Hi. This is Paul Zellizer, and welcome to the Awarepreneurs podcast. On this show, we dive deep into wisdom from some of the world's leading social entrepreneurs. Our goal is to help increase your positive impact, your profitability, and your quality of life. Before we get into today's topic, I have one request. If you could hit subscribe and do a review on your favorite podcast app, it helps more people learn how to have positive impact through a values based business. Thank you so much. Today, I am really honored and really excited to introduce you to my colleague and a new friend, Carla Cassie.

And our topic today is supporting the growth of black businesses. Carla grew up here in Albuquerque, and then all the way through going to the University in New Mexico, worked at Sandia National Labs for 25 years, did HR and contract work, and then worked with the public utility in New Mexico called PNM. Carla thought she retired after all those great years doing awesome work. And then in February 2022, got a call. Hey, Carla. We need you to come be president of the Black Chamber of New Mexico, which is the role she currently serves in, in which we met. She's doing incredible work, and they are doing incredible work. Carla, welcome to the show.

It's an honor to have you here.

Hello, Paul. And thank you so much for having me.

So there's so much we could talk about, but before we get into the actual topic, the strategies you are doing amazing things to help the black chamber and to help black businesses in New Mexico. What would somebody wanna know about you and the work you've done that would give them a better sense of who is this person that is doing this grace work?

Well, I grew up here in Albuquerque. And even though I've traveled all over the world, this is home. And I always love to come back home and help anybody that I can. That's just what my heart is is to be of help to anybody I can however I can help them. So, you know, I did it in corporate America, but it was real different working in corporate America because you had funding and you had everything else coming to a tax exempt organization is a whole different world.

Yeah. And, and the listeners, if you've been around listeners, you've heard me rave about New Mexico and Albuquerque and how we're not exactly like the mainstream US in quite a few ways. What if somebody wasn't super familiar with New Mexico, the context that this great work is happening in? What would you want a listener who didn't know anything about Albuquerque or wasn't familiar with New Mexico? What would they need to know to sort of understand the context that the businesses you're supporting operate in?

So we operate in an environment where we try to make everybody feel included, not only included, but we want them to feel like they belong to the community. And so that's what our goal is, is to make them feel at home, not just have a seat at the table, but have a voice at the table as well.

And I can speak from personal experience. We met through a mutual colleague, Sarah Branch of the SBA. I was the business coach for an accelerator. And Sarah and Carla have a long standing relationship. And like, you walked in, Sarah lights up, and you 2, like, run across the room and give each other a big hug. Like, if you don't know Carla, like, Carla walks around hugging almost it's a it's a remarkable how many people know you and how your presence is just there's so much warmth and care. Each person in front of you is like the only person on the planet. It'd be a way I see you operate, Carla.

So it's not just a theory. I've seen you do this, and you're it's one of your superpowers, helping people feel included in, like, what they have to say matters.

Well well, thank you. I appreciate that. It's something I've worked hard at because I didn't always feel included. And so, because I didn't always feel included, I wanted to make sure that anything that I did and anybody that I was around that they felt included and they felt important and they felt a part of it because I had instances where I didn't feel that way, both in, you know, going to school and in corporate America. I didn't always feel included. I didn't always feel like I belonged. And so I've tried to change that scenario.