- Support for this program was provided by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.

PSE&G, proud sponsors of "Pathway to Success"; JCP&L and the African-American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey: working together to build a stronger community for all.

Investors Bank: banking in your best interest; Berkeley College: education drives opportunity; be inspired; NJM Insurance Group.

Wardrobe provided by Vandiver.

[jazz music] ♪ ♪ - Hello, and welcome to Pathway to Success, I'm your host, John Harmon, founder, president, and CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey.

But we are just pleased today that we have a very successful member of the African-American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey, business owner, good supporter of the chamber.

But this gentleman has come a long way.

He's really learned how to endure adversity and has a lot to share to encourage others.

I speak no other than Mr. Ralph Weaver.

He is the founder and CEO of EWC.

Welcome to "Pathway to Success."

- Thank you, John, and it's a pleasure to be here with you today.

- Share with a little bit about who you are and where you come from, a little bit about your background, and then we're going to slowly get into how you've established EWC.

- Well, John, it's been a long journey for me to get to where I am today, and it all started in Baltimore, Maryland, where I grew up and-- a large family.

Had two sisters and a brother and then just an extended family of uncles and aunts, and my dad was one of 12, and my mother was one of five.

So every Sunday, we were-- spent with family, getting to know one another.

And it was really-- those were my friends and my foundation, so early on, I was used to being around people.

And I'm a product of the Baltimore City Public Schools, and I got a wonderful education there, because when I think about it, this was the early '60s, and my mom was the type that was very involved, engaged with PTA, so she made sure that whatever programs they were offering, we took advantage of, and so we got wonderful education.

And I can even think today of teachers like Mrs. Adams, Mrs. Mack, that really spent the time, that partnered with my parents to ensure that we had a great education.

And one of the things, too, that I just remember: going on to junior high school there, then high school, and having wonderful mentors along the way.

We also grew up in the church, and so that made a difference, and we had just a supportive and loving network of people that looked out for us.

So that truly made a difference to help me get to where I am today.

That led to my going on to Boston University, where I got my undergraduate degree and loved my life in Boston and then I moved to New York City in the late '70s.

So in a nutshell, that has been my journey to get to New Jersey, where I've been, oh, for the last, what, 30-some years.

- Talk a little bit about your professional career and the foundation that you leveraged, if you will, to build this company that you have today.

- Well, when I think about it, I always had a work ethic.

So starting out in Baltimore from-- if it snowed, I was out there shoveling the snow and getting money from people that would pay me.

At the time, it seemed like a lot of money, but it was fifty cents or a dollar, and started my first job when I was all of 12.

So always doing something.

And that's what-- my dad would always give me stories about the Depression, and when I wanted a pair of Converse sneakers, I remember him giving me this long story about how he had to walk miles to school, and I just said, "I got to get my own money."

So that led me to, throughout my life, always focused on working hard.

So my first job was in corporate communications or public relations.

I landed a job in New York City with a public relations firm, Manning, Selvage, & Lee, where many of the clients that we worked on, pharmaceutical companies and major "Fortune" 100 companies.

But I got a wonderful experience there because I was the go-to person.

If anyone said, "Okay, I need someone to work on such and such," I'd raise my hand and say, "I can do it, I can do it," because I wanted to get the experience at the time from writing, getting exposure to film production, getting exposure to just all aspects of corporate communication.

That led to my going on to Manning, Selvage, & Lee-- after Manning, Selvage, & Lee, I'm sorry-- I went on to a company called, as you may know, Bristol Myers, where I was the manager of public relations, and that was before the Squibb acquisition.

And then on to Johnson & Johnson, where I was the director of marketing communications.

So each step along the way, I just learned more and more and kept improving my craft.

- So, you know, you talked about the initiative that you took in raising your hand and letting folks know that, "Hey, I can contribute value to this."

When did you realize that, "Hey, I could put up my own shingle, be my own boss"?

- I'm not from an entrepreneurial background, so just having or starting my own business was something that I really didn't think about.

I was doing well in the corporate world, but I wasn't happy, and I used to call it the 60 Minutes Blues on Sunday night when it was like, "Okay, I have to do this."

And at the time, I was a fairly young person, and I said, "Do I want to continue my life this way?"

But that went on for a number of years, and then I think the decision was made for me in many ways.

