Houston PROFILE Magazine | Spring 2015

Houston PROFILE Magazine | Spring 2015 1

PIssue

EROS SHAWINTERNATIONAL S.K.I.L.L.S.

Spring 2015an HPT Media Publication

rofile

H O U S T O N

M a g a z i n e

REAL ESTATE

PEOPLENON-PROFITS

The

TOP 5 KID BUSINESS OWNERS IN HOUSTON


CONTENTSSpring

Editing – Content and Graphic: Rebecca Walton | Photography by Rebecca Walton | Photo Credits given to : Google Stock Images, Stocksy.com | Letters and Comments: [email protected] | Twit-

ter: www.twitter.com/HPTMedia | Facebook: www.facebook.com/HPTMedia Advertising: 713.878.7882 | Want to write for us? Send a 300 word article to [email protected]. All submissions will be

edited according to AP Handbook standards. Not all articles will be chosen. Payment is issued after magazine is published.

Arika Watson, Owner of Text Shirts Unlimited poseswith her family at HPT Media studio.

Jazmyn Love [to the far left] poses with her siblings anddad, Jerome Love founder of the largest black business

expo in Texas, at Texas Black Expo headquarters.


I wanted to dedicate an issue to the children in our community who are making strides within an area thatis not traditionally cultivated until the upper teenage and young adult years. Prior to developing this issue,I asked myself the question, “Why isn’t kid entrepreneurship celebrated in main stream media within lowerand middle class America?” There are Girl and Boy Scouts, Future Farmers of America, and a plethora ofsocial organizations established through education mediums that focus on competition, volunteerism andbasic social skills; but there aren’t any well recognized brands that come to mind when one thinks ofchildren business owners.

After unimaginable social achievements in pop culture, why haven’t we achieved a platform that is renownfor children business builders? Don’t think it’s because we aren’t trying. When you Google the phrase,

, you find articles and organizations from every major city highlighting what theirchildren are doing in business. In the past there have been reality TV shows about the topic.

There are government sanctioned agenciesdedicated to cultivating and awarding chil-dren who are succeeding in business at a veryyoung age.

During my research to find these fabulouschildren, I came across several small scale orsmall branded organizations that are dedicat-ed specifically to cultivate, highlight and cele-brate children business owners. I evenstumbled upon a local platform right here inHouston (Kid Entrepreneurs Expo) where chil-dren from all over are welcomed to showcasetheir business service and / or products.

But doesn’t it seem like something is missing?If all of these wonderful efforts are in fullforce, why aren’t more of these wonderful chil-dren recognized. Why are more teenagers–(than children entrepreneurs)–dropping out

of school to sell drugs in their communities?

It’s as if these misguided kids have a burning desire to succeed in entrepreneurship against an insurmount-able administrative wall that demands they get an “education” first. Maybe this crippled consensus isrooted in the historical initiative to protect children from being taken advantage of by the work force.Whatever the reason is, I think it’s time we fuel our efforts even more toward cultivating children businessowners. As adults our responsibility is to develop the next generation into viable contributors to oursociety.

Rebecca Walton at the PowHer Play women’s breakfast in 2014 |Junior League of Houston


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Houston PROFILE Magazine | Spring 2015 7#1Owner of Text Shirts Unlimited

Started her entre-preneurial efforts at the age of

5 by selling popsicles at theend of her streets.

Her mom is a member of DeltaSigma Theta.

By the time she became a pre-teen she started a kid’s business

expo for the City of Houston.

Is preparing begin her owndesign school for other design-

ers her age.

tradeshows,https://www.facebook.com/pages

/Text-Shirts-Unlimited/224063084460828

Houston PROFILE Magazine | Spring 2015 8#2Owner of Paper Toy Clothing

Started designingshirts when he was 8 years old.

www.papaertoyclothing.com,tradeshows, popular eventsaround Houston


Well spoken, cultured, driven, visionary andgrounded – simply amazing that this young African-American boy can be identified as these things at onlythe age of 12.

Santana Draper recognized very early that it wasnecessary to not be wasteful. He saw his father providefor him–(which, by the way substantiates how importantthe image of a father is to his son)–and wanted to takesome of the financial burden off of him. So, instead ofreceiving store bought action figures from his father,Santana decided to make his own to save his fathermoney. It is somewhat unthinkable in this day in agewhere the majority of 12 year old boys are only concernedwith the growing pains and processes of adolescents;that young Santana would be so apt to ease some of theburdens from his parents–simply amazing.

