On Wednesday, November 15, the College of Charleston School of Business will host chairman of the South Carolina African-American Chamber of Commerce, Stephen Gilchrist, for a discussion on race and entrepreneurship in America.

The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held at 2 p.m. in the Wells Fargo Auditorium of the Beatty Center (5 Liberty Street) as part of the School’s George G. Spaulding Distinguished Executive Speaker Series — an extension of this year’s Global Entrepreneurship Week. Those interested in attending can get their tickets here.

During his hour-long talk, Gilchrist will highlight his personal journey as a minority entrepreneur and small-business advocate. He’ll also discuss the landscape of entrepreneurship in America today, including the obstacles facing minority business owners.

Gilchrist came to this appointment as chairman after a long history of work in public policy, economic reform, and educational choice. His background with regard to small business development, commerce, and economic development has been an enduring asset to the Chamber’s work in affecting greater opportunities and access for minority owned and operated businesses.

In addition to serving as chairman, Gilchrist is also a small business owner. He is the President and CEO of GSL Distributors, a logistics and distribution company in South Carolina.

The George G. Spaulding Distinguished Executive Speaker Series was established in 1995 by the late George Spaulding, former General Motors executive, Post & Courier columnist, and first Executive-in-Residence for the School of Business. As part of the speaker series, Spaulding brought top corporate CEOs and executives to share their professional success stories and case histories with business students. The George Spaulding Distinguished Executive Speaker Series roster has included executives from NBC, General Motors, Proctor & Gamble, S.C. elected officials, military leaders, Avon, Vera Bradley, Trader Joes, and others [view full list of past speakers]. The series continues in Spaulding’s honor.