Nicole Dixon, executive director of the Gulf Coast African-American Chamber of Commerce, has been building toward her new job for some time.

Her time as a manager in a local retail shop gave her human resources experience. Her passion for matching people with jobs led her to create Key 2 Success employment recruiting company.

With a friend, she helped start an African-American young professional group to fill a gap in the networking opportunities she saw for her generation.

Through another friend she connected with Admiral LeRoy, founder and publisher of OutFront magazine, who was serving a one-year stint as executive director of the chamber.

She started to volunteer at the chamber, “stepping up in ways they couldn’t, though they had it in their hearts to,” she says.

LeRoy had promised one year to the chamber as executive director because he still has his magazine. When that time frame ended, Dixon stepped in as a volunteer for two months, ultimately asking the board to consider her for the job full-time.

The chamber received $40,000 this fiscal year in funding from the Escambia County Commission. Using those resources and others, Dixon will focus on increasing membership, strategic planning and rebranding the chamber, which began in 1999 with the aim of nurturing the black business community.

“The chamber had some challenges and Pensacola has challenges as far as diversity,” Dixon says.

“We want to  be the communication and resource for the minority community,” she says. “And (we want) to figure out what everybody’s doing in our community so that we can support that, whether that be financial, providing volunteers or communicating those efforts.

“And in 2015 we’ll get into the good stuff.”

QUESTION: Why was the chamber ready for a generational leadership change?

A: In our community there are some trust issues. By me volunteering, they could see what I was capable of and building on that relationship, it was just a matter of time. My generation and the older generation, they’re not communicating. I don’t know why, I don’t know how, but for whatever reason, they’re just not, And my generation, we have a lot to learn.

Like when I get asked, ‘What is a chamber? What does a chamber do?’ I almost didn’t know how to answer that.

Q: What do you say? 

A: It’s the organization and the language of the business community. My no. 1 answer is people are your greatest resources and the people you’ll meet being involved in this organization, I can’t promise you a $1 million contract or five new customers today, but I can promise you that you will make an impact and you will reap the benefits you desire.

Q: Has it been a while since the Chamber did focused, strategic planning?

A: It has been, because in a broad sense, we’ve talked about business development, but what does that mean for us? Our speciality is going to be technology in the workforce and in business. I have been asked, ‘How can technology help a business owner?’ I’ve learned that our community, the African-American community, is behind in technology. I learned that through (her employment recruiting business) Key 2 Success. When you tell people to go to the job board, but they don’t have internet access, they don’t know how it works. They’re intimidated by the computer and the process.

That’s where we’re going to do some outreach on computer skills, certifications and training, software, applications, hardware, everything. (We’ll also do outreach in) understanding online job applications and how to do it to where you will stand out.

And for businesses, if you embrace it, you can cut your office time in half and spend more time on your business, the thing you love.

Q: I’m sure people ask, ‘Why do we need an African-American Chamber of Commerce?’

A: The majority of African-Americans, when we go in business, we go business to create income for ourselves. And I’m not saying that other people don’t work to make money. I mean we are literally in business to feed our families, to pay our mortgage or we do it because nobody else will give us a job, so we make our own. It’s the difference between wages and wealth. When we go into business we’re not necessarily always looking to hire somebody else, because we’re looking to keep that money in the family in a sense.

Robin Reshard uses this example. If everybody just needs one financial institution, why do you have Gulf Winds and Navy Federal and Central? Why do you have credit unions and banks? Why do you have McDonald’s and Burger King and Hardees if all you need is french fries and a burger? I just say it’s something to add to the pie. We’re in the South, we need a little more attention.

Q: And sometimes, does it seems that those business owners feel like they are treading water when if they had two or three HR things, or technological things it would make things more efficient and would even allow them to grow.

A: You know, you can live in Pensacola but you don’t have to work in Pensacola, thanks to technology. As a business, you can have brick-and-mortar in Pensacola and customers in Wisconsin, Pittsburgh, California. It would help our economy, to help us look outside the circle and expand. People in Pensacola might not like it, but people in California might love it, and you’re still bringing that money back home to Pensacola.

Q: How is that going to help jobs?

A: If you go to elance, you can pick up $500 or $600 a day if you are diligent. My generation, I’m 33, we like freedom and flexibility. We don’t want to be confined. It’s also moving us along with that concept. Virtual workforce helps me do that and still be around my family.

A guy asked me the other day, did I plan on staying Pensacola. And you know, if you would have asked me that before I got this job, I would have said no. Now I’m meeting some great people who really want to see a change in Pensacola, who really want Pensacola to do better.

Q: Why is diversity in the workforce is still an issue?

A: Pensacola just hasn’t been progressive. It’s been stuck. Pensacola doesn’t want to admit it has a problem. And if you are an alcoholic, you admit you have a problem first. And that’s been the challenge. When people say we’re diverse in our hiring practices, but when everyone who is diverse is at the lower level positions, and they want so say, ‘we’re diverse,’ because everybody cutting grass is diverse… The city just hasn’t been progressive. and people just have their mind made up, that’s the way it is, that’s the way it has been, that’s just the way it’s going to be. And that’s everybody. EVERYBODY.

And I’m like no. If you tell me no, you’re going to tell me why or I’m going to to call you out. And nobody likes to be called out in Pensacola. You know that.

Q: What makes you think the time for change is here?

A: The people. I am meeting some great people….I think God is changing this place. There are some great people coming through. They are bringing a different perspective, that everybody’s not homegrown.

One day, I went home and studied diversity. I knew why it was important to me, but I wanted to know why it might be to other people. And I was reading a book and it said, because it increases your bottom line.

Q: And some people will be moved by the emotional argument that it is the right thing to do, and some people will be moved by the financial argument. You need to be able to make both cases.

A: And there’s nothing wrong with making a little bit of both arguments. If diversity isn’t an issue, why do big companies invest millions of dollars into it, because they know it is going to pay off. They’re not doing it just to feel good.

Q: Do you have a membership goal?

A: We’re halfway there. We had 15 when we started and we want to get to 100. We have corporate sponsors, Gulf Power, Cox, West Florida Hospital, Baptist Hospital, we’ve spoken with Pensacola State College. But I’ve already told them, I don’t just want your money. Money is great, but I need you to come to the table. I need you to come and send me a board member. Be involved with our organization. When you have opening come to us, for ALL types of positions. This is not something to do to say you did.

Q: Is the issue workforce development or business development?

A: Both. You will have better business development if we have better wages. There’s one in the same. You get people with decent incomes, they can invest in their family members and businesses. And people do business with people they like and people they know. I don’t care what color you are, if I like you, I’ll think, let me see what I can do for you.

Q: What is your advice for job seekers?

A: That online profile, your online personality and brand. Facebook will not get you hired.

Q: It might even get you unhired before you ever even get hired.

A: Employers will Google you. Social media tells a story, what is your social media story saying?

Even if you don’t want to build a website, create a Facebook page or a Google+ page, so that when someone Googles your company, at least that will come up. Let’s start tackling some of this software. Technology can make you look bigger and better than you are. Nobody will ever know that you are working from your kitchen table.

Also, technology etiquette: Do not text your boss that you won’t be there. You have to work to sound warm in an email.

We still do have to address a lot of those basic issues.

Nicole Dixon

Age: 33.

Business: Founder of Key 2 Success, an employment recruiting

Family: Daughter, Natalie, 4; son, Nathaniel, 2.

Education: Woodham High School; attending Regis University online.

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