1996 small businesses entrepreneurs of the year: who are among the nation's most promising small businesses? Meet the award winners of B.E.'s Entrepreneurs' Conference.

DRAWN FROM THE WRECKAGE OF a downsized corporate America or inspired by their own independent drives and spirits, many are finding themselves lured by entrepreneurship. But those who dare to grab the entrepreneurial brass ring will find many challenges awaiting them: from raising start-up capital and marketing their business to attracting and retaining loyal employees. Indeed, few survive beyond the three-year threshold. In fact, three out of five businesses flounder before ever reaching their full economic potential.

Those African American entrepreneurs with the wherewithal and business savvy to defy the odds were honored in Orlando, Fla., at the BLACK ENTERPRISE NationsBank Entrepreneurs Conference last May. Following is a glimpse of the 19 recipients of the first annual BLACK ENTERPRISE Small Business Entrepreneurs Awards and the successful companies they have put on the small business map.

Emerging Company of the Year: This company is poised for future growth, now that it has utilized creative marketing techniques and resourcefully carved out a niche for itself. It's now ready to forge ahead in its industry.

BILL WILLIAMS, GLORY FOODS INC.

Most of us love home-cooking, but have little time or energy to prepare meals while juggling a family and career. Bill Williams, co-founder and president of Glory Foods Inc. in Columbus, Ohio, found a delicious solution and a unique market niche with his line of savory, precooked, canned soul food.

In 1989, Williams, 52, and co-founders Iris McCord and Daniel A. Charna, combined $25,000 in personal savings to test Glory Foods in local supermarkets. After successful results, the company went national in 1993 with its "heat-and-eat" line of Southern cuisine, including favorites like collard greens and field peas. A year later, Glory Foods boasted $3 million in sales, penetration of 10% of the black consumer market and distribution to over 15 grocery chains nationwide. If things stay on course, Glory will dear $5 million this year.

But it wasn't always easy. Williams had difficulty finding black farmers who could supply his vegetables. After much searching, he eventually found 10. As a result, Williams has spearheaded a $1.4 million scholarship program at Ohio State University for black students who wish to study agricultural science.

Partnerships like the one orchestrated in 1995 with Churchs Chicken, a subsidiary of America's Favorite Chicken, in Atlanta, are also on William's agenda. Initially, the deal seemed out of reach due to limited shelf space in the franchises. So, Williams came up with an alternative: frozen packaged collard greens. Now, with a multimillion-dollar agreement in the works, Glory Greens may be in 800 Church's restaurants by year's end.

The onetime corporate soldier, who spent 20 years as a food and beverage manager for hotel and restaurant chains, believes the Emerging Company of the Year Award celebrates self-sufficiency. Being acknowledged with other successful black businesses "has further provided me with the impetus to grow," says Williams. His advice to young people: "Go out and do your own thing."

Business Innovator of the Year: This company has successfully set trends and broken new ground in information and communications technology.

E. DAVID ELLINGTON AND MALCOLM CASSELLE, NETNOIR INC.

It seems as if everyone is trying to get on the information superhighway, and African Americans are no exception. To meet that need, the innovative minds of E. David Ellington, 36, and Malcolm CasSelle, 26, founders of NetNoir Inc., have taken global black culture online.

In the early '90s, Ellington, then a practicing attorney, couldn't find in-depth Afrocentric information on-line. At the same time, CasSelle, who was the director of digital publishing and marketing for Blast Publishing, had become disillusioned with corporate America. The two pulled their respective entertainment law and computer science and publishing backgrounds together and, in 1995, launched NetNoir, Inc.

Later that year, with the help of America Online's Greenhouse Program, which provides support to online and Internet-based entrepreneurs, the San Francisco-based partners launched NetNoir Online. It's the first multimedia company to archive and distribute global Afrocentric information online.

