Beyond the Bricks

Join us for a two-part candid conversation on what it takes to launch a brick-and-mortar business. Entrepreneurs will share their journey from planning and design to securing the necessary funding.

Following the panel of entrepreneurs, subject matter experts in design, project management, city funding and financing will share their points of view and provide tips for a successful launch.

• Maya-Camille Broussard, Chef and Owner of Justice of the Pies
• Donnell Digby, Owner of The Woodlawn, Nafsi, and Social Network
• Camille Kerr, Founder of Upside Down Consulting
• Quandra Speights, Owner of Urban Market Exchange
• Jim Harbin, Deputy Commissioner in the City of Chicago's Department of Planning and Development
• Terrence Johnson, Executive Director of Greewood Archer Capital
• Deon Lucas, Co-founder of Beehyyve and President of E.G. Woode
• Kareem Cousar, Senior Owner's Representative at IFF

Maya-Camille Broussard is the Chef and Owner of Justice of the Pies. Netflix-lovers know Maya-Camille Broussard for her appearance on “Bake Squad”, but this South Side native has been on a pies-for-justice journey for many years. Her L3C business considers itself “a social mission in a culinary art form,” and she’s shared her story (and her pies!) with the likes of Rachel Ray, Al Roker, and just about every media outlet in Chicago. She is a chef, author, and business owner.

Justice of the Pies is a bakery that specializes in sweet and savory pies, quiches, and tarts. Maya-Camille Broussard established Justice of the Pies in honor of her late father, Stephen J. Broussard. Steve, who dubbed himself the Pie Master, was a criminal defense attorney with a passion for baking and eating anything made with a crust! Justice of the Pies was created to celebrate his love for pies and to honor his belief that everyone deserves an opportunity to reform their lives.

Maya-Camille opened her first brick-and-mortar space in Avalon Park after incubating in the Hatchery. The 2,000 SF facility is a full-service bakery with room to support on-site cooking classes. Maya-Camille is a 2022 James Beard Finalists for Outstanding Baker and author of Justice of the Pies: Sweet and Savory Pies, Quiches, and Tarts plus Inspirational Stories from Exceptional People.

Donnell Digby is the Owner of the The Woodlawn, Nafsi, and Social Network. Donnell Digby is no stranger to real estate development on Chicago’s south side. In 2018, he opened The Woodlawn, a vibrant economic hub that hosts both pop-up and permanent businesses in the Avalon Park neighborhood, where he grew up. And even before that, he was a business owner and real estate professional.
Donnell is a serial entrepreneur with the recently opened Nafsi (which means Soul in Arabic, Swahili and other languages), a new sit-down restaurant inside the South Shore Cultural Center. Coming soon is the the Social Network, a 3,000-square-foot gaming location launching in the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood to serve as a social gathering space for youth to not only play a game or two but also to explore gaming as a career path.

Camille Kerr is the founder of Upside Down Consulting. As the founder of Upside Down Consulting, she works to incubate cooperatives that provide employment, affordable housing, and financial services to formerly incarcerated individuals, particularly Black women. She is a driving force behind ChiFresh Kitchen, a food service cooperative in Chicago that employs more than a dozen formerly incarcerated individuals and owns its own 6,000 sq ft commercial kitchen in Greater Grand Crossing.

In addition to her work with ChiFresh, Camille serves on the boards of organizations dedicated to community wealth building, including Urban Growers Collective, EG Woode, and Obran Cooperative, as well as the City of Chicago’s Chicago Community Wealth Building Advisory Board and the BIPOC Food Business Group of the Chicago’s Food Equity Council. She is also an executive fellow at Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing.

Quandra Speights is the Owner of Urban Market Exchange. Quandra Speights, a Chicago native who has supported nonprofits and entrepreneurs both personally and professionally throughout her life, wanted to create a space for artisans on the south side. Local artisans tend to have two choices when just starting out – either they can travel to shared maker spaces on the north side of Chicago, or they can work from their own basements and kitchen tables. That’s why she envisioned the Urban Market Exchange, a mixed-use community space with a purpose.

The Exchange was created to fill an urgent void for a cost-effective makers-space where south side artisans, makers, and creators could grow their business. The makers-space allows entrepreneurs on the South Side to grow their business in a collaborative and supportive environment. The Exchange, a $3.3 million 7,920 square foot building will be a mixed-use development that will include 2 units of affordable apartments; approximately 3,900 square feet of commercial and community space; and 1,300 square feet of outdoor courtyard space. It's scheduled to open late 2025.

• Understanding the pros/cons of launching
• Identifying go/no-go decision points
• How to assemble the right team to support the launch

Host or Publisher Community Desk Chicago