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      • Preliminary Land Development Plan
      • Specially Planned District
  • Community
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Making Black HIstory: Lower Hill Social Media Manager, AMAC Media

2/27/2023

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Meet Aaliyah McMullen, CEO and founder of AMacMedia & Co. She is alumni of Clarion University of Pennsylvania studying communications, public relations and advertising. She also has experience in sales, customer service and consulting. Hear from her below about AMAC Media's work with the Lower Hill Redevelopment in this short Q&A.

How did you get involved in the Lower Hill Redevelopment project?
I got involved in the Lower Hill Redevelopment by getting hired as a contractor to manage the social media pages for the Lower Hill. 
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What is your role in the project? I am responsible for community engagement on social media, content creation, social media, and advertisement.

What impact will your work have on the project? My work will impact the project by providing a digital space for Pittsburgh's community and city to be more involved with updates and events involving the project.

Why is this work important for the Hill District? Black community? Everyone has a story. We all want to be heard—that’s why we use social media. My role is to help spread the word about how important it is to tell your story and make people proud to be part of the culture of the Historic Hill District and Pittsburgh.

Words of wisdom or how do you personally stay motivated? 
Words of Wisdom: You don't have to have it all figured out! 
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As seen on CBS News Pittsburgh "Chef's Inspirational Story"

2/24/2023

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Phat Girlz A Cookin is a catering business name that's impossible to forget, but the journey behind the business is really where it's at. 

Don't get in Cheyanne Bronzell's way. She's in the kitchen on a mission. Her jalapeno honey cornbread doesn't mix itself.

She's prepping for two big catering events, something 7-year-old Cheyanne wouldn't believe. 

"This is my love, this is my dream, this is my goals, everything I've wanted to do has always been around food," she said. 

But it didn't come easy. And it didn't happen fast.

Cheyanne really struggled to find her place.

"Because of the years that I spent in the penitentiary, so I guess it was more of me feeling not out of place," she said. 

Even after four years in prison, and opening her own business, she says she considered quitting more than 50 times.

"I kind of thought that because I have a record and people know that when I go inside these rooms, they're gonna be looking at me funny -- a lot of big people, news people, councilmen, mayor -- and these are the rooms I have been invited into but once I get into those rooms, I still didn't feel comfortable," she said. 

But then she met someone who turned it all around for her. 

"I had been following her for years and we just happened to meet one day and the crazy thing is she told me she had had my food," Cheyanne said. 

"Every year I went to her booth and she had great food and I loved her name Phat Girlz A Cookin,' said Dr. Kimberly Ellis, the Buccini/Pollin Group's director of community, arts and culture. 

Ellis works with the Lower Hill redevelopment, and she got Cheyanne in the room, literally.

"So the opportunity that the Buccini/Pollin Group gave her was to cater a lunch for the men and women at PJ Dick who were in a business meeting at the Boys and Girls Club and she did a fantastic job and the funny thing is that they loved everything that she offered, including her honey cornbread but she was most proud of having people from a different culture eating her award-winning greens with vinegar and hot sauce. That was hysterical and they're still talking bout it," Ellis said. 

More importantly, that day made Cheyanne realize there was no more hiding behind her past.

 "I found that I was invited into those rooms, number one, and I belong in them," she said. 

So she didn't quit and she's found a home inside a former Allegheny Health Network hospital now used as an incubator for small business owners. 

"Finding a commercial kitchen was a tough thing to do or keeping a commercial kitchen or being able to pay for a commercial kitchen -- it has been a challenge across the board so this is a gift from Catapult and indirectly a gift from all of us," Ellis said. 

And for Cheyanne, it feels like family. So when it comes to business, she's turning up the heat. 

"I say this kitchen is like my flex, this is my space, I love it, I literally feel like I was meant to be in this kitchen," she said. 

She said her specialty is Italian food. She started perfecting her homemade red sauce at the age of 11.

And she's also becoming known as Pittsburgh's "green queen" because she reportedly makes the best greens.

Cheyanne believes food gets people to talk, gets people to network and work through things. She says food is the binder in our communities.

Meghan Schiller
Meghan Schiller - KDKA

Meghan Schiller is an Emmy-nominated journalist who joined KDKA in October 2017. She's thrilled to be back in her hometown and reporting at the station she grew up watching.

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2023 Penguins Black History Hockey Game Sponsored by UPMC

2/23/2023

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The Pittsburgh Penguins held their Black Hockey History Game Saturday, February 18th at PPG Paints arena and in celebration, members of the Lower Hill Development team hosted local Black leaders and entrepreneurs to watch the game from the Lower Hill Redevelopment Suite 36. 

Players wore special warm-up jerseys featuring traditional Pan-African colors of red, black and green as well as Penguins' gold to represent the spirit and rich history of the Black community. Throughout February, the Penguins are hosting a series of virtual panels to honor and celebrate Black History Month. 

