Joshua Brister, owner of the Lewiston-Auburn Maples, a women’s semiprofessional basketball team in Maine, is creating the state’s first Black chamber of commerce.
The Portland Press Herald reported that Brister registered the Maine Black Chamber of Commerce in June 2023. The Black chamber will lobby for Black businesses in the state.
Brister, a Navy veteran, secured over $400,000 in startup funding and is selecting 15 people for the organization’s board of directors. Per the Herald, he said, “We’re in the incubation stage. It takes conversations and backing to bring intentional, lasting change.” Brister expects the annual budget to be between $1.5 million and $2 million.
Read the source article at Black Enterprise
