In partnership with the National Urban League and Interise, the Urban League of Greater Chattanooga introduces NextLevel Chattanooga. NextLevel Chattanooga is a program that will aid the Chattanooga region’s established small businesses in achieving growth and reaching the next level of success.
“Chattanooga is an inherently entrepreneurial region and has a long history of achieving job growth through locally-owned small businesses,” said Warren Logan, CEO of the Urban League of Greater Chattanooga. “We recognize an opportunity to help these vital members of our local economy continue to thrive through the development and implementation of strategically-sound plans for growth.”
NextLevel Chattanooga, an innovative, seven-month program, will provide business owners with the knowledge, know-how, and connections to help them grow their businesses and create jobs. Focused on informing action and achieving results, NextLevel Chattanooga will support small business owners as they develop three-year Strategic Growth Action Plans™, a customized guide for achieving and sustaining business growth.
Delivered in an active and engaging format that includes peer-to-peer CEO mentoring sessions, NextLevel Chattanooga will use the nationally-recognized StreetWise ‘MBA’ curriculum developed by Interise, a Boston-based nonprofit committed to helping underserved small businesses scale. The comprehensive curriculum includes topics vital to small business success, including financial management, marketing and sales, human resources tactics, business strategy development, and access to new capital and contracts.
With this new partnership, the Urban League of Greater Chattanooga will now join an esteemed network of Interise program partners that includes New York University Stern School of Business, the University of Pittsburgh Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence, Capitol Region Minority Supplier Diversity Council, and the City of Portland’s Procurement Services, among others. The Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Emerging Leaders program has also utilized the Interise curriculum since 2008 and plans to expand to 50 sites in 2015.
“With committed funding partners, outstanding municipal purchasing goals, and tireless advocates for small business growth and sustainability in place, Chattanooga – a historically entrepreneurial city – is a natural choice for the first use of the StreetWise ‘MBA’™ by a National Urban League affiliate,” said Marc H. Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League. “We are optimistic about the impact of our partnership with the Urban League of Greater Chattanooga and Interise and look forward to seeing the positive difference this program makes on small businesses throughout the region.”
More than 2,500 promising small businesses across the country have completed Interise’s StreetWise ‘MBA’ curriculum since it was first delivered in Boston a decade ago. Through the curriculum, small business owners gain the tools and accountability necessary to build their businesses, create jobs, and revitalize local economies. StreetWise ‘MBA’ graduates reported revenue growth of nearly 40% last year. NextLevel Chattanooga seeks to bring similar results to small businesses in the Chattanooga region.
“Interise is pleased to partner with a historic institution like the Urban League of Greater Chattanooga, an organization dedicated to supporting the entry of the underserved into the economic and social mainstream,” said Jean Horstman, CEO of Interise. “This strategic partnership will provide the Urban League of Greater Chattanooga with an opportunity to build upon their strong local network of resources and connections already in place.”
Small businesses that are located in the greater Chattanooga area, generate revenues between $250,000 and $10,000,000, have been in business for at least three years, and have at least one employee besides the owner are eligible to participate. Participants must also demonstrate a high level of commitment to complete the program.
NextLevel Chattanooga has a goal of supporting the growth of local small and disadvantaged-business enterprises (DBEs), including those owned by women, minorities, and service-disabled veterans. However, disadvantaged-ownership is not a prerequisite for program participation.
NextLevel Chattanooga, which will enroll its first cohort of business owners in April 2015, has gained the support of exceptional local partners. The program’s launch and first year of operation is supported by the Lyndhurst Foundation and an initial feasibility assessment was supported by SunTrust Foundation.
The program’s operational partners include the City of Chattanooga.
“Over the last two years, we have seen City products and services purchased from local DBEs increase from 1% to 14%,” said City of Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke. “This is an incredible achievement and we are now eager to see local DBEs and other small businesses build the capacity and achieve the scale necessary to successfully bid on larger City purchasing opportunities. We see NextLevel Chattanooga as an opportunity for local small business owners to do just that.”
BrightBridge, a SBA lender that also operates an SBA-supported Women’s Business Center in Chattanooga, is another operational partner.
“NextLevel Chattanooga is answering a need we have observed in Chattanooga’s entrepreneurial ecosystem,” said Hale Booth, President of BrightBridge. “Successful, established small businesses are the bedrock of our job market and are poised for growth. We brought the SBA’s Community Advantage loan program to the Chattanooga region for this same reason and seek to provide access to capital to support growth of qualified NextLevel participants through this tool and others.”
For more information on NextLevel Chattanooga contact the Program Manager at nextlevelchatt@gmail.com or (423) 847-2375. The program application, which is due by April 3, 2015, and additional information on the program and enrollment process can be found at www.nextlevelchatt.com.