- 2 days ago
A conversation showcasing Champion Black Businesses’ program participant, The Cookie Society, and theircommunity impact
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00Essence Fest, how y'all feeling?
00:05Essence Fest, how y'all feeling?
00:09I know that's right.
00:10Y'all can do better now.
00:11Y'all can make some noise.
00:12It's the last day of Essence Fest.
00:14Now, if you're just making your way to the Essence stage,
00:17welcome to the party.
00:18I'm your sister, Jessie Wu.
00:21Whether you're tuning in virtually or right here in New Orleans,
00:24there is so much in store right here at the center of all things black joy,
00:29love, and excellence.
00:31Speaking of black excellence, can we give it up for the amazing black-owned
00:34businesses that are in the building today?
00:39If you are a black business owner, make some noise for yourself, okay?
00:46What a time to be a black business owner because, listen,
00:49it is support black businesses all day, every day, correct?
00:53All right.
00:54Now, I know that we have a few, like I said, entrepreneurs in the audience.
00:57I see you guys keep killing it.
00:59This next conversation with Disney couldn't have come at a better time
01:03because it's all about supporting black businesses.
01:06Please give a warm welcome to broadcast journalist, Sade Badarinwa!
01:11B archives!
01:16B duh rain waaa!
01:17tradはんぽい
01:21わんぽい
01:23へぇ
01:24Good morning, good morning everyone!
01:45How are you?
01:46Are you good?
01:47Did you guys hang out last night at the concert?
01:50Did you see Missy Elliott?
01:52Was she epic or what?
01:55She was so good.
01:56Well, listen, I'm Sade Veteran-Y.
01:57I'm a news anchor at ABC in New York.
02:00And it is such a pleasure to be here with all of you today.
02:03You know, we today want to talk about how we as a company,
02:07the Walt Disney Company, is championing black businesses.
02:10So we're going to dive into something that we have been following
02:14and a part of.
02:16We are going to bring these incredible people out.
02:18Now in their fifth season, please welcome Critter Fixers,
02:22Dr. Bernard Hodges and Dr. Terrence Ferguson.
02:25Come on in, you guys.
02:27You guys are looking handsome.
02:41You got a runway there.
02:43You're looking good.
02:44Have a seat.
02:46Now, I wasn't the only one who hung out at the concert last night.
02:54I saw you guys.
02:55We had a great time.
02:57You had a good time, right?
02:58We had a good time.
02:59It was so much fun.
03:00Well, listen, I want to talk about your show,
03:02which is just so incredible.
03:04You guys are now in your fifth season.
03:06Yes.
03:07You have just taken the country by storm with this show.
03:11Yes.
03:12Tell me the genesis of it.
03:13How did all of this come about?
03:15You know, we actually got a DM that said,
03:18do you guys want a TV show?
03:20I thought it was a joke.
03:22After a while, I was like, man, they're serious.
03:24And then I called my buddy here.
03:26And I thought he was telling a joke as well, so I ignored him.
03:29But it's been an amazing run.
03:31You know, we didn't really understand the TV.
03:33We just two country boys who did and do what we love.
03:36And so to have a show where they follow us and people around the country,
03:40well, around the world, because I think we're like 73 countries.
03:42Oh, my goodness.
03:43It's really cool.
03:44That's fantastic.
03:45And how about for you?
03:46You guys are now in your fifth season.
03:49Did you ever think it was going to just take off like this and so quickly?
03:53I would love to say yes, but the answer is no.
03:56Even the day before, you know, we got the DM,
03:58we never thought or dreamed of being on television.
04:01Like you said, we're just two country veterinarians in middle Georgia doing what we love to do.
04:05And they called.
04:06And, you know, it's just been a great journey.
04:09We never thought we would make it to season one, then season two.
04:12And now we're season five.
04:14It's been awesome.
04:15You know, I read that actually less than 2% of all veterinarians are people of color.
04:20For sure.
04:21It is so important for people to see you.
04:24And, you know, and I feel like for other young minorities, other black young little boys or little girls out there,
04:31in order to dream it, you've got to see it.
