From selling candy to becoming the youngest Black entrepreneur to own his own fleet of trucks at 23

Abu Mubarik January 13, 2023
Jalen Uboh, co-founder and president of JUBOH Companies. Courtesy of JUBOH Companies via Business Insider

Jalen Uboh is the founder of the multimillion-dollar company called All American Freight. It is the freight trucking and logistics division of his parent company, Jalen Uboh Enterprises.

According to Business Insider, he started his business with about $500 that he and some college friends, including his future business partner, Aubrey Evins, had in savings. Uboh comes from a family of entrepreneurs. Therefore, entrepreneurship became a natural path for him. He sold candy in school to make some money. While in college, he worked for the stadium’s ticketing office.

“I had an entire operation with employees,” he told Business Insider. “I had my in-school session, where I would sell candy at school, and then I had my summer session, where I’d sell in my neighborhood.”

At just 23, he owned a fleet of 4 semi-tractor trailers. He became the youngest Black entrepreneur to own his own fleet of trucks. Prior to venturing into the trucking business, Uboh made successful moves in the healthcare, real estate and construction industries.

He also worked with the U.S. Department of Defense as a provider of transportation and logistic services. This gave him the opportunity to accumulate resources to purchase his trucks debt-free. Black Business reported in 2019 that he uses the trucks to transport army tanks, army vehicles, ammunition, and food supplies.

Uboh said he was inspired to venture into the trucking industry after watching the comedy film War Dogs. The movie tells the story of two young men who won a $300 million contract from the Pentagon to arm America’s allies in Afghanistan. The movie motivated Uboh to get licensed and certified as a U.S. federal contractor. This led to the founding of what is now JUBOH Companies, a collective of award-winning companies spanning real estate, healthcare, transportation, government affairs, consulting, and education sectors.

Uboh has managed and provided his expertise on $200 Million worth of deals in America and worldwide, according to his profile. He has also represented top organizations in the areas of real estate development, banking, and finance, construction and engineering, oil and gas, and waste management.

Uboh is also credited with building luxury estate homes on a new 200+ acre golf course in an Atlanta suburban area which got featured on Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).

His other significant achievement to date is the launch of Ellis & Whitmore Capital, a banking and financial services firm that has successfully funded over $60 million in medium and small businesses since 2020.

Uboh has a degree in Commercial Real Estate Development from Cornell University. He also has a degree in Economics and Finance from Kennesaw State University. 

Last Edited by:Mildred Europa Taylor Updated: January 13, 2023

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