Ken R. Taunton

Last year was one of growth and new opportunities for Ken R. Taunton, president and CEO of The Royster Group. Selected as Georgia’s 2023 Small Business Person of the Year by the US Small Business Administration, Taunton had the opportunity to meet Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House. The experience gave him an opportunity to represent the challenges and opportunities of minority business owners. Taunton was also recently appointed to the Small Business Association regulatory affairs board representing a five-state region in the southeast US. In this role, he collaborates with business leaders across the region on economic development and job creation efforts.

At The Royster Group, Taunton continues to expand and promote diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Under his leadership, the organization is establishing a workforce re-development program to address the need for training to those who have been laid off or need different skills to be more marketable. This effort is in line with Taunton’s passion to create a society where everyone has what they need to succeed. “Poverty is often related to systemic issues and inequalities in access to resources,” he says.

Early childhood education puts kids on the right track, and identifying learning disabilities early puts them on a whole different trajectory for success.

To help provide additional pathways out of poverty, The Royster Group also maintains a strategic partnership with Sheltering Arms, a non-profit with a focus on high‐quality early education, childcare and comprehensive family support services to families in the Atlanta metropolitan area. “Early childhood education puts kids on the right track, and identifying learning disabilities early puts them on a whole different trajectory for success,” Taunton says.

The future looks bright for The Royster Group. The organization was recently accepted to the Ernst and Young Entrepreneurs Access Network, a cohort designed to empower Black and Latino owners to scale their businesses for growth. Through this program, Taunton meets with mentors monthly to review his business and collaborate on possibilities for future growth and improvement.

Other exciting endeavors for Taunton include developing a DE&I podcast in partnership with another Black executive and expanding his involvement in the community as a new member of the Atlanta Rotary Club.