Love-Leigh Trimiew, C’2003, recently launched
HellaBlack, an e-commerce company for Black retailers and enthusiasts.
The community-curated, online marketplace was created to offer a one-stop destination to find quality Black-owned products with a focus on and appreciation for sought-after brands and products from around the Diaspora.
Growing up in a household of passionate women entrepreneurs ignited her relentless pursuit to empower others, Trimiew said.
In a Blavity opinion piece, Trimiew further reflected on her rich entrepreneurial heritage.
"As a child, I remember going on Thursdays with my mother, an Ethiopian immigrant, to her small restaurant and jazz club,
Twins, in Uptown D.C. to help get things ready for the busy weekend. I was pretty young, not even a teenager, but I did what I could to support my mother’s dream. This was a tough, risky business. If we had a bad showing over the weekend, my mom would have to hustle to get bills paid. But it was all worth it to see her face light up at the end of a successful run of packed-house performances."
Read Trimiew's Blavity Article
"I want companies, families, and organizations to thrive in our community and produce generational wealth," she said. "For us, that starts by organizing a place where consumers can spend their dollars in the community."
Trimiew, a computer science major and mathematics minor, has amassed a wide array of professional experiences since she graduated from Spelman. She is portfolio manager and senior business systems consultant experienced in consumer goods, energy, financial services and public sector, and supported the sales, marketing and customer service divisions for AltaGas, formerly Washington Gas Light Company, regulated and deregulated U.S. Operations entities.
Previously, she deployed two major financial implementations with Cambridge Associates and four major SAP implementations with Accenture, for companies like 3M, Hallmark, Dupont, and the United States Army.