Just say it was an added bonus, that he reallyliked creating his paper toys. He dreamt of differentdesigns and would make his dream real on paper thefollowing days. This circumstance manifested his deci-sion to become a contributor by wanting to make hisdream come alive even more while helping his parentsfinancially.

His parents loved him just enough to finance hisdream. The Draper–Mills family unit is pushing thedreams of young Santana, despite his own struggles toget more exposure for his family brand. Despite the smallhills he has to climb now, Santana’s fortitude will makehis entrepreneurial road fairly smooth by the time he’s anadult.

Get this, he doesn’t watch TV! His daily activities involveschool, coming home to do home-work and then immedi-ately off to the literal drawing board. Santana spends themajority of his free time sketching his t-shirt designs. Hespends the remainder of his time setting the price pointsfor his shirts. He desires to remain competitive in thisindustry.

Images ©Paper Toy Clothing

Photo credit: Rebecca Walton

Houston PROFILE Magazine | Spring 2015 10#3

Founder of Food 4 Them

During the Holo-caust his grandmother (while

she was sick) would sneak pota-to peels within the concentra-

tion camps to feed other peoplewho were sick. In her honorAdam began Food 4 Them.

http://food4them.wix.com/food4them


Food4them Adam Hoffman is quite possibly the most en-dearing entrepreneur in this group. He created Food 4Them in honor of his grandmother (who is still living bythe way) who survived the Holocaust. When she was16 years old she was placed in a concentration camp,and even though she was sick, she would risk death tosneak out of the barracks at night and steal potatopeels to make soup for others who were sick. YoungAdam has the propensity to feed people honestly.

The journey toward Food 4 Them began withhis small efforts in volunteering at the Houston FoodBank. Little by little his efforts grew into a full scaleoperation that has the acclaim to have gathered anddonated over 33 tons of food for people in need todate–INCREDIBLE!

Adam doesn’t seem to have any barriers to-ward success. He is a young, energetic and very wise.He believes in maximizing the capacity of your workethic and ability. He doesn’t let his youth stop him fromdoing what he wants to do, and most of all, what hecan do.

In his own observation, he understands entre-preneurship from a very basic perspective. He definesit as: “Working hard, getting into the free market sys-tem that America offers, working the opportunities thatwe have.”

His wise take on entrepreneurship no doubtcomes from his support system. His mother JudyHoffman works right alongside her son nurturing hisefforts and perspective toward business and life. As aresult Adam understands that we are here to “pass iton”. His dream is to ultimately pass on Food 4 Themto the next generation of leaders who desire to maketheir contribution. He looks to get an education andfinance and ultimately build work in any capacity thatwill allow him to pass along resources, capitol to thosewho are in need.

Houston PROFILE Magazine | Spring 2015 12#4

Owner of FishFlops

Her big break came whenshe personally wrote a letter to Nord-strom’s about her flip-flops and theyresponded by ordering a shipment.

Growing up in Galveston Texas Madi-son discovered her gift of design at 8years old. She drew inspiration fromwhere she spent most of her time.– atthe beach.

“

Nord-strom, Saks, Academy Sports & Out-doors and Bering's. There areFishFlop shops in Canada, the MiddleEast, the Philippines and Taiwan



By: Rebecca Walton


The one thing Eros Shaw failed to consider was the amount of loss hewould take in building a non-profit organization. Idealism, motivationand strategy were at the forefront of his thoughts and he knew thereward would outweigh the toll. So he pressed on without weighingthe true cost of what would happen to his own family and environ-ment. Then again, idealists always do.

After all, Eros Shaw is a man of strength, vision and flexibility. Whatev-er the toll was, he would pay. The cost to improve the raw conditionsof families in his neighborhood was a price he could afford–at leastthat was what he thought.

He and his wife, Nikki responded to the raw conditions in their com-munity through International S.K.I.L.L.S. – a non-profit organizationestablished to repair marriages and families, and to put people backto work and into homes. After the first few years of getting into aroutine of activities–hosting children and family events, putting onmarriage and relationships seminars, teaching viable vocationalskills–Eros recognized how easy it was to lose his heart behind themission.

