In a moment when economic development language is under scrutiny nationwide, the Mid-South Minority Business Continuum’s repositioning invites questions — and reflection.
CEO Jozelle Luster Booker insists the transition this month to The Mid-South Business Continuum is not about retreat or rebranding for optics. Instead, she says, it’s about refining how the organization describes the work it has been evolving toward for years — systems over slogans, competitiveness over programs, measurable outcomes over messaging.
In a conversation with the Tri-State Defender, Booker addressed the political climate, artificial intelligence, the impact of tariffs and what it means for Memphis to define its own economic future — not in comparison to other cities, but on its own terms.
What follows is a lightly edited transcript of that discussion.
TSD: Congratulations on the rebranding. In broad terms, what brings us to this point? What drives the need for a rebrand and strategic adjustment?
Booker: It’s really a way for us to share with the greater community who we are and what we’ve been doing. When you’ve been in the marketplace for over 40 years, people get familiar with what they think you do. And we’ve evolved over time.
I’ve been here almost nine years, and just thinking about how we’ve continued to evolve — the relationships we have, how we serve both the corporate side and the small business side. There are so many occasions where we sit down with people and they say, “Wow, I had no idea that’s what you all do.”
We had Ford Motor Company come into the market and tell us, “We work with organizations all across the country, and we’ve never come across an organization that does what you all do.”
And then we talk to people here in Memphis who we think knew what we do — and they don’t. So part of this repositioning is acknowledging that gradual evolution. People who were connected with us five or 10 years ago would see a new entity today.
TSD: For someone who thought they understood MMBC 10 years ago, what are the top ways it’s different now?
Booker: One, we now have in-house public procurement experience — someone who has sat across the table from companies evaluating suppliers. That lens changes how we prepare businesses.
MMBC has always been good at connecting businesses to corporations. But now, when we sit down with a small business, we’re able to look at them through the same lens as a procurement officer would use. That’s expanded our offerings and how we prepare them for success.
We’ve also institutionalized new tools, systems and applications that allow us to scale. We’ve increased our readiness offerings, our business development support. It’s much more than a directory now. It’s lifecycle development.
When you think about the business lifecycle continuum, everybody starts at a different place. It’s based on your experiences in life and business. We meet them where they are, onboard them onto the continuum and create a plan for where they’re trying to go.
TSD: There’s a national pushback right now against initiatives that even resemble DEI. Some people might look at this name change and wonder if it’s connected to that. How do you respond?
Booker: Regardless of what you call it or don’t call it, I am not a proponent of program language. I’m a proponent of system and process language.
If the business is not qualified, capable and competitive, it doesn’t matter if a (DEI) program exists. Everybody in the city could have a DEI program — nothing changes if the business hasn’t been prepared foundationally.
So we start with assessment. Where is that business? Do they have past performance? Do they have access to capital? Can they execute? That’s what this work is about.
At the end of the day, if you’re not ready, it doesn’t matter what program exists.
TSD: People like to compare Memphis to Atlanta. But unlike Atlanta, Memphis sits at the intersection of multiple states. Different laws, different systems. Does that create challenges?
Booker: We’ve already tested that. We’ve delivered services in six states before. The infrastructure of a business is the same.
Registration requirements may differ. Licensing may differ. But what it takes to be qualified, capable and competitive — that’s the same.
TSD: You’ve said Memphis shouldn’t compare itself to Atlanta.
Booker: We’re not Atlanta. We’re Memphis.
When you create jobs, you give people hope. You improve quality of life. You strengthen neighborhoods.
This work is a strategic investment in economic development. If you believe in Memphis and want it to be what we know it can be for future generations, come invest.
TSD: It’s been about a decade since Memphis and Shelby County planners and developers launched the Memphis 3.0 comprehensive plan. What does Memphis 3.0 look like to you 10 years in?
Booker: Any aggressive, transformative project or program is going to take time. It may even take that long, because you have to see what works. What sounds good on paper doesn’t always work in practice. You have to test partnerships. You have to test relationships.
We want everything done right now. We want all the problems solved right now. But transformation takes time. We have to be patient.
There are a lot of things happening. Could more happen? Of course. You’re always going to have people who say it could’ve been done better this way or that way. But we have to continue to invest, ask the questions, hold people accountable — and then course-correct or re-engineer where we have to.
TSD: Artificial intelligence is accelerating everything — productivity, scaling, even displacement. How are you positioning businesses for that?
Booker: First, we make a conscious decision not to be afraid of it.
We have a meeting scheduled with a corporate partner to talk about AI in procurement systems. Internally, we’re interested in AI agents because we’re a small organization. I’ve told my staff not to be intimidated by AI but to look at how it can help them do their jobs better.
We don’t just share information. We show people how to implement and execute. That’s where change happens — when you see the ROI.
TSD: There’s economic uncertainty — tariffs, policy shifts. How does that land on the businesses you serve?
Booker: When tariffs first came into play last year, we called a partner and asked him to put together workshops.
We had one workshop for corporate procurement officers to give them a framework to evaluate tariff-driven cost increases. And we had another for small businesses — how to present those cost increases transparently and clearly.
When we see something that’s going to impact businesses, that’s what we do. We huddle, we assess and we act.