Out of a bad situation, something positive happened.

I was involved in a very bad car accident, and that left me unable to go to work or to walk, and through therapy and months of pain and suffering, it gave me quiet time to slow down, because I was always rushing, gave me time to just pause, to think, "Ralph, what is it that you want to do when you grow up?"

And so out of that experience, it gave me the opportunity to start thinking about East West Connection.

And that was really the beginning, that I wasn't afraid anymore, because, you know, when you get used to a paycheck coming in and the paycheck looks pretty good, it does make you, I guess, adverse to taking any risk.

But when comfort was taken away from me, I had nothing to lose, and so that encouraged or inspired me to just really put on paper what I wanted to do with my life, and that was the beginning of the East West Connection.

- Share with our viewers a little bit about East West Connection.

- Well, when we started out in 1990, and we'll be celebrating now-- we celebrated our 30th anniversary last year, we started out as a company that was going to provide art objects and decorative accessories.

I formed a business with my junior high school friend, best friend, and best friend to this day.

We started this company really importing things from all over the world, commissioning artists to do unusual, distinctive items.

And my first client happened to be a corporation that said, "Okay, we want to commission you to do a number of gifts for--" it was a holiday event.

And then they knew of my background and had asked me to organize-- they had a sales milestone, and they wanted a celebration for their employees.

And they said, "Ralph, can you organize the party?"

And "yes" is my middle name.

I just said, "Of course I can do it."

So I stepped forward, and I did that event, and suddenly, the vision of the company changed because it was no longer about the art objects and decorative accessories.

Because when you look at the numbers and I'm saying, "Oh, I may love this, "but I can't make a living off of this versus the meetings and events," really evolved for us, and that's where EWC is today.

Well, East West Connection is a full-service strategic meetings, events, and sales incentive company.

We organize meetings around the world, and when I say "organize," we handle all the logistics from start to finish for our clients, whether it's transportation, the registration site, the production, everything that goes on behind the scenes to make an event special, and that's what we've been doing, and we've been doing that for major pharmaceutical companies, "Fortune" 500 companies, emerging companies, government agencies, and we have a talented team of people that execute those meetings behind the scenes.

- So you've really learned how to deal with adversity and press forward.

Now we're all dealing with adversity with this whole COVID-19 pandemic.

How has it affected your business, and how have you dealt with it over these many months now?

- It was really devastating because we lost probably about 70% to 75% of our revenue overnight and that meant impact on people because I have a talented team of employees, and I had to make some tough decisions because with no money coming in, I couldn't sustain 75 people at the time.

We had to make some tough decisions, and I think one of the turning points for me was just really reflecting on my life, my parents, and that whole "never giving up" attitude of "how do you move forward even in adversity?"

And I remember years ago, when the former editor in chief of "Essence Magazine," Susan Taylor, sent me a very kind note when she had heard about my accident, and she said, you know, "When you're at a crossroads in life," and she gave me this tape by a Dr. Butterworth, and it just caused me to just think about my life differently, and I reflected on that at this moment in time.

So I just said--instead of saying, "Woe is me.

My business is gone, what I've built in 30 years," I said, "No, how do I pivot at this moment in time?

"How do I change?

"How do I make the company stronger and more dynamic?"

So trying to turn this negative, and I'm not trying to minimize what anyone is going through, because there have been dark days, but it's like, how you choose to deal with challenging situations and circumstances.

So we always keep our ear to what's going on in the marketplace, what is new and exciting.

How can we provide those solutions to our clients?

So I've formed a number of partnerships over the years with other business owners so that we can present the best to our clients, different ideas, different solutions, and that is how we have pivoted during this time to come up with solutions, and I think that is the key.

So instead of saying "Give me business, company X," we've said, "Here's a solution "to a problem you may be encountering today.

"How--what is an alternative to how you're presenting "your Zoom meetings or your Teams meetings?

How do you engage your employees?"

We look at ourselves really in more of a consulting role versus just the implementers for logistics planning.

- No, I think that is a lot that you've shared for business owners that may be enduring the turbulence that they're experiencing.

But moreover, you can't sit back and wait for the ball to come to you, and you can't just rely on your traditional business model in order to compete in today's marketplace, as tumultuous as it is, you have to provide solutions, you have to provide value.

