Today we’d like to introduce you to Kenneth Lavergne
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I grew up lower income and like most kids, I got talked about for not having the “finer’ things in life. So early on, I knew I wanted to make money, but not only make it, keep it. I wanted to be able to buy trendy clothes, but I also wanted a nice house and car. My mom always preached education and told me that would get me to where I wanted to be. She was strict and made sure I got good grades. Nothing lower than a B was acceptable. I thought that was tough then, but they say everything happens for a reason. I graduated from high school with a pretty good GPA and did well on the SAT, which allowed me to get a partial scholarship to Morehouse College. That’s when I knew I had the opportunity to change my financial situation.
My college experience was great, but it showed me that many people already were ahead on me. They had exposure to careers and opportunities that I never had, and I was playing catchup. No problem, I just kept working. I continued to work hard in school and ended up receiving an internship after my junior year, which ultimately led to a full-time position after graduation. I moved back to Houston and began my professional career. Morehouse has business classes that teaches you how to be successful in corporate America. What people don’t know is that it also teaches you a lot about giving back as well. While at Morehouse, I was introduced to Junior Achievement, which ultimately grew my love and passion for giving back to the youth. When I started my professional career, I kept finding ways to give back. I really wanted to be an inspiration to those younger than me.
Fresh out of college with a good paying job, I felt I was on my way to achieving the financial goals and dreams I set to achieve as a teen. Morehouse did a pretty good job preparing me for corporate America, but there was no way to be prepared for the politics in the workplace. I continued to work hard like I always had, but I learned quickly it wasn’t all about working hard. Networking and “playing the game” were just as important. My outgoing personality and willingness to speak my mind didn’t go over well with everyone, and I had to learn to pick my battles. If it wasn’t about advancing diversity, I wasn’t going to worry about it. I joined the (diversity) recruiting team and became more active in the Black Employee Network (BEN). Before I was able to make any real progress, I was relocated to Midland, TX. I didn’t want to move but it ended up being the best thing for my career. My career started trending upward, and I was able to get my MBA from Texas Tech while in Midland. Once I moved back to Houston in the summer of 2011, I just knew my career was about to take off as my time in Midland had gone much better than I could have ever expected. I came back to a great job and ultimately became the president of the BEN. I had a little girl (Aug 2011) and got married (Sept 20212) all within 15 months from being back in Houston. Then two things happened that changed everything. The company spun off its downstream operations, resulting in a reduction of finance jobs in Houston, AND Travon Martin. When the tragic killing of Travon Martin happened, I felt something inside me shift. I needed to make a bigger impact on my community. Tutoring at schools and being a mentor through Black MBA’s mentoring program, wasn’t enough. My goal was (and still is) to help as many people as I can by giving them the exposure and guidance that I never received.
In 2015, after more and more killings of unarmed black men, I began to rethink my purpose even more. The corporate recruiting strategy was changing, and I felt I wasn’t helping as many black students as before. My corporate career was no longer advancing at the pace it was before, so I decided to go through a board leadership program called Project Blueprint at United Way to help more in the nonprofit space. Once the program was complete, I joined the board of the Fifth Ward Enrichment Program, has since changed its name to the Urban Enrichment Institute (UEI), as I wanted to make a bigger commitment to helping younger people. I’m currently the Board Chair of UEI and it’s my biggest passion outside of my wife and two kids. This organization is very important to me. It is an after school mentoring program for middle school and high school boys in the fifth ward area. I love the mission of empowering boys to become responsible and productive members of their families and communities. I grew up in Houston, so I remember the negative publicity associated with the neighborhood. That is one of the reasons why I joined the Board in 2015. This was my opportunity to help the youth directly and indirectly. I feel like it is important for this organization to stand in the gap between home life and school. Tying it back to my own experience when I talked about the lack of exposure until I got to college, I don’t want that to be these boys’ stories.
After a couple of job changes, in 2019, I created Lavergne Enterprise, LLC, which takes my financial acumen and helps startup companies and/or small businesses reach their financial goals. I’ve been doing budgeting/forecasting and analyzing financial information to build strategic plans for years for corporations and I want to take that knowledge and help others grow their businesses. Many people running businesses have no idea how to read a financial statement or understand cash flow management. That’s where I can come in to help. I want to be THAT guy when it comes to helping businesses make better financial decisions.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Smooth road? I wouldn’t exactly say that. I mean nothing goes exactly as planned, right? However, I don’t want to make it seem like I overcame these insurmountable odds. The biggest challenges along the way seemed to always involve decision making. In my corporate career, making decisions on what and how to say things. I already spoke on picking my battles. I had never stepped foot inside of a corporate building before the internship. I had the work ethic, but there was a learning curve on corporate culture. In some ways I felt, I “made it” this far without much guidance, so why change? I had to take inventory of how and where I wanted my career to go. I didn’t want to be the angry black man that spoke out about everything. That’s when I made the decision to change my mindset, and I’ve had a pretty good career. I know I can thrive in corporate America, but I just get a feeling that I’m supposed to be doing more than that.
Being an entrepreneur comes with that same challenge of decision making. How much time and money to invest in a business that is just starting out? What can I do myself vs. paying someone to do it? Because I am the only employee of Lavergne Enterprise, time management and resource allocation are the most important decisions, and they became even more important during COVID. I’m still learning how to balance family, a full-time job and being an entrepreneur. I assume that will always be a challenge.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Lavergne Enterprise, LLC?
As I mentioned earlier I have a consulting business called Lavergne Enterprise, LLC. I want to help startup companies and small businesses grow and succeed. The focal points are Strategic Planning, Financial Analysis and Cash Flow Management. I’m a finance guy and I love numbers. Most people don’t want to dig down and understand the numbers, but I love that. Numbers always tell a story and I want to be the person that helps businesses tell their story. Once I understand the numbers and the goals you want to achieve, then we can talk about strategy and how to get you there. That normally means a SWOT Analysis and then building a plan with short and long-term goals. What sets me apart from others is my passion, my drive and my willingness to help. I give so much of myself to help others and sometimes that isn’t good. You can’t help people until they are ready to be helped and put in the work. You can’t force it on them. Maybe one day, I’ll be blessed to run Lavergne Enterprise full time, but until then, I want to use my skills to help nonprofits grow and flourish or lead a finance organization in corporate America.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My favorite childhood memory was my first (and only) pair of Jordan’s that my parents ever bought me. I remember it like it was yesterday. I just graduated 5th grade and my dad was telling my mom that I deserved the shoes. My mom was not trying to hear that or pay that much for some shoes. However, my dad convinced her, and we went to Active Athlete (I think) to get my shoes. They were the Jordan 7s and they cost $95. This was 1993. I wore those shoes all summer and into sixth grade. When it was time for some new shoes, the next pair were NOT Jordan’s I can tell you that.
Contact Info:
- Email: klavergne@ueinstitute.org
- Website: https://www.ueinstitute.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ueinstitute/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UEI.OurBoysMatter
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/UEInstituteHOU
Image Credits
Onaome Mukoro – http://www.onocd.com/ Jordan Knight – https://www.instagram.com/knightndayvisions/
