LOUISVILLE, Ky. — 20 minority business owners will participate in the second cohort of Greater Louisville Inc.’s Power to Prosper Minority Business Accelerator, funded by Papa Johns, which kicks off today and will conclude in November.Participants selected for the cohort include:
- Kyron Anderson Sr., K Construction LLC
- Dr. Ashley Anderson, Athena Health and Wellness
- Keith B. Brooks, Longevity Power Wash
- Cedric Conliffe, Legends Barber Company
- LaToya Cook-Bradley, Brew & Sip Coffee Bar
- George W. Cosby, Kentucky Case Management, LLC
- Dr. Christine Cosby-Gaither, Haaylo Media
- Sarah Dixon, Unified Sign and Design
- Jamie Goldsmith, Superior Maintenance Co.
- Andre Gore, Gore’s SmokeOut BBQ
- Deleisa Graham, Lavish Training Academy
- Angela Huffman, Quilted Joy
- Raghu Kodumuri, SSG Technologies
- Quinknotta Livers, Active Imaginations Child Development Center
- Kimberly Mosley, KP Cleaning Crew LLC
- Lauren Muir, Martin and Muir Counseling, Inc.
- Hazel Parrish, Bridge the Gap Addiction and Mental Health Services
- Alton “Trey” Reed, KREED Painting
- Diamond Shirley, Diamond Key Realtors
- Kierra Taylor, Lavish Beauty Bar, LLC
Valued at $15,000, but free to participants through funding made possible by Papa Johns, the program teaches business-owners business development strategies, strategic planning, financial management skills, marketing/sales, human resources, how to access capital, and how to contract with the government and major corporations. The accelerator is designed specifically for small and mid-sized businesses, that have at least one full-time employee besides the owner, have been in operation for a least two years, and can commit the required time to the program.“I am thrilled with the overwhelming amount of interest we received for the second cohort of the Power to Prosper program. Out of the nearly 100 applications we received, we chose 20 businesses who not only met the minimum requirements but also showed the capacity and desire to put in the work to grow their business,” said Dana Johnson, GLI’s senior director of diversity, equity, and inclusion. “I am looking forward to seeing them complete this program and become major economic drivers in our community.”The program was initially launched in 2021 through a partnership between GLI and the national consulting firm, Interise. Interise serves as the content partner, providing curriculum for the program through their Street-Wise MBA™ model, which uses a peer-learning method to provide small business owners with the knowledge, know-how, and networks necessary to grow and scale. In December, 12 business owners graduated from the inaugural cohort and several have since secured new contracts from connections facilitated by GLI through the program.GLI’s manager of diversity and inclusion strategies, Dr. Eric Jordan, serves as the program manager and main point of contact for participants. Miguel Hampton, local businessman and President and CEO of F5 Enterprises, will once again serve as the program instructor and a mentor for participants.Learn more about the program here.
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