April 07, 2022
LAWT News Service
Relief is on the horizon for small minority-owned businesses who received little or no government assistance during the height of the pandemic.
The Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber of Commerce (GLAAACC) along with other Black Chambers were grant beneficiaries of the SBA’s Community Navigator Pilot Program distributed to organizations with deep roots in their communities.
The U.S. Black Chamber, Community Economic Development Corporation (USBC CEDC), was awarded $5 million from the U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) Community Navigator Pilot Program. Grants were awarded to 51 applicants nationally as part of a $100 million initiative to help reduce the barriers that underrepresented and underserved entrepreneurs face in accessing the programs and services that they need.
“It’s taken a lot of teamwork to make the dream of surviving the pandemic work for small Black-owned businesses,” said GLAAACC President Gene Hale. “With this grant, GLAAACC will be able to continue to provide programs, services and add more business tools that make the difference between small business recovery and growth and total stagnation that leads to closed doors. This is literally a life line for Black businesses.”
The program is using a community navigator approach to help small businesses, with a focus on those owned by veterans, women, and socially and economically disadvantaged individuals - including in rural and urban communities. The grant is structured as a “Hub and Spoke” model to utilize networks and community advocates to assist historically underserved small businesses and entrepreneurs to better connect to the critical resources needed to launch, pivot, and recover from the impacts of the pandemic.
Locally, the U.S. Black Chamber is the hub and GLAAACC is the spoke used to directly provide recovery services such as financial assistance, access to capital supports, contracting and procurement assistance, marketing, operations, and business development, export and importing, and industry specific training, among other areas of technical assistance to aid businesses in stabilization and expansion.
Over the past two years, numerous rounds of economic relief last year helped millions of small business stay afloat and keep employees on the payroll, however many minority-owned “mom and pop” businesses were unable to access these funds, while larger, well-connected businesses with the resources and know-how were able to navigate through the bureaucracy and to obtain grants or low-interest loans.
A 2021 survey by a coalition of Federal Reserve Banks found that Black business owners were the most likely to draw from their personal funds to help keep their businesses afloat and five times more likely to not receive Payroll Protection Plan (PPP) funding as compared with White-owned businesses. While 79 percent of White-owned firms received all of the PPP funding they sought, only 43 percent of Black-owned firms did, according to the survey.
The Community Pilot Navigator program was established by the Biden administration’s American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, to ensure that small and micro-businesses receive support and access to federal relief programs in response to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic that can help them recover, grow, and thrive.
For information on accessing GLAAACC programs and services funded by the Community Pilot Navigator program, visit www.glaaacc.org or call (323) 292-1297.
March 31, 2022
By Betti Halsell
Staff Writer
Pat Shields sculpted a career around her organizational talents, now her influence reaches thousands of people at a time. As a producer for some of the most exclusive events in Los Angeles and beyond, Shields represents women of color that shattered several glass ceilings within her industry.
In an exclusive interview with the Los Angeles Sentinel, Shields discussed her trade and how she grew in demand.
“I'm a producer,” Shields said confidently. The noted event engineer reflected on her role in orchestrating entire moments at some of the most complex venues and handling audiences that reached over 30,000 people at a time.
“I pull things together and I'm extremely organized--I am a connector, I'm always trying to introduce people,” Shields said.
Looking back on how she built her contacts, Shields admitted she had to develop her networking skills, because it didn’t come easy to her.
“I just quietly do the work—I know that it's necessary though,” Shields said, “I've gotten all my jobs because of who I know.”
Shields explained the process in growing a supportive network, “It took me a lot to walk into a room by myself, I had to introduce myself to people-- and then I got to the point where I would walk into a room, and I knew half the people already.”
Shields advised to put one foot in front of the other and the circle of contacts will grow.
“It's necessary to put yourself out there and just get to know people--get to really know who they are as a person, and not what they do.” Shields emphasized the key to networking is not just what someone can offer, it’s about what one can do for someone else.
One of the most sought-after event producers shared a great way to build a network, is to connect with other people that may have come alone to an event and just start talking to them. Using herself as an example, Shields said, “What I ‘ll do is, I’ll see somebody who's by themselves as well, and I'll make the first step. I'll go introduce myself.”
Shields did a lot of traveling, expanding her reach across the nation as representative of Warner Bros., artist relations. Reflecting on her nomadic days, Shields said “I was travelling with artists on their tours; promotional tours, concert tours-- being introduced to more people.”
The former Warner Bros. artist relations representative shared that she fell into event production after finding her mind was great at engineering the Star Quest stage at Taste of Soul, one of the biggest events that made history in South L.A.
“The event production actually came around from the Sentinel [L.A. Sentinel] asking me, if I could help produce the StarQuest stage for Taste of Soul,” Shields said. As a partner in the Black Dot LLC, she oversees various fundraisers, award galas, conferences, and events for historically Black colleges and universities.
