On Thursday, May 17, 2012 the White House Business Council, in conjunction with the U.S. Small Business Administration, the City of Detroit and the Michigan Black Chamber of Commerce, will host an Urban Economic Forum to specifically address the needs of urban entrepreneurs in the Detroit area.

The forum in Detroit is part of a multi-city series designed to bridge the President’s economic vision with needs of urban entrepreneurs by connecting them with the local and national resources and networks to grow their businesses and create jobs.

I am excited to share that I have been selected to speak on the topic of, ‘Using Technology – Social Media to Expand Your Business’

Location:              Cobo Convention Center 1 Washington Blvd Detroit, MI 48226
Date:                      Thursday, May 17, 2012 8:00am-3:00pm
Register:             http://www.whitehouse.gov/webform/white-house-urban-economic-forum-detroit-mi-2012

I look forward to seeing you on Thursday, May 17^th!

I am very excited to announce that I will be speaking at the U.S. Paralympic Leadership Conference in Colorado Springs, CO, April 26-30, 2012.  It is an honor to have the opportunity to be speaking at the official U.S. Olympic training facility where some of the top athletes in the world train.

The topic of my 1.5 hour session will be on branding.

I will be sharing my experiences here . . .

Twitter: @HajjFlemings
Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/hajjflemings
Instagram:  HajjFlemings
Google Plus: http://gplus.to/hajjflemings

You can also follow the U.S. Paralympics Twitter Account as well: @usparalympics

Today is a historical day.  I will moderate the first congressional Google Plus Hangout with Congressman Hansen Clarke to discuss the Student Loan Forgiveness Act of 2012 (H.R. 4170), which he introduced in Congress on March 8th.

The Panel discussion will include student representatives from: University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Wayne State University, Eastern Michigan University, Western Michigan University, Central Michigan University and Oakland University will partake in the Hangout session along with Congressman Clarke. During the Hangout session Congressman Clarke and the student representatives will discuss the Student Loan Forgiveness Act of 2012 and the realities that many student borrowers are currently facing.

Watch the Google+ Hangout LIVE: http://www.ustream.tv/user/RepHansenClarke 
Google Plus:  http://gplus.to/hansenclarke
Twitter: @RepHansenClarke
Hashtag:  #studentloan4170
Time: 4:30pm-5:30pm EST

“This Google+ Hangout session is an opportunity for me to hear directly from students as well as to speak about my legislation and how it will put student borrowers back on higher ground.” said Clarke.

The Student Loan Forgiveness Act of 2012 (H.R. 4170) would forgive outstanding student loan debt for Americans who have made payments equal to 10 percent of their discretionary income for 10 years.

“This bill provides student loan borrowers with a second chance, those who have been struggling financially,” said Clarke “And by cutting this debt, this frees up their money to invest on their own. That will create new jobs throughout this country. It’s time for Congress to stand up for the rights of student loan borrowers. It’s time to forgive these student loan debts.”

The Google+ Hangout session will broadcast live from Wayne State University’s Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights, located at 471 W. Palmer Ave., Detroit, MI from 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Students are strongly encouraged to attend and to bring a friend.

For more information on the Student Loan Forgiveness Act of 2012 visit: www.hansenclarke.house.gov

Wayne Sutton (SocialWayne.com/about – San Francisco, CA) and myself were sponsored by Buick to cover the NCAA Men’s Final Four from a social media perspective. During our trip we decided to visit the Lower 9th Ward to reflect on life, community and New Orleans after hurricane Katrina.

While thousands of basketball fans were attending the 2012 Final Four in New Orleans, just five miles down the road there was an entire community that was dealing with life after one of the nation’s worst national disasters Hurricane Katrina that took place seven years ago in the lower 9th ward.

“We felt strongly about telling this story from an outsiders perspective on the weekend of college basketball’s biggest stage.  Because telling this story draws the connection between those who are fortunate and those less fortunate; while communicating the importance of giving back when given the opportunity.”  Wayne Sutton and Hajj Flemings two entrepreneurs who were featured in CNN’s Black In America 4 Documentary – The New Promised Land: Silicon Valley.

During their trip to New Orleans and working with Buick, Wayne and Hajj spent time at Dr. Martin Luther King Charter School participating in the Samaritan’s Feet shoe donation that included the “Barefoot Movement”.  Samaritans Feet ( http://www.samaritansfeet.org ) is a non-profit, humanitarian aid organization with a community over 70,000 volunteers.  Their mission is to make a difference in the lives of young people by washing their feet, providing them with a new pair of shoes, and inspiring them with a message of hope.

Other activities the two entrepreneurs took part in along with enjoying the final four games includes: Buick’s Bracket Town, co-hosting the first ever Buick Final Four Social Media Meetup (http://buickfinalfour2012.eventbrite.com ) and meeting basketball legends: “The Big O” Oscar Robinson, Howard Garfinkel, Bill Raftery, Shaquille ‘Shaq’ O’Neal and Coach Mike Krzyzewski.

Today I am living my dream.  I am headed down to the 2012 NCAA Final Four in New Orleans with Buick to cover the entire Final Four experience:  events, semi-finals, and the Championship game on Monday.  As a hugh basketball fan and former player I am as ‘Excited’ about attending as Tim Tebow is about being a New York Jet.

The Final Four experience will be filled with great signature events I will be attending all of the practices (Kentucky, Louisville, Ohio State and Kansas).  There will be a host of community activities and official Final Four events that I will be sharing online.  When were not at events I will be riding in luxury in a new 2012 Buick Verano!

