Today we’d like to introduce you to Gene Folkes.
Gene E. Folkes is an Adventure Enthusiast, Media Personality, Gulf War Veteran, Philanthropist, Social Change Advocate and former lobbyist who works with a global vision of empowering people to be more cognizant of ways to positively impact their families and communities.
At the age of 17, Gene joined the United States Air Force and spent most of his military career stationed overseas. While serving, Gene moved up the ranks quickly while pursuing his undergraduate degree. After being honorably discharged, Gene completed his Bachelor’s Degree. Gene undertook several roles in the Financial Services Industry, where he would undertake leadership responsibilities with several high profile financial institutions. As a Wealth Manager with Merrill Lynch, Gene found his purpose. After participating in a successful class-action racial discrimination lawsuit at Merrill Lynch, Gene embraced his role as an Entrepreneur and began the next phase of his career as a Management Consultant and Investment Banker. Gene’s success in this arena caught the attention of Donald J. Trump, who was the star of NBC’s The Apprentice.
After a successful run during the program, Gene chose his own path, having turned down the opportunity to work for the Trump Organization. Gene would go one to run a successful Home Care Company, continuing to move closer to his purpose. Gene saw the need for small business owners to participate in what he calls a Small Business Eco-system. Gene fosters strategic and collaborative relationships between local smaller organizations to provide their products and services at home and internationally. Gene’s primary focus was to exhibit the competence, professionalism and expertise of Veteran-Owned and Minority-Owned organizations, in contradiction to the long-held belief that minority-owned firms were somehow inferior. Armed with this belief and the research showing that veteran and minority-owned businesses outperformed their white counterparts by 30%.
Gene believes regardless of geography, culture or position in life. There’s more that unites us than divides us. Fueled by his core values of Honor, Faith, Charity, Health and Passion, Gene embraces the international community with an open mind and heart in an effort to reduce long-held prejudices and encourage cooperation through connectedness. Gene has participated on NBC’s The Apprentice and has been interviewed by The Associated Press, The BBC, Good Morning, Britain, BBC radio and has been a sought after commentator tackling political issues and social concerns by The Wall Street Journal, The Hollywood Reporter, CNN and other international press.
Gene was a Global Wealth Manager once affiliated with Merrill Lynch, JPMorgan Chase and AIG. Possessing Series 7, Series 66 securities licenses, Gene has been the recipient of several banking awards for compliance, client engagement and exceeding sales targets. Gene holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business from Morris Brown College and holds a Masters In Organizational Leadership/Project Management from North Central University.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The biggest struggle Gene faced was during his transition from the military to the civilian sector as a man of color. There are long-held beliefs that somehow a Veterans experiences were not adaptable to the private sector. However, after decades of challenging this belief and challenges of being a black man in corporate America in the south, this is proving to be false.
The second challenge happened at Merrill Lynch. The financial services industry has a record discriminating against people of color and it would be a long battle until a group of Black Financial Advisors would win one if the largest Discrimination lawsuits in American History. Even as a small business owner, Gene battled against the idea that clients, employees and partners would struggle to do business with a business owned by a black owner. Gene succeeded by providing excellent service and working harder than his peers.
Please tell us about Folkes International Group.
Folkes International Group is a privately-held, veteran-owned management consulting, M&A advisory, and Project Management Corporation consisting of a diverse group of high performing individuals. As a boutique corporation, we work efficiently and effectively to achieve optimal results, establish strong business relationships and maximize economic and stakeholder value fostering long-term success and growth for our clients. We treat our clients’ organizations and needs as if they are our own. The motto of Folkes International Group, Inc. is “We See what others Can’t.”
What sets are firm apart is our ability to meet the needs of organizations in the public and private sectors. Our consultants represent decades of experience in Investment Banking, Wealth Management, Business Valuation, Mergers & Acquisitions and as a liaison for other financial institutions.
What makes me proud of our organization is that we believe in diversity and inclusion and our executive leadership are 75% women. The women of Folkes International Group, Inc. have created successful businesses of their own, overseen investment banking transactions of over $500 million, and hold advanced degrees. This continues the core belief Gene has held since he was an Air Force Recruiter in the 80’s that women are capable of fulfilling and succeeding in non-traditional roles. These individuals are the heart and soul of the organization.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
As a Jamaican immigrant, one of my fondest childhood memories is when my American grandmother would take us fishing. She was a domestic helper with country girl roots. We would go fishing for catfish, learned how to dig watermelon, potatoes and we went swimming in the summer and horseback riding.
Pricing:
- $10,000 Engagement Fee
Contact Info:
- Address: 8330 Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway
Suite 855B Dallas, Texas 75243 - Website: www.folkesig.com
- Phone: 14693990003
- Email: monique@folkesig.com
Image Credit:
Folkes International Group, Inc.
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