As part of its mission to erase racial inequities, the Center for Economic Inclusion and partners issued more than $480,000 in loan and grants in the first round of awards under its new, multi-million dollar Vanguard Accelerator program for Black and Latina business owners.
Four Twin Cities businesses will receive $25,000 to $250,000 forgivable loans: Jasmine Russell of marketing research firm Monicat Data in St. Paul; LaShawna Rhodes of Earth Beauty Supply in St. Paul; Junita Flowers, founder of Junita's Jar, in Minneapolis; and Georgia Fort, founder of BLCK Press in Minneapolis.
Three other business owners will receive $5,000 and a scholarship to the Zebra Leadership Development Program run by CEI's partner Founders First Community Development Corp.
One of those was Edna McKenzie, an Army veteran and founder of Midwest Select Contracting, an environmental construction consulting firm in Minneapolis. She called the program "an excellent opportunity for small companies like mine."
McKenzie will use her grant to train staff and ensure they get the certifications required to conduct strength and compaction testing on roads, highways and bridges. Midwest will soon launch an apprenticeship program and double staff to eight employees making 30 an hour.
Wendy Sullivan, another recipient, has owned Wenrich PD Construction commercial fencing and demolition firm for nine years. The award will also let Sullivan take two leadership and operations business classes and continue to support her 17 workers, all of whom are people of color.
"I getting not only a cash grant but I am getting free tuition that would otherwise be enormous for me," Sullivan said. "This [lets] me become a better leader, scale up and provide more jobs."
She said many of her workers were trained on the job, faced barriers to employment and now make $35 an hour, enough to feed and shelter their families.
