The Greenville Chamber’s Minority Business Accelerator Program helps accelerate the development of high potential minority business enterprises (MBEs) to strengthen and expand the regional minority entrepreneurial community. Occasionally, we spotlight the participating companies and their success stories.

• James Jordon, of Jordon Construction Company recently named Service Provider of the Year by SBDC and SBA Minority Business of the Year. James is also the featured speaker in the August Friday Forum event.
• James Bennett, of Home Healthcare Solutions recognized by Community Works for Entrepreneurship Excellence and recently celebrated five years of business and new facility with a ribbon cutting ceremony where he announced plans to soon open another location in Spartanburg.
• WH Trucking, LLC recently became certified with South Carolina Department of Transportation.
• theideagroup is credited with the design and layout of the Carolinas Virginia Minority Supplier Development Council’s Business Opportunity Conference magazine which will be distributed during the event scheduled to be hosted in Charlotte Aug. 8 – 9 whereby hundreds will gather for workshops, matchmaking sessions, and business networking. In this BOC publication the following MBA participants will be featured: theideagroup, US&S, WH Trucking, LLC and James White Enterprises, LLC.
• Dawn Hilton is not only the owner of Herban-Eats organic catering, but is also an award winning playwright responsible for bringing, A Month of Sundays, Remembering Women in Jazz to the Upstate.

And here are a few general highlights regarding the MBA program.

• Access to opportunities remain strong;
• MBE-to-MBE Relationships are strong - five key strategic partnerships have been formed in the program, which have netted significant number of opportunities;
• Coaching relationships are very strong; have more than double the number of coaches in the program, which has streamlined our efforts greatly, and improved the overall capabilities of participating MBEs. All participants have an assigned coach, and through these relationships all of established executable business development plans, aimed at building capacity and accelerating growth.
• MBE Retention and Recruitment has more than doubled net portfolio size since 2014, going from 13 MBEs to nearly 29. MBA brand starting to unfold on a local, and regional basis. An increase in the interest level is driving a pipeline of prospects for the program.
• We are also seeing a high level of interest from other Chamber Investors, as well as large corporations wanting to partner with the program, as coaches and advisors…this greatly increases the marketability of the program going forward

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