CFPB Director & Team Site Visit JP’s Greencubator
Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB) Director Kathy Kraninger and her team visited JP’s Greencubator this week, meeting with JP staffers and small business entrepreneurs. JP Staffers, board members, and community partners met and discussed the opportunities and challenges facing St. Louis residents and small business owners related to high interest rate lending, the need to generate savings, and the importance of building personal credit scores. Director Kraninger also met with Greencubator small business tenants St. Louis Indoor Produce, Good Life Growing, and Freddie Lee’s American Gourmet Sauce.
JP Joins with Region Bank and Local Community Partners in Welcoming Bank ICCC Program
Regions Bank has led the charge on bringing Inner City Capital Connections (ICCC) to the small business community in the St. Louis market. ICCC’s mission is “to drive economic prosperity in America’s inner cities through private sector investment to create jobs, income and wealth for local residents.” Regions hosted a “Kick Off Breakfast” recently as an opportunity to invite ambassadors and business leaders who can assist in getting the word out to local small business owners. Nationally since 2005, 2,221 ICCC alumni have averaged 160% growth in revenue, created nearly 20,000 jobs and raised $1.92 billion in capital. Justine PETERSEN applauds Mike Hart and the Regions team on advancing the work of ICCC in the St. Louis region.
Tori Gonzalez of JP Participates in Skandalaris Center’s first Ascend 2020 IdeaBounce
Eighteen local businesses recently pitched their business ideas to local business owners and community members as part of the Ascend 2020 IdeaBounce hosted by the Skandalaris Center.
For Interdisciplinary Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Focusing on minority and women entrepreneurs, the pitch event allowed small business owners the opportunity to compete for a $200 cash prize. Tori Gonzalez, who is working with Justine PETERSEN on capitalizing an Emerging Markets Loan Fund, participated as a judge. Business pitches included an organic food supplier, an online platform for people with disabilities to find jobs and a surgical lighting system.
In Focus: “The Focuser”
JP staffer Tamra Thetford recently had a birthday. And she was the focus of our attention, that is, staff gifted her a varsity/bomber jacket complete with her embroidered honorary office title: “The Focuser.” Happy Belated Birthday Tamra! And remain focused!