacks.

But at the end of the day, we bring value.

We are relevant.

- Let's go back just for a second to two of the other very important strategic partnerships you have.

One with the United States Chamber of Commerce, and one with the National Black Chamber of Commerce.

Can you give us some background on how you formed those relationships and how they contribute to the success of the African American Chamber?

- My engagement and interaction with those individuals that make up both those groups enables me to set an agenda in our strategies that's gonna benefit our members in a meaningful way, but more, I can leverage their best practices.

- So leveraging relationships.

I remember back in 2016, I was at an event that the chamber was giving, and we, of course, had just had the transition from a Democratic administration to a Republican administration, and you made the comment, "Well, guess it's time to make some new friends," and that comment rippled through the audience, and people had to really kinda grapple with that statement.

And what you were talking about is the significance of working on a nonpartisanship level with federal, state, local officials.

So can you talk more about that?

- So I think it's important for the African American Chamber of Commerce, which is a 501(c)(3) organization, to be nonpartisan, but if we're going to really impact and benefit our members and drive a mission that's gonna transform our economic standing in New Jersey and America, we have to be able to engage and leverage all those parties and all those partners that make a difference notwithstanding if the president is Republican, if the president is Democratic, or if the governor is Republican or Democratic, and we must do so.

And sometimes, because of some inherent emotional or some inherent things that we say and do within our communities, we are precluded to say that we may have a relationship with someone who might not be a Democrat, and I think that way of thinking is marginalizing our existence and our prosperity here in New Jersey.

- Well, it sounds like the chamber has brought in the right man for the job.

And at this point, John, we're gonna take a break for just a moment or two, and we'll be right back with "Pathway to Success."

[dramatic music] ♪ ♪ - The African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey is your pathway to success.

We encourage you to visit our website at www.aaccnj.com, or call us at 609-571-1620.

We are your strategic partners for success.

- Welcome back to "Pathway to Success."

We're interviewing Mr. John E. Harmon, and we're really engaged in a very informative conversation.

So, John, let's move now to two other strategic relationships you have, one with the governor, Phil Murphy, the governor of New Jersey, and also with Tim Sullivan, the CEO of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.

- Governor Murphy and Tim Sullivan are critically important partners to the success of the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey, and their whole administration because they have a huge budget.

They set economic policy.

They set social economic policy for the 1.1 million blacks in New Jersey.

It was very important that we have relationships at the highest level of government.

And Phil Murphy has made himself accessible, as well as Tim Sullivan, and I really appreciate the access that they've provided me and our members, and it's a very mutually beneficial relationship.

- Great.

Now, do you have any newer strategic alliances that you've formed that you'd like to mention at this point?

- The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, following the death of George Floyd, they roll out the Inequality of Opportunity Initiative, and I played a very significant role in the launch of that initiative.

And that was all about putting more blacks on boards, increasing contracting with Black businesses, hiring more blacks, and more targeted corporate citizenship investment in terms of programming that will improve the conditions in the Black community.

- Do you have any advice-- or what advice would you give to someone who is still an employee who would like to make the transition into becoming an entrepreneur or his or her own boss?

- Yeah, I think, you know, being an entrepreneur or owning your own business, you have no ceiling in terms of how much money you can make or how much potential wealth you can create for yourself.

And so taking that leap is difficult, but if you have the requisite skills, you have the knowledge of a particular industry or a product or a service, you have the means to effectively put a plan together to market that product or service to connect with customers whom it will patronize your product or service, when you can make a profit, I think it's something that you should strongly consider.

One thing about owning your own business, you know when you're in business and when you're out of business, versus someone tapping you on the shoulder and giving you a pink slip.

But if you wanna make some real money, you know, a few hundred thousand dollars, a few million, and then when you're in business, you should never have a ceiling.

You wanna make as much money as possible.

Entrepreneurship is the way to go.

And the African American Chamber of Commerce is a good partner to contribute to your success if you should choose to go that way.

- Can you expand a little more about the role of Black women in business, and why is it important to have them in business and in government, all levels of our society?

Can you talk a little more about Black women specifically please?

- You know, James Brown said, "It's a man's world, but it's nothing without a woman or a girl."

At the end of the day, women make the difference.

Stacey Abrams, Mellody Hobson, Oprah Winfrey.

Black women make the difference.

Oftentimes, they're holding up the household.

But they manage it.

And so I tip my hat to Black women all the time because they're a real difference maker, not only in New Jersey, but throughout the world.

- Didn't Mellody also say that they're renaming the Woodrow Wilson facility at Princeton in her name?

- That's significant.

- Oh!

- Significant.

- That's amazing.

- But here, now, you have a Black woman's name that's gonna be etched on the walls of one of the world's leading institutions of higher education.

That's a transformational moment, not only for her, but for the university.

- Yes.

- And the rest of society.