NetNoir Online opens up AOL's 6.5 million subscribers to Afrocentric music, sports, classes online and business information as well as chatrooms and message boards. Worth some $16.5 million, NetNoir Inc. employs some 81 full-time and part-time workers, and is looking to expand with a number of innovative projects. By the end of the year, the firm expects tO have 18 online departments, tapping into such areas as film, lifestyle, politics and health. NetNoir is also developing two black online directories; one with contacts for technology-related businesses and professionals and the other with new product listings.

"There were a lot of barriers blocking learning and growth in the corporate world," says CaSelle, "and entrepreneurship was a way around those barriers." Adds Ellington, "It's comforting to know other African-Americans acknowledge what we are trying to do as entrepreneurs."

Kidpreneur Award: Honors a young entrepreneur or group of entrepreneurs, 21-years and under, who embodies the entrepreneurial spirit and is committed to advancing the rich tradition of black business achievement.

CRENSHAW HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, FOOD FROM THE 'HOOD

For some, the 1992 Los Angeles uprising, though tragic, was an opportunity for residents to adopt a new outlook on the community. This was not lost on 36 students at Crenshaw High School in South Central, Los Angeles, who started cultivating a weed-infested garden behind the high school. Most of the first crop was donated to charity. But soon biology teacher and Food From the 'Hood co-founder Tammy Bird saw that more than just food, an enterprising spirit had been planted and was now taking root.

As a result, the student-owned company was born, and is now a means of learning, developing, and honing the skills necessary to build future businesses in the community. In its first year, Food From the 'Hood brought in $600, which went directly into a student scholarship fund. Scholarships were awarded to student-owners based on grades and the number of hours worked. Three years later, the company has awarded $42,000 in scholarships, half of the total net profit. The other 50% is rerouted into the business.

What began as a quarter-acre garden has expanded to 2,000 grocery stores in 23 states. In 1993, Food From the 'Hood introduced "Straight Out of the Garden" Italian salad dressing; a nonfat honey mustard dressing followed. Food From the 'Hood has also licensed the company name to a group of students in New York who manufacture "Straight Out of the Orchard" homemade applesauce under the name Food From the 'Hood East. Not stopping there, the company is looking to venture into other products while exploring licensing projects with other youth groups around the country.

Food From the 'Hood has earned numerous honors for promoting the ideals of entrepreneurship, education, and community pride. Says co-founder Melinda McMullen, "This award is well-deserved. It illustrates chat young people working together can create a world of change."

Rising Star Award: Acknowledges exceptional achievement by an individual under 35, in the early stages of their business or professional careers. With outstanding skills, professionalism and perseverance, this entrepreneur has established herself as a future leader.

JACQUELINE LEWIS-KENU, LEWIS METAL STAMPING & MANUFACTURING CO. INC.

Professionalism, determination and foresight are the solid traits that have guided Jacqueline Lewis-Kemp and her Highland Park, Michigan-based firm, Lewis Metal Stamping & Manufacturing Co. As president and CEO of the firm that supplies metal car components to the Big Three automakers, the 34-year-old Lewis-Kemp knows every facet of the company started by her father, James O. Lewis 18 years ago.

After the passing of her father in 1993, Lewis-Kemp was given control of the 40employee firm. With only $2 million in sales in 1991, the company was suffering from marginal profits and underperformance. Despite having worked at the company during the summers while in college and becoming production control manager after graduation in 1985, Lewis-Kemp felt that no level of training could prepare her to take over stewardship of the company.

But with the support of her family, particularly her mother, she found a way. In the past three years, Lewis-Kemp has boosted operations in customer service, time management and spending, resulting in an increase in sales and profits now totaling $3.5 million.

As would be expected, Lewis-Kemp, 34, has her sights set on expansion. Her main goal is to make LMS a strategic supplier for the auto industry by ensuring that the company has the means to supply industry demand. Lewis-Kemp's determination to be successful in this power-driven, male-dominated field has earned her recognition, noting that receiving the Rising Star Award "has helped to bolster my growth objective."