VISIONARY PARTNERSHIPS

Visionary Partnerships that paved the way for how we as a community can collectively come together and pioneer new ways to do business. Supporting our students and community when they needed us the most.

DALLAS FORWARD

At the height of COVID 19 pandemic Mayor Eric Johnson & Fred Perpall brought business leaders together to support the launch of Dallas Forward, a public private resource hub aimed at supporting small to medium size businesses within the City of Dallas creating short term recovery for long term prosperity. Our efforts gave businesses a one stop shop to help identify their workforce and small business needs. Upon completion of a personalized assessment and understanding of need, businesses were routed to internal and external resources. As the project lead, I worked directly with the Dallas Citizens Council. I led a small team to collaborate with operational teams within Dallas College.

The following accomplishments were achieved throughout the project.

Led by the Dallas Citizen’s Council, a website was created with the understanding that Dallas College Marketing Department would manage the website; I worked collaboratively with the marketing department to take ownership and manage the overall website and became a content expert regarding PPE information and upcoming small business webinar events.
The set up and management of Linked In and Facebook marketing campaigns for Small Business Webinars with Bank of America
The establishment of a call system and placement of a direct 1-800 number on the Dallas Forward website allowing individuals to directly connect with Dallas College about resources that they needed.
Worked with the production team to set up & manage all audio-visual needs regarding Bank of America Small Business workshops.
Worked with the Marketing team to prepare and provide information needed for marketing campaigns.

**After months of continued work during the pandemic the Dallas Citizens Council won DCEO’s Nonprofit and Corporate citizen award for Dallas Forward - Collaboration of the Year, 2021.

Website

DALLAS B.U.I.L.D.

2020-2021 The small business ecosystem gave the collective group the name of DallasB.U.I.L.D. (Broadening Urban Investment to Leverage Dallas). B.U.I.L.D makes it easy for any entrepreneur, freelancer, or creative to find the resources that can help them move their venture forward.

Unfortunately, Dallas along with the rest of the world was affected by the COVID -19 Pandemic which prompted an immediate need for aid. Small businesses were not financially prepared to withstand pandemic. With thousands of businesses shutting their doors there was an immediate need for support which prompted PPP funding & Disaster Loan assistance from the SBA. Unfortunately, many of the businesses within the underserved communities did not meet the qualifications for PPP funding. This drove DallasB.U.I.L.D to act. In a matter of weeks all organizations came together and devised a plan which led to the request for grant funding support.

For the first time Small Business Support Organizations put aside their competitiveness and worked for the greater good of our city and its overall economic standing. The following efforts highlight the achievements my team worked to create.

The expansion of Salesforce Partners- a module within the CRM platform that allowed multiple business support organizations to have direct access to the day-to-day milestone achievements of each grant applicant. This collective collaboration had never been achieved at Dallas College prior to the pandemic.
Dashboards were created to give all organizations transparent reporting.
The strong partnership with the DEC Network led to more extensive work for the collective receiving a one-million-dollar grant for the SBA’s Community Navigator Program. This grant was a Hub and spoke model that pulled together 5 business supporting organizations to impact entrepreneurs in underserved areas.
The development of a journey map that would help entrepreneurs understand stages of business and what resources would be available to them.

Click HERE for beginning of the Small Business Ecosystem Efforts

DALLAS COLLABORATIVE FOR EQUITABLE DEVELOPMENT (DCED) 2019- 2023

Dallas Collaborative of Equitable Development is dedicated to equitable housing and real estate development, jobs and wealth creation and community ownership and leadership opportunities in the Dallas Neighborhoods considered most vulnerable to rapid economic transition.

Dallas Neighborhoods:

The Bottom
West Dallas – Census Tract 205
The Forest District

Community Organizations:

St. Philips
Cornerstone Baptist Church
Forest Forward
Builders of Hope
Golden S.E.E.D.S Foundation

Dallas College’s responsibility:

Funding from this program included two additional staff members who would be working directly with community members as well as the development of the Small Business and Corporate Growth Lab that would be in Dallas College’s -Bill. J. Priest Center.

Activities throughout the three-year grant paved new ways to connect and serve students and communities. The following achievements were accomplished:

The hiring of three additional team members that worked collectively. The Positions were an Assistant Director to Special Programs, Outreach and Marketing. A Community Manager and a contracted Business Advisor to better support entrepreneurs during the pandemic.
The creation and development of a brand new, state-of-the-art 5,500-sq foot coworking space that included 3 bookable rooms, 24 drop in desks with technology, 2 webinar booths, a designated customer service area, a designated coffee station and lounging areas for entrepreneurs.
A brand-new podcast studio which allowed faculty, students and community entrepreneurs to book and utilize the space. Along with educational elements that helped educate individuals about Podcasting.
A successful collaboration between School of Creative Arts, Entertainment and Design which culminated in both student and community artwork within the space.
New events such as the Speaker Series which incorporate small business alumni, topic specific bootcamps that came with individual business advising session when it was convenient for the student, hybrid QuickBooks classes and opportunities to apply for any of the abundance of resources within the space.
New additional software systems such as Deskworks, Dallas College’s first coworking platform. Liveplan to create growth plans and access to StartUp Space.
Customization of Salesforce for all grant reporting.