Tabor News

History in the Making
Tabor Members Play Major Roles
in Museum & Housing at Colman

In March the Urban League Village at Colman School held a triumphant grand opening, a vision 25 years in the making and an achievement in community mobilization.

The Urban League Village is comprised of 36 units of mixed-income housing, along with a Museum, housed together within the historic Colman School building, constructed in 1909 and used as a school for African American girls.

The 19,000-square-foot Northwest African American Museum (NAAM) will be a permanent regional institution dedicated to documenting and exhibiting the unique historical and cultural experience of African Americans in the Pacific Northwest.

This project became a reality because of the dedicated hard work and commitment of a community of designers, residents, activists, businesses, not-for-profits, artists, funders, politicians and investors.

Like the bricks and mortar that imbue this structure with its strength and distinction, the membership of Tabor 100 is an integral part of its current incarnation.

in 2001 the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle (ULMS) took on the project with the purchase of the building and has since developed the project to completion under the unwavering leadership of Tabor member James Kelly, President and CEO of the ULMS.

Seattle architectural firm DKA designed the museum and housing units. DKA President and CEO Donald King is a founding member of Tabor 100. The job was entrusted to Rico Quirindongo, a project manager at DKA and past board member of Tabor's.

The floor plan includes three principal galleries: The Journey Gallery, the Northwest Gallery and the Legacy Gallery. Long-term exhibits in the Journey Gallery will share the story of African Americans pioneers arriving in the Northwest to build lives and communities. The Museum's largest gallery, the Northwest Gallery, will house exhibits geared to the rich history of African American experiences in the Northwest. The Legacy Gallery, a multi-purpose space, will host events, exhibits, performances and lectures of importance to the Museum's mission to be a gathering place for youth, adults and families.

Also on the team was Leajak Construction, which is owned by Tabor member Fred Anderson. The firm handled museum tenant improvements.

The continued success of the project will be left in the capable hands of Tabor member Carver Gayton, who will serve as museum director.

Gala Volunteer Adds Energy to Tabor's Signature Event

Christa Peterson is among Tabor's youngest members, but she is already making tremendous contributions to the success of our organization.

Peterson has been an active member of the Gala Committee for four years, working alongside Chairman Lewis Rudd to help put together the annual event, which has greatly increased in attendance and prominence in the Seattle business community.

"In the beginning it felt like a job, but the people I work with are so amazing and so bright and so talented it's great," Peterson said. "Working with Lewis, Terry Johnson, Kevin Washington, Janie Hendrix and Lawrence Bigham, when you bring these people together a lot can get done. Now when I go to the meetings I laugh a ton. I enjoy being around people who are intelligent and motivating. I think I've grown a lot as a person from this experience."

Peterson's real day-to-day job is handling sales and marketing for Mechanical Sales, a Seattle firm that represents commercial and residential heating equipment manufacturers. A lot of her work involves building and maintaining business-to-business client relationships.

"It can be somewhat stressful but it can be rewarding, too," she said. "We have more than 30 product lines, so it's a challenge to keep up with the product knowledge sometimes. But it's all about delivering good customer service."

Peterson is a proud alum of the University of Washington business school and recently accepted an opportunity to give back to her alma mater. At the school's 6th Annual Celebration of African American Business Achievement, Peterson introduced each of the panelists. The event recognized achievements of African American alumni under the theme innovation and trendsetters. Among the panelists were Sir Mix-a-lot and Craig Dawson, a Tabor 100 past-president.

During the event she had an opportunity to tell the attendees about Tabor 100 and describe its goals and achievements. It's the same thing she does on a personal level with friends and recent graduates, something she would like to see Tabor do more often.

"People don't understand what Tabor is, and when I explain it they're amazed," she said. "I joined for the brotherly love and the fact that the people in the organization are positive and like-minded and they're interested in promoting minority businesses."

She's such an enthusiastic supporter, she plans to bring two guests to the next general membership meeting. "I just want to say thanks to Tabor 100 for giving me the opportunity to learn."

Meet-and-Greets Connect Members to Public Officials and Contract Opportunities

Since the Tabor Meet-and-Greets began in September 2007, about 20 firms have participated and so far 18 have earned contracts or purchase orders.

Coordinated by Economic Development Committee Chairwoman Ollie Garrett, president of PMT Solutions, the format connects minority-owned businesses with buyers and managers at the City of Seattle and other public sector agencies.

This successful program has mushroomed into the inclusion of private sector companies and more government agencies interested in hosting similar sessions at their sites and who come to learn about how this process works. Representatives from Safeco Insurance, Puget Sound Energy, King County and Seattle Public Schools were present at the February Meet-and-Greet. The Port of Seattle and Seattle Community Colleges are working with Garrett to schedule Tabor sessions in the near future.

"In this unprecedented time of access and opportunity, it is so important for businesses of color to join forces and move deliberately together," said Angela Tarah, a member of the Economic Development Committee.

To that end, the Economic Development Committee is reaching out to other ethnic groups and business associations to participate, which maximizes potential business networking for all involved.

"If there is a member of Tabor who has not yet taken advantage of these sessions and is looking to expand their business profile, these Meet-and-Greets are without a doubt the place to be," Garrett says. "These buyers want very much to meet new business owners and Tabor needs to show a consistently strong turn-out if we want this opportunity to continue."

Continuous growth and development of the process is manifested in the approach that Puget Sound Energy is taking to prepare for a similar event at their offices in Bellevue.

These achievements and progress highlight what is possible when we move forward with purpose and vision, whether it is the vision of a single person or a group. Ollie Garrett and the Economic Development Committee are showing us the way.

"This was an excellent chance to meet decisionmakers at the City of Seattle, King County, Puget Sound Energy, Seattle Public Schools, and more. Great job, Ollie Garrett, and a special thanks to Skip Rowland …for all their work and care, and to the City of Seattle for hosting the event. JTS Manage Services appreciates your efforts and our opportunity to present our story."

"I want to add my thanks on behalf of Promed Agency and my business partners for arranging [the] business exchange. Our particular kudos to Skip [Rowland] and Ollie [Garrett] from the Tabor 100 for the vision and energy to pull this together, and our thanks to Nancy [Locke] and everyone from the city, county and other purchasers for making this a priority. With this level of commitment, good things are bound to happen for both the city and for the MBE community,"