Liseth Velez wanted to be in the military from a very young age. “I came to this country when I was seven, and from the moment that I had any kind of conscious of career or anything like that, I just knew I wanted to join the military.” After completing ... Read More

Since its onset in early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the economy and led to massive disruption across almost every industry – and the food industry is certainly no exception. Government-imposed public health restrictions closed restaurants and slowed down other food-service industry operations, which caused a ripple ... Read More

As a driven small business owner LaTonya Turnage is no stranger to wearing many different hats. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Turnage was faced along with the rest of the American workforce with the unthinkable: close down her bridal store, Elite Secrets Bridal, until it was safe to reopen ... Read More

Indigenous Peoples’ Day is celebrated on the second Monday of October and November is Native American Heritage Month. This time recognizes and honors Indigenous, Native American, Native Hawaiian, and Native Alaskan communities, and the contributions of these communities and small businesses to every aspect of our society. According to the U.S. Census ... Read More

By Peter Eberhardt, Senior Research Analyst, Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, and Howard Wial, Senior Vice President and Director of Research, Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, October 2021 Although many large or otherwise influential for-profit companies make charitable donations that benefit local communities where they do business, they are ... Read More