Our Founder
Chicago native, Dorrelle Lomax Burnett, discovered his interest in business after producing The Gold Coast Hair & Fashion Show in the early 1980’s. After graduating from Columbia School of Broadcasting, he became the host and executive producer of the House Party International Music Television Show (HPI-TV). HPI-TV was the longest running show of its kind to be listed in Billboard Magazine from Chicago Public Access, CAN TV Channel 19.
In the 1990’s, he worked with the Harold Washington Library Center Music Development as Coordinator of CONTACT: The Illinois Music Network and helped to catalog thousands of recordings. These recordings were from both local, national and internationally known artists. Chicago's music collection is recognized as one of the largest music archives in the world. Also during this time, Dorrelle Burnett established The Chicago Music Showcase, a special event made to spotlight music talent throughout Chicagoland.
While producing programs and events for the city's music department, Mr. Burnett continued his education in biblical studies and in April 1992 became a Doctor of Divine Metaphysics at The Institute of Divine Metaphysical Research (Downtown Chicago Branch - located in Roosevelt University) and became a licensed minister.
Also, in the early 1990’s, he co-founded Skynet Inc. an Ameritech Cellular and Paging Authorized Dealer. Skynet was the first Ameritech Dealer to launch cellular services. In 1997, Dr. Burnett became the Senior Vice President of New Business Development at Skyworld Communications, the first wireless retail partner for 360 Communication/Voicestream (known today as T-Mobile) in the United States. He personally oversaw the build out, business systems setup, initial staff hiring and launch of all of the wireless retail locations in six midwestern states (all Ameritech territories).
At the turn of the century, Dr. Burnett sought new challenges and left wireless retail to become one of Chicago’s first internet service providers. American Communications and Entertainment Networks (ACE Networks). Based in Bronzeville, ACE was the first to bring internet services to Chicago’s historical African American community.
In 2005, Dr. Burnett moved to southern California to develop a chain of Sprint retail stores. In his spare time, he founded Cash Flow Clubs of America, which allowed him to put into action the Rich Dad Poor Dad philosophy of business he adopted from Robert Kiyosaki. To that end, he produced financial education workshops in Borders Bookstores across southern California. His work with Sprint and Cash Flow Clubs of America ended in 2007 when Dr. Burnett became the director of fundraising for the Center For AIDS Prevention in Beverly Hills, California.
In 2008, while still working with the center, Dr. Burnett developed event programs with the Los Angeles Clippers NBA Basketball team and founded the Humanitarian Neighborhood Basketball Alliance (HNBA), which later would be known as HNA Sports. In 2008, he became a business development partner with the Clippers. This was the birth of the Successful Teens International Leadership program. This youth leadership program was created to promote the work of the Success Foundation to NBA teams and fans. The program was shared with thousands of youth across Los Angeles County and millions of NBA fans on television.
In 2010, Dr. Burnett returned to doing Cash Flow Club workshops in Los Angeles and in the San Francisco Bay area. In 2011, he moved back to Chicago, Illinois and established CFCI Foundation. The last decade has seen the growth of the foundation and its success development services.
In 2019, Dr. Burnett launched Gospel House Radio. An internet based radio station created to spearhead an international drive to solidify a new genre of music in Billboard Magazine named Gospel House. Since its launch, it has enjoyed a phenomenal amount of interest from members of the African American Church. Even through the 2020 pandemic.
In 2021, Dr. Burnett started expanding the success services of CFCI Foundation from only the nonprofit sector to personal, business and community development. Several key business relationships have been cultivated to bring more dynamic development services to foundation members. New opportunities and technologies have given the foundation the ability to deliver its solutions on a whole new level.