Meet Carmen Tapio, the Founder of Nebraska’s Largest Black-Owned Business

Carmen Tapio is the founder and CEO of a multi-million dollar contact center called North End Teleservices, the largest Black-owned business in the state of Nebraska. She established the company with the aim to create jobs in a local Black community plagued with a high unemployment rate.

“We hear about the challenges of finding qualified people all the time,” Tapio said in an interview with USA Today.

“Some companies have gone so far to say there are no people of color who can do jobs in their industry. ‘We can’t find you,’ is not a good excuse. In fact, it’s a really stupid excuse, in my opinion.”

Tapio, who began gaining experience in the teleservices industry at the age of 18, wanted to overcome such an idea. She founded North End Teleservices in 2015 and since then, the company has been providing a wide range of advanced contact center solutions and exceptional service delivery to clients globally.

With a passion for helping the community and not just in business, Tapio makes sure the company doesn’t only help them visualize their success but also actively help them to achieve it. She serves as a servant-leader who believes that with the advancement of each individual and family, the community wins as a whole.

Under her leadership, North End Teleservices has been recognized by numerous organizations such as the Greater Omaha Chamber and the Urban League of Nebraska. It is also included on the Inc. 5000 list of Fastest Growing Privately Held Companies.

Moreover, Tapio also serves as a member of several boards and a council chair of the Chamber’s Commitment to Opportunity Diversity and Equity. Last year, Tapio created Nebraska Black Women United last year wherein women can connect with each other to support, celebrate and encourage each other.

This article first appeared on Blackbusiness.com.