Maintaining a professional demeanour is crucial in business and community service, a challenge Guedei Djimi navigates successfully.
He balances his responsibilities as a business owner and communications and marketing manager at the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade.
Despite the challenges, Djimi, a graduate of Durham College’s public relations program, embraces the growth and learning opportunities. “It’s a part of the process. It is part of learning… I’m embracing all of it,” he said.
Djimi’s passion for supporting his community began at a young age and grew stronger during his educational journey.
“Growing up in the inner [parts] of Scarborough, I learned early on that I wanted to help my community,” he said.
Witnessing a significant disconnect between law enforcement and people who looked like him, he aspired to make a difference. He enrolled in a police foundations program but quickly realized it wasn’t aligned with his objectives.
Just two weeks later, he regretted his decision, feeling that the curriculum wasn’t providing him with useful or tangible skills related to his goals. Despite his reservations, he completed the program.
After finishing the program, Djimi and his friend Karisha Duncan launched All Blk Market Inc. in 2020. According to their LinkedIn, “All Blk Market Inc. is an eCommerce platform that showcases small Black-owned businesses [and connects] aspiring entrepreneurs to established professionals in Toronto (GTA). ABM aims to provide entrepreneurs with the resources and opportunities they need to thrive.”
Djimi said he noticed that some of his peers were running their businesses independently without collaborating.
After launching his business in 2020, Djimi contemplated furthering his education at Durham College, feeling the need for formal training to enhance his contributions.
Djimi said, “I kept asking myself, ‘Alright, I’m doing my part and helping the community…but what am I really bringing to the table? What am I good at? I had to take a step back and…convince myself to go back to school and learn something tangible that I can actually give back to my community.”
Linda Flynn, associate vice-president of advancement & alumni relations at Durham College, met Djimi in Sept. 2022 when he joined her Strategic Communications for Not-for-Profits class.
“I remember several occasions when I witnessed Djimi supporting students in our class,” Flynn said. “One particular morning, a fellow student was having a particularly challenging morning, which led to tears. I watched how she was drawn to Djimi for support. Djimi quietly encouraged her and helped her through a difficult moment. He truly is a sincere and caring young man.”
Djimi later secured a placement with the Town of Pickering.
“When I reached out to the city of Pickering at the time, it didn’t even have that position open,” Djimi said. “But I took the initiative to reach out to the head division of communications at the time and told them exactly what my interests are [and] why I wanted to do my internship with them.”
Following his placement, Djimi secured a position at the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade in Oct. 2023. He described himself as a “bilingual PR professional with an entrepreneurial spirit.”
His tenure at the board was marked by a significant achievement: He collaborated with his team to organize a career success workshop at Durham College, featuring his executive director, Don Terry, and two other distinguished individuals.
Djimi doesn’t plan on slowing down his professional career with All Blk Market. “Honestly, there is no ceiling,” he said. “We have a unique business model that I believe [many] financial planners can benefit from, and we’re going through a transition period where we are revamping our website. We’re reinventing ourselves.”
While he has no specific plans with the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade, his colleague Talia Lane believes Djimi is “destined for great things,” even beyond the Board.