CJ Broderick, President & CEO, The Greater Durham Black Chamber of Commerce (GDBCC)
In a conversation with Invest:, CJ Broderick, President & CEO of The Greater Durham Black Chamber of Commerce (GDBCC), shared insights on the challenges and opportunities facing Black businesses in Durham. “Some Triangle businesses are experiencing growth, but others are facing headwinds. Inequitable growth has created an affordable housing crisis that is presenting several challenges to retail businesses. Additionally, federal policies like tariffs, the gutting of research and development efforts, and the rollback of equitable engagement have presented huge impediments to a lot of Triangle institutions. All of this federal policy has had significant state and local implications,” said Broderick.
What recent changes in the region’s economic landscape have most influenced the trajectory of Black businesses?
The top changes have been the unbalanced growth of our economy and the attack on DEI. As it relates to the unbalanced growth, our region has overdialed on the recruitment of high-growth biotech firms, bringing in an influx of high earners that has significantly altered the region’s earnings profile. Without adequately supporting the recruitment and growth of diverse industries, displacement has been amplified. Also, in response to the federal attacks on DEI, thousands of area workers have lost their jobs.
What initiatives are you focusing on to keep driving structural change?
Our focus is to support our local government in balancing our growth by providing inclusive and equitable economic development, workforce development, and community development consulting services. In engaging thus far, we’ve had to provide a lot of support to governmental leaders to make the financial case for diversifying our economic development process. There’s a lot of comfort and muscle memory in doing what we’ve always done. We’re working hard to change that. We are pushing all of our colleagues to make the necessary shifts to achieve shared prosperity.
As the city continues to grow, how is the chamber helping Black businesses not only stay present but also lead and scale?
We are the chief advocate of Black businesses in the region. We ensure that we are engaged in all relevant meetings, representing the interests of our members. I chair the Durham Workforce Development Board, sit on the Economic Development Roundtable, attend every city council and county commissioner meeting, and schedule repeated advocacy sessions to share what our work means. We continue to work hard to create the requisite understanding and policy changes for our community.
You’ve mentioned your role as chair of the Workforce Development Board. How are you helping businesses navigate evolving workforce needs?
We proudly engage our constituents at three levels. At the ground level, we work with entrepreneurs, believing a better entrepreneur runs a better business. As such, we provide training for entrepreneurs at various stages, from beginner to exit. At the next level, the business level, we support businesses looking for optimization, growth, or scaling. At the highest level, the ecosystem level, we support institutional and structural changes that balance the voices we center, elevating the voices of the historically unincluded or unconsidered.
In workforce development, large corporations typically share their wishlist, but we are pushing partners to also listen to, prioritize, and center small businesses in some of our solutions. We are providing upskilling, training, and giving the experience of inclusive workforce development to serve a diverse set of businesses.
What major gaps do you see in Durham’s workforce development pipeline?
Durham’s economy has shifted many times over 50 years; we are in the midst of another shift now. Conversations center on affordable housing. However, I think we need to start with more inclusive economic development. Instead of simply focusing on designing a workforce to meet the needs of top employers, let’s design an economy that supports and sustains a diverse set of workers. With huge technological advances, we must work to get our workforce ready. We’ll need to attack on multiple levels: leading conversations, designing policies, and engaging the typically unengaged.
Which corporate, civic, or institutional partnerships have been most effective in advancing your mission, and where do you see untapped potential?
We have partnered with everyone: other chambers, local and statewide institutions, and national organizations. The key is engaging in partnerships that help us balance power, specifically decision-making on economic growth.
Looking ahead, what are your key priorities for the next three years at the chamber?
Much work is being done to build a scalable roadmap across cities. We are working on providing a condensed and digestible set of educational tools explaining how to practice inclusive workforce and economic development, and the many benefits. In the next few years, I want to support multiple municipalities in their attempts to invest in underinvested communities. I’d like to continue sharing the power of inclusive economic development and helping cities build more inclusive decision making frameworks, finding more ways to ensure underrepresented populations are supported, engaged, and centered as needed. Long term, I’m excited to support communities in helping people of color to feel investable.
