Money Making Conversations Master Class Rushion McDonald

Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald, interviewed Derrick D. Hayes.  The “Underdog Story”. Overcoming adverse beginnings to accomplish your dreams and make it in the world. This is the story that Big Dave Cheesesteaks’ founder Derrick Hayes shares as he guest stars on Money Making Conversations Master Class. Prepare to be uplifted with a tale of motivation and grit as Derrick recounts the decisions in his life that led him to become the man he is today and how he seeks to inspire those who come from backgrounds similar to his to stand up and do more for themselves.  He has been featured on many magazine covers, including Essence Magazine. His vision for his restaurant, Big Dave's Cheesesteaks, began in 2014 as he aimed to merge his passion for community, food, and business. What started as a small water-ice shop in a 749 sq. ft Shell gas station in Dunwoody, Georgia 2016, has now augmented into the nationally known Big Dave's Cheesesteaks, a thriving cheesecake empire with store and mobile locations all across metro Atlanta. Hayes is also the founder of the David & Derrick Hayes Foundation & Co-Owner of the vegan cheesesteak concept "Dinkies" with Slutty Vegan ATL CEO & Vegan restaurant phenom Pinky Cole. In 2021, Hayes's passion for community & food landed him an illustrious spot as a Forbes 2021 Next 1000 Honoree. Let's discuss his journey into Big Dave's Cheesesteaks being "Bigger Than Food." 
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Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning television Executive Producer Rev. Dr. Adrienne Johnson and Rev. Bill Green.  She has created over 300 women entrepreneurs in Ghana, West Africa and her son leads the Southeast chapter of national non-profits committed to building a more sustainable and equitable local food system.  

Reverend Adrienne Johnson launched Wo Ye Bra in 2017 to keep girls in school who would otherwise stay home because they lack access to sanitary supplies during their periods. To date, she has created over 300 women entrepreneurs in West Africa.

Reverend Bill Green maintains a sustainable and equitable local food system. Responsible for a team of sales and operations professionals in connecting communities to local, fresh food produced by small family-owned farms within GA, AL, SC and TN.

Conduct outreach on behalf of historically underserved farmers with schools, universities, hospitals, retailers, government entities, restaurants and community organizations in order to address food access challenges in metro Atlanta and other major cities throughout Georgia and Alabama. Manage 60,000sf SQF-certified facility, logistics and warehouse team where local food is aggregated from local farmers and distributed to partner institutions. Also leads the development team in raising over $1.9m in local funds from 2022 to 2023. Successfully distributed over five million pounds of food to over 166 community organizations as part of the USDA Farmers to Families Food Box Program in 2020. Currently leads the USDA’s Local Food Procurement Assistance Cooperative Agreement in collaboration with the Georgia Department of Agriculture delivering over $5m of locally sourced food to Georgia’s eight food banks. Gives public presentations and serves on panels regarding importance of local food systems in nutritional, economic and ecological health.
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Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning television Executive Producer interviewed Chef Marcus Samuelsson.   

When you hear someone utter the words “Culinary History of America”, the phrase “Black Excellence” is not the first thing that comes to mind. While Black cooks have played a major role in shaping the landscape of America’s culinary culture, their history and accomplishments continue to be told in the dark, underrecognized by the wider world. Well, here to shed some light on this hidden history is Red Rooster’s very own Head Chef, Chef Marcus Samuelsson, through his book, The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food: A Cookbook. Make sure to bring your good eating pants and your academia caps to this episode of Money Making Conversations Master Class as we do a deep dive into the culinary history of America and the role that the African diaspora played in shaping it.

The James Beard award-winning chef says his flagship restaurant, Red Rooster, became his "haven" during the height of pandemic. Working with José Andrés' World Central Kitchen organization, Samuelsson converted the restaurant to a community kitchen. Over the course of six months, Red Rooster served more than 200,000 meals to first responders and others in need.

"It was a place for me when our world was so ripped apart and no one knew what to do," he says.

Samuelsson says feeding the community during the pandemic also changed the way he thought about his industry. "The word 'restaurant' actually means to restore your community. And in the worst of times, I think that the restaurant, the hospitality industry really stepped up," he says.
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Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald, interviewed Dr. Artesius Miller.  

Dr. Artesius Miller is recognized as a visionary leader in K-12 public education in Georgia who has dedicated his career to providing high quality educational options for families in low-income communities.He founded Georgia’s first state-approved, arts-focused charter school, Utopian Academy for the Arts, a decade ago to serve families in Clayton County when arts programs were being removed from the curriculum. The school was since named "Charter School of the Year" in 2023.

Under Dr. Miller's leadership, the Utopian Academy Charter School Network now includes an elementary school, a middle school, and a high school in Clayton County, and a new satellite middle school in Fayetteville, Ga. that opened in August 2023 with statewide attendance zones.

In addition to his role as CEO and Founder of the Utopian Academy Charter Network, Dr. Miller also serves as a leader in higher education. In 2024, he became the first African American to chair the state board of the Technical College System of Georgia. He most recently served as vice chair of the board after being appointed in 2019 by Gov. Brian Kemp.

Dr. Miller also serves as an adjunct professor of education at Morehouse College, his alma mater. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Economics from Morehouse, and has a master’s degree in Education Leadership from Columbia University, and a doctoral degree in Educational Administration and Policy from the University of Georgia.

He is a member of several organizations and has won numerous accolades, including the “Champion for Children” Award presented by the Georgia Charter Schools Association and the "Avante Garde Economic Development Award" from the Development Authority of Clayton County.
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Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Chairman and C.E.O. Dennis Earls and Vice President Mikåel Pyles of the Haltere Group.  Haltere Group offers access to high-value real estate assets once reserved for large investors.  They are committed to reshaping real estate opportunities for Black communities.  The interview explores Haltere Group's distinctive approach to empowering Black communities in cities nationwide.


Share sophisticated insight into real estate investments within dynamic markets.
We uncover Haltere Group's unique company culture and unwavering commitment to empowering minority communities through financial education and real estate investment opportunities tailored for experts and novices.
Discuss the impact of the "H.O.W. With Haltere" Podcast, an extension of the company's mission and vision, and the transformative potential of real estate syndication through exclusive conversations with successful individuals from pro sports, business, and entertainment.
HBCU connection – Tuskegee University project, some founders and team members are HBCU alums, and some attended an HBCU for one or more years.
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Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald, interviews Yolanda Adams.  She is an award-winning gospel singer, actress, and small businesswoman.  Entrepreneur Yolanda Adams discusses why she started her line of affordable handbags and skin care products and details the importance of taking care of yourself while staying within budget.  She is one of the best-selling gospel artists of all time, having sold over 10 million albums worldwide. In addition to achieving multi-platinum status, she has won four Grammy Awards, four Dove Awards, five BET Awards, six NAACP Image Awards, six Soul Train Music Awards, two BMI Awards, and sixteen Stellar Awards. She was the first Gospel artist to be awarded an American Music Award.  
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