Black Enterprise Award, Coalescence, LLC, 2011 Small Business of the Year
“To whom much is given, much is required.” (Luke 12:48)
We proudly stand on the shoulders of two extraordinary industry giants — Bill Williams, Co-Founder of Glory Foods, and William G. Mays, Founder of Mays Chemical Company. Their mentorship, encouragement, and unwavering belief in our potential empowered us to launch, build, lead and eventually sell Coalescence, LLC to a strategic acquirer.
Over the course of 17 years, we employed more than 100 individuals and produced functional ingredient blends that ultimately helped nourish people domestically and in need around the world.
Throughout our journey, we remained committed to investing in future generations. We introduced children and teens to the Food and Life Sciences Industries, provided meaningful internships to college students, and mentored emerging professionals, many of whom are now thriving in their careers.
William G. Mays
William “Bill” G. Mays was a scientist, entrepreneur, philanthropist, civic leader, and a distinguished member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. In 1980 Mr. Mays founded Mays Chemical Company, a national distributor of chemical and raw materials for food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care and industrial accounts.
Over his lifetime he was instrumental in helping to mentor over 200 individuals launch businesses. I was one of those people. I had the honor and privilege to be a part of the Mays Chemical Company family for seven years where I was nurtured and taught the science behind vendor management, supply chain continuity, blending and specialized packaging. In loving memory, his legacy of stewardship, will continue to live on through The William G. Mays Junior Foodpreneur Academy where we will develop the next generation of food entrepreneurs.
Angela N. Cauley
William F. Williams Food Entrepreneurship Training Academy
William (Bill) F. Williams was the president and co-founder of Glory Foods, which launched in 1992. Glory Foods is a Southern-style manufacturer of various greens, peas, beans, hot sauces, and cornbread. Before launching Glory Foods, he graduated from The Culinary Institute of America and subsequently obtained his Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Hospitality Management from the University of Massachusetts. Bill always strived to serve the community in which he lived and worked by giving back. Before his death in 2001, he worked tirelessly on his personal mission to attract young African Americans to the culinary arts, food science, agribusiness, and the hospitality fields. To support his efforts, Glory Foods established scholarships in this regard as well as offered many internships for minority college students. Dr. Ian Blount was fortunate to work for Glory Foods for nearly five years and humbly states, “without Bill’s guidance and support academically, professionally and most important, personally, I would not have been nearly as successful in life.” To continue his legacy, we are proud to name one of our cornerstone programs the William F. Williams Food Entrepreneurship Training Academy.
To learn more about William (Bill) F. Williams, please go to Remembering William F. “Bill” Williams by KUT News (soundcloud.com)
William F. Williams Food Entrepreneurship Training Academy
William (Bill) F. Williams was the president and co-founder of Glory Foods, which launched in 1992. Glory Foods is a Southern-style manufacturer of various greens, peas, beans, hot sauces, and cornbread. Before launching Glory Foods, he graduated from The Culinary Institute of America and subsequently obtained his Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Hospitality Management from the University of Massachusetts. Bill always strived to serve the community in which he lived and worked by giving back. Before his death in 2001, he worked tirelessly on his personal mission to attract young African Americans to the culinary arts, food science, agribusiness, and the hospitality fields. To support his efforts, Glory Foods established scholarships in this regard as well as offered many internships for minority college students. Dr. Ian Blount was fortunate to work for Glory Foods for nearly five years and humbly states, “without Bill’s guidance and support academically, professionally and most important, personally, I would not have been nearly as successful in life.” To continue his legacy, we are proud to name one of our cornerstone programs the William F. Williams Food Entrepreneurship Training Academy.
To learn more about William (Bill) F. Williams, please go to Remembering William F. “Bill” Williams by KUT News (soundcloud.com)
Black Enterprise Small Business of the Week