I will also have the pleasure of covering the events with Wayne Sutton who is a business partner.

For updates please follow me on:  http://hajjflemings.com, instagram (Hajj Flemings), Facebook and Twitter: @HajjFlemings, and Google Plus.

Thanks to Buick:  I would like to thank Buick for the opportunity and their confidence in me to represent their brand on the Final Four platform.

Disclosure:  This is not a sponsored post, but Buick is sponsoring me to attend the Final Four and providing free access to all events.

Hashtags: You can also follow the twitter hashtags #BuickNCAA, #BracketTown, #NOLA, #NCAA, #FinalFour for updates too.

Detroit Startup Gokit will be featured on CNN’s Starting Point hosted by Soledad O’Brien on Friday, March 9th which airs from 7:00am-9:00am live from SXSW Interactive in Austin, Texas.  I will be discussing the launch of Gokit with my Co-Founder Andre Barnes at SXSW Interactive on 03/11/12.  Be sure to listen in.

Gokit Party 03/11/12:  http://gokit.me/sxsw
Twitter: @gokitme
Hashtag: #sxsw #gokit

I feel like a kid on Christmas who just found out they are going to Disney.

Earlier this week I received some awesome news, that I would be attending TED 2012 in Long Beach, CA 02/26-03/02.  I am very excited to have an opportunity to attend one of the most inspirational events on the planet.  It has been a dream of mind to attend TED.  I follow the conference every year online and share the videos on my blog.  It is going to truly be an honor to be in the room with some of the brightest and most influential people on the planet.

The next step is to speak at TED.  Trust me it is not a manner of ‘if’ but ‘when’, I think big!  I look forward to representing Detroit at TED 2012 in Long Beach, CA.

To follow the conference use hashtag:  #TED

On Wednesday, February 8^th at the Oakland County – State of the County address I was selected as the inaugural recipient of the L. Brooks Patterson Elite 40 Under 40.  Nearly 400 of the brightest minds in Oakland County were nominated and for me to emerge as the winner was an honor.

Oakland County is one of America’s most affluent counties, which makes the significances even greater.  Here is a quote from Brooks about the elite 40, “The members of my ‘Elite 40 Under 40′ represent where Oakland County

is headed tomorrow: charging into the knowledge-based economy, providing strong leadership, and engaged in improving the quality of life in our region,” said Patterson in his 2012 State of the County address.

State of the County Address [Video]: http://bit.ly/soc2012

I See Opportunity

Here is my thought about the ‘Elite 40’ award, “this honor will not just be an update on my Linkedin profile but will serve as a platform to work with Brooks and a county with a technological DNA and a passion to be a leader in the knowledge-based economy.  “What makes this award different than other 40 Under 40 type awards is that programming is being developed to engage the leaders that were selected.

My goal is to help position the honor as a platform that will create real measurable change.  Since this is the first time the award has been given there is a blank page and I plan on helping to write what the platform can be and mean to me and future winners. I think it is possible to have a beauty pageant like platform for young business professionals that is gender neutral.  This will challenge the winner to use the calendar year to impact the region with the access and reach from the platform.  My question is why can’t the L.Brooks Patterson Elite 40 Under 40 Re-Define the future?

Hitting the Goal Running

I have real ideas that align with the metrics and mission of Oakland County and I started making calls and setting up meetings the day after I received the award.  I am very excited about rolling up my sleeves and getting to work.

Photos of the Events

[Photo Credit @Mlive and Jeff Wattrick]

[Elite 40 Group Photo]

[Elite 40 Finalist:  Kerrie Benno, Hajj Flemings and Lena Koretzky]

The inaugural L. Brooks Patterson Elite 40 Under 40 Contest committee selected me as a finalist from a pool of 400 nominees.  It is a hugh honor and one that I don’t take lightly.  This contest provides a tremendous platform and creates a great opportunity to make an impact in the lives of many in SE Michigan and statewide.

I was recently featured on Flashpoint on WDIV Channel 4 with Devin Scillian as one of four panelist talking about the, Future of Detroit.  I am firmly cemented in investing the Michigan.  Listen to my thoughts about the future of Detroit.

Link to the Video: http://bit.ly/news4hajj

How to Vote for Hajj:  http://bit.ly/vote4hajj  (Voting ends 02/01/12)

Come and join me at the Skyline Club in Southfield for lunch and a lively discussion about the CNN documentary and the Detroit Entrepreneurship community.

Event:
CNN’s Black In America 4: The New Promised Land: Silicon Valley Discussion
and The Detroit Entrepreneurship Community with Hajj Flemings

Date and Time:
Wednesday, January 25
12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Location:
Skyline Club
2000 Town Center Suite 2800
Southfield, MI 48075

Cost: $18 (Includes Lunch)

Visit us on the web: www.TheSkylineClub.com

I was recently featured in CNN’s fourth installment of “Black in America” which focused on my journey in Silicon Valley and the tech startup that I  worked on.  I will share my experience and incite of being in Silicon Valley and the startup culture. The conversation will integrate the Detroit’s Entrepreneurship community and how startup thinking can impact our economy.

With the unemployment rate in the state of Michigan as high as 11.1% in 2011, the startup community is going to be a vital part of creating new jobs and attracting and retaining young talent in the state of Michigan.  $18+ per person (includes lunch!) Business dress code applies. Major credit cards accepted.

I look forward to seeing you there!