Greenville Chamber seeks applicants for 2018 Minority Business Accelerator Program

The Greenville Chamber is seeking applicants for its 2018 Minority Business Accelerator Program (MBA), designed to advance economic inclusion by increasing the overall capacity of locally-based, high-potential Minority Business Enterprises (MBE’s). Applications for the award-winning program will be open until December 8, 2017.

The program accelerates the development of MBE’s and strengthens and expands the regional minority entrepreneurial community utilizing the internationally-recognized StreetWise MBA™ curriculum developed by Interise. Throughout the year-long program, participants take part in class sessions, peer-to-peer mentoring groups and self-analysis case studies. At the end of the program, participants will have a strategically-sound growth plan and the knowledge to execute it. The StreetWise MBA™ curriculum is facilitated by Toby Stansell, Managing Director of Technology Solutions at Cherry Bekaert, LLP.

Since inception in 2013, approximately 50 businesses have completed the MBA program. These businesses have seen over $10 million awarded in contracts and have created approximately 140 jobs as a result of their participation.

Carlos Phillips, Greenville Chamber President/CEO, says, “The Minority Business Accelerator is a launching pad for growth-oriented business owners who are ready and willing to put in the work required to propel their business. We are thrilled to continue changing the trajectory of local Minority Business Enterprises and thereby driving economic growth for our entire region.”

Basic eligibility preferences include having been in business in the Upstate for three or more years, employing at least one other full-time person besides the owner, generating $250,000 to $10 million in annual revenue and being a socially or economically disadvantaged business (minority-owned, women-owned, veteran-owned) or being a small business located in lower-income, urban communities. Businesses should also demonstrate the ability to actively engage and successfully complete the program.

Interested businesses can learn more at an Information Session on November 29, 2017. The session will be held at the Greenville Chamber from 3:00pm to 5:00pm and will discuss the program and the application process.

To learn more about the Minority Business Accelerator program, register for the Information Session or apply for the 2018 cohort, visitwww.greenvillechamber.org.

About the Greenville Chamber’s Minority Business Accelerator Program
The Greenville Chamber’s Minority Business Accelerator Program (MBA) actively seeks to improve the capacity of minority-owned firms by increasing recognition of the value of minority businesses as suppliers, strategic partners, and, ultimately, as effective engines for job growth, economic development and wealth creation. The program prepares high-potential, minority-owned businesses for accelerated growth and expansion through business development services, mentoring, targeted training, access to large corporations for partnership opportunities and custom roadmap to sustainable growth. MBA helps business owners overcome growth barriers and creates access to new opportunities for diverse businesses, connecting them with the right resources and results-driven strategies to fuel their growth and build capacity.

Since its inception in 2013, the Greenville Chamber’s MBA has served approximately 50 firms, seen over $10 million in contracts awarded, and has created approximately 140 jobs.

About the Greenville Chamber
The Greenville Chamber, now in its 129th year of operation, is the largest business organization in Upstate South Carolina with over 2100 Investors supporting the vision of a globally competitive Upstate economy where businesses succeed and people prosper. For information, visit