Courtesy Southeastern Community College
Southeastern Community College’s Small Business Center Director Pamela Young-Jacobs is the newest winner of the Economic Advancement of Indian People award given by the United Tribes of North Carolina during its annual conference. In memory of her late parents, Young-Jacobs accepted the award in front of more than 300 people at the Sheraton Greensboro at Four Seasons Koury Convention Center on March 7.
“Representing the Waccamaw Siouan, I was very honored to be recognized by my Native people for the work I’ve been doing for years,” Young-Jacobs said. “As a Small Business Center Director, I do this work for everybody across Columbus County.”
Receiving a notification on March 4 that she won the award, Young-Jacobs and her family packed up and headed to Greensboro for the weekend. While she had a speech prepared, Young-Jacobs said the award’s impact did not hit her until her name was called to walk on stage to accept it.
“When I stepped to the microphone to speak, I couldn’t say anything for a few seconds,” Young-Jacobs said. “In those few moments, I came to the whole fruition of what my ‘why’ was in the world. Then it hit me that I am the vehicle that helps all small business entrepreneurs reach their dreams.”
Fighting through tears of joy, Young-Jacobs told the audience that Native American people are the original entrepreneurs of the land. Crossing rivers, over mountains and through valleys to trade, Young-Jacobs explained that this was how Native people provided for their families. She transitioned into the story of her dad’s small business efforts to support her family while growing up.
“After getting turned down numerous times for a bank loan, he saved up money to buy a dump truck and backhoe; and he started a landscaping business,” Young-Jacobs said. “From there, he obtained his Disadvantaged Business Enterprise certification for doing work with the state of North Carolina.”
With an 11th grade education, Young-Jacobs’ father took classes, worked under a mentor and gained the necessary knowledge to become a successful business owner. Her father’s journey to becoming a small business owner inspired the career path that God had in store for her, Young-Jacobs said.
“I realized in doing this work that my goal was to make sure that every business owner had the resources they need because I watched my dad struggle,” Young-Jacobs said. “His motto was always ‘Never give up,’ so I grew up with that mentality.”
Young-Jacobs explained to the conference audience that she was living out her goal in a professional capacity as SCC’s Small Business Center Director and as the Sandhills Regional Director of the Small Business Center Network for the North Carolina Community College System. She thanked SCC President Dr. Chris English for his supportive role in ensuring Young-Jacobs’ visibility and accessibility to the surrounding community.
“I texted him a picture of me getting that award,” Young-Jacobs said. “Dr. English really inspires me and pushes me to do the work that’s needed. Every time I have a conversation with him, I come away with the confidence of knowing what I need to do.”
How it started
With four years under her belt as SCC’s Small Business Center Director, Young-Jacobs said she originally took the job out of necessity for change in her life. Struggling with the then-recent death of her son, she needed to remove herself from the regular routine of when her son was living. Searching her heart, remembering her roots and cherishing the small business work of her father, Young-Jacobs knew that helping other small business owners was the right fit for her.
Young-Jacobs earned her associates degree in business administration and finance from SCC in 2000, her bachelors degree in interdisciplinary studies from UNC Pembroke in 2020 and is working on her masters degree in business administration at UNCP. She took the job as SBC Director in 2021 with a five-year plan on filling the gaps the small business center was missing in reaching everyone across Columbus County.
“Coming into this, I knew that I needed to be able to reach people wherever they were,” Young-Jacobs explained. “So, we started this movement of going into communities, making a list of all the small businesses there and finding out what they need.”
Working as the SBC Director has given Young-Jacobs the structure, resources and relationships she needs to have the greatest impact on economic development and broaden the scope of services she can provide. In her role, Young-Jacobs is teaching classes, creating business plans and helping entrepreneurs apply for small business grants.
Looking at the turtle on top of the engraved award, Young-Jacobs said she is reminded of what it symbolizes: sustainability as a lifegiver in Native culture, wisdom and perseverance. Her goal is to pass wisdom to small business owners so they can persevere and sustain life.
As the Sandhills Regional Director for the SBCN, Young-Jacobs is passing out business wisdom on a greater scale to five other community colleges in Bladen, Sampson, Robeson, Richmond and Montgomery counties, in addition to Sandhills Community College, Fayetteville Technical Community College and SCC. She is the support system and lifeline for the SBC directors at those seven other community colleges.
In addition to winning the Economic Advancement of Indian People award, Young-Jacobs won first place in the United Tribes writing contest. Her winning piece was a memoir she wrote on her parents, and she was recognized on March 8 at the conference.
Young-Jacobs grew up in the Native American community of St. James near Lake Waccamaw. She attended school in Hallsboro and graduated from the former Hallsboro High School in 1986. From there, she got married, had three sons and started working at United Carolina Bank. Young-Jacobs went to work full-time for her father’s construction company in 1998, and she took over the business in 2001 after her father died.
Young-Jacobs dissolved the construction company in 2004 and went to work in the business and finance office of a local doctor’s office. Overcoming a divorce and dealing with the death of her father and son, she needed a new path.
“What I like to say is that I returned to my first love of doing business, serving the community and being able to do that in a professional capacity full time,” Young-Jacobs said. “This kind of work is what I want to do for the remainder of my life.”
In addition to serving on several boards and overseeing eight small business centers, Young-Jacobs has served as Vice Chief of the Waccamaw Siouan Indian Tribe for the past three years and as an economic development representative.
For more information on how SCC’s Small Business Center can aid your small business plans, contact the SBC at pamela.young-jacobs@sccnc.edu or 910-788-6419.
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