The Black Family Reunion is proud to honor the Holloman Family as this year’s Family of the Year. The Hollomans are no strangers to Cincinnati and are widely regarded and respected in the community. Phillip and Gail Holloman have been married for 42 years and have two children – Jamia (George) and Desmond (Sidonie). They also have six grandchildren – Trey, Avery, Parker, Jaiden, Leila and Zoe. The Holloman Family has been a vibrant pillar in Cincinnati’s Black community- supporting and contributing to many Black businesses, causes and advocating for social justice.
In 2019 Phillip and Gail established the 7 Principles Foundation, where their daughter Jamia is President and CEO and Gail is Board Chair. The Foundation provides grants to nonprofit organizations that specialize in childhood development, job readiness training for adults and social equity advocacy. Over the last three years, they have provided grants to 30 companies with a total gift of $358,000. The family currently also operates 7 Principles Investment Group, where their son Desmond Holloman is President and CEO and Phillip is Board Chair. The group is focused on sustainable lifestyle and generational wealth. They invest in residential & commercial real estate, the stock market, cryptocurrency and private equity funds.
The Hollomans have provided both time and financial support to; the Urban League of Greater Southwest Ohio, University of Cincinnati, Men of Honor Cincinnati, YWCA Greater Cincinnati, 3 R Development, Black Leadership Forum, United Missionary Baptist Church, Lighthouse Youth and Family Services and the Minority Business Accelerator. The MBA established the J Phillip Holloman Endowment Fund to provide financial assistance to minority-owned businesses.
With Gail’s and Phillip’s vision and a $1MM financial contribution, the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio established the Center for Social Justice, which focuses on bias-free police reform and stopping racially biased voter suppression/redistricting policies. In 2016 the Hollomans established the Holloman Family College Scholarship Fund, presented by United Missionary Baptist Church in Middletown, Ohio. The fund provides grants to African American college students from Middletown.
This honor is a full circle moment for the family, as Gail Holloman served on the first two organizing committees of the Cincinnati BFR. They are a true embodiment of this year’s theme, “Bold and Beautiful.” “You can be unapologetically Black, retain the beauty of the African American Culture, leverage your social/ economic upbringing, succeed in corporate environments and be a proactive activist for the African American community. One of the great joys in life is to see your children raise their children and you see the transition of family values, culture, success and pride from one generation to future generations,” said the Holloman Family.
Phillip spent 18 years in various leadership and management positions with P&G and the engineering firms of BGP Services, PDX a Division of DE Foxx and Belcan. During his 22 year career with Cintas Corporation, he held the positions of Vice President and Sr Vice President before being promoted to President & COO in 2008. He also serves on three public company boards: Rockwell Automation, The PulteGroup and BlackRock Fixed Income as well as two nonprofit boards: University of Cincinnati and the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio.
In regards to being honored this year, the Hollomans exclaimed that they hope that their family story will inspire others to value family and engage in the community. They plan to continue leaving a legacy and impacting this community for years to come. “We will continue to help position organizations and individuals for success that are aligned with the vision, mission and principles of our 7 Principles Foundation. We are strong advocates/activists for diversity, equity and financial empowerment for the African American individual, family and community.”
For more information about the Black Family Reunion, see Pages B 4, 5 and 6 in this edition of The Cincinnati Herald, or visit www.myblackfamilyreunion.org.