The Greenville Chamber announced Dec. 11 nine small-business owners graduated from its year-long South Carolina Minority Business Accelerator program at a ceremony on Dec. 7.
The 2023 graduating class included:
- Beth Bradley of Dance Without Limits
- Timothy Cunningham of Wine & Design
- Porscha Davis of The Salon by Porscha Danielle
- Bernardo Dendy of MB&B Lawn Works
- Spunette Hawkins of Innovation Counseling
- Cherella Lee of Smallcakes Spartanburg
- Celeste Purdie of Foot Solutions Greenville
- Joanna Reese of Tangible
- Cortella Wilkes of Legacy Healthcare
Each graduate was given access to training, business coaches and large corporations. During the program, the participants also engaged in intensive training led by instructor Wendell Jones and worked closely with financial experts, coaches and MBA peers on their three-year strategic growth action plans.
In addition to honoring the graduates, the program also presented the MBA Excellence Awards to Purdie, Bradley and Wilkes, as well as the MBA Champion Award to Bank of America and the MBA Partner Award to Peculiar.
Since its inception in 2012 and expansion in 2021, the South Carolina Minority Business Accelerator has graduated more than 120 participants, created 250 new full-time jobs and participants have seen a combined $26 million in new revenue.
