By Andrew Hall and Makayla Walker
AFRO Interns
On June 4, 2026, hundreds of Black business owners joined together at the Baltimore Convention Center for the Small Business Advancement Conference. The conference featured vendor tables, seminar speakers, workshops, breakout sessions, and more. Guests learned about opportunities for small, local, minority and women-owned businesses.
“The purpose is all about partnership and opportunities,” said Christopher Lundy, inaugural director of Small and Minority Business Advocacy and Development. “It was important to me that we bring back something that really highlights our small business community.”
Lundy emphasized the importance of building community as an entrepreneur and establishing cohesiveness and connections that take businesses ventures to the next level. He explained that the conference marks the capstone of the fiscal year for his department.
The convention included riveting speeches from several notable leaders, including Ron Busby Sr., president and CEO of the U.S. Black Chambers (USBC). The USBC’s mission is to stimulate economic empowerment by providing leadership and advocacy, particularly to small business owners.
“The challenge is, when I go talk to corporate America, when I talk to local governments, they say ‘We want more black owned businesses, but we can’t find them and they don’t have the size and the scale,” said Busby. “That’s what today’s environment is really about. Being found– first off– then creating the size and scale that corporate America and governments require. Many of us sell gadgets and widgets, and we all want to get into these big box stores. The USBC is creating a program that will allow you and your business to grow to get into those consumer stores, so your products can be found on their shelves. ”
Along with Busby, Towanda R. Livingston, director of supplier development and engagement for Constellation Energy, shared powerful remarks. Livingston called on emerging minority business owners not to be discouraged by the discrimination they face, but to find peace in knowing there is room for them in the marketplace.
“What we’re in is not new. Everything up to this point has prepared this generation for this very fight. They’re banking on you to break down, shut down, but we’ll show them that we will double down on ourselves, each other, our community and our businesses. Growth starts with us, not ‘me and them,’ but ‘us,’” Livingston said. “If we’re going to be bullied, we’re going to be bullied into billions.”
The conference included multiple information sessions, where panelists discussed tips to help business owners be successful in 2026 and beyond. Session topics included learning how to access capital, establish financial literacy and leverage certification and technology.
The technology session covered how business owners can leverage AI within their companies. Will Holmes, founder of Will Holmes Consulting, was the moderator. The panelists were Dr. Yasmine Kotturi, Stephanie-Solange Campbell, Alex Johnson and Agnes Kibirige.
To successfully utilize artificial intelligence, owners were instructed to assess where automation fits in their business, understand where their data is being stored and view AI as a partner, rather than a replacement.
“Think about the things you’re good at, think about your superpowers. Tap into what makes you unique and offload the rest,” said Agnes Kibirige, founder and CEO of experTribe. “The way you interface with the world is a combination of your lived experience, your passion and your skills. AI cannot replace that.”
Tonia Cain, founder and CEO of Ruby Rock Inc., and Ruby Rock Consulting attended the conference looking to form relationships.
“That’s super important,” Cain told the AFRO. You have to continue to come out and network. If people don’t see you and you aren’t building those relationships, they don’t know who you are– you become just another company. If you continue to go out, talk and build relationships, then they’ll always call on you.”
Ruby Rock Inc., a commercial cleaning and post-construction clean up company, honors Cain’s mother, Ruby, who worked for 30 years as a custodian on Capitol Hill. Inspired by this, Cain says her business is built on the love her mom showed her, and that passion is what separates her company from others.
Less than a year ago, Cain founded Ruby Rock Consulting with the goal of helping other women launch their own businesses. Understanding that entrepreneurship can be unsettling, Cain implores others to take the risk and remain determined.
“Start and don’t give up,” Cain says, “If you have an idea, but just don’t know where to start, what to do or where to turn, do not get discouraged because there are resources available to help you, and you are never alone.”
Sponsors for the 2026 Small Business Advancement Conference included the Baltimore Convention Center, SMB A&D, Capital Region Minority Supplier Development Council, Baltimore City Information Technology, Downtown Partnership, Goldman Sachs 10,000 small businesses, T.Rowe Price, SERVPRO, The AFRO, Constellation, PNC, Whiting-Turner, The Baltimore Times, Maryland Health Connection, and First National Bank.
