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Tag Archive for: Entrepreneurship Center

people working together
people working together

“There are opportunities up here.” Downtown Lowell draws a melting pot of entrepreneurs AND Lowell is making a comeback

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Two articles appeared in the Boston Globe about the growth in small business in Lowell. Congratulations to the
Entrepreneurship Center at Community Teamwork for their efforts in helping to make this happen!
September 29, 2021
“There are opportunities up here.” Downtown Lowell draws a melting pot of entrepreneurs
Lowell is making a comeback – The former industrial city’s efforts have stalled in the past, but this time the push has momentum and money behind it
low l polito
low l polito

Karyn Polito meets with Lowell small business owners to discuss American Rescue Plan recovery

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Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito sat down with a half-dozen Lowell business owners inside Olympia Restaurant on Wednesday, July 15, 2021 to open a discussion about the best ways the state can use $450 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to jumpstart economic recovery across Massachusetts.

By  | sgeller@lowellsun.com | Lowell Sun
PUBLISHED:  | UPDATED: 

LOWELL — Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito sat down with a half-dozen Lowell business owners on Wednesday morning to open a discussion about the best ways the state can use $450 million of American Rescue Plan Act funds to jumpstart economic recovery across Massachusetts.

The event marked her first stop on a statewide tour of small businesses and downtown areas, which will continue throughout the summer and will include visits to about two dozen city and town centers.

“Today is a way for us to get into the community and touch base to try to figure out what the next steps are,” Polito told the Sun. “We’ve put a lot of federal dollars into play to help these businesses stay afloat over the course of this past year, and now we want to make sure that they rebound and continue to be successful.”

Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito tours several businesses on Merrimack Street in Lowell on Wednesday, July 15, 2021.

In June, the Baker-Polito administration filed a plan to promptly spend $2.9 billion of the state’s ARPA funds on existing, proven programs to support key recovery priorities, including housing and homeownership, economic development and local downtowns, job training and workforce development, health care and infrastructure. The proposal expressly targets support for lower-wage workers and communities of color.

Included in the plan is $450 million for economic development, $100 million of which will be used specifically for downtown development, $250 million of which will support “investments and regional collaboration” aimed at invigorating downtowns and the final $100 million will be designated for supporting cultural facilities and tourism assets.

“We want to make sure that we are allocating the resources that we have authorized both in our economic development bill and the federal funds to make sure that we are reaching small, micro-businesses, minority-owned businesses, female-owned businesses, downtown businesses, so that we can continue to see them succeed,” Polito said. “It’s really important that they continue to be operational, because they are part of the fabric of the community.”

Wednesday’s round-table discussion was held at Olympia Restaurant, where the owners of businesses including Lowell Culinary, Humanity Boutique and Cobblestones of Lowell highlighted what they see as the biggest challenges that stand in the way of a thriving Lowell economy: affordable housing, a lack of on-the-job training and, particularly, workforce shortages.

(Left) Fred Faust, president of Lowell real estate company the Edge Group, discusses the best ways he thinks the state can use $450 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to jumpstart economic recovery across Massachusetts.

“We’ve had four managers leave — two of them went to FedEx, one went to Amazon, and another is just trying to figure out what they want to do — so I think a lot of people are taking the time to re-evaluate what they want to do, and it leaves us struggling with, ‘where is our workforce going to come from?’ That’s the big question,” said Kathleen Plath, co-owner of Cobblestones of Lowell.

“We need to go from crisis mode to vision mode,” added Fred Faust, president of the local real estate company the Edge Group.

With Wednesday’s discussion being a jumping off point for the Baker administration, no concrete solutions to the issues mentioned were uncovered, however the business owners and city officials told Polito that they were grateful that she and Baker are keeping them in mind.

“Your visit today reaffirms the support that the administration has given us during the pandemic, and we look forward to working to get more relief and more support, so that we can make the wonderful lifetime investments that are going to benefit small businesses and the community as a whole,” said City Manager Eileen Donoghue.

ani vong
ani vong

Community Teamwork Hires Local Business Owner

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PRIME funds will be used to hire local consultants who will provide critical support to businesses negatively impacted by COVID-19.

