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Janice Bryant Howroyd
Born 1952
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ActOne Group operates in 19 countries across 33 industries
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First African American woman to own a billion-dollar company
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Started with just $1,500 and a fax machine
Janice Bryant Howroyd is the founder and CEO of ActOne Group, the largest privately held, minority-woman-owned staffing company in the United States. Starting with 1,500 dollars, a fax machine, and a borrowed phone in 1978, she built a global enterprise generating over 3 billion in annual revenue.
Growing up in Tarboro, North Carolina during segregation, Howroyd was the fourth of eleven children. She moved to Los Angeles with little money but enormous determination.
Howroyd became the first African American woman to build and own a billion-dollar company.
I did not start my business to make history. I started it to make a difference.— Janice Bryant Howroyd
Key Milestones
A Life in Firsts
1952
Born in Tarboro, North Carolina
1978
Founds ActOne Group with $1,500
1995
Expands internationally to Europe and Asia
2015
ActOne surpasses $3 billion in annual revenue
2016
Appointed to President Obama Board of Advisors on HBCUs
2018
Recognized as first Black woman to own a billion-dollar business
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