The Billboard Jackson Entrepreneurial Development program was established in 2000 as part of the fraternity’s Eastern Region’s Bigger and Better Initiative. The program was named in honor of Hon. Bro. James A. “Billboard” Jackson, a corporate pioneer and first black editor of Billboard Magazine. The region provided two $1,000 business development grants to fraternity members (one collegiate and one alumni member) who submitted outstanding business plans. Past grant recipients have grown their businesses into multi-million dollar enterprises.
In 2015, the fraternity voted to expand the Billboard Jackson Entrepreneurial Development program as an initiative under the Sigma Business Initiative program. The program now invites members from each of the fraternity’s seven regions to compete for the development grants. The first international competition took place in 2016, where 32 businesses submitted business plans for consideration. Out of the initial entries, 8 businesses were selected as finalists, and were invited to present their respective plan at Phi Beta Sigma’s International Headquarters office. The final round was held on September 16, 2016 as part of Phi Beta Sigma’s Congressional Black Caucus Foundation week. After careful consideration, the panel selected ALuxuRe (Durham, NC-Southeastern Region) and Krispy Kustoms, Inc. (Manhattan, KS-Southwestern Region) as the two grant recipients. The Bigger and Better Business team looks forward to conducting the next Billboard Jackson competition during the 2019 Las Vegas Conclave.
