Photo by Chaunci Calloway

Subsequently, I have developed a personal mission statement to help guide my life: I am a servant of Jesus Christ and heir to the promises of The Lord. Dedicated to the mission of the Gospel, in mind body and spirit - I will make my life His will.   I will love him in thought and deed, in speech and motive.  I will shun all evil and seek all righteousness.  I will let my light shine through the darkness. I will never efface in adversity, but with boldness I will conquer all challenges placed before me.  I embrace Wisdom as my teacher, Discipline as my friend, Grace as my sustainer and Christ as my Life.  I will meet the morning with joy and the evening with contentment. I will seize the day and each opportunity the moment offers me. I will treat all as my kinsman and love each person as myself.  I make excellence my running mate for victory.  His life for me is the foot race of soldiers – and I run the race to win.

I left ORU during the spring of 1992 and moved to Denver, Colorado. My desire and vision for business and community began to broaden.  My Wife and I entered an initial partnership with several young investors.  From this investment group, a few of us branched off to form a separate business. Community Investors and Enterprise was the name chosen to represent our vision for business and community. The group formed a corporation and joined Denver’s Chamber of Commerce. We examined in detail the various social and economic indicators of the Denver/Metro are.  Our research confirmed the disparity we initially recognized within Denver’s urban sectors.  CIE began to engage the community through networking activities and functions. 

We were invited to a private round table meeting that included the developers for the initial construction and development of DIA. The agenda for that meeting was that of implementing Mayor Webb’s charter to utilize the large pool of unemployed workers in the urban sector.   There were a few other organizations there and each presented their plan on how to best engage the urban sector.  After presenting our plan to this small group of developers, with the idea in mind for the next year - we were stunned by the response.  Our plan was immediately accepted and we began to receive requests for business.  As our plan was for a future date, we had no choice but to decline the business.    Unfortunately, we felt the timing was not right, and we all decided to shut down operations for a more suitable time. 

Five years passed and CIE was shelved while my family was developing.  Later, My brother and I began to discuss our still passionate vision.  We decided to return to Omaha based on a re-embraced vision of business together and perhaps with family.  Shortly after our return to Omaha, we began to develop our collective calling to the urban communities within Omaha, Nebraska. We both believed that Omaha was the right place to headquarter this organization and the vision began to take form.  Surprisingly, we found that The Lord had inspired the tenets of our vision among our cousins as well – serving as more confirmation of our purpose.  Now, as this vision begins to materialize, He patiently works that vision into my character.  In trials and tests, I have become stronger and more useful for Him. Every person and every experience He has placed before my path has been for my growth and edification

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