JPMorganChase on Monday announced support of Alabama’s small businesses through a $2 million commitment to help companies across the state succeed by improving capital access, assisting entrepreneurs in running their businesses more efficiently and offering technical assistance for local capital providers.

 

The Alabama Capital Access Collaborative will help small business owners, including Birmingham Business Resource Center (BBRC) and Urban Impact, obtain the necessary resources to grow, create jobs and thrive long term.

 

The initial phase will be facilitated by the Milken Institute, which will work closely with each participating organization to create plans that address existing challenges and identify growth opportunities. In addition to BBRC and Urban Impact, participating organizations include:

 

• Bronze Valley
• Camino Loan Fund
• Commonwealth National Bank
• Neighborhood Concepts
• Opportunity Alabama
• Sabre Finance

 

“To be one of the handful of Birmingham organizations selected means a lot to us,” said Bob Dickerson, executive director of BBRC. “We’re proud to have a great and growing relationship with the biggest bank in the world. Anytime, as a nonprofit leader, somebody gives you it helps because we spend a lot of our time fundraising, and every hour we spend trying to raise money to keep the doors open is an hour we don’t spend helping our clients.”

 

Having the bank in Alabama is the best way to assist the small businesses in the state, said Tim Berry, global head of corporate responsibility for JPMorganChase.

 

“We cannot be a New York bank in Alabama,” Berry said. “We have to be an Alabama bank in Alabama. […] You have to be the bank for that place. You have to have the right strategy, products, services, investment strategy, relationships, understand what the local politicians care about, what people in that community care about and you have to be a part of that community.”

 

Victoria Phipps, vice president of global philanthropy for JPMorganChase, said the Collaborative is a statewide effort that spans the breadth and depth of geographies.

 

“We want to make sure we are, first and foremost, picking the right partners who are doing high-capacity great work with yielding dividends, but we are also spending significant time with them to understand the challenges they are experiencing and the opportunities that they see on the horizon,” Phipps said.

 

“Small businesses are the backbone of the economy here in Alabama. Investing in their success will build stronger communities in our state and drive local economic growth,” said Jennifer DiSalvo, head of Chase branches in Alabama and a member of the firm’s market leadership team.

 

Earlier this year, the banking giant announced plans to triple the number of branches in Alabama and hire an additional 170 bankers by 2030 as part of broader efforts to increase access to financial services across the state.

 

The expansion will bring the number of Chase branches in Alabama to 35, putting more than half of the state’s population within an accessible drive time to a Chase branch.

 

“Alabama is a vibrant state with a strong manufacturing economy, good small business growth and burgeoning aerospace and technology sectors. Our mission is to support economic growth and foster opportunity for all,” said Jennifer Roberts, CEO of Chase Consumer Banking, earlier this year. “This is the right time and the right place for an expansion of Chase branches and jobs in communities all across this state, from Mobile to Montgomery and Muscle Shoals.”

 

Chase opened its first Alabama branch five years ago near Auburn University. There are seven Chase branches in Greater Birmingham and 11 statewide, including Auburn, Tuscaloosa and Huntsville.

 

Edward Eaton can’t wait to welcome his new neighbor “with open arms,” he said.

 

Eaton, vice president of the Druid Hills Neighborhood Association, and other residents got their first look at the $46 million Coca-Cola Amphitheater, which is nearing completion and opens next month, not far from where they live.

 

“It’s going to be beautiful,” said Eaton, who got a walk-through recently. Developers “seem to have a real good plan. So far, so good.”

 

The amphitheater in the Druid Hills neighborhood will have a capacity of 9,380 for its festivals, concerts, and community events and is scheduled to have its first show Sunday, June 22.

 

The project is a joint effort among the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC), city of Birmingham, Jefferson County, and Live Nation.

 

RELATED: Coca-Cola announced as naming partner of the new Birmingham amphitheater set to open summer 2025

 

Eaton said he is pleased with how project organizers worked with residents. There was concern about how parking would affect streets and personal yards as well as the noise and acoustics when the concerts begin, he said.

 

“Anything we’ve brought up, they’ve addressed it so far,” he said. “Lighting, parking, we don’t want anybody blocking driveways, and getting sidewalks repaired. They seem to have a real good plan.”

 

Shuttles will run from the Uptown Entertainment District, so BJCC parking decks can be used for amphitheater parking. Two other parking decks near the amphitheater on the former Carraway Methodist Medical Center campus could be ready next year.

