I dedicated this column to my friend Beatrice Louissaint who served as immediate past president and recently stepped down as chief executive officer of the Florida State Minority Supplier Development  Council (FSMSDC).

Beatrice spent her tenure dedicated to career building, championing and fighting for small businesses. As we say at the Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce, we have to connect the dots and create pathways and entry points for women owned businesses, minority owned businesses and small businesses.

Beatrice did it with style, tenacity and grace. She fought every day. When Beatrice walked in the room, she held nothing back in her quest to ensure that it was a level playing field for those that she represented and beyond.

Beginning her career in South Florida, she expanded her services and mission to and through the entire state, and nationally Beatrice was a symbol of hope and opportunity. She was a symbol of the true spirit of entrepreneurship, pushing through the dark to get to the other side of an opportunity for those she represented.

I first learned the phrase “Can Do Attitude” during basic training in the United States Army. Beatrice embodies the “Can Do Attitude.” Under her leadership, the FSMSDC has linked minority firms to $11 billion in procurement sales. Beatrice, a successful business owner in the food and beverage industry, embodies and owns the moniker the Top Black Women in Business and Industry for 2025.

Gordon Eric Knowles is president and CEO of the Miami Dade Chamber of Commerce. www.m-dcc.org. “Creating opportunities for economic and social transformation in our community”