Sojourner’s Truth Staff
The Toledo African American Chamber of Commerce (TAACC) joined several other organizations on Tuesday, February 22 to present a unified front and a collective approach to assisting local minority-owned businesses.
The TAACC helped to host a luncheon at the Metropark Glass Pavilion to launch the Northwest Ohio Business Mentoring Program and kick off the 2022 program for the business community at large. The TAACC partnered with the Women of Toledo and the Northwest Ohio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and received support from JumpStart.
As a result of the joint effort, the organizations have recruited 22 diverse business owners in the region. Indeed any business owners at any business levels – startup, growth, mature or renewal are welcome to join the program as either mentor or mentee.
“We have had a record of success with one year of the three entities working together in some respect – that’s a major accomplishment,” said Roy Hodge, president of the TAACC.
Each organization has recruited mentors and mentees and the February 22 luncheon was held to “for the community to understand what we are trying to accomplish,” said Hodge. “The meeting also “sets the stage for another round of funding for each organization,” he added.
The groups are conducting monthly workshops, through June, for businesses. The March session will be “Bridging the Digital Divide.” This workshop is designed to assist business owners with their responsibilities in storing sensitive information about employees, customers, vendors, services and financial data necessary for the operation of their companies.
In the meantime, Said Hodge, the TAACC will continue its partnerships with the Women of Toledo, the NWO Hispanic Chamber, the Business Growth Collaborative, the Junction Coalition in support of “our flagship technology and mentoring programs.”