You have to make yourself relevant, and I think you've articulated that very, very well.

I'm having a great time today just talking to my good friend and supporter of the African-American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey, Mr. Ralph Weaver.

He is the founder-CEO of East West Connections, and we're going to take our break here on "Pathway to Success."

- 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 the "Pathway to Success."

I'm John Harmon.

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

We're having a conversation today with a guy who's done some phenomenal work, Mr. Ralph Weaver.

Some kids, particularly African American kids, in the U.S., many of them don't get off their block, don't get out of their city.

So, Ralph, can you share with us a little bit about how exposure contributed to you building a global company?

- When I think about exposure and how important that is to just one's life, one's aspirations, and just growing up, I remember, every Sunday, we would take a car ride, and so we left the immediate inner city area where we lived to just drive all around the state.

And then, every summer, we would go on vacation.

So that started my love of travel, and then a mentor that I had at Sunday school, Mr.--Dr. George Elmore, traveled the world, and he'd come back and tell me about those stories.

So I got the desire, the burning passion, to travel, and so, luckily, with the different jobs that I had early on in my career, I was able to see the world, and that truly developed me, gave me exposure to people from different walks of life, different backgrounds, different cultures, different languages.

But it made me comfortable in my own skin, but also comfortable in dealing with people that were different from me.

So it's so important for our young people to have that confidence and that ability to look at the world and see the opportunities that exist.

For many of the companies that we're dealing with, when you think of a "Fortune" 50, "Fortune" 100 company, they all have international presence.

So we can come to the table and say confidently, "Yes, we can do your meeting "if you're having a meeting in Rome, "if you're having a meeting in Shanghai, "if you're having a meeting in London.

We can do it for you."

- So how important is the debrief when you have put your best proposal forward and somehow, you come up short?

- It is vital just to your company's success, and I have encouraged everyone with an RFP, when we don't hear back from people, I always initiate the conversation, said, "Look, we'd like to hear from you, the good and the bad," and from that, those are those learning moments.

But again, you have to be at the table, not in a defensive manner, but listen, listen.

- Let's build on that a little bit.

So you, for example, have had opportunities with X, Y, Z company, and then they refer you to a competitor or someone that they do business with.

How does that make you feel?

- Oh, it's a great feeling, John, and when I think about it, over the years, over these 30 years, we haven't had a large, say, advertising campaign to promote East West Connection, and often--a year or so ago, we said we're the best-kept secret because all of the business that I was getting was referrals.

It was the word of mouth, that you'd have an individual that may leave Company X and go somewhere else, and then they remember the work you did for them, and so that's how we've gotten a lot of the business.

And that's why I truly believe, and this was the lesson that I learned from my mother, do not burn any bridges, so I can go back to someone that I worked with in 1977, and they will still, I believe, would say something very encouraging or supportive about Ralph Weaver, about what I'm doing today, and that makes it different, because so often, when I talk to young people, it's about proving your point.

If you feel that someone has done something that you weren't happy about and you proceed to tell them off, but what did that accomplish?

You've told them off, but has that helped you in your life journey?

So that is something that I've always been mindful of.

You know, people that personally, I may not have gotten along with, but I've always said, I can work with anybody.

It's not about what they think of Ralph Weaver other than "His company is great "because they operate with the guiding principles that we do: integrity, respect, hard work."

- What is your message to those corporations when they afford you an opportunity to compete for business as they talk about expanding diversity, equity, and inclusion in 2021?

- I'm not looking for any special treatment.

I'm looking for an opportunity for you and the people in your organization to treat us fairly.

Give us the same information that you give to another preferred supplier.

Let us show what we can do, and I can tell you, we won't let you down.

We will exceed your expectation.

- Ralph, let's talk about the significance of relationships.

- Well, you know relationships have really been key to me throughout my life, just having those relationships with family, with business colleagues, and it truly has made a difference every step of the journey that I've taken in my life.

Those relationships have helped me grow, learn, develop, and to really build my company.

It's been surrounding myself with positive people that have wanted the best for me, and that is what I try to surround myself with, and, you know, people that aren't about that, you can, or at least I can, pick that up in no time and just say, "You know what, I need to step back."

It still will be, you know, very respectful and polite but those that don't mean you any good-- that's what my mom would say.

