*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)
Stocks closed higher Wednesday on the heels of the Federal Reserve's December meeting. Chairman Jerome Powell announced the central bank would leave interest rates low and unchanged for now, with the anticipation of three hikes next year. The Fed will also speed up the timeline of its asset tapering, beginning in January 2022. Dan Russo, Portfolio Manager and Director of Research at Potomac Fund Management joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss today's close, how investors reacted to the Fed's announcements, and more.
There is a new way for investors to bet on cannabis - the AdvisorShares Poseidon Dynamic Cannabis ETF targets about 20 of the biggest names in U.S. cannabis. It comes at a time when it's still difficult for investors to access the space. Cheddar News cannabis reporter Chloe Aiello spoke with co-founder and managing director for Poseidon Investment Management, Emily Paxhia.
Victor Li, an economics professor at the Villanova School of Business, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he discusses the latest Fed decision and the implications it has on the stock market.
Danvas is a new company that aims to bring NFTs and digital artwork into the real world through an interactive, museum-quality display. The company says its product is the first premium, luxury digital art canvas, which it hopes will accelerate the world's appreciation of digital artists and their work, and empower collectors to acquire more NFT art. Danvas also just announced its launch this week, with a $7 million seed round from some big-name backers. Danvas co-founder and CEO Jeanne Anderson joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
The California-based tech company specializing in enterprise cloud-based data analysis of connected internet of things (IoT) has gone public on the NYSE, and Samsara's CFO Dominic Phillips told Cheddar's Kristen Scholer that the timing was right for the public offering for the firm's next phase of growth. "We're going to continue to add to our go-to-market motion, we'll continue to build out our international presence, we'll continue to add more selling capacity specifically as we look to penetrate larger enterprise customers, and we'll look to continue to deploy money in R&D," he said.
Mark Sebastian, CIO of Karman Line Capital, breaks down the Gamestops profitability hurdles and provides an outlook on the company's turnaround strategy.
Actor, pastor, and now author Kel Mitchell joined Cheddar's 'Between Bells' to talk about his new book 'Blessed Mode: 90 Days to Level Up Your Faith' and what inspired him to write it. Mitchell said the book aims to help people boost their physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing. Ordained as a pastor in 2019, he talked about his service in the church. He also talked about what it was like working with former castmates on Nickelodeon's 'All That' reboot.
Cheddar is looking back at the 12 biggest buzzwords of the year leading up to Christmas. The sixth term in the countdown is SPAC. Definition: (noun) abbreviation for Special Purpose Acquisition Companies. Describes companies formed to raise money through initial public offerings (IPO), to acquire or merge with an existing company.
Jeff Thomas, Senior Vice President & Head of West Coast Listing for the NASDAQ, talks about the year in IPOs and the industries seeing the most activity within the tech sector.
