Meet LaKendria Robinson of The Orenda Collective: Voyage Tampa

Today we’d like to introduce you to LaKendria Robinson.

Hi LaKendria, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
When I moved to Tampa seven years ago, I begin working for the Tampa Hillsborough Action Plan’s (THAP) 5508 initiative. It was the first time I designed a program that supported and elevated Black-owned businesses. I worked alongside those business owners as they balanced starting their business while continuing to support their family. It gave them a greater sense of pride in their work. THAP sparked my desire to continue supporting Black-owned businesses in their quest for access and opportunity to create prosperous and sustainable lives.

A few short years later, I joined the Tampa Bay Chamber and was hired as its first Minority Business Accelerator Director. The program is designed to support the growth and sustainability of Black and Hispanic business owners in Tampa Bay. I was responsible for developing the program, launching it in the market and managing the day-to-day operations. At the chamber, I learned the value of relationships, how to build community and move them towards a common cause. I learned how to influence decision makers to support the advancement of underserved communities in a unique and measurable way.

Then, a once in a lifetime opportunity came my way in the form of the Super Bowl LV Host Committee. As the Director of Business Connect, I was responsible for leading the supplier diversity and community outreach efforts of the NFL and local Host Committee. I helped ease the anxiety of diverse business owners who wanted a fair shot of securing work for the Super Bowl and completely restructured the program in the middle of a global pandemic and racial unrest to better serve Tampa Bay businesses. The experience taught me what it really means to continuously advocate for the diverse businesses; develop and present new ways of elevating them and build strong alliances with those in the community that do the same. I also discovered the importance of a high-performing team is to achieve the impossible. I saw genuine collaborative leadership at work and how our efforts went from impossible to possible and more impactful as we gained more partners to support our cause.

All these collective experiences, lessons, and growing pains brought me to the creation of The Orenda Collective. Orenda means we have a mystical or divine force within us that empowers us to change our lives and the lives of others.

The Orenda Collective is a movement. We are dedicated to shifting the focus from antiquated ideals to more progressive and deliberate actions. We challenge organizations and individuals to view their world through a diverse, equitable, and inclusive lens and deliver innovative solutions for programming that lives on forever.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The Orenda Collective has only been in existence since March 2021 and honestly, the road has been pretty smooth thus far. Typically, new entrepreneurs struggle to get started, struggle to get their first few clients, and are pounding the pavement hard to establish their brand in the community. Fortunately for me, I been in very public roles since moving to Tampa and have created quite the reputation for pioneering innovative, measurable, and sustainable programs in Tampa Bay.

My network has grown exponentially, and I’ve cultivated relationships that lend itself to both mentorship and sponsorship. As a result, I’ve leveraged both the opportunities I’ve had and my relationships and made them work for me under my new company. And it has paid off. In less than 90 days, The Orenda Collective had already secured three notable clients, Tampa Bay Sports Commission, Visit Tampa Bay, and The Tampa Bay Partnership!

We’ve been impressed with The Orenda Collective, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The Orenda Collective is a social impact strategy firm that works with corporations that are intentional about creating diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives that transform the communities in which they live, work, and play. I am known for assisting corporations with the ideation and execution of their initiative and employing a sustainability model that allows the initiative to live on in perpetuity, that their company can manage itself. That reputation continues under my new company, The Orenda Collective.

We specialize in DE&I program development and expansion, supplier diversity and procurement process evaluation, corporate engagement and community outreach, and diverse vendor identification. The Orenda Collective is very selective on the type of projects and clients it takes on. We are unique in that we represent niche clients that want to pioneer a new initiative that is groundbreaking and can be a “force multiplier” (create expansion programs or subsidiary programs) in the region and beyond.