Tune in February 24th for the 2023 'Black Women Making an Impact On and Off the Ice' presented by UPMC virtual panel featuring NHL, Penguins and Pittsburgh executives sharing stories of their personal experiences and pathways to success, and the power of mentorship and representation. 
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February 24, 2023 @ 12:30 - 1:30 PM: Black Women Making an Impact on and Off the Ice

2/21/2023

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Hear from a panel of NHL, Penguins, and Pittsburgh executives making an impact on and off the ice, sharing stories of their personal experiences and pathways to success, and the power of mentorship and representation. The thought-provoking and inspiring conversation will encourage women to break their own glass ceilings and encourage men to serve as allies to women in their network.
Participants:
  • Jennifer Ekeleme, VP, Multicultural Engagement + Integration, National Hockey League
  • Naudia L. Jonassaint, MD, MHS, MBA, Interim Chief, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, UPMC
  • R. Renee Hess, M.A. (she/her), Founder/Exec. Dir. | Black Girl Hockey Club
  • Andréa Stanford, M.P.P.M., Pittsburgh Regional Manager, BNY Mellon
  • Delvina Morrow, Senior Director, Strategic Community Initiatives and DEI, Pittsburgh Penguins
Moderator:
  • Talia Kirkland, WPXI-TV, Reporter
Special Remarks:
  • Tracey McCants Lewis, Chief People Officer and General Counsel, Pittsburgh Penguins
  • Chaton Turner, Esq., Associate Counsel - UPMC​
To learn more about all of the Penguins Black History Month programming click here
Click here to register
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Making Black History: Lower Hill Technical Assistance Partner, Riverside Center for Innovation (RCI)

2/14/2023

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This year, the Lower Hill Redevelopment celebrates it's third year of teaching in Riverside Center for Innovation (RCI) BizFit program, a multi-level course to assist business owners with planning, achieving and managing the long term success of their business. As the premier community economic development agency for minority-owned businesses in Pittsburgh, RCI serves as a technical assistance partner for the Lower Hill Redevelopment and a trusted resource for MWBE's to find tips and tricks about how to grow their business.  

Hear more about the work of RCI with the Lower Hill Redevelopment from Executive Director, Juan Garrett in the brief Q & A below.  


How did you get involved in the Lower Hill Redevelopment project? 
I got involved in the Lower Hill Redevelopment by working closely with the community groups and the elected officials to provide back office technical support to Black, Indigenous, (and) People of Color - BIPOC businesses with the end goal of getting them to do work on the many development projects.  

What is your role in the project? Today, we provide technical assistance to DBEs, assist in locating capital and build capacity to grow their business for this project but others in the region.

What impact will your work have on the project? We hope that the impact that RCI provides will increase minority participation with increased revenues and hiring of qualified workforce, so that our firms can go on their own to work on other small and major construction projects in the region.  If we can get this right,  RCI is changing the livelihoods of entrepreneurs and the employees in communities where we live.  

Why is this work important for the Hill District and especially the Black community? To me its important because this project will have a long lived story that we can model for other cities and told for decades - the success of a project that benefits all, that was inclusive and equitable to underserved residents. 

Do you have any words of wisdom you'd like to share? I do not look at most things as adverse.  I see them as a challenge, that I need to come up with a solution that works.  It's easy to be adverse but its hard to come with a solution that we all can agree that all gain something.  Then being able to build off that solution for the future.  

What organizations are you a part of or passionate about? Why?
I have to say I'm very passionate about the work that RCI is providing regionally.   I think we have a great family environment that has been created with our staff, each of our clients that we worked with over the years, our funders and networks that we work with to be successful and rewarding.   This is hard work and I cannot do this alone.  I think RCI is just one small part of a support system to make change in the region. 

About RCI Riverside Center for Innovation (RCI), established as the North Side Industrial Development Company in 1983 and now doing business as Riverside Center for Innovation, is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization located in the City of Pittsburgh’s North Side. RCI is proud to be one of the region’s premier community economic development agencies. RCI is the leading and most comprehensive, full-service small business incubator, targeting women, minorities, veterans, LGBTQ, and other disadvantaged ventures in Southwestern Pennsylvania. RCI provides a single point of contact for our target business owners seeking information to start, sustain and grow their business.

RCI Services:
RCI helps pre-venture, startup, and existing businesses acquire the tools needed to overcome barriers that may impede growth for small, diverse businesses. We accomplish this by offering:
  • one-on-one consulting from strategic business partners and industry experts,
  • seminars and programs that focus on issues relevant to disadvantaged businesses,
  • direct referrals for assistance with certifications, 
  • legal services through our partnership with top local attorneys,
  • expert advice with our insurance resource partners,
  • access to interest-free capital via Kiva,
  • DBE bonding educational series,
  • networking events to facilitate growth opportunities,
  • offer meeting and office space,
  • support for environmental assessment through EPA funding sources,
  • and much more
For more information about RCI click here
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Black History Month with The Penguins: 2023

2/6/2023

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2023: Black Hockey History Month with the Pittsburgh Penguins
INSPIRE. CONNECT. ELEVATE.The Pittsburgh Penguins are proud to honor and celebrate Black History Month with events throughout February, including the Black Hockey History game presented by CNX on Saturday, February 18th. The Penguins will celebrate Black History Month by sharing Inspiring stories of historic resilience, Connecting our fans to one another through their love for hockey, and Elevating Black leaders and changemakers. A special thank you to the 2023 Black Hockey History Game presenting partner, CNX.
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