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Black Chamber outlines Memphis 10 initiative and asks council for data-driven follow-up

Memphis City Council (committee hearings) · April 28, 2026

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Summary

Leaders of the Black Chamber of Memphis presented the Memphis 10 initiative—focused on business growth, membership, data/advocacy and access to capital—and council members requested a detailed district-level report with metrics on business counts, openings/closings and grant distribution.

Mark Yates, chairman and interim CEO of the Black Chamber of Memphis, and Alan Gumbel, the chamber’s chief operating officer, presented an overview of the business landscape and the Chamber’s Memphis 10 program during an April 28 committee session. They said Memphis has a strong base of entrepreneurs but that business survival, access to capital and a persistent digital divide are the main barriers to scaling local, often minority‑owned, firms.

The Chamber described programs that range from technical assistance and an online business directory to the BOSS back‑office support service and a business booster grant program that awarded 86 grants over two years. Yates and Gumbel said the Chamber will provide a fuller, data‑driven report that breaks down where support is most needed, including geographies and capital access gaps.

Councilmembers praised the presentation but asked for more specific information: the number of Black‑owned businesses by district, job counts associated with those firms, openings and closings over the last year, capital raised, and barriers for local developers. Several members urged coordination with the Greater Memphis Chamber and other ecosystem partners and asked the Black Chamber to return with a comprehensive analysis and an implementation plan for the next three to five years.

The Chamber said it would provide the requested data and an infographic identifying where recent Business Booster grants were deployed. Councilmembers said they expect to use the information to target local programs and possible budget or policy actions.