Kid running Detroit gas station inspired him to start Jr. Shark Tank competition

It started off as a routine, late-afternoon stop to fuel his vehicle this past February.

However, by the time Odis Bellinger walked out of a gas station in the Livernois and Davidson neighborhood, he was beginning to visualize an idea that would “mobilize” minds across metro Detroit by placing young people on a fast track to entrepreneurship.

And on Saturday, Aug. 26, the lifelong Detroiter's vision will be on full display when his nonprofit, Building Better Men, presents the Jr. Shark Tank competition at the Wayne County Community College District (WCCCD) — Northwest Campus.

During the contest, which was open to boys and girls, seven previously selected finalists will pitch their business ideas and products to a panel of judges from Detroit’s business community. The top three winners will receive $1,000 each to invest in their businesses, along with further assistance to help develop their enterprises during the coming weeks and months, including business plan instruction and four business enhancement workshops conducted by the Jr. Shark Tank judges.

Bellinger says the event is proof that it does not take “a hundred meetings” or years of planning to put together an impactful community event. In this instance, the idea began to percolate in Bellinger’s mind when he was greeted by an impressive young man during that February gasoline stop.

“At first, it looked deserted (inside the gas station) and then I saw this young Arab American kid, who looked to be about 12 years old, running the gas station and he said: ‘May I help you, sir’ " recalled Bellinger, who in 1991 founded Building Better Men as a male leadership program to serve youths “primarily from economically-challenged communities” in southeast Michigan. “I was just really impressed by the way the young man conducted himself. Then his father came out and we had a nice conversation, and the father made it clear that as long as the young man was in his family’s household, that he would learn how to operate the family’s business. And I walked away thinking that entrepreneurship is something we need to stress more to all of our youth. And that is why we wanted boys and girls to participate in the competition.”

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The location of the Jr. Shark Tank competition — WCCCD’s Northwest Campus, 8200 West Outer Drive — will place the 56-year-old Bellinger right down the road on Outer Drive from where he was an all-state basketball player for the Ravens of Benedictine High School, Class of 1985. Bellinger, Benedictine’s all-time leading scorer, says that basketball taught him about discipline and teamwork. But Bellinger revealed that he learned even more from committed men in the community that guided him during his youth basketball journey.  

“I learned so much from them,” said Bellinger, as he referred to men like Alonzo Littlejohn, Maceo Talley and Powers Thornton of the Little-Ma-Power basketball organization; John Bernard, a successful corporate executive, who made time to coach the Benedictine basketball team; and the late Quinton Wray “Rocky” Watkins, who started the Team Michigan AAU basketball program. “I work with young people because of them. They made me want to be successful and do good for my community.”

For Bellinger, “doing good” after Benedictine meant obtaining the best education he could, which led him to earning a bachelor’s degree in communications from Fayetteville State University and a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling and community inclusion from Wayne State University. He also has a post-graduate certificate in social service administration. All of Bellinger’s education comes in handy in his profession as a licensed clinical therapist, but when he speaks of his nonprofit, which he refers to as his “passion,” Bellinger says he has little use for clinical information and instead points to a different type of data — the “human” kind.    

“Whenever people are interested in partnering with our program, I invite them to come and look into the eyes of the young people so that they can see what I see,” says Bellinger, who refers to himself not as a motivator, but instead as a “mobilizer” of young people because he believes mobilization lasts a lifetime. “These young people that we are working with are not going for the narrative that youth aren’t doing what they’re supposed to do; they’re creating their own narrative. On Aug. 26, the audience is going to see young people doing things that other folks just talk about, and that’s a good thing because sometimes the young people have to motivate the adults.”A scenario where adults and youths are equally inspired on Aug. 26 would be ideal, says native Detroiter Marvin Washington, one of seven volunteers that will judge the Jr. Shark Tank competition. Washington, a vice president and global head of mechatronics and electronic modules purchasing for Stellantis, said he believes the event and the young participants are actually addressing very old concerns, such as the economic inequalities often faced by Black and brown business owners and individuals.

“This event is very special to us because it’s impossible to close that gap without an intentional effort,” said Washington, who also is co-chair of Stellantis’ African Ancestry Network that serves the greater Detroit community. “We want to inspire individuals in the city to come up with great ideas, and then we want to support those people and their ideas as much as we can.”

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Tiffany Morrow, owner of Profuse Tax & Notary Services and president of A Drop Of Hope, a nonprofit with a financial literacy focus, also will be judging the competition. Morrow said that the simple act of sharing information and resources on Aug. 26 and beyond will make each of the Jr. Shark Tank participants and their families winners.