FOR KHMER POST VERSION – CLICK HERE

Ani Vong

By AMY SOKOLOW | asokolow@lowellsun.com |

PUBLISHED: February 9, 2021 at 1:58 p.m. | UPDATED: February 9, 2021 at 4:54 p.m.

LOWELL — The Entrepreneurship Center at Community Teamwork, a Lowell-based group that teaches entrepreneurship and financial skills to local business owners, has hired Ani Vong, owner of Humanity Boutique in Lowell.

Vong, a Khmer American woman, who will help manage $650,000 in funding as the specialized technical assistance team’s (STAT) program coordinator.

“The Entrepreneurship Center @CTI, with its mission and all that it’s accomplished in support of small businesses and the local economy, is an organization I see myself growing with, and with my experience I can help further their mission,” Vong said. “I am passionate about supporting others on their entrepreneurial journey.”

“One of the greatest gifts the ownership of Humanity afforded Ani is a central place in the community – as a business owner, a Khmer woman, and a supporter of entrepreneurs and businesses,” said Franky Descoteaux, director of the Entrepreneurship Center. “She is well-connected within the business community as well as the nonprofit community in Lowell and surrounding areas. Ani’s ability to wear many hats as a business owner, along with the demands of her nonprofit volunteer work, has forged her into a sensible, entrepreneurial spirit. It’s this spirit, we believe, that will be of great benefit to the Entrepreneurship Center at Community Teamwork.”

The funding Vong will manage comes from a variety of sources, including a highly competitive Small Business Administration (SBA) PRIME grant.

The Entrepreneurship Center was one of 27 awardees, and two in Mass., out of 200 national applicants. In partnership with Lowell’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) COVID emergency funds, PRIME funds will be used to hire local consultants who will provide critical support to businesses negatively impacted by COVID-19.

Vong has steered her boutique, opened in 2014, through slow economic times before, including the pandemic. In the last year, she has transformed her business into an e-commerce presence and pop-up shop.

As the STAT Program Coordinator at the Entrepreneurship Center, Vong will provide culturally and language competent consulting to underserved restaurants and retailers across Lowell, focusing in Cambodia Town, The Acre, Downtown, and Back Central.

The Entrepreneurship Center at Community Teamwork will work with local partners to identify consultants, including the Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association (CMAA), Coalition for a Better Acre (CBA), Working Cities Challenge, African Community Center of Lowell (ACCL), Portuguese American Center, the LatinX Community Center for Empowerment and others.

The goal of the STAT team is to work with the business owner to resolve current business challenges and to help them achieve future business goals. Consultants will work collaboratively with business owners, completing necessary tasks, training new critical skills, setting up systems for long-term success, and amplifying local business awareness through coordinated marketing.

 

FULL ARTICLE APPPEARED 2 10 21 

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE    https://bit.ly/3jH23HN

Community Teamwork Hires Local Business Owner, Ani Vong

By Amy Sokolow asokolow@ lowellsun. com Lowell »

The Entrepreneurship Center at Community Teamwork Inc., a Lowell- based group that teaches entrepreneurship and financial skills to local business owners, has hired Ani Vong, owner of Humanity Boutique in Lowell.

Vong, a Khmer American woman, will help manage $ 650,000 in funding as the specialized technical assistance team’s (STAT) program coordinator. “The Entrepreneurship Center @ CTI, with its mission and all that it’s accomplished in support of small businesses and the local economy, is an organization I see myself growing with, and with my experience I can help further their mission,” Vong said. “I am passionate about supporting others on their entrepreneurial journey.”

“One of the greatest gifts the ownership of Humanity afforded Ani is a central place in the community — as a business owner, a Khmer woman, and a supporter of entrepreneurs and businesses,” said Franky Descoteaux, Director of the Entrepreneurship Center. “She is well- connected within the business community as well as the nonprofit community in Lowell and surrounding areas. Ani’s ability to wear many hats as a business owner, along with the demands of her nonprofit volunteer work, has forged her into a sensible, entrepreneurial spirit. It’s this spirit, we believe, that will be of great benefit to the Entrepreneurship Center at Community Teamwork.”

The funding Vong will manage comes from a variety of sources, including a highly competitive Small Business Administration (SBA) PRIME grant.

ani Vong joins CTI from Humanity boutique. Courtesy Community Teamwork Inc.

