STRICKLAND HIGHLIGHTS PARTNERSHIPS TO STRENGTHEN SMALL, MINORITY, AND WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES
Sept. 28, 2016 — Mayor Jim Strickland today highlighted a handful of partnerships and initiatives that are integral to his administration’s goal of assisting small, minority, and women-owned businesses in Memphis.
“My administration absolutely means business when it comes to small, minority, and women-owned businesses,” Mayor Strickland said. “The initiatives we’re highlighting today show that we’re putting action behind those priorities.”
The four highlighted initiatives are:
The “Start Up In Day” website, smartstartmem.com. Made possible by a grant from the Small Business Administration, this online “one-stop shop” seeks to streamline the process for citizens to establish and legally form a business, thus enabling them to get off the ground quicker. This website is the result of a partnership among the City of Memphis, EPIcenter, Memphis Bioworks Foundation, the Shelby County Clerk’s Office, and the Memphis & Shelby County Office of Planning and Development.
Propel, a minority business accelerator partnership with Start Co. Propel seeks to help existing businesses by strengthening their business models, the delivery of their business models, and their access and engagement of customers in particular contracts with governments and other corporations. Visit memphistn.gov for more information.
The Equitable Economic Development Fellowship, an initiative of the National League of Cities, PolicyLink and the Urban Land Institute. Through this fellowship, Memphis leaders will get a rare opportunity to learn more about how to increase economic development tax breaks and incentives for small, minority, and women-owned businesses.
The signing of a Strategic Alliance Memorandum (SAM) with the Small Business Administration. This formal partnership will increase opportunities within the city for the common goal of expanding small business development.
Said Joann Massey, the city’s Director of Business Diversity and Compliance: “These great partnerships demonstrate how our team, through the Office of Business Diversity & Compliance, is being very intentional about leveraging resources to try and make it easier to do business with the City of Memphis under Mayor Strickland’s administration.”
Link to copy of News Release: final_wemeanbusiness