The city of Springfield is developing a new program to provide training and resource education to minority business owners and nonprofit leaders. Plans for the new Springfield Minority Business Institute were recently announced by Office of Community Relations Director Ethan Posey.
The institute intends to serve Black and other racial or ethnic minority, female and LGBTQ business owners, or anyone else from a marginalized category, regardless of where they live in the city. The program will seek to help them navigate existing resources.
"The issue that we don't have is a desire for the people here to invest in their community," Posey said. "They just need to know the tools and the resources that are already available."
The program was inspired by concerns raised by minority business leaders regarding hurdles faced in opening or growing businesses.
Posey said the issues stem from the city's assumption that everyone is starting out on the same page speaking the same language, which is often not the case when it comes to the technical processes and language for grants, permits and zoning.
Business owners who apply for grants, for example, do not always understand the terminology around match requirements, causing project delays when they do not have the money up front. In other cases, Posey said, business owners may buy a new property for a specific purpose, not realizing the building does not meet zoning requirements for the intended use.
Repeated instances of this, especially when it happens in resource-poor areas like Springfield's east side, have caused a breakdown in trust, Posey said.
"When these things frequently happen, it looks like the city doesn't want a certain section of people to succeed," Posey said. "And that's not the case."
To better prepare business owners, the institute's proposal outlined a nine-week course with weekly presentations and trainings.
The first three weeks of the course are expected to cover grant applications, zoning, permits, purchasing and subcontractors. The training will be led by city employees from the relevant departments.
Later weeks will feature presentations from the institute's partners, including the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce, the Springfield Urban League and the UIS College of Business and Management. Each session will be hosted at the partner organization location.
"Because we don't want them to just come and tell you about the resources," Posey said. "I want you to know geographically where it is. I want you to see it. And then every time you drive past it, you know the resource is there."
The program will conclude with a minority executives panel and a graduation ceremony and banquet.
Posey envisions the program having a class size of 15 to 20 participants, though the final number will depend on interest levels. Posey said he hopes the program will repeat annually, at least, if not more regularly.
If the program repeats, Posey said he hopes to foster an alumni association for members to network and build resources.
The concept has support from members of city council, including Ward 2 Ald. Shawn Gregory and Ward 3 Ald. Roy Williams, Jr., as well as Mayor Misty Buscher, who Posey said told her to run with the idea and pledged to support it however possible.
Williams said he is glad to see this initiative moving forward under Posey's leadership after similar past proposals have not come to fruition, and especially excited about the partnerships the institute is making.
"I think it's very inclusive. Instead of the usual players I see some players that are not as connected that are going to be talked to and offered to participate as a partner as well," Williams said. "I think that's a great thing."
In his own district, Williams thought many small business owners would benefit from the program, including several barber and beauty shops and the nonprofit Ring of Champions Boxing Club. Ring of Champions coach Andre Spaulding said the grant information would be most valuable.
Gregory was also enthusiastic about the possibility for entrepreneurs in his ward to participate.
"There's so many young, budding businesses in our community that are not your traditional businesses that just need a little bit of training so they can submit bids," Gregory said. "So absolutely, as soon as we get this open, we're going to make sure they're filled up with good people."
The program may roll out this fall, but Posey said early next year is more realistic and would give them more time to develop the curriculum.
Posey was realistic yet optimistic about the program's potential for improving the lives of minority business owners and nonprofit leaders in Springfield.
"It's not an overnight fix for anything, but I feel like it's a sustainable way to address these issues and make long-lasting change."
