BLACK INVENTORS FACTOID

Disclaimer: CFBIEO does not guarantee that you will receive a patent. Nor do we guarantee the sell of your product. Programs are subject to change without notice

Dislcaimer: CFBIEO does not guarantee the services of it's Professional Members. We recommend that you research any service provider that you are considering using, whether or not they are a CFBIOE Service Provider

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Calvin E. Flowers
Chairman/President

With over 20 years of Professional work experience Calvin Flowers has a rich history of leadership guiding companies towards their goals. As Founder, Inventor, President & CEO of Tel-Lock, Inc, this accomplished corporate strategist and marketer's vision and expertise in business performance have driven notable enterprise growth for the company from 1996-Present. He invented, patented and sold Tel-Lock's primary product nationwide to stores such as Walgreens and Supervalu. Offering a rare blend of creative and operational strengths Flowers has launched an exciting company, serves as Director of Operations, oversees new product development and new product recruitment. He cut his teeth managing and clerking for F&F Auto Salvage/Renuit Auto Repair and the Chicago Housing Authority. From 2004- Present He has served as the Chicago 1st Black Inventors/Entrepreneurs Organization's Founder, Chairman and Executive

Calvin received his Bachelor of Arts and Science-Mathematics in 2006 from Chicago State University in Chicago, IL

Awards and Volunteer Experience

• FaithCorp Fund 2002 Entrepreneur of the Year
• ABC's Harry Porterfields "Someone you should know"
• Chicago 1st Black Inventors/Entrepreneurs Organization, NFP
• President of 8100 South Ada Street Block Club
• Who's Who in Executives and Businesses 1998
• Served on the loan Committee for Metropolitan Family

Bernice Whitehurst
Vice President

Bernice Whitehurst, a retired bank officer, wife, mother of three children, grandmother of eight, dedicated over 25 years to the banking industry. Mrs. Whitehurst graduated from John M. Smyth Elementary School and McKinley High School, earned an Associate Degree from Master's College and several certificates from the American Institute of Banking. She has held the positions of cashier, switchboard operator, currency exchange clerk and retired as a Bank Officer from one of Chicago's major financial institutions. During the 1960s, Mrs. Whitehurst was employed by the National Tea and Del Farm food stores.

As a result of her perseverance and endless energy, she assisted many African American entrepreneurs to obtain service contracts with National Tea and Del Farm stores and get their manufactured products on store shelves. Presently, Bernice Whiteh urst's main focus is on taking Chicago's First Black Inventors and Entrepreneurs Organization to a global level.

Ronald E. Garner
Director

Ronald E. Garner, PPS is a noted architect, entrepreneur, specialist, author, keynoter, and motivator. His formula for success is based on "PEEK TO PEAK" performance. He is a Hall of Fame inductee for his many accomplishments and has been recognized as a living legend. The enthusiasm and energy that he exhibits in his seminars, keynotes and training sessions is short of remarkable.

His client list includes:

Ron has appeared before thousands with the dedication to help people change their minds and hearts so that they change their lives for the better, through "PEEK TO PEAK" performance. In the near future he will release a sure to be bestseller "If The Dream Is Big Enough, The Facts Don't Count"; this is certainly a book to read for the new millennium and beyond.

Mr. Garner is the National Vice-President of NAASA (National African American Speakers Association) and the past President of NOMA (National Organization of Minority Architects). He is a member of the NOMA council and countless other professional organizations.

Topics
"Gold" Setting
Time Management
Personality Assessment (People Skills)
Motivation
Business Development

Thomas Ross
Director

Thomas Ross was born on a farm that his father owned in a little country town called Tibbs, Mississippi. After "graduating" from the farm in 1956, he migrated to Chicago at the age of sixteen and graduated from Englewood High School in 1961 and attended Wilson Junior (Kennedy King) College. He became employed at ER Lurey Sign Company as a Sign Screener and began working in the music recording industry in 1963. His career in the music industry included working with artists such as Betty Everett (The Shoop Shoop Song [It's In His Kiss], You're No Good, Let It Be Me with Jerry Butler), Donald Jenkins (Elephant Walk and End of the Rainbow) and McKinley Mitchell (The Town I Lived In) until he was drafted into the US Army in 1967. After completing basic training and certification as a Morse Code operative, hewas stationed in Germany and eventually sent to Vietnam in 1968.

His trip to Vietnam was quite memorable as his plane was forced to the ground or hijacked by Soviet Union fighter planes at Yokota Island. They were guarded by the Soviet militia for three days and two nights before being released to proceed to Vietnam. After completing his tour of duty in Vietnam, Ross was discharged from the Army in 1969 and returned to the music recording business until 1990 when he authored and published "The Misguidance of Black America." This work was the beginning of his need to become more involved in community economic empowerment movements.

On November 26, 1996, Ross received a patent for a Twin Gear Drive Assembly for a bicycle. The Twin Gear Drive Assembly can be assembled on a 10, 12 or 15 speed bicycle which will increase the bicycle's speed approximately 5 to 7 miles per hour. The Twin Gear Drive Assembly reduces the stress and strain on the rider's legs which is a real benefit for senior riders or people with a physical handicap.

In September 2003, Calvin Flowers, Napoleon Brown, Eddie Daniels, Leroy Jacobs and myself received a 501 ©3 NFP status to form the Chicago 1st Black Inventors/Entrepreneurs Organization. I strongly recommend to my fellow African Americans that we take advantage of this golden opportunity to join our organization.