 

On show days, one of the streets bordering the Coca-Cola Amphitheater, 25th Street, will close to provide pedestrian safety at the main entrance. A free trolley service will run several blocks from popular hotels and restaurant destinations to the venue. The on-site parking plan is still being finalized, construction staff said.

 

The amphitheater, which is a short walk from Eaton’s Druid Hills neighborhood, is part of the Star Uptown redevelopment of the Carraway hospital site, which has been idle for 15 years.

 

The new entertainment venue has 31 planned shows for 2025, which could bring 220,000 visitors to the venue throughout the year, according to some estimates.

 

Jay Wilson, who oversees concerts for Live Nation in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, pointed out that the amphitheater is on the former campus of the demolished Carraway Hospital.

 

“It used to be the state’s No. 1 trauma center,” Wilson said. “Now it’s going to be the state’s No. 1 place to rock and roll.”

 

The Dave Matthews Band is scheduled to play on Tuesday, June 24, after a Sunday, June 22, show by Comedian Matt Rife.

 

Courtesy of Alabama News Center

Emondre Johnson, owner of The Bark Park in Birmingham, knew he made the right decision to open his own business, but it wasn’t until he won the 2023 Birmingham Small Business Week Pitch Competition that he got an additional boost.

 

“Winning the pitch competition set the trajectory for where I am now,” Johnson, 26, said. “It allowed me to see that I did have something good and that I can prosper in this lane. Seeing how the city supported me and being able to share my story alongside that just gave it more clarity and more reason that I’m in the right space.”

 

RELATED: Kim and Larry Lewis named Alabama’s Small Business Persons of the Year by SBA

 

The annual Birmingham Small Business Week is May 4-10 with 15 events, including keynote speakers, educational and networking opportunities and pitch competitions that have become a springboard for local entrepreneurs.

 

It began in 2020 as a three-virtual-event affair and now has more than a dozen specialized sessions on economic mobility and community development that showcase how businesses can strengthen their local economies.

 

“Small businesses are the dynamic engines propelling Birmingham’s economic vitality, fostering job creation, stimulating innovation and contributing significantly to the city’s overall prosperity and sustainable growth,” said Cornell Welsey, director of Birmingham’s Department of Innovation and Economic Opportunity.

 

Since winning the competition, Johnson has opened a brick-and-mortar business on Montevallo Road that offers dog day care, overnight boarding, professional grooming, pet photography and a private indoor dog park.

 

“I feel like I’ve been preparing for this my whole life,” he told The Birmingham Times. “I grew up in a single-parent household until about the age of 13. … I grew up in East Lake, and my mom kept me in a lot of extracurricular activities to keep me away from what was going on outside of our doors. One of those things I grew fond of was the library, and I grew a huge interest for reading.”

 

The business owner said he had a particular interest in reptiles, dogs and cats. “If you have an interest in animals, everybody is going to tell you (that you) should be a veterinarian. They don’t tell you the other opportunities that are in this space,” he said.

 

RELATED: Small Business Administration celebrates economic wins from Trump’s first 100 days

 

When Johnson entered Woodlawn High School in 2012, he interned at several animal clinics in the Birmingham area where he learned “I didn’t want to be a veterinarian,” he said. After graduating high school in 2016 he went on to earn an animal science degree from Alabama A&M in 2020. I’m

 

The Bark Park “is a business that is underrepresented for people that look like me,” Johnson said. “By me going into this lane I want to create opportunities for people that look like me and not just limited to that, but it’s important for us to see that we can go into whatever space we desire to be in. I’m blessed that God has given me this vision.”

 

Johnson’s business has benefited from Birmingham Small Business Week.

 

In the 2024 competition, Jeddie Carnes, owner of GLAAM Cosmetics, was a winner and since has launched three new products and was accepted into the Target Accelerator Program.

 

“We’ve developed programs that really give small businesses the tools they need to flourish,” said Monique Shorts, senior program manager for the Office of Business Diversity and Opportunity (OBDO). “We connect with them where they are right now to help them reach their goals. Ultimately, we’re focused on making good businesses better.”

 

Creating economic opportunities

 

Launched in 2018, the Department of Innovation and Economic Opportunity (IEO), along with its Office of Business Diversity and Opportunity, created economic opportunity for small businesses, which city officials said are the lifeblood of a vibrant local economy.

