The Business and Investment in Qatar Forum is under the patronage and in presence of H.E. Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the state of Qatar, and high officials from Qatar and the U.S.A.
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The Business and Investment in Qatar Forum is under the patronage and in presence of H.E. Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the state of Qatar, and high officials from Qatar and the U.S.A.
During New York Fashion Week this year Kids Rock! adding a high-powered live music performance by 17-year-old Atlantic Records recording artist and The Voice finalist, Jacquie Lee, to the roster. This multi-brand live event and children’s fashion show, presented by Haddad Brands featured celeb kids strutting the catwalk in Spring 15 fashion looks from the Levi’s® brand, Converse, Nike, Jordan, Hurley and Nike SB. The show is a Rookie USA-sponsored event. All proceeds of the event went to Derek Jeter’s Turn 2 Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to create and support signature programs and activities that motivate young people to turn away from drugs and alcohol and “Turn 2” healthy lifestyles.
ABOUT HADDAD BRANDS
Haddad is a privately held family business with over 60 years’ experience in the children’s apparel & accessories industry. A leader in the children’s wear industry, Haddad Brands is focused on the most iconic global brands, which include: Nike, Nike SB, Jordan, Converse, Hurley, and Levi’s. Supported by a team of professionals skilled in the design, sourcing, sales & distribution of premium quality children’s wear Haddad distributes globally to over 60 countries and maintains sales and sourcing offices in 22 cities globally, including New York, Shanghai, Bangkok, London and Montreal.
ABOUT NIKE + NIKE SB
NIKE, Inc. is the world’s leading innovator in athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories. Before there was the Swoosh, before there was Nike, there were two visionary men who pioneered a revolution in athletic footwear that redefined the industry.
Bill Bowerman was a nationally respected track and field coach at the University of Oregon, who was constantly seeking ways to give his athletes a competitive advantage. He experimented with different track surfaces, re-hydration drinks and – most importantly – innovations in running shoes. But the established footwear manufacturers of the 1950s ignored the ideas he tried to offer them, so Bowerman began cobbling shoes for his runners.
Phil Knight was a talented middle-distance runner from Portland, who enrolled at Oregon in the fall of 1955 and competed for Bowerman’s track program. Upon graduating from Oregon, Knight earned his MBA in finance from Stanford University, where he wrote a paper that proposed quality running shoes could be manufactured in Japan that would compete with more established German brands. But his letters to manufacturers in Japan and Asia went unanswered, so Knight took a chance.
He made a cold-call on the Onitsuka Co. in Kobe, Japan, and persuaded the manufacturer of Tiger shoes to make Knight a distributor of Tiger running shoes in the United States. When the first set of sample shoes arrived, Knight sent several pairs to Bowerman, hoping to make a sale. Instead, Bowerman stunned Knight by offering to become his partner, and to provide his footwear design ideas to Tiger.
Nike Skateboarding, also known as Nike SB, is the Nike brand for its line of shoes, clothing, and equipment for skateboarding. In 2002, Nike introduced the “SB” brand. The Nike SB Dunk Low model was released, and consisted of padded tongues and collars and the “Zoom Air” insoles; the shoe was more similar to other skate shoe styles than the corporation’s previous attempts. After the SB Dunk’s mediocre sales, Nike released four other models: The Nike SB Angus, Nike SB FC, Nike SB Delta Force, and Nike SB URL.
In 2004, Nike SB signed Paul Rodriguez as a figurehead for the brand and recruited Lewis Marnell as the sole Australian team rider during the same period. In March of that year, Nike released the Nike Dunk SB collection, aimed towards skateboarders in California. The associated shoe designs differed from the previous SB Dunk range in that they were designed specifically for skateboarding. The collection included increased padding, Zoom Air insoles, and enhanced material quality, including triple stitching, a standard for skate shoes.
Nike’s affiliated brands are Converse, Air Jordan, and Hurley.
ABOUT CONVERSE
Converse is an American lifestyle company with a production output that primarily consists of shoes, lifestyle fashion, and athletic apparel. The company has existed since the early 20th century and has been a subsidiary of Nike, Inc. since 2003.
Their Moto: Converse is Sneakers. And Converse is Change. They started on the court and got adopted on the street. They began as a rubber company to make sneakers and boots, and then found basketball and reinvented the sport. The Converse Chuck Taylor All Star sneaker became the court sneaker; it stood for the game. From there they moved into other sports with new sneaker silhouettes like the Pro Leather, the Star Player, and the Weapon. The Star Chevron showed up and became another Converse symbol. And just when it seemed to be destined for athletes only – something happened.
