Steven Scott Bradley is the 2023 Diversity in Business Awards Lifetime Achievement recipient

Throughout his career, Steven Scott Bradley has been blazing a trail – both for himself and for others. As a champion of the African-American community, particularly in Greater Philadelphia, Bradley has been a leading voice in support of Black businesses and initiatives to support them.

It is for his work and advocacy that the Philadelphia Business Journal is proud to honor Bradley as the 2023 Diversity in Business Awards Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.

More than being an advocate, Bradley has led by example. He founded his Philadelphia insurance firm Bradley & Bradley Associates in 2001 after a 20-year career in the insurance industry. For more than two decades, his namesake company served a range of public sector and nonprofit clients such as Brandywine Realty Trust, the Urban League, the City of Philadelphia and a number of charter schools, providing building, general liability, workers compensation and other forms of insurance. Earlier this year, the business was acquired by fast-growing Atlanta firm OneDigital, a mark of its value.

A Philadelphia-area native, Bradley served as chair of the African American Chamber of Commerce of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware for 13 years, becoming chairman emeritus in November. As chair of the chamber, he was an outspoken advocate for the community and forged partnerships with other organizations prioritizing diversity, including the Philadelphia 76ers.

His chairmanship encompassed the Covid-19 pandemic, when minority-owned businesses were hit particularly hard and struggled to obtain Paycheck Protection Program loans and other federal aid. He was part of a group of local business leaders that invested $600,000 in minority-led nonprofits focused on reducing poverty.

This isn’t the first time the Business Journal has recognized Bradley – he was honored as a Minority Business Leader in 2012 for helping increase membership at the chamber and for his efforts toward building partnerships between business organizations like the Enterprise Center and corporations committed to diversity.

Bradley joins recent Lifetime Achievement Award recipients Della Clark (2022), president of the Enterprise Center, and Kenneth Frazier (2021), executive chairman of Merck & Co.

Held annually, the Business Journal's Diversity in Business Awards recognize diverse business leaders who have demonstrated success in their respective fields and through philanthropic endeavors. Bradley and the 2023 class of honorees – announced in two groups on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week – will be honored in a special section of the Business Journal on Aug. 25. Bradley will also take part in a Power Interview at the live awards ceremony on Aug. 24 at Rivers Casino.