African American Entrepreneurs

National Negro Business League founded by Booker T. Washington, one of the nation's most visible, influential and controversial black leaders from the 1890s until his death in 1915.

Madam C.J. Walker, America's first black female millionaire, revolutionized the black hair-care business and started traveling throughout the United States selling her new line of hair-care products.

Marcus Garvey started the Negro Factories Corporation, a series of companies that manufactured marketable commodities in every big industrial center in the Western hemisphere and Africa. He also established the Black Star Steamship Line Corporation.

Harry Pace formed Black Swan Phonograph Corporation, the first African American-owned record company in Harlem

John H. Johnson turned $500 he borrowed against his mother's furniture into the seed money that created Johnson Publishing Company, and he was placed on the Forbes 400 list of the nation's wealthiest citizens.

Henry G. Parks started the Parks Sausage Company, which grew into a multimillion dollar operation with more than 240 employees and annual sales exceeding $14 million.

Berry Gordy Jr. borrowed $800 from his family's savings to create Motown Record Company, which attracted some of the many rhythm and blues performers emerging in Detroit at that time.

Albert William Johnson was the first African American awarded a dealership from a major automaker when he opened an Oldsmobile dealership in a predominately black neighborhood in Chicago.

Earl G. Graves Sr. was named one of the 10 most outstanding minority businessmen in the country by the president of the U.S. and received the National Award of Excellence for achievements in minority business enterprise. Two years earlier, he launched Black Enterprise magazine.

Robert Johnson, a trailblazer for minority entrepreneurs, founded cable's Black Entertainment Television.

David L. Steward founded World Wide Technology, Inc.; a provider of technology products, services and supply chain solutions to public, private and nonprofit customers.

Russell Simmons began his entrepreneurial ventures when he launched Def Jam Recordings, the label that spawned the careers of notable artists such as Run-DMC.

Christopher Gardner founded the brokerage firm Gardner Rich in Chicago from his home with just $10,000, which he evolved into Gardner Rich LLC, a FINRA-registered broker-dealer with offices in New York, Chicago and San Francisco.

Reginald F. Lewis purchased the international division of Beatrice Foods and rebranded the corporation as TLC Beatrice International, which became the first black-owned company to have revenues of more than $1 billion, at $1.8 billion.

Founded after a merger, Baldwin Richardson Foods Co. is one of America's largest black-owned food companies in the U.S.

2009- Richard Bennett, ex-marine, built the $8 million construction company Fidelis Design and Construction, which handles all aspects of construction management, consulting and building.

Publisher, producer, television host, philanthropist and billionaire multimedia entrepreneur Oprah Winfrey launched the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) with partner Discovery Communications on January 1.