*By Max Godnick*
Bethenny Frankel is using the same skills she used to succeed in the business world to help change lives in Puerto Rico and Guatemala.
The author, philanthropist, and entrepreneur is the founder of B Strong, a crisis intervention initiative that focused its efforts on disaster relief during the historic Atlantic hurricane season of 2017. The organization helped charter over fifty planes to deliver aid to Puerto Rico and raised over $1 million, which was distributed via cash cards.
"It felt like business," Frankel said of the non-profit endeavor in an interview with Cheddar on Tuesday.
The "Real Housewives of New York" star said she approached her role like a CEO and viewed her supporters as investors.
"They were investing their money to help people or investing their time to donate," she said.
Frankel's business mindset is one she knows well as the founder of Skinnygirl, the lifestyle brand she sold to Beam Suntory in 2011. The company is now expanding beyond its cocktail roots into food and clothing, with a denim line expected to be in stores this fall. She also started production company B Real-ity and is a guest judge on ABC's hit deal-making show, "Shark Tank."
Frankel thinks these experiences helped her prepare for her most important job yet.
"I knew that skill set," she said of the tools required to conduct such a large-scale relief endeavor, directly tracing them back to her stint as an event planner. "I know how to start a company, I know how to run a company, I know how to manage people and execute."
Frankel said the experience kept her from sleeping for three months as she organized her team and helped mobilize online chat rooms into meaningful support. She framed her direct and personal approach to a privately-run humanitarian mission as more effective and trustworthy than larger organizations.
"Right now the world of Big Charity is very not trusted," Frankel said, adding, "The people in Puerto Rico don't know where that money is."
For the full segment, [click here.](https://cheddar.com/videos/bethenny-frankel-runs-disaster-relief-efforts-like-a-ceo)
Nvidia on Wednesday became the first public company to reach a market capitalization of $5 trillion. The ravenous appetite for the Silicon Valley company’s chips is the main reason that the company’s stock price has increased so rapidly since early 2023.
Chris Williamson, Chief Business Economist at S&P Global, breaks down September’s CPI print and inflation trends, explaining what it means for markets.
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