"Folks don't mean you any good, "you know, you need to separate yourself with.

Don't get with the wrong crowd."

- Ralph, what is your source of inspiration?

My mother and father inspired me, and in particular, my mother, who was just a phenomenal woman who saw the possibilities and encouraged me.

She believed in me when no one else did, and she saw big things in store for me, and I'm just so honored that I had a mom like that in my life.

- And can you speak a little bit about what your relationship has been with the African-American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey?

- Well, John, I remember that day when I came to your office in Trenton and the headquarters of the chamber and when you were at the conference table and you said, "Well, what is it that I can do to help your business grow?"

And that took me back a while, because oftentimes, you don't have someone in your position that will really ask those kinds of questions.

It's often been about, "How can you support my event?

How can you do this?"

But you took the time to understand my business, where I wanted to go with the business, and for that, I will forever remember.

And when I left that meeting, I just said, "This is an individual and an organization that I need to do more with," because, again, you were a man of your word, I understood your vision, where you were trying to take the organization, and everyone that I met when I go to chamber functions had that same positive energy, and it was about doing things.

So I encourage other companies to join the chamber, get involved in the activities, go to the different programs, network with the other members, because too often, what happens is, we create this competitive environment where we don't build off of each other's strengths.

So I'm saying, "Okay, how can I coalesce with others "that are trying to do something similar, and we can work together and we can take on the world," because I really believe when you're going after engagement with "Fortune" 500 companies, that at smaller businesses, they're looking that, how can you pull together a strong team and really then compete with another competitor that may be 50 times your size, and don't let that intimidate you, but to say, "Okay, here's what we can do"?

So the chamber has just been one of those organizations that, when I joined, I wish I had gotten involved even sooner than that.

But it's been a wonderful experience working with the chamber, and I look forward to a bright partnership moving forward with the chamber.

- And what are some of the other organizations that you're involved with in the communities that you serve, if you will?

- When I talk to young people, and I'm very involved in mentoring of young people, I like to really give some words of wisdom, not telling them, you know, what to do, but just some of the lessons that I've learned, and that really inspires me to be a role model for other young people that I work with at the Selective Corporate Internship Program, SCIP, that I try to be an example for others.

- Give us a glimpse of the future for your organization.

- Well, the future is bright for East West Connection, and I think we're coming out of this pandemic as a stronger, more effective organization.

And sometimes I have to pinch myself to say, "Through adversity or what has happened over the last year, how can you have this positive attitude?"

but when I look and say, "Okay, we're doing things better in a different way," and it's just made us really re-evaluate our value proposition to our client.

I can see East West Connection with offices around the world.

- Oh, that's great.

I'm encouraged as well, and you touched me a little bit when you talked about our initial meeting, and that's our commitment to every member that gives the African-American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey an opportunity to contribute to their success.

Thank you, Ralph, for sharing with us your words of inspiration, your perseverance, your courage, and your ability to compete on the big stage.

Until the next time on your Pathway To Success, this is John Harmon, Founder, President, and CEO of the African-American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey.

Today's message is, as we reflect on the experience of Blacks in America, we have great resolve as a people.

Responding to a number of challenges over the years and been able to overcome them.

Our experience in America has been rather unique.

When the playing field is truly level, there's a lot of well-documented cases of how we have really knocked the cover off the ball.

The adaptation, being able to pivot, and coming out of adverse circumstances.

So my word today to businesses and people in general: you can do it.

Put your mind to it.

Ralph Weaver.

He talked about his injury as a result of a car accident and how he mustered the courage to get back in the fight.

And now he's back in the fight and has continued to build upon his success.

Coming out of Baltimore and cities like Baltimore across America, there's always a lot of negative press, a lot of negative stories, but nonetheless, people have been able to come out of those adverse circumstances and not only strive, but strive at a high level.

So we salute the Ralph Weavers of the world today, but that could be you, notwithstanding the size of your business.

Please afford the African-American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey an opportunity to contribute to your success.

Doesn't matter if you're a small business, Black, white, Latino, Hispanic, woman-owned, gay.

If you're in business, you want to be successful, we're your partner.

If you're a large corporation, notwithstanding the industry, we're your partner.

We're here for you.

Thank you.

[jazz music] ♪ ♪ - 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.

♪ ♪