Jamiel Robinson is the Founder & CEO of Grand Rapids Area Black Businesses. Grand Rapids Area Black Businesses (also referred to as GRABB) is a Start-up Economic Development company that focuses on fostering an economy that supports the revitalization of the Black community and expands opportunities for Black Businesses in the Metro Grand Rapids area by promoting economic equity.
Jamiel also is the Youth & Teen Director for the YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids. Jamiel is active in the community, serving on the executive board of Grand Rapids NAACP, Fred & Lena Meijer Scholarship Committee member for the Grand Rapids Community Foundation, volunteering as a mentor for Endless Opportunities a local non-profit and helping to support other local organizations. Jamiel is a co-founder of Empower Michigan a state-wide initiative focused on creating and implementing solutions to the urban crisis in the Black Community.
To date Robinson has been recognized as a leading voice in West Michigan on economic equity with feature articles in the Grand Rapids Business Journal, UIX (Urban Innovation Xchange) Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids Press and Grand Rapids Magazine. Robinson has also been honored by Local First as their 2014 Local Hero, by Legacy Ball Committee as a 2015 Legacy Award recipient and the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce as one of thirty extraordinary leaders over the past 30 years.