Ezell’s Famous Chicken has been a Seattle staple for over 30 years. The Black-owned eatery is known for its delicious made-from-scratch chicken and sides. Now, the beloved restaurant is in the spotlight for uplifting Black entrepreneurs in Washington.
Lewis Rudd is the co-founder of Ezell’s and owns the family-operated business with his brother and sister. With tons of experience and success under their belt, the Rudds are now focused on helping other Black entrepreneurs do the same.
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Rudd’s R.U.B.B. (Raising Up Black Businesses)
Co-founders Lewis and Darnell Rudd and their sister Faye Stephens partnered with DoorDash in 2021 to introduce the Rudd’s R.U.B.B. (Raising Up Black Businesses) Initiative. Their mission is to financially empower Black-owned businesses in the Pacific Northwest through business grants. However, in the process of awarding 20 Black-owned businesses, they realized providing additional resources such as education and networking opportunities were necessary.
Lewis Rudd shares, “As I reviewed applications and met with many of these businesses, I began to look back on the journey of where Ezell’s came from to now having access to an advisory team/board, legal structures, and accounting structures.”
The Ezell’s co-founder goes on to say, “Reflecting on that as well as the conferences that I’ve gone to over the years where, in many cases, I would be one of 3-5 black business owners in the room, I began to understand the importance and need for black business owners to be able to come into a space where they can gain access to information and resources that they may not even know are there.”
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Rudd’s R.U.B.B. and #NationalBlackBusinessMonth
August is #NationalBlackBusinessMonth and to celebrate, Rudd’s R.U.B.B. Initiative will be having their Inaugural Black Business Leadership Conference. The conference will take place on August 20th with the purpose of providing educational resources to Black-businesses in Washington state.
Ezell’s Famous Chicken will award full scholarships to 50 registrants needing financial assistance.
Conference Schedule
Attendees will learn valuable information such as how to manage finances, emotional intelligence, how to navigate legal documents, and more.
Tickets to the conference are $65 per person. Attendees can attend virtually with a $25 ticket. Register to attend the event here.
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