Contributed by Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky African American Chamber
The Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky African American Chamber of Commerce, ArtsWave, and the Collective Empowerment Group (CEG) are proud to announce ten new graduates of the 2022 class of the Greater Cincinnati Executive Business Accelerator (E.B.A.).
The E.B.A. is a six-month program, founded in 2018 by the African American Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by Fifth Third Bank and the African American Chamber of Commerce, that provides small business owners with the knowledge, know-how, and networks needed to achieve scale. The comprehensive E.B.A. curriculum includes topics vital to small business success, including financial management, marketing and sales, human resources tactics, business strategy development, and access to new capital and contracts. The E.B.A. utilizes the award-winning and nationally recognized StreetWise ‘MBA’, developed by Interise.
“The African American Chamber has enjoyed sponsoring the E.B.A. for five years. This year’s class is just another example of how the E.B.A. can truly elevate businesses,” said Eric H. Kearney, President and CEO of the Greater Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky African American Chamber of Commerce.
“The E.B.A. class of 2022 is ready to take on new challenges. They are revenue growers, wealth generators, job creators and community leaders,” said Erica Garrett, E.B.A. Program Manager and Program Manager with the CEG.
“The E.B.A. helps build strong leaders. Strong leaders build a solid business community and, in turn, vibrant and resilient communities. We are deeply proud of our 2022 graduates,” said Rea Waldon, director of KDDK Legacy Group and Instructor/Facilitator of this year’s program.
The 2022 E.B.A. graduates are:
▪ Oswald Baker – Half Price Roof
▪ David Choate – Revolution Dance Theatre
▪ Epiphany Davis – Have an Epiphany
▪ Theresa Gordon – Sugar Loft Events2
▪ Fred Harrison – Fresh Coat Painters of Anderson and Loveland
▪ Caroletta James – ECO Health Care Center
▪ Crystal Render – Magnificent Morsels Catering
▪ James Stocks – DJX Construction
▪ Toilynn O’Neal Turner – Robert O’Neal Multicultural Art Center
▪ Joyce Browning Walton – Allstate
The African American Chamber’s mission is to establish, cultivate, and strengthen consumer and business relationships; provide access to major corporate markets for its members to help increase business opportunities; and assist in developing strategic partnerships and alliances for strengthening and growing the business community. To learn more visit, https://theaachamber.com/ and engage in the conversation via the African American Chamber’s social media channels @AAChamber on Twitter and African American Chamber on Facebook.
The Collective Empowerment Group is a non-profit organization whose mission is to encourage ministry in the marketplace by establishing partnerships with churches, businesses and financial institutions that impact and empower the community. Visit CEG at www.cegcincinnati.org or connect on Facebook www.facebook.com/cegcincinnati.
ArtsWave, a nonprofit serving the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky Region, is the engine for the arts. Its roots stem back to the late 1920s when the Cincinnati Taft family provided initial investment matched by community support.In the late 1940s, it evolved to become the first united arts fund in the nation and in the mid-1970s, the first organization to initiate workplace giving for the arts. ArtsWave continues to innovate while leading, as illustrated by its No. 1 rank nationally in community arts fundraising; coordination of a sector-wide Blueprint for Collective Action; piloting of new technologies to maximize arts engagement; and development of resources for the arts. For more information about ArtsWave, visit www.artswave.org.
Since 2004, Interise has taken an innovative approach to economic development in low- and moderate-income communities by helping existing small business owners plan, achieve and manage long-term growth of their business. More than 5,000 business owners across the country have completed the StreetWise ’MBA’ curriculum with extraordinary results. On average, Interise graduates create jobs at 5 times the rate of the private sector as a whole. More
information can be found at www.interise.org, on Twitter @Streetwise_MBA, on Facebook www.facebook.com/Interise, or on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/company/interise.
For more information about the E.B.A., please visit http://executivebusinessaccelerator.interise.org/ or contact the African American Chamber of Commerce at 513-751-9900.