04:33Now they see it with the two of you.
04:35And that's the amazing thing.
04:37You know, less than 2%.
04:38And it was like that when we met 30 years ago in college.
04:41So we've been lifelong friends.
04:43But we started a program called Vet for a Day.
04:45We go across the country and we introduce kids to veterinary medicine.
04:50It's been an amazing journey.
04:51And you guys don't just do it where you are.
04:53No, no.
04:54But you are actually traveling around the country with that.
04:57Tell me about that whole process and when you see the lights go off in their minds for these little kids.
05:03Yeah, you know, the program was birthed because, you know, we had parents, uncles, aunts, mothers,
05:08wanting to know how can I help my child become a veterinarian.
05:12So that's how it was birthed.
05:13And now we actually started our clinics.
05:16And it was something that we were going to do.
05:17And then once we did it there, you know, a large pharmaceutical companies saw what we were doing and said,
05:23why don't we do this around the country?
05:25So at this point now we've gone to L.A. and Houston.
05:28L.A., Philly, Phoenix, St. Louis, all over.
05:34You know, I can't wait for you guys to see after all of these years, like that seed you planted in one kid.
05:39And all these years later, you've got some future veterinarians sprouting out.
05:44Super excited for that.
05:45I can't wait, you know.
05:46Like I say, when all these people, grandmoms say, listen, my baby loves animals.
05:51And you're the only representation of a veterinarian that looks like them on television.
05:56You know, we don't take that that lightly.
05:58We definitely accept that challenge and that responsibility.
06:01Well, you know what, let's take a look at a clip and, uh, for others to see what this show is all about. Take a look.
06:07We're at Alamada, Fort Valley State University, and we're at, uh, Second Vet for a Day.
06:13We started Vet for a Day last year, and it just took off.
06:17How you doing, Taylor?
06:18Just doing very good today.
06:19Okay, we're going to make it all happen.
06:21It's a program for our young kids, and basically what we're doing is we're introducing them to the field of veterinary medicine.
06:26We want to show you how to become a veterinarian, how to stand up and be exactly where we are.
06:31So that's what we're going to talk about a little bit this morning.
06:33I wanted to come to Vet for a Day because just the thought of taking care of animals was my passion.
06:39It's not always about just petting puppies.
06:41We try to show kids scholastically what they need, what class they need.
06:44Also, with some of these minority kids, they've never seen a veterinarian that looks like us.
06:48I've wanted to be a veterinarian since I was probably eight years old.
06:51I never saw a veterinarian that looked like me until I was a junior here at Fort Valley State University.
06:55Representation matters, so we want to do our part to help grow that next generation of veterinarians.
07:02We want them to see all walks of veterinary medicine, people who achieved the level of success, and people who look like them.
07:08And we have our own Kyle.
07:09Kyle is a veterinary student at Fort Valley State University, but he just applied to veterinary school.
07:13And he got in.
07:14There you go.
07:16Great show, right?
07:18Definitely check it out.
07:19Well, you know what?
07:20I want to actually find out from you guys.
07:25You know how you have so much success.
07:27As you now sit here and look back, touching the lives of children, touching the lives of inspiring a community, how has that transformed you?
07:36You know, at this stage of life, we've achieved most of the things we wanted to achieve.
07:45We have pretty much all the things we need and much of what we want.
07:50So when we were talking and we were thinking like maybe fading away and maybe kind of semi-retiring, we got this platform, which gave us a bigger chance to help more kids.
08:02And like we always say, it really isn't for us.
08:04I mean, this platform isn't us.
08:06It's what God gave us to that we can change the lives of other people and other kids.
08:11Amen.
08:12You mentioned you mentioned earlier that, you know, representation matters.
08:16And that's why it's so important to me and Dr. Hodges, because when I had that light that was firing me to want to become a veterinarian, I didn't have that mentor.
08:26And it wasn't until I was a junior, like I mentioned in school.
08:29And I knew that if I made it, I wanted to be that beacon.
