Kam Ballard, a Black woman and the founder of b.c.e. shoes, has officially launched her online company, specializing in custom footwear for sororities and fraternities in the Divine Nine.
According to Black Enterprise, Ballard said she started her company to cover the cost of college tuition for her kids.
“I started this company as a way to pay for my children’s college education. I wanted to break the cycle of graduating from college with a mountain of student loan debt. It has evolved into something bigger than I ever could have imagined,” Ballard said.
Ballard aims to create shoes that are stylish, comfortable, and affordable. “I want to make shoes that cater to the seasoned professional, but also, keep them affordable where a Neo on the college campus is able to obtain them without breaking the bank,” she said.
She is also a member and an officially certified vendor for Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., as well as other organizations within the Divine 9, including Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc.
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b.c.e. ’s inventory includes various shoes with the versatility to be worn in the board room or the ballroom. Ballard has also recently added to her collection and included an athletic shoe line.
The entrepreneur said that philanthropy has always been important to her and that she’s hosted numerous shoe drives where the proceeds are used to fund new genuine leather shoes for the women housed in homeless and domestic violence shelters.
Ballard has partnered with First Light Shelter, YWCA, and Jessie’s Place in the past. She talked about understanding that hard times hit everyone and said, “I was always taught to sow seeds. You may not reap the harvest, but your children or someone close to you will.”
Ballard’s custom-made shoes can be found on www.bceshoes.com.
