ICIC revealed the 100 fastest-growing inner city businesses in America at the 19th annual Inner City 100 Conference and Awards in Boston on October 3rd. The list, which seeks to celebrate and advance urban entrepreneurship, ranks companies by their growth rate during the previous five years. Read More

In many cities across the country, preservation of industrial land has become difficult as strong demand for housing has led to the redevelopment of many formerly industrial sites into mixed-use projects that feature housing, retail, and office space. This loss of industrial land raises important and timely questions about how cities are pursuing balanced and equitable economic development. ICIC’s own research has shown that many industrial jobs allow workers to earn a living wage: on average, workers earn 200 percent over federal minimum wage. In addition, industrial areas—often located in inner cities—can provide accessible employment opportunities for local residents. Read More

The Bank of America Global Ambassadors event in held in September in Chicago supported the advancement of women’s leadership and economic empowerment. It featured a diverse group of leading women executives and other powerful voices in entrepreneurship and business, including Stephanie Hickman, President and CEO of Chicago-based Trice Construction Company and an alumna of the Inner City Capital Connections (ICCC) program. Read More

In the early 2000s, Corpus Christi, Texas – a city of over 300,000 with a poverty rate hovering around 18 percent – was searching for ways to support its entrepreneurial community. Read More

Impact investing is a double bottom line investment approach that looks to generate a competitive rate of return while investing funds into projects that will have a positive social, economic or environmental impact. There are now at least $114 billion worth of impact investing assets under management, according to a recent survey conducted by the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN), a group of charities, banks, foundations, insurance companies and asset managers dedicated to increasing impact investing. Read More