Affectionately known as “Dr. Key,” she moves businesses from sales to success and inspires them to become doers, supporters, and leaders of change in their community. The mission-forward visionary advocates and empowers burgeoning Black businesses who want to thrive through a multi-prong village model designed by her. After founding the Village Market in 2016, she has reached and served thousands of businesses and facilitated 8.3 million dollars of direct sales to Black-owned businesses. Now with several verticals under the Village Market moniker, Dr. Key has recently expanded her village to include her storefront The Village Retail located in Ponce City Market, a curated collection of premier Black businesses. She founded Our Village United, which is an organization that provides businesses with technical assistance, grant dollars, mentorship, and more. She has cultivated a team of her own, employing 100% Black people, over 90% of them women. From Atlanta all the way to the Bahamas, the Mississippi-bred thought leader helps businesses with big ideas turn them into even bigger profits. Her goal is to build a Black mecca, where Black businesses can build and grow anywhere, and with several verticals serving Black businesses, she’s just getting started.
With a number of partners, Dr. Hallmon has partnered with the White House Office of Public Engagement, Mastercard, Verizon, Target, Walmart, Puma, Michael Jordan Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Clorox, Kellogg Foundation, Essence, and more. Hallmon has worked with the White House Office of Public Engagement.