African American Business Owners Spotlighted for Black History Month

McHenry County Entrepreneurs will be honored at a Black History Month Community Celebration at Donna Lowe Salon, 772 South Randall Road in Algonquin on Sunday, February 25 from noon to 2 pm.

The African American Business Owners honored are:

Donna Lowe of the Donna Lowe Salon, a full-service hair salon located in Algonquin. Contact 224 558-3216 or email Chef Joanne Thomas of With a Little Love in Every Bite, provides a variety of services from small pastries to full-sized catered events for birthdays, graduations, weddings, and many other celebrations. Contact Thomas at [email protected].

Chef Joanne Thomas of Serenity Soul Corporation , provides a variety of services from small pastries to full-sized catered events for birthdays, graduations, weddings, and many other celebrations. Contact her at ChefJoanneThomas.com. “As a child, I always had a passion for culinary. My mother was a great cook. My passion grew as I became older. As an adult, while in the Marine Corps, my room would be the one my friends came to for meals, not the chow hall. I would find any excuse to have a party just to have the opportunity to entertain and serve my guests.”

Tangie Taylor of Tangie’s Kitchen is located at 3106 Three Oaks Road in Cary. She can be reached at (815) 846-0917. With over 10 years in the foodservice industry, Taylor is proud to have opened a small business in Cary. She serves some of the favorite foods that she grew up eating on the West side of Chicago. Tangie’s Kitchen offers comfort food, soul food, BBQ and a few of her personally developed dishes inspired by her family’s tradition of gathering around the table and sharing stories and time with each other, creating some of her fondest memories of love, laughter, and family.

Gloria Dillard of GMSity Embroidery is located in Lake in the Hills. “I decided to pursue my dream of becoming a small business owner and began organizing my business to become a legacy. Over the years, I have learned to embroider, from simple letters on robes and slippers to digitizing photos and creating cute and functional items such as coin purses, clutches, keyrings and more. In addition to being a small business owner, I am also a Research Grants Director at my current job and a mother of two adult children and seven grandchildren. I serve as the Vice President of Pheobe’s Legacy, Inc. which provides support to women who have experienced trauma. I am dedicated to helping those in need and providing my customers with high-quality products that they can be proud to wear or display.” Send any questions regarding the company and/or the products offered, email at [email protected] or call 312 834-7083. Response time is 24—48 hours.

Rodney Katushabe is the owner of FinArk Bookkeeping Services for Businesses. Katushabe is a young entrepreneur, a great motivator, and a passionate speaker. He graduated from McHenry County College with top honors and was chosen as the Student Commencement Speaker. He earned an associate degree in business management within a period of less than one year while maintaining a 4.0 GPA. He was also involved in student organizations at the college including Black Student Union, Speech and Debate team and Phi Theta Kappa at MCC. He also received 8 awards making him MCC’s top Award Recipient. He was also chosen as the featured keynote speaker for the first annual Juneteenth Celebration in McHenry County. Due to his impeccable academic record, community, and business involvement, he was awarded the Honors Scholarship at Northeastern Illinois University where he furthers his education majoring in accounting. He partners with other CPAs, accounting experts and business advisors to provide expert services and resources to small businesses and entrepreneurs. Call 872 216-3849 for an appointment and consultation.

Emily Ferguson, an independent contractor for 25 years, assisted in organizing this event. Emily is currently enrolled at MCC pursuing a Certification in Entrepreneurship. She hopes that the event will spark the creation of the McHenry County African American Business Association (MCAABA) which she is organizing.

For more information about the MCAABA contact Ferguson at 312 538-8478 or [email protected].

For more information about the Black History Month Celebration contact Donna Lowe at 224-558-3216 or email [email protected].