OneSpartanburg Inc. announced March 22 it has launched Power Up Spartanburg, a five-year, $6-million small and minority business development initiative in Spartanburg County.
The initiative, which is funded by Spartanburg County Council, was launched in response to data compiled for the OneSpartanburg Vision Plan 2.0 that showed countywide small business ownership was below the national average and Spartanburg County was 40% below the national average in the number of Black-owned, nonemployee businesses.
Over the next five years, Power Up Spartanburg will:
- Use $2.5 million to start a business loans and grants initiative to support small and minority businesses.
- Engage developers and property owners to activate small-scale storefronts and other micro-spaces in downtowns countywide.
- Expand the accessibility and reach of accelerators geared toward small and minority businesses.
- Launch a pilot of Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Venture Mentoring Service to support entrepreneurial activities with free and objective mentoring.
- Make a vetted list of subject matter experts available to small and minority businesses.
- Establish a process to connect small and minority businesses to large employers, including required certifications and licensures.
- Launch Power Up Dialogues, an event series that will connect small and minority businesses to local experts, success stories and networking opportunities.
- Create a resource list, including community captains representing areas across Spartanburg County, to further the Power Up Spartanburg’s work.
- Work with Duke Energy to establish The Grid, a digital connection point and network that will provide access to peers, resources, service providers, expertise and other services critical to small and minority businesses.
“Every piece of this initiative is aimed at making Spartanburg County the best-possible place to be an entrepreneur, or small business owner,” said OneSpartanburg Inc. Director of Small and Minority Business Jay Jenkins. “I’ve met with constituents across our county and there’s real excitement here. We’re ready to capitalize on that excitement and get to work on the goals of Power Up Spartanburg.”
For more information, visit powerupspartanburg.com.
