From Land to Legacy, the Summit Addresses Crucial Wealth-Building Topics
The inaugural South Florida Black Wealth Summit, presented by the Institute of Black Wealth, concluded a successful event on February 24th at Florida Memorial University, South Florida’s only HBCU. The summit brought together over 250 attendees, including community members, entrepreneurs, and financial experts, united by the mission of closing the Black wealth gap.
A Vision Bigger Than The Summit
Co-founded by Ted Lucas, CEO of Slip n Slide Records, tech investor, and philanthropist, and Fabiola Fleuranvil, real estate developer and CEO of Icon Heritage Partners, and CEO of federal contracting firm, Blueprint Creative Group, the Institute of Black Wealth is dedicated to empowering the Black community through financial literacy, wealth creation, and access to resources. Lucas, through his non-profit Technolij, also established the Tech Innovation Hub at Florida Memorial University and provides tech training and investor access through his accelerator program, The Source.
“The South Florida Black Wealth Summit aimed to ignite a dialogue about the unique challenges and opportunities faced by the Black community in building wealth,” said Fabiola Fleuranvil. “By sharing knowledge, tools, and resources, we can empower individuals and families to create a brighter financial future for themselves and future generations. Our vision extends beyond the Summit. Ted and I are developing a platform that can connect opportunities, capital and resources to those who are ready and able to develop projects and expand their deal flow.”
Brilliant Minds Came Together As Panelists
The summit featured a dynamic agenda and insightful discussions led by prominent figures in the financial and entrepreneurial spheres.
Key highlights included:
- Fireside chat: Fabiola Fleuranvil and Ted Lucas kicked off the event by discussing the current state of Black wealth in South Florida, examining responsibilities within the community and by local government and organizations.
- Presentation: How to ignite your personal wealth journey starting from the bottom, by wealth strategist, Cedric Nash, Founder & CEO, Oakland Consulting Group
- Panel discussions: Experts delved into crucial topics such as:
- “Don’t Sell Grandma’s House”: Navigating inherited land and real estate, including the importance of estate planning and avoiding probate. This panel was moderated by Rashad Thomas, AT&T Florida, with panelists: Monique Hayes, Attorney/Partner at DGIM Law PLLC and Latonya Hamilton-Webb, Owner/Broker, Hamilton & Associates Real Estate Firm
- “You Own Land. Now What?”: Exploring the initial steps in developing land and accessing funding opportunities such as Florida’s Live Local Act, Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) and other sources. This panel was moderated by MichaelJohn Green, Deputy Director of Economic Development at Miami-Dade County with experienced developers as panelists, including: Donahue Peebles III, Executive Vice President The Peebles Corporation / Chairman, Legacy Real Estate Development, Barron Channer, Principal, Woodwater Group, and David Wilson, Managing Member
Equifinancial
- “You Own Land. Now What?”: Exploring the initial steps in developing land and accessing funding opportunities such as Florida’s Live Local Act, Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) and other sources. This panel was moderated by MichaelJohn Green, Deputy Director of Economic Development at Miami-Dade County with experienced developers as panelists, including: Donahue Peebles III, Executive Vice President The Peebles Corporation / Chairman, Legacy Real Estate Development, Barron Channer, Principal, Woodwater Group, and David Wilson, Managing Member
- “The Legacy Blueprint”: Breaking the cycle of wealth loss, creating family legacies, and planning for Black wealth transfer. This panel was moderated by Fabiola with panelists Dr. Nicole Garner Scott, Wealth Strategist at The Money Plan and Evans St. Fort, serial entrepreneur and CEO and Funeral Director at St Fort Funeral Home.
- “Black Brilliance”: A fireside chat with successful local Black entrepreneurs, offering valuable insights and lessons learned from their experiences. This panel was moderated by Cedric Nash and featured Tina Howell, Entrepreneur and Wing Stop Franchisee with 15 units and Travis Mack, Chairman and CEO, Saalex Corporation, a federal defense contracting firm that recently acquired a $75 million company.
What's Next?
The objective of the Institute of Black Wealth is to develop a platform for deal sourcing, deal making and collaboration. Programming is being added that would continue to provide education and access to resources in addition to bringing together business leaders, capital sources, tech innovators and real estate developers.