Other projects that Shields will be in charge of coordinating include the Marketing Opportunities In Business and Entertainment (MOBE) event and the Living Legends Foundation Awards Gala, October 7.
Shields shared her experience as a event producer, she stated, “Being an Event Producer, we are responsible for everything that brings that event to life. It’s heavy on organization and logistics.”
She continued, “We do the planning, budgeting, hiring the vendors, catering, audio and visual, design, signage, secure permits, hire the entertainment, promotion, advertising, publicity, ticket sales, the flow of the events, and executing the final plan.”
Considering her inspiration, Shields named a few other Black-owned event production companies that she admired, she stated, “There are two event producers in particular who I’ve always admired --Tammy Dickerson, of The Baker Group, and William Miller, of W.P. Miller Special Events.
She continued, “They had a Facebook group called The Black Table, where they held panel discussions with other Black event producers to share information, triumphs, and challenges. They are amazing humans. I’m also a fan of Bill Hammond, Hammond Entertainment.”
Shields closed with the following statements, “For anyone thinking about getting into the field, they have to be honest about their strengths,” she continued, “Start small with a family party or a community event. Start with the end in mind and work backwards. Figure out everything that’s needed to make it happen.” For more information on the following events produced by Shields, websites are provided below.
MOBE -mobesymposium.com
Living Legends Foundation Awards Gala-livinglegendsfoundation.com
March 24, 2022
LAWT News Service
JPMorgan Chase announced a three-year, $5 million commitment to support the Open Air Economy Collaborative, a partnership of local community organizations including Inclusive Action for the City (IAC), California Reinvestment Coalition (CRC), Public Counsel, and East LA Community Corporation (ELACC).
The commitment will help local Black and Latina street vendors strengthen their businesses, which provide economic opportunities for low-income and immigrant workers, and play an important role to promote food access across Los Angeles County.
The Open Air Economy Collaborative will provide 500 street vendors and other micro-entrepreneurs with one-on-one coaching and over 200 vendors with low-interest loans.
The community organizations will also help the small business owners address barriers frequently encountered when navigating the permit approval process, overcoming financial obstacles, and accessing support services.
“Street vendors are an essential part of Los Angeles' economy and street vending offers a vital pathway for Latina and Black women entrepreneurs to establish successful businesses for their families and communities,” said Diedra Porché, Divisional Director, California, Business Banking, Chase. “Even with recent changes to local laws, vendors continue to face barriers that prevent them from formally participating in LA’s local economy. Supporting the Open Air Economy Collaborative will help underserved communities gain access to economic opportunities.”
According to a report produced by the UCLA School of Law Community Economic Development Clinic and Public Counsel in August 2021, of an estimated 10,000 sidewalk food vendors working in the City of Los Angeles, only 165 had received permits.
Thousands more vendors sell merchandise and other goods in the open air economy. Vendors face a variety of challenges throughout the process of seeking a permit, hindering the majority from formalizing their businesses and accessing critical business development opportunities and services. For example, instruction materials are not translated into commonly spoken languages, commissary space is severely limited, and equipment barriers and unreasonable regulations prevent the construction of affordable vending carts.
To achieve the goals of the three-year commitment, the Open Air Economy Collaborative will:
• Increase access to capital through micro-loan programs to help entrepreneurs buy equipment, obtain permits, and grow or launch their business;
• Provide business coaching and legal assistance to help vendors navigate operating in the open air economy;
• Guide street vendors and microentrepreneurs through financial literacy and related economic education programs.
“We’re emerging from a global pandemic that has disproportionately impacted Black and Latina street vendors and micro-entrepreneurs. For far too long, these entrepreneurs and community leaders have worked on the margins of our economy simply due to the nature of how they earn their livelihood in the ‘open air economy’,” said Rudy Espinoza, Executive Director of IAC.
This three-year philanthropic investment in Los Angeles is part of JPMorgan Chase’s $30 billion, five-year commitment to advance racial equity.
“We’re proud to partner to help dismantle barriers to access and ensure that Black and Latina micro-entrepreneurs have the financial and educational resources needed to thrive," said Paulina Gonzalez-Brito, Executive Director of the California Reinvestment Coalition.
The commitment comes from JPMorgan Chase’s AdvancingCities initiative, the firm’s $500 million commitment launched in 2018 that invests in solutions to drive equitable solutions through community-based strategies.
“Cultural entrepreneurs like street vendors and mariachis are a key part of Los Angeles culture, our collective identity and contribute significantly to the social and economic fabric of our city,” said Monica Mejia, President and CEO of ELACC.
Information about JPMorgan Chase & Co. is available at www.jpmorganchase.com