- Well, John, we're starting to drill down on now-- we're coming near the end of our interview, and I just have a few more questions that I'd like to ask you, starting out with the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey again.

Why is it important to become a member of the chamber?

- Well, we're an accredited organization.

We genuinely partner with each and every member to contribute to their success.

We assess them, we help and work with them to create a profile, we take their capability statements and requisite information, and advocate on their behalf to connect them to opportunities within the public, private, and community sectors of New Jersey.

So anything you need, we could tap someone on the shoulder, give them a call, an email, and make that introduction.

- And you said a very important term, "accreditation."

Can you expand about that?

Do all of the chambers have accreditation, or what's the significance of that?

- You know, as of December of 2020, out of the 141 chambers in New Jersey, we are the only accredited chamber with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

So that means that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, their team took a hard look at our mission, our policies, procedures, our audits, looked at our--you know, every part of our organization to make sure that we are in adherence with certain standards that they're-- that they deem are appropriate for running an effective and a professional chamber of commerce organization.

We have a radio show.

A TV show.

We have several platforms to get our message out about you and the significance of your business and what you can do in terms of adding value to someone that would afford you an opportunity to compete.

- Can you discuss the significance of having a radio show and a TV program?

- We wanna leverage every platform available to showcase who we are and what we represent to not only New Jersey, but the world.

So we're pretty excited to showcase our members and our mission.

- What's ahead for the chamber for 2021?

- We closed 2020 with a lot of new partners, a lot more momentum, and really looking forward to working in this new year.

We hope to establish our own CDFI, which is a community development financial institution that will provide the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey with the resources to provide more comprehensive technical assistance as well as do microlending once we are certified by the federal government.

In addition, it will position us to get direct resources from the federal government as well.

So we're pretty excited about that.

I would encourage you to stay tuned to either "The Pathway to Success" or to "The Empowerment Hour," which airs every Monday evening.

- Historical figures.

Are there any historical figures in your life that really impacted you that you'd like to talk about, and how do they relate to you now in your role as the founder, president, and CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce?

- Well, I always have to thank God, for it's in him I move and have my being, first and foremost.

My parents, my siblings, my family.

That's who have made me who I am today.

But from a historical-- there's so many, you know.

Your Frederick Douglass.

Booker T. Washington.

These were courageous individuals who were--took what they had, and they were not selfish.

They were all about trying to improve conditions for our people.

- So, John, what would you like your legacy to be?

- Well, I would just like for someone to say that John Harmon... cared about his people.

And he made a lot of personal sacrifices in his life to share with society that Black people are significant.

That Black people are relevant.

And all that they want or all that we want is an opportunity to make this world a better place for us all to live and work.

And that's what this mission has been all about for me.

Again, I came into the chamber business as a founding member.

- Mm-hmm.

- I was not the original visionary.

I came in as a contributor to someone else's vision who moved on and did something else.

And so I went on and took it to the next level.

So it was never about me.

It was about contributing to the success of something that was bigger than me.

And it's my hope that other people subscribe to that same way of thinking.

It's never about you, but if you do it right, if you genuinely try to help others along the way, your true... existence in life will be realized.

- And in just a few seconds, John, can you tell us what warms your heart?

- I have three sons.

John Jr., Joshua, and Justin, and those guys are who I live for.

They warm my heart.

- John Harmon, thank you so much for this heartfelt and informative interview today, and on behalf of the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey board members, staff members, and members at large, we would like to thank you for your vision, for your leadership, and for your unfailing commitment to the advancement of African American and Black people in the state of New Jersey.

See you next time on your pathway to success.

[lively jazz music] ♪ ♪ - The message today is a very simple one.

We are now celebrating Women's History Month.

And I talked earlier about the significance of women.

There's so many of them.

Madam C.J.

Walker, years ago.

Fannie Lou Hamer.

The names go on and on.

I talked about, you know, the three women at Mercer County Community College.

Martha Gunning, Martha Baker, Vonzell Emmens.

And, you know, that was years and years ago, but I haven't forgotten those women because they made a difference in my life.

But all these women have one thing in common.

They made a difference.

And women make the difference all the time.

So we're proud of every woman that exists in this world, and we want to encourage you to continue to be bold, to be persevering, to be great and excellent as you are, and there's always a place for you within the African American Chamber of Commerce.

We have a large representation of women within our organization, and those women come to work every day contributing to the success of the organization.

They are the difference makers.

So I would encourage you all that have a woman in your life-- as a boss, as a significant other, as a friend, as a sibling, as a relative-- embrace them and acknowledge their greatness as we continue to coexist here in this world.

God bless you.

Until the next time on your pathway to success, this is John Harmon.

I'm the founder, president, and CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey.

♪ ♪ - Support for this program was provided by...

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, PSE&G, JCP&L, Investors Bank, Berkeley College, NJM Insurance Group, Vandiver.