Carol Guess, former interim president of the Greater Houston Black Chamber (GHBC), is currently serving as the vice chair of the Texas Association of African American Chambers of Commerce. But her real boss is an even higher authority, as everything Guess does is fueled by her ministerial calling and her family legacy of business leadership and community service.
The Defender spoke with Guess about how her work advocating on behalf of Black businesses at the state level also serves as her mission field.
Defender: What are you most excited about regarding Black businesses in Texas statewide?
Guess: First of all, I’m excited about the fact that Texas, last time I checked, had the most African Americans population-wise, in the country. That means they have seen something of value in moving here. We don’t have a state income tax, and I think a lot of people are taking advantage of the opportunity to start businesses here because of that. We also have a lot of athletes here. There’s a lot of money in Texas. And from the Black business perspective, we look forward to taking advantage of that. We have 30 Black Chambers across the state, and I’m sure people would be surprised to hear that. But we’re looking forward to strengthening the member businesses that are part of our chamber statewide.
Defender: What else excites you about Texas Black businesses?
Guess: Providing training for scaling opportunities, because scaling always provides an opportunity for growth. And that’s what we want to do, because Black businesses hire the most African Americans. So, we need them to be scalable. That’s what we’re looking forward to doing as far as on the state level. And then also looking at legislation that has been gutted by our legislature in this past session. There are some affirmative action matters that have caused us some heartburn. But that’s why we exist; to watch and figure out a way that we can affect legislation to where our elected officials understand that if we’re doing well as a community from a business perspective, the state will do well also. There’s no loss in helping African Americans or other minorities get into the upper echelons of business. It’s all money and it’s all green. So having measures in place that would deter us from growing and hiring people really just cripples the state in the long run.
“I’m grateful for the GHBC, first of all, existing; Black people being proud enough to say, ‘Yes, we do have business owners that are doing well in the marketplace, and no, we are not going to allow anyone to stop us from organizing and recognizing that.’” (Rev. Carol Guess)
Defender: What are you most proud of regarding your work with the GHBC?
Guess: One of the things I am most proud of and our board could be extremely proud about was for the 2021 Pinnacle Awards; we won two Emmy awards and three Tele awards for that virtual Pinnacle Award experience. We had people on our team who were executive producers of the program that can now say they are Emmy Award winners. There was COVID and George Floyd during that time that affected our businesses, and none of our members who applied for PPP were denied because they had their back office intact. And that’s another thing that we can be proud of at the Chamber. We’ve always been around to assist our members with training, with growth, to answer questions. We gained new partners and were able to sustain the ones we had. We were able to stay in operation and serve our members during COVID. A lot of nonprofit organizations did not make it, unfortunately.
Defender: When did your calling to ministry come and what does ministry look like for you?
Guess: I was called in 2007 and I did not become licensed until November of 2015. And during that time, I was going through a ministers-in-training program at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church where I grew up and am still a member. The Lord has taken his time in making sure I’m fit for the call. And at that time, although I knew he had called me, I entered our ministers-in-training program and I understood that I was not yet mature enough spiritually to continue. I couldn’t serve with authenticity because there were things happening in my life that I didn’t understand and I was angry about. So, I dropped out of the program at least twice, because I knew I had to get myself in alignment with God being in charge. And after 30-something years of doing it on my own, always having a sense of God, going to church, always being curious, and reading the word, I had not yet been convinced of God. As a lot of beliefs are right in that same space; still not convinced of his authority and power. So, after I finally got that squared away, I finished the program. I had to do a trial sermon, and I did that on Nov. 22, 2015. And then I was given the title of reverend by our church.
Defender: Are you looking to pastor a church or is your ministry taking you in other directions?
Guess: No, I don’t feel the pastorate. I’m a marketplace minister. That’s what God clearly said to me. I’m called to the areas of the marketplace. So, wherever he wants to use me in the marketplace, that’s where I will be. Business has been the area that I’ve been operating in so far. It’s always been of interest to me, even when I was in college. Then, when I went to law school and started working as an attorney, I always represented businesses. Even when I was practicing law in the entertainment business, most of my clients were record labels. They were businesses. So, that is the mission field I operate in.
MORE ABOUT REV. CAROL GUESS
High School: I went to the High School for Health Professions. I wanted to be a doctor, but the sciences taught me that was not my call.
College: I went to Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Yes, I’m a Commodore. And then I wanted to go to law school after that, and I wanted to go to an HBCU. So thankfully, I was admitted to the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University.
Favorite thing about Houston: My favorite thing about Houston is that it’s home.
What are you reading these days: I am reading a lot of books on spirituality, things that will cause me to get a deeper knowledge and understanding about God. There’s not everything that we can know, of course, but I sense that he wants me to go on a deeper journey with regard to knowing him and understanding the Hebrew roots of the Bible. So, I’ve been studying a lot on those things.
What’s on your playlist: Old school hip hop, now and forever. Listen, back in the days I wanted to be a DJ. In hip-hop, you had the break dancer, the graffiti artist, the DJ. I wanted to be a DJ. So, I always have some type of old school hip hop going. Always. Just today I posted a song by Alexandra O’Neal because I love 80s R&B also.
Hobbies: I like to go to the movies. I like to just spend time outside. I like nature. I like communing with nature. And I love to go to brunch and lunch with my friends. I love that. You know, just hearing other people’s stories. I also like to volunteer.
Favorite eating spot: My favorite eating spot is the place that has good food .
Mantra: “Whatever you say, Lord.” That’s typically what I say every day.