Dennis G. Daniels
Secretary

For over 37 years Dennis Daniels has been providing leadership experience and direction in management to corporate America. Mr. Daniels spent an impressive 25 years with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago where he managed Compensation & Benefits programs for seven years including consulting with the Vice President of Human Resources in establishing long range objectives as related to the Bank strategic plans . Daniels vision and expertise earned him two Presidential Awards for coordinating all activities of the Bank's Early Retirement Program and Job Evaluation Program. For over 10 years Daniels management business performance had a significant impact on growth and development of the Bank's Communications Service Center where he managed all aspects of the Center which provides information and communication support to the offices of the President, First Vice President and Senior Vice Presidents of the Bank.

For over five years he provided his unique management consulting expertise to Shola Enterprises, Inc., including strategic planning, information technology and E-Commerce business solutions. He also developed and administered the company's accounting system, customer relationship management database, Web site, Local Area Network (LAN), communications packages, business plans and management reports.

Mr. Daniels served as an Adjunct Faculty member at Olive Harvey College from 1996 to 2005 where he was the recipient of Olive-Harvey College's 1997 President's Award For Community Leadership. He developed curriculums for Writing Business Plans and using Marketing/Sales & Accounting databases to grow micro enterprise businesses with the College's Entrepreneurial Training Program. Mr. Daniels is currently at Education Station, Inc. (formerly Sylvan Education Solutions) since 2004 as an Instructor.

Opal Freeman
Treasurer

Having a creative and high spirited nature, Opal Freeman embraced the opportunity to work with the Chicago First Black Inventors and Enterpreneurs as Treaurer. Some years ago she invented a product and did not receive proper direction. Her goal as Treaurer is to apply her financial and creative abilities to a unique organization that caters to the current and up and coming "Inventors".

Ms. Freeman's professional experience of several years, encompasses the areas of Finance, Investments, Marketing, Not-For-Profit, and Advertising. Armed with a Master's Degree in Not-For-Profit Management and undergraduate studies in Finance and Management, she is able to apply both education and experience to CFBIEO.
She credits her diverse background to the valuable experience gained from organizations such as, Northern Trust Bank, Bank of New York, ABN AMRO, Ada S. McKinley, and the Abraham Lincoln Centre to name a few.

Other professional accomplishments include her role as Director-At-Large for the National Alliance of Market Developers, a consultant to Real Men Cook, and a consultant in the area of Small Business Development to several local up and coming enterprises.

Ms. Freeman's goal as Treasurer of CFBIEO is to complement the Executive Board in their efforts to empower and educate inventors.

Earnest C. Joseph
Director

Earnest Joseph is an inventor actively engaged in developing ideas and concepts which will help save the lives of people in emergency-crisis situations in high rise buildings. Earnest Joseph's inspiration for emergency response equipment and systems stems from serving twenty one years in the U.S. Navy as a Food Services Management Specialists on the USS Forrestal CVA 59, the Papago, ATF 160 and the Concorde AFS 5. He has interacted with people enduring crises in Italy, Spain, France, Greece, Africa, Israel, Honduras, Bahamas, Canada, Aruba, Cuba and Gibraltar. Being a native son of Omaha, Nebraska, Earnest elected to return to the Midwest after retiring from the Navy in 1995 to continue his career in Food Services at Abbott Laboratories in North Chicago and privately pursue the development of his ideas.

Earnest began experiencing his own personal crisis of kidney failure in 2000. After two and a half years of dialysis, he was fortunate enough to receive a kidney transplant. During this period the nation experienced the tragedy of "9/11" and the city of Chicago experienced a high rise fire at the Dirksen Federal Building where several people died of smoke inhalation. Earnest Joseph had an epiphany linking his second chance on life through the good fortune of receiving a kidney transplant to committing his life to developing products which would save the lives of other people. The first of many of his inventions is a fire escape system for high rise buildings such as the Sears Tower. Earnest believes that through Chicago's First Black Inventors and Entrepreneurs Organization, he and fellow inventors can give others "a second chance at life" as well.

Edgar Douglas
Director

As an Inventor in 1958 we (a group of ten engineers and skilled investors) formed a company called “Vega Inc.” an automobile manufacturing company. The Inventor and designer was the late McKinley “Tom” Thompson the first African American Artistic Designer with the Ford Motor Co. The car was named the “Warrior.” It was built for “Off Road Mobility,” and was amphibious, capable of navigating small streams. Our market was the new free and undeveloped Nations of Africa. A prototype vehicle was produced and is still operative today. It was “Tom” wish to have the “Warrior” placed in a Museum. Many were contacted but unable to accommodate the measurements. With the help of Wallace Triplett of Detroit (one of the ten) it is now on exhibit at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn Michigan.

An inventor starts with an idea that may come from any source. I can image my grandfather Rev. David C. Noggins sitting and reading his Bible or newspaper and finding a need for a table and a lamp near by. There were tables and lamps, but not together. His idea and invention was to combine them, thus the end table with a lamp. On Jan.7, 1928, at the age of 61, he filed for a patent which was granted on Sept 11, 1928 Patent Number D76319. He died in 1970 at the age of 104. So you are never too old or too young to be creative.

In 1997 I incorporated E. Clawson Plastics to develop and market my inventions. The first was a novelty clock “THE CLAWSON PROCRASTINATOR TIME CLOCK, (c.p. time clock)” then “SEPTEMBER 11” and “TAKE TIME TO.” The clocks are unique in the design and wordage in place of numbers. This year 2007 marks our Tenth Anniversary and launches our new concept, and Marketing Plan “The new approach to Advertising and Fundraising.”