Empowering Minority Businesses: Carolina Panthers and Jonathan Stewart Join Forces with Lenovo
Charlotte, NC -- The season may have ended for the Carolina Panthers but the organizations efforts to help boost prosperity in the Charlotte area continued this week. The Carolina Panthers and Lenovo partnered with former Panthers' running back Jonathan Stewart to surprise a local minority-owned business with a $5,000 technology upgrade courtesy of Lenovo.
The company that the team selected this week was Kicks & Fros. The Charlotte based company, founded by Chanel Carneige, specializes in designing sneakers for black women as well as other sneaker care products like their Kick's & Fros sneaker cleaner. Located in Camp North End, just a short drive from Uptown the main office is nestled among a gallery of converted Airstream RVs now used as trendy office space.
The gifts were a surprise for Carneige who had no idea she had been selected. After receiving the gifts, she spoke to the media about what being awarded the recent tech upgrades means for her business. "I'm always on the go so it will help me be able to work out in other places and not have to always be in the office," Carneige said.
"I'm so excited and thankful for it. It will go into great use for sure."
This upgrade is supported through the Empowering the Carolinas small business program, part of Lenovo’s Evolve Small initiative. The program was launched in 2021 to celebrate and uplift women and minority-owned small businesses across North America through grants and technology donations, mentorship, and community engagement activities.
