When Nerissa Allen was growing up in Vancouver, she was often one of the only Black students in her class. A move to Barbados at age 11 changed that—and shaped the leader she would become.
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“Going into a country where you are the majority and you don’t have that feeling of misplacement or displacement—you just feel a part of community—that was instrumental in building my confidence,” Allen says. By the time she returned to Vancouver at 21, she felt more grounded than many of her peers still trying to figure out their place.
After pursuing a double major in biology, Allen built a 20-year career with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), specializing in food, plant and animal regulatory compliance. But entrepreneurship had long been part of her life—from high-school business programs to side ventures in adulthood. When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the wellness clinic she ran with her husband, she realized a glaring gap: B.C. lacked a business organization dedicated to supporting Black entrepreneurs.
The epiphany eventually became the Black Business Association of BC (BBABC), which Allen co-founded in 2020. What began as a grassroots response during the pandemic has grown into a nationwide ecosystem helping Black entrepreneurs start, scale and access new markets. To date, its programs have supported more than 2,000 businesses, secured $2.7 million in funding from Pacific Economic Development Canada to spearhead transformative programming and initiatives for businesses and helped companies secure opportunities with national retail chains and international markets.
BBABC’s flagship initiatives include the UEL Marketplace, a retail social enterprise on Vancouver’s Granville Island that gives Black-owned brands access to valuable shelf space; the Retail Readiness Accelerator, which prepares businesses for national distribution; and Afro World Expo, the Pacific Northwest’s largest showcase of Black-owned businesses.
Allen’s long-term goal: shifting the Black business ecosystem from primarily micro-businesses to thriving mid-sized companies capable of building generational wealth.
“If you want to build generational wealth,” Allen says, “you have to own—and ownership comes with entrepreneurship.”
What was your first job?
A high-school biology teacher.
What is your favourite Black-owned business in B.C.?
Taste of Jamaica in Carrie’s Kitchen in Surrey.
What is a skill you’re working on?
“Prioritizing my family time while balancing the demands of community service.”
