On June 5th, nine entrepreneurs completed the BizFIT/Community Power to Prosper courses offered through the IEE’s Urban & Community Entrepreneurship Program and graduated as the 2024 BizFIT/CP2P cohort. The graduation ceremony took place at the University of Pittsburgh Community Engagement Center (CEC) in Homewood. Each graduate presented their business and highlighted what they found most impactful from the course. The program is tailored for inner-city business owners interested in entrepreneurship, with a goal to identify opportunities and develop strategies for growth. As a result, each business owner expanded their network and made lasting connections to benefit their business.
Top Row, From Left: Meghan Hillegas (SBDC Interim Director), Jonny Gamble (SBDC Management Consultant), Harvey Butts, Imani Gray, Darrell Holloway, Jeffery Johnson, Wade Lipscomb, Robert Stein (IEE Executive Director), Juan Garrett (Riverside Center for Innovation Executive Director), Nicole Hudson (IEE Director Strategic Connections and Opportunities); Front Row, From Left: Rhonda Carson Leach (IEE Senior Program Director), Lynne Nincke (SBDC Emerging Enterprises Program Manager), Tamara Bey, Tamaira Ridgely
The program started in January and met every other week, with each session covering a different topic, such as marketing and financial management. The 9 graduates of the 2024 cohort included:
- Tamara Bey, EGR Financial Solutions
- Harvey Butts, HB Photo and Design LLC
- Angelina Crosby-Pigott, Elevate Management LLC
- Imani Gray, Gwendolyn’s Construction
- Darrell Holloway, Darrell Holloway LLC
- Jeffrey Lee Johnson, JSJ Contracting LLC
- Wade Lipscomb, Triple 3 Construction
- Tamaira Ridgely, Ridgely Home Services
- Tameka Wills, Wellmaid Cleaning Service, LLC
Jeffrey Johnson, Founder of JSJ Contracting, spoke about every class being an opportunity for growth.
Tamara Bey, Owner of EGR Financial Solutions, explained how the course helped her to identify areas of improvement within her business and develop a plan to address them.
The BizFIT/Community Power to Prosper program comes at no cost to the program’s participants and is funded through generous sponsorship from PNC Foundation, Meyer, Unkovic & Scott, Huntington Bank, UPMC, and Wilke & Associates CPAs.
More information about UCEP and the Community Power to Prosper program (currently accepting applications its next session running from July 2024–December 2024) can be found at entrepreneur.pitt.edu/cp2p.