Junior Jabbie is the president and CEO for Banneker Industries Inc. in North Smithfield. He is serving as chairperson of the 2019 American Heart Association’s Executives with Heart Challenge to help raise funds for the annual American Heart Association’s Heart Walk taking place in Providence on June 2.
PBN: You are chairing the Executives with Heart because of Cheryl Snead, the late president and CEO of Banneker. What did Cheryl mean to you both personally and professionally?
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JABBIE: Cheryl was, from my perspective, not just my boss but also my mentor; she was like a second mom and one of my best friends. I served under her for the past 13 years. When she went through her heart condition and she became more involved with the American Heart Association, she brought Banneker along with her. I think it opened up a lot of eyes to a lot of people here at the company about the gravity of heart disease.
There’s a heart disease [caused] where you eat too many cheeseburgers and not work out. There’s also a heart disease where you could have an infant with a hole in their heart because they were born that way. It impacts everybody for different reasons, and it’s something that no one here at the company can say, “I don’t know somebody who has been affected by heart disease.”
The awareness is really big for us and it kind of really hit home when Cheryl [died] due to her heart. This is an opportunity to help continue her mission and educate and advocate for heart health. For me, I feel it’s an obligation … and it’s something I’m happy to do.
PBN: Your goal to raise $60,000 for the American Heart Association is lofty. What fundraising efforts are you putting together in order to achieve this goal?
JABBIE: With Executives with Heart, we’re trying to look at those individuals in southern New England who are executives within their own companies and [who] have the ability to be on a platform. When they speak, people tend to listen not just within their company but within the community also. They have more power to solicit funds.
So, our goal is to raise $60,000, whether an executive donates $5,000 themselves or whether they help put together a team that helps raise that [money] underneath them. So, it could be friends, family, colleagues, etc. So, it’s taking a look at those who can contribute … and have a voice in the platform to ask them to financially contribute. For me, it’s not just that; I asked a lot of executives who, even if they can’t contribute financially, [can] help spread the word.
PBN: How many other local executives do you have helping your cause?
JABBIE: We have about 10 to 15 executives right now. What we normally see, as we’re a month out from the walk in Providence, this is kind of the time where I start making calls and start soliciting folks.
PBN: How can individuals help contribute to this initiative?
JABBIE: One is to visit the American Heart Association Southern New England website and to start a team. They can reach out to us and reach out to me personally and ask to join the Executives with Heart Challenge. We do all of the back work helping you put together a team, helping with the donations and how the money will be donated. At the very minimum, [we need people to] share the word.
PBN: Do you hope significant advancements in heart disease treatment will be made within the next five years?
JABBIE: Yes. Even if you look at the advancements that have been made [in heart disease treatment] over the last 20 years, it’s been incredible. I think that the challenge with heart disease is … it’s a big broad topic. There are things that affect you that are hereditary. There are genetic issues, but there are also lifestyle issues. There’s so much awareness now about contributing factors [to heart disease] … and there’s been significant technology advancement that has been made. I think that will continue with the injection of [artificial intelligence] into the medical field. But I also feel lifestyles are a big factor here in the U.S. I think a lot we’re doing is getting the word out about eating right and staying healthy … and just continuing to beat that drum.
James Bessette is a PBN staff writer. Email him at Research@PBN.com.
