VOLUME 26 | ISSUE 7 | FEBRUARY 17, 2025
Black Employee Network (BEN), a Delaware North Team Member Resource Group, on Feb. 11 hosted a conversation with two influential Black women entrepreneurs making impactful contributions in Western New York. The event, held at corporate headquarters in Buffalo and livestreamed for team members throughout the globe, highlighted their unique journeys of turning their passions into businesses.
Catherine Earle, senior project manager for Delaware North’s Project Management Office; moderated the conversation between Jada Ivey, a rising sustainable fashion designer; and Faustenia Morrow, founder of Monarch of Infinite Possibilities.
Morrow shared her inspiring story of turning the 2020 loss of her sister to cancer into a beacon of hope and activism through Monarch of Infinite Possibilities. Her organization engages diverse communities through social causes, volunteerism and events to raise environmental and arts awareness.
Ivey, a student at Buffalo State University, discussed the inspiration for her sustainable clothing brand, XII XXI. Ivey practices upcycling, taking old or discarded garments and materials and transforming them into new and wearable items. Ivey focuses on transforming old denim, one of the most polluting fabrics, into fashionable streetwear.
BEN is hosting a Denim Drive at corporate headquarters in the month of February, which is also Black History Month, to support XII XXI. Click here for the recording of “BEN Celebrates Black Women Entrepreneurs.”
Main caption: Two Buffalo-based entrepreneurs, Jada Ivey (third from left) and Faustenia Morrow (second from left), joined Delaware North team members at global headquarters in Buffalo for a conversation focused on building businesses to find innovative solutions to address social problems. Pictured with the panelists are Catherine Earle (far left), senior project manager and event moderator; Nicole Locke, compliance analyst (third from right); Gianni Barnes, pricing manager (second from right); and Da’Shawn Hines, recruitment marketing specialist (far right).