American designer Robert Sharod, Founder and Creative Director of Atha Sharod Bridal, is changing the way we see bridal. Only using silk and French-imported lace, his custom-made gowns set him apart from his peers in the bridal industry.

“It’s very easy in February, during Black History Month, to recycle the same names year after year, but there are plenty of people who have stood on the shoulders of the forerunners, and they are making history,” says Bobbie Steele, former commissioner of Chicago’s Cook County.

With the start of the new year and possibly even a new you, one thing is certain: everyone wants to enter a new year looking good. We all feverishly wonder what new dress to buy that no one has seen before, or what shoes will gain us the most compliments. The biggest, most frequently asked question that is sure to never change: How much does it cost?

Entrepreneur Twyler Jenkins never imagined her life would be the way that it is, but she’s enjoying every minute of it. As president and CEO of Strategic Events Solutions, Inc., she has thrived as a successful business owner on Chicago’s South Side for more than 10 years. Although she has experienced several ups and downs along her journey, she has no regrets about where the journey has taken her and what is yet to come.