The General® Partners with Black Entrepreneurs Day for Second Year in a Row

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Oct. 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The General® Insurance announces today that, for the second year in a row, it will partner with Black Entrepreneurs Day — a day coined as "a celebration of Black business" and a free virtual event that will recognize, celebrate and empower Black entrepreneurs everywhere in a fresh, fun and exciting way.

As part of this partnership, The General is powering Black Entrepreneurs Day's Game Changer Conversations — which features Daymond John in inspirational one-on-one conversations with Black business leaders and cultural icons, including The General long-time brand ambassador Shaquille O'Neal, Tyra Banks, Michael Strahan, Rev Run, Marcus Samuelsson and the first female Black Billionaire, Janice Bryant Howroyd as they share their own pivotal career moments. 

In addition, The General will also present a new addition to this year's event: Black LeadHERship — a Black Women's Roundtable. In honor of National Women's Small Business Month, the roundtable discussion will feature business leaders from the American Family Insurance Enterprise, including Elicia Azali – Enterprise Chief Marketing Officer, American Family Insurance, Telisa Yancy – President, American Family Direct, Sherina Smith – Vice President and Head of Marketing, American Family Insurance and Lauren Powell – Corporate Legal Vice President, American Family Insurance. Alongside Daymond John, Elicia, Telisa, Sherina and Lauren discuss their own career journeys while offering advice to other Black women looking to form their own entrepreneurial paths.

"The General is on a tremendous journey to consistently commit to driving diversity and inclusion, including prioritizing and pursuing initiatives that better reflect the interest of our diverse customer base," said Elicia Azali, Enterprise Chief Marketing Officer at American Family Insurance. "As part of this initiative, The General has launched meaningful partnerships to authentically connect with and support new and existing customers, particularly during a challenging time when many Americans were faced with financial challenges and social injustice — and continuing to work with and support Black Entrepreneurs Day is a clear fit."

The General will also be funding one $25,000 grant to a rising Black entrepreneur via the NAACP Powershift Entrepreneurial Grant, in partnership with the NAACP. The winner will also receive professional one-on-one mentoring sessions with Shaquille O'Neal and Elicia Azali. The grant recipient will be announced during this year's event. 

As a further extension of this event, The General is also engaging its Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) partners - Morehouse College and Tennessee State University - by giving six Black business students and student entrepreneurs a chance to win one-on-one mentoring sessions with Shaquille O'Neal and Elicia Azali, along with a Surface Laptop Pro, a signed book from Daymond John and more. Since 2020, The General has partnered with HBCUs to support their students and graduates by offering career development and employment opportunities. This opportunity will equip these six students with resources and tools to take the next step in their entrepreneurial careers and continues to demonstrate The General's commitment to supporting their customers when they need it the most. 

Beyond Black Entrepreneurs Day, The General supports other diverse efforts, including the brand's recent partnership with Shaquille O'Neal and Bleacher Report to surprise everyday people with a break from the financial challenges they've been facing brought on by the pandemic. In a three-part content series, Shaquille visited three Atlanta-based businesses and rewarded each of them with a well-deserved financial and emotional break. For nearly 60 years, The General has been there for its customers when they need it the most and as the brand continues to grow, the brand will always keep the needs and interests of its customers first, particularly during a time when so many people were impacted financially. 

Earlier this year, The General launched a brand refresh with the goal of more accurately representing the true identity of the brand - a quality insurance company that has been saving people money for nearly 60 years. Fueled by data and insights, it came to light that many potential customers didn't see The General as a quality company and had misperceptions about who The General really is - all because of the brand's previous advertising. As part of the brand refresh, The General launched two ad campaigns this year.  The brand refresh and new ad campaigns more accurately reflect the quality and credibility of the rest of the business and position The General for growth into the next several decades. Both campaigns are a true representation of The General's continued commitment to diversity and inclusion in the brand's marketing efforts - both in front and behind the camera. 

This year's Black Entrepreneurs Day will air on October 14th beginning at 7 pm ET exclusively Daymond John's Facebook Page. To learn more about The General, visit www.thegeneral.com and for more details about the free, virtual Black Entrepreneurs Day event, visit www.blackentrepreneursday.com. 

About The General Insurance
The General Automobile Insurance Services, Inc. (The General®) is a licensed insurance agency and subsidiary of PGC Holdings Corp. (PGC), which is wholly owned by American Family Mutual Insurance Company. Through its insurance company subsidiaries and their predecessors, PGC has been writing automobile insurance since 1963, serving customers who may find it difficult to obtain insurance from other carriers at a reasonable rate. Visit www.thegeneral.com or follow The General on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Media Contacts: Megan Snodsmith, [email protected] 

SOURCE The General Insurance