Faith Heart Magazine | Page 18

Faith Heart Magazine: What makes Roz A. Gee a Force to be reckoned with as an entrepreneur? Roz A. Gee: The seed of entrepreneurship was always embedded in my DNA. As a young child reared in rural Burgaw, North Carolina, I recall around age 10 going to pick and pack blueberries in the summer months to make money. This was the only available option to buy new school clothes for the upcoming fall. Of course, unlike my older sister, my “saved money” never made it past July 4th! One day I was packing blueberries, with the utmost care not to smash the berries on the sides of the carton, but to no avail. About 2 hours before the work day ended, I was called to the office (i.e., the other side of the farm) and was told, “Today is your last day, I’m sorry we have to let you go.” My feelings were completely crushed, esteem stricken and was utterly embarrassed to return home to tell my Mother that I’d been fired from my first job ever. I received my final weekly wages, probably less than $10-$15 and told the production supervisor that “when I grow up, I’m coming back and owning all of these blueberry fields!” It was at that precise moment when I instinctively knew I would be my OWN boss one day. This was primarily because I didn’t like ANYONE having that kind of power to hire or fire me at free will. So, the force that I move in today is the power to frame my own future and dominate my own destiny. Faith Heart Magazine: How has The Rated Gee Agency flipped the script for positioning women in the marketplace in terms of brand development, public relations, and strategic communications? Roz A. Gee: Wow! For the past 3 years, TRGA has been a catalyst for women, particularly minority women, to show up strong, positive and on purpose in the media by showcasing their expertise, brilliance and unique calling and gifting on various media platforms. Traditionally, there has been an overwhelming disparity in media representation among minorities being featured and viewed in a value-driven and positive light. TRGA strives to be a “media voice” for women and men, which is why we choose to work with the brightest, best-in-industry experts, making sure they are “brand ready” to be placed in strategic outlets that cause them to shine and audiences to be educated, enabled and empowered. Faith Heart Magazine: Tell FHM readers how your faith created room for you to globally build an innovative media relations’ agency? Roz A. Gee: Everything that I put my hands to do, I do by Faith. When I say Faith, I’m not just talking having “faith in faith.” Rather, I’m referring to having an authentic Faith in God exclusively. I’m talking about being fully persuaded by the promises that He has made to me personally through His Word. One of favorite passages of scripture is found in Romans 4:20 “Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God.” Ironically, I don’t have the pedigree or formal education to run a leading media and brand agency. My undergraduate degree is in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics! However, the encouragement, prophetic accuracy and influence of my spiritual father, Bishop Wesley T. Cherry, Sr., motivated me to start out as a volunteer in my church. FAITH HEART MAGAZINE I 15