Mavs and Coca-Cola Southwest partner on the Mavs Business Assist program to support minority and female entrepreneurs.

Jack WolfJanuary 11, 2023

DALLAS. About 40 executives from Dallas Mavericks and Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages gathered Monday night in Dallas to meet with dozens of local minorities and women entrepreneurs who are part of the first Mavs Business Assist (MBA) program.

The MBA program, launched at the start of the season, gives 100 minority entrepreneurs in North Texas NBA franchise support to support their business and dreams.

The Mavs and various community partners such as Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages meet quarterly with MBA members and the program will culminate in a panel presentation competition at the end of this season.

All local entrepreneurs have different dreams and aspirations, but they are united by a common goal – to make an impact on local communities.

“We take feedback from our entrepreneurs very seriously, actively seeking their opinions on how to improve the program and how we can better help them achieve their goals,” said Teddy Graves, founder of Mavs Business Assist. “The large number of volunteers who donated their evening to take part in the program (Monday evening) also made a strong impression on the entrepreneurs, saying that we are all interested in their success.”

The Mavs Business Assist program is designed to provide networking resources and fair support to various local entrepreneurs through professional development workshops and other events.

Minority- and women-owned businesses are often systematically deprived of economic benefits and resources, limiting their ability to entrepreneurship, raise capital and grow their companies.

Texas still ranks in the top 10 for female-led startups in the country, but there is still a big equity gap, especially for women from black and brown communities.

The Mavs Business Assist program aims to build relationships and share the stories of people from underserved and underserved demographics.

The storytelling initiative is an important component of the Mavs Business Assist program because many entrepreneurs have great ideas but need an outlet to share their vision and experience with a wider audience.

Mavs continues to “pass the mic” and allow business owners to share their stories and perspectives through various digital platforms such as Mavs.com, social media channels and Dallas Mavericks games.

Interaction with large corporations and businesses such as Coca-Cola Southwest is another key component of Mavs Business Assist.

The MBA program also has the support of Dallas Mavericks legend, team ambassador and businessman Rolando Blackman, who attends every event.

Graves says the Mavs have a comprehensive deck support system that will only grow in the coming years.

“The Mavs Business Assist program has certainly been a source of pride not only for me, but for the entire Mavs Take ACTION company! team,” he shared.

“When we first thought about this program, we asked ourselves: “How can we intentionally attract minority entrepreneurs to work in the DFW field?” We knew there were key ingredients that would make this program special: a globally respected platform, a great city, and most importantly, outstanding minority entrepreneurs in DFW.”

The program represents the personal mission of Teddy Graves, who is the Corporate Social Responsibility Manager of the Dallas Mavs. His late grandfather is Earl J. Graves Sr., who founded a magazine and media empire. black enterprise.

Graves Sr. is known as a leading pioneer, icon, and champion of black-owned businesses and an equal opportunity advocate. He received the National Award of Excellence for his business achievements.

Now his grandson is sowing similar seeds in the world of sports and business.

“I’m certainly very optimistic about what could come out of this inaugural program,” Graves said. “Personally, one of my highlights was that I had a moment for myself after the start of session #3. The ways of the Lord are inscrutable. I started this program in memory of my grandfather’s legacy, and his birthday is January 9, the day of our session. Looking around and seeing the faces of all our great entrepreneurs, busy and happy, I got the feeling that he would be proud of the way this program is unfolding.”

“THANKS FOR INSPIRATION FOR A NEW GENERATION OF ENTREPRENEURS”

More than 20 senior executives from Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages volunteered at the Mavs Business Assist event on Monday and spent one-on-one time with various attendees, answering questions and sharing their experiences. Among them were senior directors, vice presidents and general managers.

Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages, part of Arca Continental, is one of the largest producers of Coca-Cola beverages in the United States. Based in Dallas, they provide drinks to 31 million people in Texas, parts of Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arkansas.

Derek Alexander, Vice President of Marketing and Commercial Operations for Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages, was the keynote speaker. He told the MBA members that he had read their biography and felt they had extraordinary stories as entrepreneurs.

“Words like communicator, leader, courage, strength, passion and inspiration describe those of you who are embarking on this journey,” Alexander said.

“I wanted to thank you for what you are doing in the community,” he added. “I want to thank you for inspiring the next generation of entrepreneurs, and I especially want to thank you on behalf of the entire Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages family and let us be just a small part of your journey here tonight. I hope we become great friends and our own community in the future.”

After Alexander’s speech, the MBA program participants alternated at different tables and met with managers who could provide an expert assessment of employee engagement. Mavs and Coca-Cola Southwest provided 11 desktops covering nine different topics including overall strategic leadership, marketing, sales, supply chain, profit growth management, finance, information technology, human resources, and legal.

“Before the event, we asked our entrepreneurs to fill out a form in which they rated their preferences among these topics,” Graves said.

“After analyzing the data and completing the tasks, each entrepreneur was assigned three different table rotations, allowing them to participate in discussions and learn from different experts in the field,” he added.

“In general, the table rotation was successful. Each table was seated by a small group of participants, which made the sessions both intimate and large at the same time. This allowed for more focused and engaging conversations.”

Various Dallas Mavericks executives and staff also joined the table to answer questions and share more about their professional careers. The idea was to develop more personal business relationships with MBAs to make sure they felt supported beyond the corporate environment.

One key connection can be an open door to the future.

“I hope this shows how happy we are to be here with all the entrepreneurs,” Alexander said. “Thanks again for letting us be a small part of your journey.”

Mavs has several more workshops scheduled throughout the season before the culmination of the Mavs Business Assist Presentation Competition.

In honor of the late visionary Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Black History Month, Dallas Mavericks will continue to spread the stories and dreams of various entrepreneurs through the Mavs Business Assist program throughout the year. To learn more about the program, click here.

Reporter: Tamara Jolie, Dallas Mavs
Photojournalist: Brandon Colston, Dallas Mavs