As President of HJI Supply Chain Solutions and as a Community Advocate, Condrad Daniels is working to build a better future through leadership and pushing the community to be a better version of itself. HJI is one of the few scalable Black-owned entities here in Louisville. They hold a Minority Business Enterprise certification and were founded on ideals of philanthropy. “The founders of this company held ambitions for fighting the good fight, even if it was somewhat under the radar,” Condrad says. “We’re a second-generation company trying to ensure that there will be a third generation. The loss of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Ahmaud Arbery, among others, has pushed us out of our comfort zone. There’s great sorrow about the lack of justice, but what we all witnessed and continue to see allows us to push for a kind of transformational equity.”
HJI has pledged not just to give aid to minority-owned businesses but also to create opportunities for community activists to connect with the world of commerce and amplify their voices. “Grassroot, nonprofit leaders who live and breathe this every day don’t get the platform they need, and we need them to give their perspective in order to grow,” says Condrad. “One thing I know for certain is that if the business community wants something to get done, it gets done. I hope that they have an appetite for affecting the kind of change we need. We can turn tragedy into an opportunity to thrive and heal if we can only all make it our mission to step up together.”
Condrad hopes to bring insight, transparency, and social opportunity. “We have to ask ourselves how can we reserve a seat at the table for the Black entrepreneur,” he says. “Even working for a large company, people of color too often struggle with not feeling that they have a place. There’s often a pressure to assimilate or leave a job. There’s nothing like a feeling of belonging. What would Louisville feel like if it became so deliberately inclusive that other cities wanted to do the same? It’s one thing to talk about this, but another to put it in action. This will take courage. I’m excited and encouraged about trying to do this. I hope we normalize a better way.“
Towards this end, Condrad has made time to partner with the GLI Business Council to create a Black Equity Pledge, establishing formal training as well as inclusion, mentoring, and retention programs for local companies to commit to making a difference. He’s driven to make it work. “If nothing changes, my generation will hold the blame,” he says. “I hope that we can look back in ten or twenty years and be proud of what we did.”
