Marcus Williams is the founder and Principal Consultant of MW Consulting, a D.C.-based firm that supports clients in leveraging communications to connect with their stakeholders and customers. Despite his challenging upbringing, Williams holds impressive academic qualifications and has held leadership roles in the communications field across various sectors. His career success led him to debut appearance on the Inner City 100 Awards list in 2023 ranking at 19. He credits his faith in a higher power as the primary driving force behind his accomplishments. A member of multiple marginalized groups, including the LGBTQ+ community, Williams approaches entrepreneurship from a unique perspective. He is committed to diversity, inclusion, and empowerment in both his personal and professional endeavors. Read More

Haydee Gomez's journey from working in a gelato shop to owning her own successful frozen dessert manufacturing company, Bosco Frozen Desserts, is a story of passion, determination, and innovation. After moving from Venezuela to Canada, she discovered her love for gelato and eventually pursued her dream of owning a gelateria. Alongside her brother, Ezequiel, she founded Gelato Gourmet and rapidly expanded the business through hard work and resilience. Despite the challenges posed by the 2020 pandemic, Haydee pivoted the business model and successfully launched Bosco Frozen Desserts, which has since become a renowned local artisan frozen dessert manufacturer. Haydee's commitment to continuous learning and growth led her to participate in Santander's Cultivate Small Business program, providing her with valuable knowledge and resources. Looking ahead, the Gomez siblings are set to introduce a new product line featuring nostalgic flavors inspired by their Venezuelan roots as they continue to innovate and grow Bosco Frozen Desserts. Read More

Darlene Jones is the talented mastermind behind Star Fusion Brand, a series of successful restaurants in West Philadelphia known for their fusion of American and Thai flavors. After leaving her corporate sales career, Jones used her marketing expertise to launch her brand in 2015. Jones participated in Santander’s Cultivate Small Business program, which helped her secure a $20,000 grant. The grant allowed her to invest in her company, acquire new contracts, and purchase a specialty oven to fulfill large orders. The experience of owning a small business has been a positive one for Jones. Despite experiencing some challenges, Jones remains motivated and encourages other business owners not to give up. Read More

Like many cities with strong industrial roots, Saint Paul, Minnesota, recognizes the value of protecting its industrial zones and ensuring a future of diverse land use. Light industrial businesses, which include breweries, body shops, and small manufacturers, are vital parts of local business ecosystems and are known to provide high-paying jobs that do not require postsecondary education. While there is value in low barrier-to-entry jobs and the goods and services these businesses offer, negative public perceptions of industrial land use and real estate pressures to convert these properties to residential or retail space often leave the light industry in peril. From 2022 through 2024, ICIC conducted research sponsored by the Saint Paul Port Authority to demonstrate the ongoing importance of light industrial businesses to the city’s economy. We employed a diverse set of methods to investigate many facets of the Saint Paul industrial economy, including the fiscal and private economic impacts of different kinds of businesses and land uses, the employment and wages of industrial and non-industrial sectors, and the spatial concentration of employment by industry. Read More

BC Design Haus is a woman- and Asian-owned, design and branding agency based in Pasadena, California. Bernadette Capulong, the company’s CEO, describes herself as an accidental entrepreneur, having turned to self-employment to replace her income after being laid off during the Great Recession. Since the firm’s official launch in 2015, she has led the company to achieve double-digit revenue growth year over year. BCDH was recognized nationally for its growth, appearing for the second year in a row on the Inner City 100 Awards list in 2023. This success would not be possible without Capulong’s persistent focus on building partnerships with her clients and her team. Her nearly decade-long journey as an entrepreneur has taught her five key lessons: seek out a program like Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses, understand that owning a small business is a long game, seek advice from a mentor, hire the right people, and be good to your clients. Read More