The Beltline’s rapid growth through the heart of Atlanta is bringing a new Business Solutions Office that local and small businesses, primarily women- and minority-owned, can tap for increased opportunities.
Natalie Jones, project manager for the new office, calls it a “one-stop shop” of resources for entrepreneurs. She said it aims to connect with more than 300 businesses and provide a pipeline for at least 60 of those ventures to locate along the Beltline.
Creation of the new office is being funded with a federal Economic Development Administration grant of $786,000, matched with $196,000 in local funds. It will assist local small business owners seeking to expand along the Beltline’s 22 miles of trails.
In June, Atlanta BeltLine Inc. received a $25 million federal grant, the largest ever directed to the nonprofit since it was created in 2006. That funding, from the U.S. Department of Transportation, will finance construction of a 2.2-mile network of multi-use trails in Northeast Atlanta, between the Armour-Ottley and Lindbergh areas.
“My vision for the office is really to be the leading hub of expertise and guidance and collaboration for small businesses that are located around the Beltline,” Jones said. “You know, hoping to drive economic development and really empower entrepreneurs to thrive.”
The Business Solutions Office will host a small business accelerator known as BeltLine Business Ventures that will offer curriculum-based business training to new groups each fall, winter/spring, and summer.
One Atlanta business planning to utilize the office’s programs is FiNCA to FiLTERr, a queer- and woman-owned coffee shop that already has a spot on the BeltLine’s West End.
Co-owner Kayla Bellman said she applied for the Business Ventures program in hopes of developing deeper connections in Atlanta’s local business community, as well as receiving more executive training on how to manage a growing business.
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Credit: Jenni Girtman
“As a woman entrepreneur, the value of mentorship and relationships cannot be underestimated,” Bellman said.
The Business Ventures program is managed by The Center by Lendistry, and run by CVM Worldwide, according to a news release on the announcement.
Candace Mitchell Harris, executive director of CVM Worldwide, said in the release that she has a background of helping more than 1,500 minority-owned businesses grow.
“There is tremendous potential for economic transformation by bringing marketplace awareness to the Beltline along with thriving businesses that help meet the needs of local neighborhoods,” she said.
Applications for the fall 2023 group are open through Aug. 18.
The office will give priority to women- and minority-owned businesses, particularly those based in the west and southwest Beltline areas. The program application is weighted in a way that prioritizes minority-owned businesses, Jones said.
Jones said groups will use a retail gap analysis of the retail landscape on the Beltline along with other data on racial wealth gap. The analysis has helped the group identify “equity priority subareas” along the stretch of trails. Jones also said the office will create access to business education and networking, particularly for minority entrepreneurs in the city.
“I think this focus to consider Black businesses and consider how Black businesses can be propped up on the BeltLine — I think is significant and important,” said Fahamu Pecou, founder of the African Diaspora Art Museum of Atlanta.
The museum recently opened its first office space in Pittsburgh Yards by the Beltline’s south trail. Pecou’s group also applied for the new Business Ventures program. Interim executive director Stephanie Fleming said she hopes it will strengthen the museum’s physical presence and connect more of Atlanta to its programming.
One of the museum’s programs is its collaboration with the Komansé Dance Theater, known as Permanent, that creates original scores, choreography, and short films adapted from contemporary art from the African diaspora. Pecou hopes an expanded presence on the Beltline will bring new cultural experiences to the corridor beyond typical retail and residential business.
“We’re really excited about the opportunities in front of us to grow this organization and to really make a cultural impact in the cultural landscape,” Pecou said.
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