He didn’t expect for his own family to fall into chaos, nor did heprepare for the many conflicts and failures within his administration.Moving inside these conditions, Eros learned how easy it was to focuson his self. He blamed himself when things didn’t go right, and hepicked up the ball when it was dropped by others who were responsi-ble. He was the typical leader; moving forward, making every mistake;nevertheless, moving forward.

It was a hard lesson to learn that it wasn’t about him. He was there toserve and to fulfill a purpose that was outside of his self. Once he wasable to keep that principle in the forefront of his mind, conflict resolu-tion within his staff was more peaceful, orchestrating events at the lastminute were seamless and dealing with chaos in his own familywasn’t so heavy.

He appreciated the irony of the bigger purpose he was destined tofulfill—to conquer the very problem he was meant to address in thecommunity, in his own life.

Eros Shaw learned that the people he was meant to reach often didn’thave the capacity to receive him. Most people would move on from aperson who didn’t want help; but Eros has the gift of strength andflexibility, and he’s been able to find a way when there was no way toreach certain kinds of people. For him this was where he saw God. Hestarted to understand his purpose even deeper. The road he wastraveling was not an easy road, but it was his road, and he knew he hadthe means to do it by God’s grace.

He breaks down his means through a special way he likes to classifypeople. He calls people he is meant to help, threes. He calls peoplewho are just like him, twos. He calls people who pour into him, ones.These are the kinds of people he surrounds himself. A healthy mixtureof ones, twos and threes keeps him grounded, gives him the resourcesneeds to keep International S.K.I.L.L.S. going and shows him his owntrue value when times get rough.

He reveals that some people who have been ones didn’t even knowwho they were. And they weren’t your typical run of the mill richsuccessful power players either. Most of these people were the eldersof the community; people who have lived and had the stories to proveit. Eros finds fulfillment in listening to these people talk about life,happiness, family and how they got over trials – the very things he willcontinue to use to keep International S.K.I.L.L.S. going.


Tiramisu Cheesecake

Ingredients· 1 box Nilla Vanilla Wafers, divided· 5 teaspoons Instant Coffee, divided· 3 tablespoons hot water, divided· 4- 8oz. packages Cream Cheese, soft-

ened· 1 cup sugar· 1 cup sour cream· 4 eggs· 1 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Top-

ping· 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa pow-

der

DirectionsHeat oven to 325 degrees F.Line 13x9-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil

extending over sides. Spread half the wa-fers onto bottom of pan. Add 2 tsp. coffeegranules to 2 Tbsp. hot water; stir untildissolved. Brush half onto wafers in pan;reserve remaining dissolved coffee for lat-er use.

Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowlwith mixer until well blended. Add sourcream; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time,mixing on low speed after each just untilblended. Remove 3-1/2 cups batter; placein medium bowl. Dissolve remaining cof-fee granules in remaining hot water. Stirinto removed batter; pour over wafers inpan. Top with remaining wafers; brushwith remaining dissolved coffee. Coverwith remaining plain batter.

Bake 45 min. or until center is almost set.Cool. Refrigerate 3 hours. Use foil handlesto lift cheesecake from pan. Top with CoolWhip and cocoa powder just before serv-ing.

For more cheesecake visit www.cheesecakealamode.com


There is an age old idea that men, women and chil-dren reflect a kind of hue or color at any given time.These colors tend to reflect our emotions, mood or asa hippie would describe our aura. It is our glow.

Ramona Walton of Houston TX. is a Christian who isunafraid. Like the old folks say, “She lets her lightshine.” She is the opposite of abrasive. She is pleas-ant and delightful with a smile at introduction. Butthat doesn’t mean she is without the understanding ofsadness and brokenness. Like glow sticks sold at theamusement park, they must be broken in order to glow.

Ramona Walton’s spirit was broken after a series ofbad decisions. These happenings took her from aplace of light to a place of darkness. She found re-solve in the only thing she was faced with – her bibli-cal principles, or as Christians like to say, the mind ofChrist.

It’s safe to say that most would use the mind of Christto get back to that place light – the place of pre-bad-

decisions; their place of power. And that’s okay. ButRamona decided to respond to the mind of Christ andallow His light activate her glow in her new place. Shefound that it wasn’t so dark because she was there.Once she became comfortable with her new environ-ment, she saw an opportunity and decided to takeadvantage of it.

