For more than four decades, the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce has used its annual Quest for Success Awards to recognize Black entrepreneurs, nonprofit executives and civic leaders whose impact extends beyond their organizations and into the communities they serve. On Thursday, Aug. 20, the Chamber convened business and community leaders for its 42nd Annual Quest for Success Awards Luncheon, celebrating another class of North Texas leaders while also recognizing the legacy of the institution itself.
Quest for Success was established in 1985 under the leadership of Thomas L. Houston and has recognized hundreds of African American entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders for significant contributions to the Dallas-Fort Worth business and civic communities. The awards have grown into a signature tradition for the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce, which traces its history to 1926 and is recognized as the nation’s first Black chamber of commerce.
This year’s recipients reflected the range of Black leadership that has long defined Quest — from community development and entrepreneurship to hospitality, culture and neighborhood investment.
A Quest That Spans Generations
Among the honorees was Elizabeth Wattley of Forest Forward, whose recognition represented something larger than an individual achievement. Wattley acknowledged her father Tom Wattley, who received a Quest for Success recognition in 1989, creating a full-circle moment nearly four decades later as another generation of her family joined the history of the award. The moment reinforced a theme that carried throughout the luncheon: Black business and civic leadership in Dallas is not simply being created today. In many cases, it is being inherited, expanded and reimagined by a new generation.
That significance resonated in the context of the Chamber’s centennial year. Founded in 1926, the organization has spent generations advocating for the creation, growth and general welfare of Black-owned businesses and organizations throughout North Texas.
The luncheon also recognized Clive and LaFree Ryan, the husband-and-wife team behind Soirée Coffee Bar. Soirée Coffee is a three-time Best of Black Dallas winner, and the Quest for Success recognition arrived as the Ryans simultaneously marked two milestones: six years in business and 31 years of marriage.
Their journey has made Soirée more than a coffee shop. The business has become part of the cultural and entrepreneurial ecosystem in Dallas, demonstrating what can happen when Black-owned businesses create spaces centered not only on commerce, but on connection and community. Receiving the Quest recognition together added another chapter to a partnership the couple has built both personally and professionally for more than three decades.
Another significant recognition went to Sean Smith, owner of Whiskey’s in South Dallas and co-owner of Sandaga, located just down the block.
Along with Wattley of Forest Forward, Smith’s recognition carried added significance for South Dallas, where Black entrepreneurs continue to invest, build and create destinations despite long-standing economic challenges. Through Whiskey’s and his involvement with Sandaga, Smith represents a growing generation of entrepreneurs building hospitality, nightlife and cultural businesses within the community rather than outside it.
Throughout the afternoon, the honorees thanked the families, teams, customers, colleagues and communities that helped make their work possible. Still, the luncheon’s biggest announcement was saved for last.
A Surprise for the President
In an unexpected conclusion to the awards ceremony, the spotlight turned to the man who has spent years helping shine on others: Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Harrison Blair.
DBCC Board Chair Sheena Thompson thanked Blair for his seven years of service and leadership at the Chamber, before DBCC board member and DART Board Chair Randall Bryant presented Blair with a surprise Quest for Success Award.
The recognition visibly moved Blair. Accepting the honor tearfully, Blair reflected on his tenure leading an institution whose history is intertwined not only with Black Dallas, but with his own family.
Blair comes from one of Dallas’ longstanding Black civic families. His grandfather, William “Bill” Blair Jr., and his father, Jordan Blair, dedicated their lives to serving and strengthening Dallas—an account the Chamber itself highlights in Blair’s biography. The Blair family’s legacy also includes The Elite News, an institution connected to Black Dallas history, civic life and community voice.
For Harrison Blair, leading the Dallas Black Chamber placed him squarely within that lineage. Since becoming President and CEO, Blair has served as one of the region’s most visible advocates for Black-owned and Black-supported businesses, representing the Chamber across North Texas while continuing an organizational mission centered on economic development, education, advocacy and opportunity across the globe. That made the recognition about more than organizational leadership. It was a Dallas legacy recognizing one of its own.
Even amid the tears, Blair found humor to close the moment.
“Just like the little Michael Jackson said from the Jackson 5, you never can say goodbye.”
The remark offered a fitting end to an afternoon built around legacy.
The 42nd Quest for Success was not only about who received awards in 2026. It was also a reminder of the continuum of Black leadership in Dallas—spanning a father honored in 1989 and his daughter honored decades later, a husband-and-wife team celebrating 31 years together while building a Black-owned business, entrepreneurs reinvesting in South Dallas, and a Chamber president carrying forward a family tradition of civic leadership.
As the Dallas Black Chamber approaches a century of service, Quest for Success continues to document the people behind that history. And after 42 years of Quest, the message from this year’s luncheon was clear: Black Dallas is still building, still serving and still creating a legacy for whoever comes next.
2026 Quest for Success Recipients
- Elizabeth Wattley — Forest Forward
- Clive and LaFree Ryan — Soirée Coffee Bar
- Sean Smith — Whiskey’s Dallas
- Elise Thurman – Land Use Planning & Zoning Services and former DBCCC board member
- Kevin Kelley – Kitchen & Kocktails by Kevin Kelley
- Tammy Demry – Tammy S. Demery, LLC
- Harrison Blair — President Emeritus of the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce (Surprise Quest for Success Recipient)
