The use of liquor licenses as an economic development tool is a comparatively recent consideration among practitioners and policymakers, driven by an increased focus on equitable economic growth and growing recognition of antiquated public policies that underlie licenses’ distribution in many cities. In roughly half of US states, liquor license distribution is controlled or capped at the state-level. Read More

Representation of female entrepreneurs in the Inner City Capital Connections program has grown to 45% in recent years, and mirrors a larger trend in the growth of women entrepreneurs nationwide. The United States is seeing a continual increase of women creating new businesses and employment opportunities, with a 27 percent growth in women-owned businesses from 2007 to 2012. Read More

A key aspect of the Inner City Capital Connections program is executive education focused on capacity-building, which allows entrepreneurs an opportunity to receive high-quality training while running their businesses. The success of the program depends on the quality of the professors who have been recruited from leading business schools throughout the country. Of these educators, Steven Rogers is surely one of the most beloved. Now the most senior teacher in the ICCC program, Rogers considers himself a tenured faculty member. Read More

Tropical Foods, located in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood, has been around since 1974. It was founded by Pastor Medina, an immigrant from Cuba, who originally rented a small location and sold only plantains. At the time, plantains were not widely known in the U.S., but the Hispanic clientele who shopped there took to calling the store “El Platanero,” a name some customers still use. However, Tropical Foods has grown considerably since its days as a plantain shop. Read More

The 2016 Menino Survey of Mayors, named in honor of late Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, uses a series of open- and closed-ended questions to probe mayors about their top priorities. More than 100 mayors participated in the survey, with responses coming from all over the country. Read More