 

OBDO established a number of programs. The VITAL program (Valuing Inclusion to Accelerate and Lift) advocates for the use of historically underutilized businesses in city contracting and streamlining processes for small businesses to operate effectively.

 

There’s also the RISE (Retention Incentives for Success and Expansion) Program, established in March 2022, that provides cash incentives and revolving loan funds to Birmingham-based businesses. Companies like Robert Hill Custom Tailor, Acclinate, Kuntry Kitchen and Salud Taqueria have leveraged RISE funding to expand operations and create jobs.

 

The city also touts the Building Opportunities for Lasting Development funding program, which has served more than 3,000 small businesses, with more than $2.4 million in funding accessed. Beyond the dollars, more than $25,000 in technical assistance has been provided, equipping businesses with the crucial skills and knowledge to not just survive but thrive.

 

“Birmingham’s innovative spirit has propelled us beyond our initial vision, and the exciting journey of growth and opportunity continues to unfold,” said Coreatá R. Houser, senior deputy director of IEO.

 

Legacy businesses

 

OBDO’s work has been showcased nationally at conventions and conferences. The award of $5 million to establish the Birmingham Entrepreneurship Center for Inclusive Growth and Excellence, as part of the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Recompete Pilot Program, is a recent win.

 

“Being in the thick of it with these small businesses every day, you see the real picture – their dreams, their debts, the daily hustle,” said Dorothy George, small business relationship coordinator. “What really hits home for me is knowing [we] can offer them real solutions that lead to tangible results.”

 

Business Week isn’t just for startups. The city also recognizes legacy businesses with a program that provides resources like succession-planning workshops and conversations around the racial wealth gap. To date, more than 40 legacy businesses have directly benefited from this support.

 

For more information, visit www.bhmup.com.

 

Courtesy of Alabama News Center

Jefferson County Schools’s Walter B. Gonsoulin Jr., Ph.D., has been named the National Superintendent of the Year by the School Superintendents Association. Gonsoulin is the first educator from Alabama to win the award. The announcement was made during the recent National Conference on Education in New Orleans.

 

“To me, this is one of the greatest honors of my life. As a child growing up in New Iberia, Louisiana, I never could have imagined achieving this honor,” Gonsoulin said. “However, I want to be clear, while my name is on the award, I am only one part of it. I would not be in this position if it were not for the hard work of the teachers, administrators, support personnel, board members, students and parents. They are the heartbeat of Jefferson County Schools.”

 

A $10,000 check was presented to Gonsoulin, which will go to a student at the high school from which the superintendent graduated or the school now serving the same area.

 

“This is a great day for Alabama,” said Eric Mackey, Ed.D., Alabama state superintendent. “It’s a way for us to shine the light on our very best, who does so much for children on a daily basis. Of course, it’s big for Jefferson County. It’s big for Dr. Gonsoulin. But this is big for Alabama because it tells the whole country that we’ve got great people doing the right thing for kids every day. I couldn’t be more proud. I remember the day he came to Alabama, and I’m so glad he stayed.”

 

Gonsoulin was named the superintendent of Jefferson County Schools in November 2019. Under his leadership, JEFCOED has developed high school Signature Academies. This model led to a 357 percent increase in the number of students who earned industry credentials, indicating that those students possess the qualifications for entry-level employment.

 

College and Career Readiness rates have steadily increased during Gonsoulin’s tenure, including a 4% jump last year. The number of scholarships offered to JEFCOED seniors has also continually grown. The class of 2024 set a new district record with more than $108 million in scholarship offers. The district now also funds dual enrollment classes for all students making higher education more accessible. Participation in those courses has more than doubled since the initiative began.

 

“There are going to be other districts all over the country that are going to say, ‘What is going on in Jefferson County? We need to know!’ The initiatives, the programs, the hard work that we all do, we already knew that it was important. And we already knew that we were doing the right thing,” Gonsoulin said. “But this seals the deal. It makes it legitimate, that not only the district and the people that we serve know it, not even the state, but the country knows it as well.”

 

“We are so excited!” said Ronnie Dixon, Jefferson County Board of Education president. “Dr. Gonsoulin is the one who leads the charge on ‘this is a family’ and ‘this is a family affair.’ From the deputy superintendents, the board, teachers, custodians, all of us are celebrating for what he is representing us for.”

 

AASA, The School Superintendents Association, is the premier association for school system leaders and serves as the national voice for public education and district leadership on Capitol Hill.