Meet the First Outstanding African-American Woman with $1 Billion Business Many Do Not Know About

 

Janice Bryant Howroyd has made quite a name for herself. She was the first black woman ever to own a billion dollar company. Starting in 1978 she opened a one-office company called Act-1 Personal Services. As the business grew it evolved into Act-1 Group.

 

The company now employs over 2,500 people. There are now 240 satellite offices that are located in 9 different countries. Some of the services that the company offers are services on executive travel management as well as employee background checks and so much more.

 

Act-1 held the number three spot for the nation’s largest black-owned company on the BE Industrial/Service list in 2011. In 2010 revenues topped $1.4 billion. Bryant Howroyd has been a keynote speaker at the Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Conference in 2012. She spoke about her success and how over the last 40 years she has been able to keep the company running successfully even through rough economic times. Because of its growth and immense success Act-1 is now the largest woman minority-owned business in the country.

 

Thanks to Bryant Howroyd’s business savvy Act-1 Group is on track to become a $2 billion per year company. The staffing services that Act-1 provides have been used by corporate giants such as AT&T, Sempra Energy, and Merck. Bryant Howroyd navigated the economic downfalls by understanding the different demands of the changing economic climate. She also is able to anticipate the needs of her clients and provides customized services based on those needs. This is a large part of what has made her company continue to grow. She provides the clients with the best possible service and understands the changes that the economy goes through.

 

Bryant Howroyd says that when the economy is down it is the best time to start a new business. She states that you may bring something to the table that others may not have thought about before and may bring about a service that people need in times of trouble. She says that every company needs to think globally as well, no matter how big or small that company is. She states that there are companies all over the world that are offering the same services that you do so you have to think about what is happening all over the world.