My Dream Summit included speakers, a gala, and networking

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Its website describes it as an event that “celebrates and elevates businesses and visionaries of color.”

Hundreds of minority business owners and professionals from across New York state attended the first full My Dream Summit held this past weekend in Syracuse and DeWitt.

The agenda included a conference and gala on Saturday at the Oncenter and a brunch and networking session on Sunday at Drumlins Country Club in DeWitt, per the event’s website.

“As the largest black-owned construction company in upstate New York, my work isn’t done until I can do my part in helping the people in this community,” Eli Smith, founder of the My Dream Summit, said. “This is about providing hope and resources back to our communities and we do that through increased entrepreneurship.”

Smith is the owner of E. Smith Contractors, LLC at 731 James St. in Syracuse.

Speakers at the event included retired NFL running back Dorsey Levens, a Syracuse native who played for the Green Bay Packers when they defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI.

The conference gathering also heard from Kelly Copes-Anderson — an executive at Indianapolis, Indiana–based Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) — who shared personal stories of how pivoting in her professional life to nurture family first helped her to “soar later in her career.”

“Be able to know when to make a change,” Copes-Anderson said. “Don’t continue to do the same thing over and over again if it’s not going to get you to your goal.”

The summit concluded with remarks from Soledad O’Brien, known for her work with NBC, MSNBC, CNN, and other media outlets. In addition to her broadcast journalism work, O’Brien is also an entrepreneur and philanthropist, per the event’s news release.

She encouraged attendees to hold people accountable. Her inspiring words also posed the following questions “How do we make sure that our dreams just aren’t about us, [but also] are about helping others in our community as well and how do we advocate for diversity and talk bluntly and honestly and productively about the change that we need to see?”

The conference also included breakout sessions that focused on a wide range of topics related to the health, wealth, and development of the Black community including “Buying Back the Block,” “Cultivating a Space in Tech,” and an educational session on navigating the landscape as a minority-owned business in the “MWBE Panel.”