08:32I wanted to be that mentor.
08:34I wanted to inspire others.
08:36So that's my mission at this point.
08:37And that's our legacy.
08:38Well, listen, let me tell you, you guys are accomplishing that.
08:40We're going to continue with this conversation, but I want to bring out another business owner.
08:45We've got who are just really phenomenal.
08:48They're taking Texas by storm with their cookies, delicious cookies.
08:53And I have them right here.
08:54Let's bring them out.
08:55We're going to welcome Jeff and Marissa Allen, founders of the Cookie Society.
08:59Come on out, you guys.
09:01And I also want to bring to the stage Thierry Lachard, who is the Associate Director of Marketing at ESPN.
09:09All right.
09:10All right.
09:11All right.
09:12So we got the cookies.
09:14Jeff and Marissa, thank you so much.
09:15I was like, okay, if I'm going to do something about cookies, I need to know what these cookies are.
09:19Right?
09:20So let me see what all of this is about.
09:24While I'm eating these cookies.
09:25Very pretty.
09:26They match.
09:27I like that.
09:28Why cookies?
09:29I mean, you know there's so many other things that are good.
09:30I like the cookies.
09:31I like the cookies.
09:32I like the cookies.
09:33I like the cookies.
09:34I like the cookies.
09:35All right.
09:36So we got the cookies.
09:37Jeff and Marissa, thank you so much.
09:40I was like, okay, if I'm going to do something about cookies, I need to know what these cookies are.
09:44Right?
09:45So let me see what all of this is about.
09:47While I'm eating these cookies.
09:48Why?
09:49Very pretty.
09:50They match.
09:51very pretty they match I like that why cookies I mean you know there's so many
09:57other things you could do and Jeff first of all before we start you were you're
10:02a Super Bowl winner yes right with the Kansas City Chiefs okay yes and now
10:08you're in cookies yeah that's quite the difference right hey it was it was a
10:13journey we went to New York in 2017 and we stood in line of a famous bakery called
10:18Levain bakery oh yeah yeah we waited for about 45 minutes we got to the front it
10:24was just cookies I was like wow this is crazy but when we tasted it we were
10:28blown away and I looked toward my wife just jokingly you can't make anything
10:32like this because she can make anything but I just wanted it at home we weren't
10:36thinking about starting the business she went home tried to recreate their recipe
10:39couldn't figure it out and said I'm gonna do it myself I'm gonna do my own thing
10:45and that's really what got it started a little challenge I'm very competitive
10:49okay and I was already doing some food blogging so I was already into recipe
10:53development and cookies were just such a good avenue to try new things so I grew
10:58up with pies and cakes my family's from Louisiana and my grandmother's an amazing
11:03cook but cookies felt like they could be my own and so a lot of our cookies are
11:07based off of desserts I grew up with oh wow okay all right let me take a bite
11:15got the sugar cookie today no they're good they're good I'm gonna tell you you
11:20have like a a little crunchy on the outside but the inside is nice and moist
11:25and warm and good awesome thank you I'm gonna I'm gonna eat all of these so first of
11:31all you guys started this business right and it was pretty much a quick turnaround
11:37yeah from from the idea to saying okay let me just start cooking and then all of a
11:41sudden you have a store what two years later yeah it was it was pretty quick we
11:46started in Houston and Jeff was on the Houston Texans at the time so I was
11:50sending all my cookie creations up to the locker room and it was during one off
11:53season we went to visit my family down in Dallas and we already kind of had the
11:57idea in the back of our head and we're like we should really we should do it we
12:00should do something with this it was with a nice gentle nudge from my husband
12:04much more of a risk taker than I was with a six month and an 18 month old at
12:08my feet and we went for it so we actually relocated to Dallas we found a
12:13commercial kitchen and we started then selling the cookies and shipping the
12:17cookies online and it was from then it was about a year before we opened our
12:21first storefront yeah you know I think sometimes people think like the dream is
12:25so far out there or like a new business is so far out there you literally were in a
12:30cookie line and you were like you know what we got this honey you need to go to
12:35the kitchen you need to find something you whip it up and two years later you
12:39have a storefront so it's like if you have an idea execute absolutely absolutely
12:46you have to work towards it no one's gonna do it for you and there I mean the
12:50cookie that I was making sending to the locker room is not even the cookie that we
12:53have now it was so much trial and error thousands of pounds of butter and flour to
