At Tugboat Institute® Summit 2023, Tugboat members John Gavan and John Garrett joined Mel Gravely on the stage to share the learnings and actions they have taken themselves in the two years since Mel’s first Tugboat Institute talk, What We Can Do Together About Race?

The more meaningful conversations that happen around race, Gravely said, the better.

“At the end of the day, relationships are going to really be all we have,” he said. “And solving things together is going to be all we can do.”

As a CEO and civic leader, Melvin speaks to his white colleagues, many of whom are uncomfortable talking about race, without judgement to offer a different perspective on race relations and equity. In this episode Melvin joins us to share how we can engage in race issues and become empowered to be a part of the conversation and the solution.

Growing and scaling a brand is a task in and of itself, and sometimes the complexity of running a business can cause you to forget about the other important aspects of leadership. So, what are you doing to set the next generation of leaders up for success? And how can you become a more empathetic leader today?

When Mel Gravely talks about his latest book, “Dear White Friend,” you get the sense he understands that his life might change because of it.

For Melvin J. Gravely II, the CEO of Triversity Construction in Cincinnati, the pathway to making a better office-working environment requires help from both white and Black people.

The author writes that, for there to be systemic change, there must be Black leaders at the tables where a community makes its decisions.

The truth is that discussions about race and racism in the workplace are hard. They’re hard because they’re typically new; they tap into sensitive subject matter, and they’re highly informed by one’s background, experiences, and assumptions. For workplaces with a sincere desire to move beyond performative pleasantries to real anti-racism progress, there are often three significant barriers preventing any real, productive exchange—a lack of racial literacy, racial humility and racial stamina.