Legendary Business Owner Peggy A. Cohen-Thompson Ending Tenure as Head of the Solano Black Chamber

VALLEJO, Calif. - Nov. 6, 2015 - PRLog -- “I wear a lot of hats,” Peggy A. Cohen-Thompson says, explaining her long tenure as president of the Vallejo-Solano County Black Chamber of Commerce (SCBCC) (http://www.scbcc.org/) while also being involved as a leader and/or founding member of several other local and statewide organizations. Next month she will end her eight years as head of SCBCC, but her exceptional commitment and passion to establish economic and educational policies and opportunities throughout the county and the state will remain.

Cohen-Thompson, 74, grew up in Vallejo attending local schools and graduating for Vallejo High. To start her first business, Cohen-Thompson quit her position as the Regional Account Manager of Fashion Fair Cosmetics’ Golden Gate Exchange Region-Military Division.  She was one of the first African Americans of her generation to open a business in downtown Vallejo and has expanded it to include real estate, notary and  business consulting as broker/owner of Prestige Realty & Business Solutions (which is now located in North Vallejo). She also provides specialized services as a licensed cosmetologist for women with medical related hair loss at her shop, Vogue Styles.

“SCBCC’s  mission and major accomplishment during my term has been to develop relationships, strategic alliances and partnerships with local officials, businesses, educational institutions and other stakeholders, to provide resources, services and opportunities that support education and economic development; and to be a voice at the bargaining table for African American businesses throughout Solano County,” Cohen-Thompson says.

“In general city chambers don’t necessarily acknowledge nor service business enterprises in ethnic communities,” she says, pointing out that Vallejo has African American businesses that have operated successfully and continuously for more than 40 years;  and some own prime downtown commercial properties, contributing to the city’s and county’s economy.

“SCBCC’s goal is to inform and educate the greater community and honor these business professionals through our annual Pioneer (given to men) and Legacy (given to women) corporate-sponsored awards receptions,” she says.

Cohen-Thompson currently serves as a trustee for the Solano County Office of Education, is a mentor for the Vallejo City Unified School District, and a founding member of the Vallejo Business Alliance (VBA), a group that brings together the Black, Hispanic, FilAm and Vallejo Chambers of Commerce to share information on issues of business and economic interest.

She is a founding member and executive board member for the Vallejo Education and Business Alliance (VEBA), a collaboration between Solano Community College, Touro University, Cal Maritime, Vallejo City Unified School District, corporate businesses and the area’s four chambers of commerce, whose vision is a city where the symbiotic relationship of business and education and the civic and economic welfare of the city is openly recognized, promoted and supported.

She is an elected member of the City of Vallejo’s General Plan Working Group, which is updating Vallejo’s Master Plan. As a member of the city’s first Participatory Budget Steering Committee, she assisted in writing the guidelines that allow residents to select community projects and vote on how a portion of the city’s budget will be spent each year. She partners with Vallejo’s Sister City Tanzania projects, SCBCC having hosted an economic forum at city hall and a reception luncheon for the president of Tanzania; and she is currently serving as a board member/treasurer and program producer for VCAT, the local community access TV channel.

She has chaired and sat on numerous boards and organization over the years in her passion to create resources for youth/young adults, business professionals and entrepreneurs to engage in and maintain their own wealth, growth and success in a competitive multicultural business environment.

Cohen-Thompson has multiple professional and leadership certifications. She holds an Associate Bachelors of Science/Business Degree (honorary) from Solano Community College.  She is an avid reader, a Transitional Christian Life Coach, an Inspirational Christian Blogger, and she enjoys being with her three children, grand children, great grandson and siblings.

She does, indeed, wear a lot of hats; and they fit rather well.

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