(Greenville, SC) The Greenville Chamber’s Minority Business Accelerator recently graduated 2020 program participants and announced the 2021 class.
Graduating from the 2020 program were 12 local, small business owners. Several participants (denoted with an asterisk below) received special honors for their dedication to the program and for demonstrable growth within their business as a result.
2020 MBA Graduates
Monier Abusaft, I.B. Industries
Tamieka Alston-Gibson, Visions Medical Health Care Services
Tory Atkins, Tory Atkins Nationwide Agency
Duffy Baehr, Baehr Feet*
Dannah Farr, Carolina Nursing Associates
Yukichi Hagins, Yukichi Hagins Realty
Shutoya Hudson, Hudson Brow and Waxing*
Justin Jenkins, Paveway Express LTD.co*
Myson Jones, Hoops University
Ebony Sullivan, Cassy Electric, LLC*
Shonette Sullivan, The Shekinah Group, LLC
Justen Thompson Carolina Southern Logistics
The 2021 class will kick off their program in January. For the first six months, participants will follow the internationally-recognized Interise StreetWise ‘MBA’™ curriculum under the instruction of Wendell Jones. In the remaining half of the year, participants will work in peer-to-peer mentor groups, meet with their assigned coaches and work to implement growth strategies gained from the program.
2021 MBA Class
Shameka Argo, Points of Origin, LLC
Willie Benjamin, Printing-Opportunity
Madeline Hawkins, Bloom Behavioral Therapy
Summer Lee, Palmetto Breakfast Club LLC dba Flying Biscuit Café
Michael Mance, Mance Multimedia, LLC
Lauren Rogers, IB Construction & Development, LLC
Dorothy Shain, Dorothy Shain Fine Art LLC
Larandas Yeargin, Silo Media Group
A partnership with South Carolina Small Business Development Center (SBDC) will also provide specialized training for those organizations that do not yet qualify for the MBA program.
The MBA program is one of only six in the nation offered by Chambers of Commerce. To qualify, businesses must be based in the Upstate, socially or economically disadvantaged (minority, veteran or woman-owned, as well as those serving lower-income communities), and a member of the Greenville or Spartanburg Chamber.
Since its inception, the program has graduated more than 110 participants, created 250 new full-time jobs, and participants have seen a combined $23.5 million in new revenue.
Learn more at www.greenvillechamber.org/mba.