CLEVELAND — Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb joined officials from Huntington Bank for a press conference Wednesday morning to discuss a new program that will offer support to small local businesses within Northeast Ohio. It's known as the Entrepreneur in Residence Program.
“We are working in Cuyahoga, Lorain and Ashtabula County to help small businesses start or grow in order to have a positive economic impact on the greater Cleveland region or its neighborhoods," said Sean Richardson, Huntington Regional President.
The program includes 11 nonprofit partners within the three counties.
“Each will provide coaching and skills-based training to help small business owners expand their ability to succeed," Richardson said.
We streamed the entire press conference, which you can watch in full below:
Richardson said the 11 partners will provide a "wide range" of help for small businesses, which includes coaching, financial management, digital technology skills, business planning, business growth, talent development and more.
“What we saw during COVID-19 was that half of minority-owned businesses were decimated during this pandemic compared to 17 percent of their white counterparts," Mayor Bibb said. "In Cleveland, particularly the southeast side, we know that remains a significant challenge.”
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