Converse sneakers showed up in rock clubs, on the streets, on rappers, on icons, on rebels and originals. It became the sneaker of choice for individuals. From All Star to Jack Purcell to CONS, Converse doesn’t confine itself to one style or definition. Be who you want to be in Converse sneakers or clothes. An artist, rebel, rapper, thinker, gamer, skater, smoke jumper, freelance dentist, whatever. If you’re wearing Converse, you know who you are.
ABOUT AIR JORDAN
Air Jordan is a brand of shoes and athletic clothing designed, owned, and produced for Michael Jordan by Nike’s Jordan Brand subsidiary. The shoes informally referred to in the plural as Jordan’s or simply J’s were first produced for Michael Jordan in 1984 and released for public consumption in 2001.
ABOUT LEVI’S BRAND
The Levi’s® brand epitomizes classic American style and effortless cool. Since the invention and patent of riveted clothing by Jacob Davis and company founder Levi Strauss in 1873, Levi’s® jeans have become the most recognizable and imitated clothing in the world — capturing the imagination and loyalty of people for generations. And while the patent has long since expired, the Levi’s® brand portfolio continues to evolve through a relentless pioneering and innovative spirit that is unparalleled in the apparel industry.
World Liberty TV fashion team had the pleasure of interviewing Beverly Johnson at the Emerge Fashion Show where she was honored for this year’s Fashion Innovator Award.
Born into a middle-class family in Buffalo, New York, Johnson was a champion swimmer in her youth and aspired to be a lawyer. She was studying political science at Northeastern University when she tried modeling. She quickly landed an assignment with Glamour and began working steadily. She went on to appear on more than 500 magazine covers, including her groundbreaking Vogue cover in August 1974. Her appearance on the cover changed the beauty ideal in US fashion, and by 1975, every major American fashion designer had begun using African-American models.
In addition to modeling, Johnson has also written a book, Beverly Johnson’s Guide to a Life of Health and Beauty, and embarked on an acting career. She has also had roles in the films Ashanti (1979), The Meteor Man (1993), Def Jam’s How to Be a Player (1997), and Crossroads (2002). She has appeared in guest spots on several television series, including Law & Order, Lois & Clark: the New Adventures of Superman, the Parent ‘Hood and the Super Bowl episode of 3rd Rock from the Sun (1998). She served for two seasons as a celebrity judge on the TV Land series She’s Got the Look, a reality series, where women over 35 compete for a modeling contract and magazine spread. At the start of the series in 2008, Johnson shared that she and other models had suffered from anorexia and bulimia during her career. She had a brief singing career, releasing one album in 1979 on Buddah Records.
Johnson has been a longtime hair and beauty influencer. Beginning with the Beverly Johnson Eyewear Signature Collection in Sears Optical (1991-2002) to her Beverly Johnson Wig and Hair Extension Signature Collection (1996-2011), she was among the first supermodels to cross into the business of fashion. Partnered with Amekor, she launched the Beverly Johnson Hair Collection, a line of wigs and hair products for the African-American market. In 2010, she introduced a line of restorative and styling hair care products to Target. She currently runs Beverly Johnson Enterprises, a company that produces hair extensions.
In 1936, Prudencio Unanue had a vision that lives on today: to provide authentic Spanish foods to the Latino population in America.
Since the company started, by selling imported ingredients like olives, olive oil, and sardines out of a small storefront in Manhattan, Goya Foods Inc., has become an American household name and grown into an international food titan with more than 3,000 employees. Yet, many of the original mom-and-pop store values remain intact. Goya has avoided the temptations of oversimplification; it provides more than 1,600 products, including, the slower-selling specialty products larger corporations tend to forgo, and they still do direct, customized deliveries to small stores.
It is also a rare third-generation, family-run business, perhaps the reason why so much of the original philosophy has remained intact.

John F. Robinson is the Founder, President and CEO of The National Minority Business Council (NMBC), a non-profit organization that has been instrumental in fostering small businesses by providing educational opportunities, business seminars and a wide array of professional services to small businesses and women and minority business owners.
Through the help of corporate supporters, and with the hands-on leadership of Robinson, the NMBC has continued to expand its scope to assist small businesses and entrepreneurs in procurement opportunities, global expansion, business development, and the technical training necessary to keep competitive in the world market. In recent years, the group has become more vocal with regards to local, state and federal government policies impacting its members.
For his four decades of leadership, Robinson was recently honored with the “2011 Neighborhood Achievement Award for Minority and Women-owned Enterprise Advocacy,” presented by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
The Guyanese American Business and Professional Council (GABPC) was pleased to invite attendees to celebrate the Fifth Annual Business Awards Dinner Gala 2012. The theme this year was Embracing Diversity, Honoring Excellence. This spectacular black-tie affair recognized individuals in the private and the public sectors for their exceptional business and professional achievements, outstanding leadership and devotion to philanthropic work.
It was definitely an event to ‘Put yourself out there’. It is the perfect opportunity to meet new business contacts.




