August 1, 2025
BLACK ENTERPRISE’s SVP, Alfred Edmond, talks about the evolution of EXCEL Summit For Men
As more Black leaders enter the C-suite, the need for mentorship, skill enhancement, and legacy building remains urgent. No one understands that better than Alfred Edmond Jr., senior vice president and executive editor at BLACK ENTERPRISE. Edmond spoke about the evolution of the XCEL Summit For Men, formerly known as Black Men XCEL.
The event went from a celebration inspired by BE’s Women of Power Summit to a growth exchange-centered conference for corporate men.
Although Edmond will not take full credit for the inception of XCEL Summit For Men, the concept began with his personal frustrations.
“I subscribed to GQ, then they pissed me off and I canceled the subscription. You rarely saw a sister in GQ. So, in 2015, it had a five-page spread featuring brown women in the imagery. You will never guess what this feature story was about…. a business feature about Magic City (the famed Atlanta strip club).”
Indignant and fed up with the state of Black representation, Edmond entered the BE offices and relayed his frustrations to his team. The need for better recognition for Black men was in line with the company’s mission: to shine a light on the best and brightest in the community. Subsequently, the conversation and frustration led to the BE Modern Man initiative. BE Modern Man was a content campaign that shone a spotlight on Black men making a positive impact in their communities.
“We crowdsourced people and asked them to nominate brothers in your community that you think are just doing amazing things,” Edmond said. “We had these criteria about them being fly, making an impact, and being valuable to their community. They could do anything, from ballet dancers to teachers.”
As the BE Modern Man kicked off, the Women of Power Summit was reaching its decade mark. Additionally, the company’s 25-year Golf and Tennis Labor Day event was nearing its sunset and creating space for a new venture.
“We pivoted away from golf and said, ‘let’s make this an event to celebrate Black men.’ That was the birth of Black Men XCEL. We invited all the BE Modern Men, and we put together programs to celebrate them from 2017 to 2019.”
The pandemic would change the way BE approached the Black Men XCEL Summit. Black women continued to make rapid strides in business, advancing their presence in boardrooms and entrepreneurship. Edmond, taking note of the growth, believed BE had a responsibility to create a space for Black men compatible with the Women of Power Summit.
“When we came out of the shutdown, we realized that it wasn’t enough just to do an event that generally celebrated Black men.”
2021 saw the return of Black Men XCEL in a digital format. Still, the vision had begun to shift toward tangible skills that would enable men to show up to the conference and leave with more value than when they arrived. The 2022 conference, held in Maryland, is where the current version of the XCEL Summit For Men conference began to take shape.
As passionate about the growth and representation of Black men as he was on the day of the GQ spread, Edmond and the BE team are steadily honing the professional offerings at the conference.
“[Participants] are getting both soft and hard skillsets. We are offering AI training, and we’re adding a profit-and-loss workshop this year. The higher you move up in corporate America, being able to say, ‘I understand and can manage profit and loss for a division’ that makes you more competitive.”
BE takes its responsibility to provide quality workshops, networking opportunities, and professional development seriously. However, Edmond says the most important part of the equation is Black men advocating for their needs.
Many companies claim to support the growth of minorities in their employ. However, Edmond contends this is where the “rubber meets the road.” Black men need to advocate for their professional growth. And companies should put their funding where their mouth is. The XCEL Summit For Men will benefit both employees and employers.
Join BE at the 9th annual XCEL Summit For Men from Oct. 15-17 at Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Orlando. Visit the official event website for more information.
RELATED CONTENT: Elevating Your Excellence: Earl “Butch” Graves Jr. Leads Black Enterprise’s 55-Year Charge With Unwavering Vision
