We had the good fortune of connecting with Emmanuel Glaze and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Emmanuel, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I wanted to start my own non profit so I can make a difference in the communities I support. I have been blessed to be able to achieve a lot in my adult career and I wanted to extend those blessings to the youth. When I created Optimize The Vizion in 2019, I had a goal of creating a program that can help young people get exposed to different possibilities and opportunities that are available to them in the world today. That’s what I had and that’s what made me.
What should our readers know about your business?
The name of our organization is Optimize The Vizion. Our mission is to work with Metro Atlanta Students(who we call “Vizionaries”) by exposing them to high school, college and professional environments that will show them the possibilities that are available to them in hopes of providing enhancing opportunities for their future. What sets our organization apart is that we are an organization that uses events that are live and virtual to work with our Vizionaries. It was not easy as we had to deal with travel issues, the pandemic and financing, but through it all we have attended and held 40 events.
The reason we have been able to attend so many events in 3 years is because of the belief of our Vizionaries, parents, board members and the communities that surround us. We would not have succeeded without this support.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The great thing about the city of Atlanta is that we have so many diverse options for eating, drinking, hanging out and etc. We also can do it not only in the heart of the downtown area, but we have a ton of diverse options in the surrounding metro Atlanta area as well. So what I would do is check with what they wanted to see and cater their visit to that, because Atlanta has it. Along with what they want to see I would make sure we attended one of the many sporting events in the area, the fantastic art displays in the city and of course the historic civil rights presence we have in this city. Atlanta is a very diverse city that can cater to any taste and I definitely would work to my friends taste.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shoutout to all of the Vizionaries and Vizionaries’ families that are a part of the Optimize The Vizion. Without their hard work and belief in the organization, we would have not made it to where we are today.
Website: OptimizeTheVizion.org
Instagram: Optimize The Vizion
Linkedin: Optimize The Vizion
Twitter: @OptTheVizion
Facebook: Optimize The Vizion
Youtube: Optimize The Vizion
Image Credits
Dope Shots By Precious Atlanta Open Tennis Atlanta Motor Speedway Kennesaw State University Russell Innovation Center For Entrepreneurs(RICE)