birminghamal.gov
Delivering an important additional resource for small-business owners across the Magic City, the Entrepreneurship Center for Growth and Excellence (EC) formally launched last week at a gathering of the city’s elected leaders and business leaders.
The EC is a recipient of funding from the City of Birmingham’s Reinvest Birmingham initiative, Regions Bank, Kresge Foundation, Mastercard, and Prosper Birmingham. Further, the EC is launching with a unique strategy combining real-world data and hands-on experience to drive results, leading to small-business growth across the city.
“The Entrepreneurship Center for Growth and Excellence stands ready to assist Birmingham’s small businesses with the tools they need to succeed,” said Kendra Key, Executive Director of the EC. “Business owners in Birmingham are defined by an entrepreneurial spirit, plus offering a great product or service. Where the EC can help is by connecting entrepreneurs to existing resources and developing growth strategies to help local business owners take their company to the next level of success.”
The EC has four key purposes:
- Serving as a front door for Birmingham entrepreneurs seeking guidance on successful small-business ownership
- Driving strategies that lead to growth for locally owned businesses
- Convening the small-business ecosystem by bringing together business support organizations, advisors and strategists who can help small businesses grow
- Connecting local entrepreneurs with other entrepreneurs to share best practices and even identify ways they can grow their companies – together
Key is serving as a loaned executive to the EC from Regions Bank. Her role has been to understand local conditions and craft a sustainable response to her findings. This led to the development of the EC, where she is the inaugural executive director.
“Economic and community development are at the heart of our strategy for serving the places where we live and work,” said Leroy Abrahams, Executive Vice President and Head of Community Engagement for Regions Bank. “Our role in helping establish the Entrepreneurship Center signifies our commitment to Regions’ headquarters city while setting the stage for more business growth and prosperity here at home.”
The primary goal of the EC is to work in collaboration with both small businesses and resource providers to create meaningful connections. The EC will be a catalyst for the entrepreneurial ecosystem, uplifting business support organizations serving the community while connecting small businesses to the resources they need.
While the EC will connect businesses to existing resource providers, the organization will also work to identify gaps in the ecosystem and recruit programs to fill those gaps. There is an established need for “systems work,” meaning behind-the-scenes activities that boost efficiency, growth, and communication among key players. The EC will address this need by working with stakeholders to accurately assess points of friction for business growth and find creative solutions that lead to measurable results. Behind-the-scenes work takes time and resources, but it is vital to truly meet the needs of the community.
About the Entrepreneurship Center for Growth and Excellence
The Entrepreneurship Center for Growth and Excellence (EC) is Birmingham’s central ecosystem hub — connecting local and emerging businesses to the knowledge, tools, and resources that drive measurable growth.
With the EC officially launched, business owners and resource providers are encouraged to visit the www.ecbham.com website and take the survey linked there to begin the process of engaging with the EC. To learn more about this organization, visit the EC’s website or contact: connect@ecbham.com.
