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​​​​​Joseph (Joe) L. Dickerson Jr., is the founder of The Businesses of Color Locator (The BOCL). His beginning thoughts revolved around seeking tangible ways to improve how businesses owned by people of color and women could increase visibility and access to the broader economic markets. The cultural principle of "it takes a village to raise a child", resonated strongly from his remembrances of his mother, Thelma Ellis Dickerson, who often spoke to this cultural lore.

 

These thoughts arose:

How can adequate village resources, be developed and used to raise the child(ren)? 

• Develop resources (businesses) within the village
   

​​​​​​​How does the village market these businesses (resources)?

• Village ensures its citizens are aware of and support (consumes / buys) its home grown resources (businesses)

• Increase visibility of villages' products and services to other consumers (broaden economic markets) 
   

​​​​​​​Based on data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau, The Selig Center estimates the buying power for "... African American, Asian American and Native American consumers is up from $458 billion in 1990 to $3 trillion in 2020. In addition to increasing sheer size, their combined share of the nation’s total buying power increased from 10.6% in 1990 to 17.2% in 2020.” * article

 

The BOCL concept concentrates on this "buying power" by:
 

1) creating a tool (The BOCL), to increase the visibility and knowledge, of businesses owned by people of color and women, in a one-stop to shop, for ANY and ALL consumers.
 

2) providing business resourcing information, business marketing counseling as well as, business analytics and interpretation services, Joe appreciates seeing all people enjoy life, and believes when one of us improves, all of us improve. He also understands that businesses owned by people of color and women, have not typically enjoyed visibility in the broader consumer economic markets.
                                                                                                                             

​With the support of his wife, Carolyn, Joe enlisted the technical support and expertise of Carl R. Bly, a lifelong friend, in bringing life to the ideas. As a result, The BOCL was unveiled and put into action.    
     

Joe graduated from The University of Pennsylvania (BA); St. Martin’s University (M.Ed.), and he has studied at the Fuller Theological Seminary. He is a Retired Army Captain with training and background in Infantry, Airborne, Air Assault and Ranger tactics. Joe has worked as a Director of Financial Aid ($14M budget), owned and operated a business of multifamily home rentals and obtained a Series 6 license in order to buy and sell mutual funds, variable annuities and municipal fund securities on the stock market. He has also been a college professor, and for many years has been a mental health therapist. Joe continues to participate and maintain active membership in various civic and philanthropic endeavors.​​​​​​​
 

In all his life choices, Joe counts being a Christian, as the principle foundation for his life, and he views his son (Joseph III), as one of his greatest blessings.