William Jones, Chief Operating Office for Chrysler Financial (center) presents the 2008 Chrysler Financial/National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) Foundation Entrepreneurial Award to Dr. Denise Rolark Barnes, publisher of the Washington Informer newspaper and Dr. Karanja A. Ajanaku, executive editor of the Tri-State Defender. (Courtesy Photo)

The 2008 Chrysler Financial/NNPA Foundation Entrepreneurial Award recognizes the nation’s black-owned newspapers for their entrepreneurial accomplishments and commitment to community service.

William Jones, chief operating officer for Chrysler Financial, presents Dr. Karanja A. Ajanaku, executive editor of the Tri-State Defender, with a “big check” for a winning entry in the competition for the 2008 Chrysler Financial/National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) Foundation Entrepreneurial Award. The newspaper’s Tipping Education Campaign was the honorable mention winner. The Award was presented during Black Press Week in Washington, D.C. See story on Page 18. (Courtesy Photo)

The 2008 Entrepreneurial Award Honorable Mention prize went to executive editor Dr. Karanja A. Ajanaku and the Tri-State Defender for the newspaper’s campaign to educate the Greater Memphis community about the importance of tipping — “a very potent issue, since the restaurant industry is a major employer in the community.”

Jones noted that the campaign, which is ongoing, not only helped to increase the newspaper’s bottom line, but affected an entire segment of the Memphis economy.  

For its efforts, the Tri-State Defender was awarded a $2,500 cash prize and a commemorative plaque.

The Tri-State Defender finished second to the Washington Informer, which won for the second consecutive year.

The Entrepreneurial Award seeks to encourage members of the Black Press of America to look beyond traditional streams of revenue, such as advertising, and to develop creative ways to thrive in today’s competitive media industry.  

“These two publications exemplify the spirit of the Entrepreneurial Award in their ability to implement innovative ways to grow their businesses while staying true to their mission to inform and serve their communities,” said Jones.

The Washington Informer won the grand prize for “The Birney Informer,” a supplement produced entirely by third- and fourth-grade students at Birney Elementary School in Southeast Washington, D.C.  The Birney Informer is distributed as an insert in The Informer newspaper each month.  An additional 1,000 copies are distributed to the school for students, teachers and parents, which increased the overall circulation of the newspaper.  In addition, The Birney Informer is posted and archived on The Informer’s Web site.

“The Informer’s involvement with this project took it beyond a mere mentoring program,” said Jones.  “This project not only contributes to the positive self-esteem of the students, but The Informer is using it as an opportunity to promote literacy in the community as a whole, while continuing to expand the newspaper’s brand and increase its advertising and subscription base.

As grand prize winner, The Informer’s publisher, Dr. Denise Rolark Barnes, received a $10,000 cash award, as well as the use of a Chrysler, Jeep or Dodge vehicle for one week.  In addition, Dr. Barnes was presented with an original sculpture, designed especially for the Entrepreneurial Award by Washington, D.C. artist Cheryl Foster.

The Entrepreneurial Award entries were judged on the basis of seven criteria: originality of idea; creativity; innovative use of resources; entrepreneurial spirit, strategic planning; plan execution and community benefit.  This year’s panel of independent judges included Gail Perry-Mason, First Vice President of Investments for Oppenheimer & Co. and author of “Girl, Make Your Money Grow: A Sister’s Guide to Protecting Your Future and Enriching Your Life” (Random House, 2003); Ken Smikle, publisher of Target Market News; entrepreneur Monte Long, owner of Vicksburg Chrysler/Jeep in Michigan and Karen Dinkins, reporter for WWJ-AM/CBS Radio in Detroit.

The awards were presented at the Washington Hilton during the National Newspaper Publishers Association celebration of Black Press Week.

To view The Tipping Education Campaign to date, visit www.tri-statedefenderonline.com. 

Click here for the story: The Tipping Gamble: Good service today, insults tommorrow

Click here for: The Tipping Education Campaign