The Urban League started a Small Business Advisory Council

New Orleans – From the Louisiana Urban League:

The Urban League has announced the launch of its first “Small Business Council.” The organization established the council as a strategic outreach and “community voice” mechanism to support its work to deploy the SBA Community Navigator Pilot Program in select cities throughout Louisiana. The Council is designed to provide the Urban League with valuable insights into community-based business needs, challenges, opportunities and ecosystem gaps in Louisiana’s most underserved communities.

The SBA Community Navigator Pilot Program is a U.S. rescue plan initiative designed to reduce the barriers that underrepresented and underserved entrepreneurs face in accessing the programs they need to recover, grow, or start their businesses after disaster or economic crisis. In the year Launched in 2021, the program aims to improve access to SBA and government resources for America’s entrepreneurs by providing a total of $100 million in funding to 51 organizations working with hundreds of local community groups.

“I am grateful that the Louisiana Cities League reaches out to small businesses and organizations that support small businesses in need and learn more about how to connect them with US Small Business Administration programs and services to help community explorers start, grow and thrive,” said Ted James, SBA Region 6 South Central Regional Administrator. We need everyone’s help to move toward equity in all branches of government, a goal of the Biden/Harris administration.

Community Navigator grants serve as “hubs” – centralized, leadership organizations, organizations that include “spokespeople” who build trust in their local communities and are ‘boots on the ground’ connecting small businesses with critical resources and assistance.

The National League of Cities is one of the 8th level “Hubs” that oversee 25 League of Cities affiliates across the country as trusted community explorers who provide technical assistance and resources to businesses in their communities during economic recovery, funding and access to capital; Contracts and Procurement; marketing, operations and business development; and industry-specific training.

The Louisiana Urban League serves as a Tier 1 speaker for the National Urban League Network. Through CNPP, the Louisiana Urban League is expanding its catchment area to provide business entrepreneurship training, mentoring and resources in Shreveport, Lake Charles, Baton Rouge, Lafayette and other areas.

“In the past few years, small businesses across Louisiana have faced overwhelming obstacles. The COVID-19 pandemic, Hurricanes Laura and Ida, and other events have made small business ownership an existential challenge. “For those businesses that are still standing, the Louisiana Urban League is committed to ensuring access to the right resources and services to support small business recovery and growth,” said Louisiana Urban League President and CEO Judy Reese Morse. “As we continue to expand our footprint across the state, the SBA Community Navigator pilot program will enhance our ability to provide more services and reach more clients in our most vulnerable communities.”

To support the Community Navigator pilot program, ULLA convened a Small Business Advisory Council to gain insight into community-based business needs, challenges, opportunities and ecosystem gaps for black-owned businesses in Louisiana. The committee meets quarterly and consists of elected black small business owners from Shreveport, Lafayette, Hammond, Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Representatives from other cities will be invited to join at a later date.

The inaugural council members will serve terms beginning in August 2022 and ending in November 2023. The 2022-23 ULLA Small Business Advisory Council includes:

• Dryden Dunn, Envision Media (Shreveport)
• James Thrower, Life Changing Solutions (Shreveport)
• Im Tucker, ILSI Engineering (New Orleans)
• Julie Vaukerson, Vaukerson’s Cafe & Deli (New Orleans)
• Andre Lewis, VPG Enterprises (New Orleans)
• Nette Gray, Lemonade Creative Marketing (Baton Rouge)
• Dr. Lawrence Salon, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Institute (Baton Rouge)
• Dr. Jennifer Jackson, RN, LDN, Keystone Nutrition (Lafayette)
• Brandi Wells, Urban Market Experience (Hammond)

“We are very excited to launch the Urban League of Louisiana,” said Clancy Duncan, vice president of the Louisiana Urban League’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. “We know that hearing and learning from the voices of black business owners is critical as we seek to address the right challenges, mobilize the right resources, and mobilize the right programs and partners to achieve equitable economic growth in the region. We want to do this in a very intentional, responsive and innovative way. He will help us do it!”

To learn more about the Urban League of Louisiana Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, please visit www.urbanleaguela.org/cei Or email us at cei@urbanleaguela.org.