Written by Dava Greely
She is now a true treasure of North Carolina, but she was initially refined by her experience growing up as a middle child of six and the only girl, in Arkansas. Her early career life in the political arena makes Tammie Hall the perfect candidate to fill her roles as Executive Director and Assistant to The Secretary for HUB Outreach.
HUB stands for “Historically Underutilized Businesses”, and the purpose of HUB is to provide information, support, and access to capital to business owners who would not have been afforded equal opportunities to succeed in the past.
So, what lead Tammie all the way from Arkansas, up Capitol Hill, then down to North Carolina?
“I’ll tell you what was really important to me or what really caught my attention about North Carolina. At that point, Ebony Magazine did a profile on Black Wall Street, Durham businesses, how they were thriving, and what possibilities existed. I thought, ‘That’s the place I want to be!’ And so, my family and I came here to North Carolina, directly to Durham, twenty years ago. And we’ve never turned back! We have loved our time in Durham, so that journey here based on Black Wall Street Durham, and all its impact is on our history is what drove me here.”
In perfect timing, and true to her roots, Tammie saw a great opportunity on the horizon while surveying the politcal landscape at the time:
“And then, what a wonderful opportunity to come here at a time when the General Assembly was just passing legislation for minority businesses. We had not had legislation on the books here in North Carolina to support minority businesses and inaction was taking place at that point. I was here and able to create programs in North Carolina that would support Senate Bill 914 at that time, and so I started doing that impactful work, and it’s grown to where I am today here in this office leading the efforts statewide for North Carolina!”
Being HUB certified opens up a whole new world for small business owners who qualify, and Tammie was happy to delve into how it all works:
“Certification is defined by general statute. General statute very clearly tells us that, number one, you must be at least fifty-one percent owner/operator, and two, be involved in the day-to-day activities, management, and control of the business. But then, you also must fit into ethnic categories that allow you to be certified such as black, Asian, Hispanic, or Native American. Female-owned businesses will qualify for certification, as well as disabled business owners. And then we have one final category, disadvantaged business owner, which is a federal designation. If you meet one or many of those, you could qualify for HUB certification. It is a four-year certification, and it is free. That is the most important thing – it is free, no cost!”
When she’s not creating new worlds of opportunity for others, Tammie loves to spend her time globetrotting, spending time with family, and dreaming up possibilities for the coming generations!
“Whenever I get an opportunity, I’m on the go! I love traveling. Most recently, I took advantage of a trip to Iceland and had an opportunity to go out of the country and enjoy that time away. Above all, family is so very important to me. I have my first grandchild, a granddaughter, and I tell you, she emulates me. And I just love that little one to death! So I spend a lot of time continuing to feed into her. She’s six, and she is just…you know, I’m ‘Gigi’ and I am her favorite! As she learns, I can see all the possibilities. I can see them in her…”
She goes on to say:
“For the center, I want to continue to grow our clientele here. Continue to grow our minority businesses and really see revenue increase for those business owners, whether that’s in the federal contracting space, or in our state contracting space. We have roughly one hundred and five clients currently through the center. And I know there are many, many more business owners out there and minority business owners that can take advantage of the center and the opportunities to connect another dot for them. And then for me, personally, I’m going to continue to focus on being a public servant. I’ve enjoyed the ability to provide and be of goodwill. And I will continue to do that, whether in this role or another role throughout this state, with the ability to stay connected to my community in a manner that provides positive impact.”
Amazing! Thank you, Tammy, for continuing to make a SUBSTANTIAL impact in North Carolina!