“I hope everyone connected to the event will accept all of the love and all of the knowledge that will be presented to them,” said Morrow, who, along with the other judges, will compare notes and continue to discuss the presentations they see on Aug. 26 until the judging panel comes to a final decision on the three winners, which they must determine by Sept. 2. “As we empower our youth to take over their financial futures, let us, as a community, get in the habit of sharing information with each other and introduce ourselves to greatness.”

The Jr. Shark Tank finalists were all chosen by the organizers after a review of entries that included video submissions. And if “greatness” can be defined as having a debut book, look no further than 11-year-old Nyla Johnson, who authored “The Nyla Chronicles: Nyla’s First Day of Kindergarten,” which is available at 256 Meijer stores across a five-state region; or by being able to apply a new twist to beverages and treats, there's 12-year-old Madison Howell who started Maddy's Juice Bar; or as Ja’Mari Riley, 13, Mario Riley, 15 and Da’Cari Evans, 11, have pulled off with their joint venture, Three Musketeers Ice Cream. It can be said that these Jr. Shark Tank finalists, along with the other young contestants that will be presenting unique ideas and products on Aug. 26, have already had a brush with greatness in their own way. But when asked about their expectations for the competition, it was clear that all of the participants are still eager to learn, grow and thrive.

“I’m very excited to present my business in a more professional way,” said 15-year-old Jordin Gaut, who learned how to sew as a young child and now creates luxury cardigans for women through her Jacaurtii Cardigans clothing line.

Excitement also could be heard in the voices of several participants when they talked about their desire to help people. For example, 13-year-old Titus Abrams is on a mission to help people with problem skin through his Ultamate Care Skincare product line; and 18-year-old Hezekiah Bailey, who is autistic, and already is a respected advocate for children with special needs and any other children that may need help. Bailey also brings his care and advocacy to life as an author, jewelry maker and animator.

Then there is Dhamari Trice-Hanson. If this 16-year-old, rising 11th grader at Davis Aerospace Technical High School at Golightly is able to help as much as he would like, there will be global ramifications and more, because one of his goals is to reduce pollution in space. In a comprehensive business plan Trice-Hanson shared Thursday, he outlined the concept for his business, which included “aiding the advancement of space technology.”

Other parts within the business plan for Primarily Space Inc., Trice-Hanson's Jr. Shark Tank competition entry, will probably be best understood by the judges on the panel with the strongest science backgrounds. But within the closing line of a note Trice-Hanson attached with his business plan are words that could be applied to all of the participants, and the message is easy to comprehend: “The journey has just begun.”

Scott Talley is a native Detroiter, a proud product of Detroit Public Schools and lifelong lover of Detroit culture in all of its diverse forms. In his second tour with the Free Press, which he grew up reading as a child, he is excited and humbled to cover the city’s neighborhoods and the many interesting people who define its various communities. Contact him at: stalley@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @STalleyfreep. Read more of Scott's stories at www.freep.com/mosaic/detroit-is/. Please help us grow great community-focused journalism by becoming a subscriber

An entrepreneurship competition for metro Detroit youths

• What: Jr. Shark Tank competition presented by the nonprofit Building Better Men, with help from community partners.

• When: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 26. The event is free and open to the public.

• Where: Wayne County Community College District — Northwest Campus, 8200 West Outer Drive, Room E133, Larry K. Lewis Education Center.

• Participants: Madison Howell (Maddy's Juice Bar); Nyla Johnson (Author); Hezekiah Bailey (Author, jewelry maker, animator); Dhamari Trice-Hanson (Primarily Space); Titus Abrams (Ultamate Care Skincare); Jordin Gaut (Jacaurtii Cardigans); Ja’Mari Riley, Mario Riley and Da’Cari Evans (Three Musketeers Ice Cream). The top three winners will receive $1,000 each to invest in their businesses, along with further assistance, including business plan instruction and four business enhancement workshops conducted by Jr. Shark Tank judges.

• Judges: Melba Clark, president, A Path to Peace Counseling; Darryl Greer, owner, Duos Restaurant and Bar; Montee Tayion Holland, president and CEO, Taylon Collection; Tiffany Morrow, owner, Profuse Tax & Notary Services; Benjamin Morton, attorney; Kimie Nailer, president, NailRite; Marvin Washington, vice president, Stellantis.

• Learn more: For more information about Building Better Men, go to https://www.buildingbettermen.org/ The final competition results will be posted on the Building Better Men website and Facebook page on Sept. 2.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Jr. Shark Tank encourages Detroit-area youths to start a business