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Health & Fitness

My Proposal for a Roxbury Entrepreneurship Center

My proposal for the Roxbury Entrepreneursip Center is an innovative approach to establishing a “Small Business Incubator” in Roxbury, helping more Bostonians launch and grow their own businesses.

Although Boston has one of the most innovative economies in the world, there are too many Bostonians who don’t have opportunities to take part in it. We need new ideas to help people find work and reduce inequality. An entrepreneurship center in Roxbury would help connect more Bostonians to business and economic opportunities.

I was joined at this week’s press conference by a number of Boston’s business leaders and entrepreneurs, including: Clayton Turnbull, President, Waldwin Group; Darryl Settles, President, D'Ventures Limited, LLC; Greg Selkoe, CEO and founder, Karmaloop; Val Hyman, DJ, Radio Host, N.E. Audio Rental; Glynn Lloyd, CEO of City Fresh Foods; Caltor McLean, Owner, Four Corners Pizza; Gary Webster, Owner, Down Home Delivery and Catering; Terryl Calloway, CEO, Calloway Graphix, Printing, Marketing, Inc.; Liz Miranda, Coordinator, Bunker Hill Community Entrepreneur Center; and Abdulkadir Hussein, Owner, Juba Market.

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The Roxbury Entrepreneurship Center would be developed through a public-private partnership. This would be a pilot program, with the Roxbury center as the first of many entrepreneurship centers in neighborhoods across Boston, in order to help expand economic opportunities for all Bostonians.

The Roxbury Entrepreneurship Center will build on my other proposals to boost jobs and close equity gaps. Earlier this month, for example, I outlined plans to support small businesses owned by women and people of color. We shouldn't limit innovation to a single district, and we shouldn't accept a status quo in which neighborhoods are excluded from our city’s economic progress.

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Background on Roxbury Entrepreneurship Center

As mayor I will identify city-owned property in Roxbury close to public transportation that would provide affordable space for the development of the Center. Working with partners from the public and private sector, the Roxbury Entrepreneurship Center will provide the following resources for entrepreneurs and new businesses from the community:

• Incubator and office space. One of the most important resources for new businesses is physical space. The Roxbury Entrepreneurship Center will provide affordable space for rent. The Cambridge Innovation Center, Workbar, and Activspace all provide ideas for how the space could be arranged and offered, but ultimately community partners would decide the best use of space. This work space would also stimulate collaboration among Boston’s innovators and entrepreneurs.

• Portal for access to capital and supplier networks. I have proposed a “Made in Boston” fund to help new and small businesses gain access to capital, including microloans, that they need to purchase equipment and inventory or expand. I have also proposed a “Buy Boston” campaign that would create a market for neighborhood suppliers’ goods and services by connecting these businesses with the city’s large employers and institutions. The Roxbury Entrepreneurship Center would act as the portal to link new and small businesses to capital and supply chains through these programs. As mayor, I will work to make sure the city leads by example as a buyer from local businesses.

• Mentorship, training, and networking. The Roxbury Entrepreneurship Center would host meetings and events that bring entrepreneurs together to share ideas and advice. It would also offer management training; free workshops; courses on topics like technology, social entrepreneurship, and retailing; and advice for new business owners. The Small Business Development Center at UMass Boston is a great resource for new businesses; one option would be to work with the SBDC to provide the training and course content.

• Industrial coworking space. The Roxbury Entrepreneurship Center would also support entrepreneurs with ideas in light manufacturing or crafts. Similar to Fab Labs or the Artisan’s Asylum, it would provide affordable access to equipment and facilities -- such as robotics, computer design, digital fabrication, precision machinery, welding, and industrial-grade manufacturing -- to create opportunities for small entrepreneurs to explore new product ideas and designs.

http://www.connollyforboston.com/press/connolly-proposes-roxbury-entrepreneurship-center

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