12:59get to where we are now well that's a trial I don't mind you know let me let me
13:03ask you Jeff because I think it's also important to highlight how you were a
13:08Super Bowl winner right you can have a dream and then all of a sudden the dream
13:12changes it's about continuing to evolve and you could have just said okay
13:17football career is over go some down some depression and just be like okay what am I
13:23gonna do now who am I yeah you hit it right on the head transitioning from doing
13:27something you've done your whole life is really hard and going from one dream to
13:30the next it's tough to find a passion but it's trying to pass in one life but I
13:36was thankful to be able to do this with my wife and help her live her dream she
13:40supported me throughout my entire career she can do anything right but she's she
13:44chose to stay at home with the kids so I told her when I'm done it's gonna be
13:47your time and I'm just so happy to be here with her and be able to support her and
13:51help her live this dream it's both of our dreams now now see that's a good man
13:55it's good man a good man you better support that wife well I want to you
14:01know what do we have time let's let's show a clip let's take a look at the clip and
14:04then I'm gonna get you in Tari there's always a reason to give cookies right yeah
14:09cookies cure everything yeah
14:13you guys are the real deal we really appreciate that there's lines when the
14:21store is open and there's people waiting you are doing them a favor by letting
14:25them buy your cookies always remember that you know what I would love your
14:30cookies I will come visit you though because now I'm curious
14:34wonderful so you got to check it out so Tari let me let me get to you you are
14:44the director of marketing at ESPN here we are trying to highlight all these
14:48businesses and I said wait a minute what was the impetus of this idea right and
14:52Tari said well you know with me and I said well you need to come out here on the
14:56stage so tell me tell me about this and look with what your idea has now done it
15:03has birthed all of these other businesses in a really meaningful real
15:07way so tell me about that yeah so you know in 2020 we had essentially two
15:14cultural flashpoints right the pandemic that hit and also the untimely death of
15:19George Floyd and so as ESPN marketing we came together and said hey how can we
15:26have a really sustainable impact in the community and so champion black businesses
15:31program as you see above I was formed and so we really wanted to spotlight the
15:37businesses that need that extra care that extra push and us just being a
15:42conduit for that so luckily you know with great partners that we had and the
15:48megaphone of the Walt Disney company on our side we were able to select Jeff and
15:54Marissa for our second year of the program and they've been incredible partners and
15:59bastions for what we want to accomplish with champion black businesses I think
16:03that's phenomenal so yeah really so you had you had this idea and then you said
16:09okay I got to get this up the chain of command so tell me just a little bit
16:13briefly about the process yeah so the process you know is it was definitely a
16:18long one and an arduous one mainly because you know how can you as a mega
16:24corporation really divide the funds that you're not necessarily going to see an
16:30ROI in terms of your back pocket right and with the leadership that we had they
16:36believed in the program and what we wanted to do that we couldn't just stand
16:39idle and let things go by as they were so you know the process as I said was a
16:45long one but once we finally got that off the ground and showed the impact that we
16:50could have in our first year of the program in 2020 it just kept moving and
16:54propelling every year since and now we're in year four so I love that and I
16:59think it's important to highlight because we're all looking ways to have an
17:03impact right and whatever job that you're in there is a the power of your
17:08idea and how it can actually impact your whole ecosystem so that's what you did and
17:14I just want to say bravo to you it's wonderful so here we are we've got like
17:20these two businesses right yes you guys are kind of older in the mix you guys are
17:25just coming up what advice can you offer them as they're beginning their business
17:31journey well first of all I had some of your cookies and they're amazing so the
17:37first thing is just have a good product you've already got that and the second
17:42thing is just stay true to who you are that you know we we started our business
17:47about 26 years ago and you still come in we still give our clients hugs we still
17:53make sure that we give a good product so just stay true to yourself keep making an
17:58amazing product and they will come I love that thank you yeah yeah for me you know