Her transition didn’t take away her affect she had onpeople, especially young women. Because of whatshe suffered she’s been able to intimately relate to thesufferings of women and she has been able to minis-ter to them with the mission to reactivate their glow.She campaigns for young women to glow for Godregardless of how they feel or where they are in theirlives.

Ramona started the non-profit foundation calledG.L.O.W. (which stands for Glorifying the Lord in Obe-dience and Worship) so that she can uplift youngwomen who go through hardships and sufferings.Even though the initiative is still in its beginning stag-es, her mission is being fulfilled daily through herwork at the Star of Hope. As a therapeutic case man-ager she works with young women every day and sheis able to minister Christian principles to them in aneffort to get them glowing again.

For Ramona, it doesn’t matter where a person is intheir life, they always have the opportunity to glow forGod.

By: Rebecca Walton



Kevin Pullam, leader of the Shade Tree conglomerate – Shade TreeCash Deals, Shade Tree Real Estate and Shade Tree U, is poised to buildthe biggest and most recognizable real estate investment brands in theCity of Houston and its surrounding areas. Currently, no other competitor in the industry is creating trends like Mr. Pullam.Whereas most investors are making leaps in bounds under the radar, cashing in on perhaps the most profitable housing marketsince the big crash of 07’ , Mr. Pullam, is capitalizing on the trends of generation X, Y and the millennials, and is “coming out” to bethe face of his business.

Today’s American is not about establishing a thirty year career in one field, going on to retire to the front porch, golf courseor card table; as once did our parents and grandparents. The average American is succeeding in several fields at once, whilebuilding small businesses on the side—most out of necessity, but quite a few out of sheer drive and inspiration. Imagine theopportunity with a mass group of people with this kind of resilience. The story has changed from “The Little Engine that Could” to“The Little Octopus that Hustled.” Kevin Pullam is creating opportunities across the board for more jobs, more small businesses,and more lives impacted. He is teaching everyday people how to become investors with little to no money. A man with this kind ofdrive is the obvious alpha in his pack, right? He has the charisma, the agility, know-how, flexibility and strength it takes toorchestrate the protocols, and condition his people to meet the goal lines…? One would think, yes, obviously. But ironically this isnot the description of one, Kevin Pullam.

Kevin Pullam, like most black men in his generation, is a man who is bred from a debased survivalist way of thinking.Disregarding an the income that people with etiquette and refinement could have used to build an elegant lifestyle, Kevin Pullamwas a rebellious youth with sharp intellect who strayed away from physically strenuous activity. As a young adult he made a few(just a few) smart decisions that secured him the path he now travels. Nevertheless despite those decisions, Kevin Pullam stillstruggles with trusting people who are as transparent as a crystal, and the fear of failure and emasculation. Not to mention the lackof educational degrees the typical CEO, or investment shark has. These cons measure even up against the kind of man who is aborrower and a liability. Ironically this is not the description of one, Kevin Pullam.

Well who is he, you ask? Kevin Pullam is just like everyone else who has a dream to become great. He is no different thanthe average person who makes the decision to act out his plan. What sets him apart is his own way of conquering those cons thatare tethered to another kind of man who fails to act. Mr. Pullam is constantly thinking about getting over, getting through, on to thenext. And he consistently acts out the schemes he is able to configure in his head.

So far every goal he has set has been met; but not without coming up against some walls that people who fail to act woulddeem insurmountable. How would you handle yourself if untrue seditious accusations about your personaland professional integrity were constantly hurled at you? How would you act if you were supportinga family while building a business in the red that generated millions of dollars per quarter?How would you exercise conflict resolution within your staff? How would you feel, if youfound out outsiders were scheming to take your business from you? Kevin Pullam hasanswered these questions and some twice over with grace, flexibility and a clear vision tothe end goal.

No matter how inadequate you think you are take note from Mr. Kevin Pullam he’sjust like everyone else who made a decision to be proactive toward their dreams.

The measure of a managainst the shadeBy: Rebecca Walton

Kevin Pullam | Photo Credit: Rebecca Walton


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Houston PROFILE Magazine | Spring 2015