Economic Inclusion

The Akron Beacon Journal profiles an interesting program -- called Partners First -- that is offered by the Northern Ohio Minority Business Council.

Here's how the story opens:

Keith Harris wasted no time reaching for the phone when he heard some big local corporations were interested in mentoring small minority-owned businesses.

His company, Kero International, was just six months old at the time -- and that was long enough for him to realize there was a whole lot to running a business that he had yet to learn.

Under the guidance of veterans at FirstEnergy, Kero -- a supplier of obsolete and hard-to-find industrial materials, mechanical cable and metal -- recorded more than $300,000 in sales in its first full year of business last year.

This is the kind of work the NOMBC is interested in expanding through the Minority Business Accelerator, which will help established minority-owned enterprises dramatically increase sales and employment. The NOMBC is partnering with the Council on Economic Inclusion and others on the Accelerator. To learn more about the accelerator contact the Council. You can access its web site here.