18:05it's um trying to get in the root of it is I love that it's a family business
18:09that's one thing I love and I think one of the keys is is your employees you have
18:15to make them feel a part of the family right so you can't look at them as
18:20employees like they need love they need to want to come and work they have to
18:25have your same vision but they have to want to push your vision and all that
18:30comes with love like when we go to work like employees are not employees they're
18:34member of family and every day we have a family reunion so that's how we look at it so
18:37the main thing is just how you handle your employees your staff and just make
18:42them a member of family so that they you all can be one collective unit thank you
18:46thank you did you guys have any questions you think for them man so what was the
18:52year that instead of you guys you know focusing on just keeping the doors open
18:58when did that change for you and what does that feel like you know for years and
19:04years he was my underpaid receptionist and I was this underpaid kennel boy so it
19:12was just he and I I would say it took traditionally say it takes about three
19:17years I would say probably what you think about two years yeah about two years we
19:20figured we could keep the lights on we wasn't so sure before that I would ask and
19:27we all deal with this as entrepreneurs and small businesses failure no what was
19:31that one breaking point where you thought it was gonna be over but you
19:34persevered it's okay we're gonna keep going to be to be honest it probably was
19:39day one and and the reason I say that because Dr. Hodges and I we just kind of
19:44took a leap of faith and said look we want to open our own veterinary clinic but we
19:47had no money so we applied for loans and I always say the best thing that
19:51happened to us is we were denied the loan because it allowed us to be more
19:58resourceful right you know we could have gotten it alone and just bought all this
20:01equipment and you know had to pay it back but what it did it one it made us
20:05stronger made us better veterinarians because we didn't just walk out there
20:08with ultrasounds and MRI machines we had a we had a microscope we had a surgery
20:13tape we had exam table and we became veterinarian we did what we had to do so
20:17just early on just just not having the finance was was a little bit tough but we
20:22kind of rolled into and it continued to develop until we are where we are today
20:26awesome thank you that's wonderful well you know I just congratulate you both for
20:32for both of your successes and way to pursue your dreams you know if we're
20:37looking at ways to try to support people like support them by watching their
20:42shows that's how you support our community if you know someone who's not
20:47watching this show turn them on because that's what we that's what we need that's
20:52why you have brought this this other business here right absolutely the
20:57support that we can have across black home businesses just amplifies and grows as
21:02you know in our community you know I just want to hear from both of you from all of
21:06you rather quickly about what does it mean here to be here in essence I mean it's a
21:13it's a dream come true you always you know you hear about black excellence yeah I
21:18mean to be surrounded by all this black excellence is it's just amazing I mean
21:24for me it's um it's a breath of fresh air right so we have to breathe but this is
21:28fresh air it reinvigorates you it gets you restarted you know I'm ready to go
21:33back home it's gonna be like day one because of just the feeling that I have
21:37from being here this was on my bucket list y'all so this is just quite the dream and
21:42it is it's just such a amazing thing to see people living their dream and doing
21:48it well and seeing people support them because that's that's absolutely huge yeah
21:53I mean we've been walking around the streets in New Orleans it's been so
21:55uplifting and inspiring everybody giving each other compliments it's just been
22:00black excellence throughout and through and to be on this stage it's the mama I
22:03made it moment it's been a lot of moments right while I felt like I made it but
22:08this is definitely one of them so I appreciate you guys listening to us
22:11wonderful I'll definitely say the same like you know made it in a sense um and
22:17just being around the culture even the concerts like it really is is healing the
22:23soul in a sense so it's it's great it's phenomenal yeah I agree well listen uh thank
22:29you all for sharing your stories I'm gonna continue to watch I haven't checked out
22:33your show I'm gonna I'm turning on that I'm turning on that channel okay you guys uh keep
22:38lifting them up you guys thank you so much thank you
22:41you
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