Bigger group this year at Black & Diverse Business Forum
The second annual Black & Diverse Business Forum was held Saturday at Delaware County Community College, a function of state Sen. Tim Kearney and state Rep. Gina Curry.
Nearly 50 local entrepreneurs and small business owners came out to hear experts provide business tips and resources on topics such as basics of entrepreneurship, certifications and different ways to access capital, Kearney’s office said.
Guests also received insight about different business opportunities specifically available to Black and diverse businesses during the round-robin presentation portion of the forum.
“It was encouraging to see more people come out to our event this year,” Kearney said in a press release. “This year, with double the number of business owners in attendance, our goal remains the same: to leave people with a better understanding of the supports available no matter where they are on their business journey.”
“We are incredibly grateful to our panelists, speakers, and vendors for helping to make this event a success,” said Rep. Curry “We need this information because there are wonderful resources out there. Too many of our small Black and diverse businesses don’t often have a seat at the table, don’t have equitable access to capital and most often aren’t considered for the mainstream business opportunities.”
The press release continued:
According to Kerry Kirkland, Pennsylvania Department of General Services deputy secretary for diversity, inclusion & small business opportunities, 41% of minority businesses shuddered their doors during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kirkland, who served as the Keynote speaker again this year encouraged guests to seek out opportunities with the Commonwealth.
“There’s no better time to do business with the state then right now,” said Kirkland. “We need more events like these duplicated all across the state so we can have our minority businesses grow to the point they were at before COVID.”