The Entrepreneurship Center was one of 27 awardees, and two in Massachusetts, out of 200 national applicants. In partnership with Lowell’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) COVID emergency funds, PRIME funds will be used to hire local consultants who will provide critical support to businesses negatively impacted by COVID-19.

Vong has steered her boutique, opened in 2014, through slow economic times before, including the pandemic. In the last year, she has transformed her business into an e- commerce presence and a pop- up type shop.

As the STAT Program Coordinator at the Entrepreneurship Center, Vong will provide culturally and language competent consulting to underserved restaurants and retailers across Lowell, focusing in Cambodia Town, The Acre, Downtown and Back Central. The Entrepreneurship Center at Community Teamwork will work with local partners to identify consultants, including the Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association (CMAA), Coalition for a Better Acre (CBA), Working Cities Challenge, African Community Center of Lowell (ACCL), Portuguese American Center, the LatinX Community Center for Empowerment and others. The goal of the STAT team is to work with the business owner to resolve current business challenges and to help them achieve future business goals.

Consultants will work collaboratively with business owners, completing necessary tasks, training new critical skills, setting up systems for long- term success, and amplifying local business awareness through coordinated marketing.

 

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Valuable, Virtual Internship

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This summer Project LEARN launched Commencement 2 Careers – Valuable, Virtual Internship

By Emma Murphy

emurphy@ lowellsun. com

Lowell » A new Project LEARN program is giving high school students the chance to gain real-world work experience through local internships even amid COVID-19 public health restrictions.

This summer Project LEARN launched Commencement 2 Careers, a two- month virtual program that teaches students how to build resumes, dress for the job and use essential tools like Microsoft Excel. After learning those skills in the program’s first few

Interns » 4a

Lowell High class of 2020 graduates Shaveen Gachau and Stacey McGuire, who have internships through Project Learn’s commencement 2 careers program, chat with Lowell High teacher Kendra Bauer and Project learn executive director LZ Nunn.

Franky Descoteaux, director of the entrepreneurship center @cti, poses with Lowell High class of 2020 graduate Koby Pailin, who has an internship through Project Learn’s commencement 2 careers program. at top, 

Julia Malakie Photos /Lowell Sun

From Page 1a

weeks, participating students then intern for a local participating business or organization.

“ COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted our students and families here in Lowell,” Executive Director of Project LEARN LZ Nunn said in an email. “ The goal in creating C2C was to develop real- world work experience and skill building, in a virtual setting, which our graduates can take into college, career and life experience into the future.”

Available to recent Lowell high graduates and rising seniors, the program paired 40 interns with 13 host sites around the city, including Lowell High School and CTI. The students each received a $ 500 stipend and obtained 45-50 hours of work- based experience.

According to Nunn, the students developed skills in collaboration, team work, workplace communication, presentation, research and MS Office Suite.

Recent Lowell High grads and Commencement 2 Careers interns Shaveen Gachau and Bryan Montal said they appreciated the program for the practical skills it taught them.

“I learned how to be professional and how to use technology to my advantage, especially during this time,” Gachau said.

Gachau, 18, just started classes at UMass Boston, where she is majoring in international relations. Just a week into her freshman year Gachau said she has already used some of the technology she learned to use over the summer.

Montal, 18, jumped at the chance to participate in the program because he wanted workplace experience before starting college this fall. Montal is studying computer science at UMass Lowell.

“ Since I was going into college I wanted experience in any type of workplace,” Montal said. “ I just wanted to get experience at the intern level.”

Both Montal and Gachau interned through Lowell High School working with an English teacher to develop curriculum for the 2020-21 school year.

“ I’ve always seen it as a student but never as a teacher,” Montal said of the curriculum development.

Gachau was able to work with her senior year English teacher, Kendra Bauer, to help develop curriculum. According to Gachau, the interns were tasked with reading “ How To Be An Antiracist” and developing questions and worksheets for Bauer’s incoming students.

For Gachau, the internship came at an opportune time. She was supposed to intern for Lowell Alliance earlier this year, but it was canceled just a few weeks in due to the pandemic.

According to Nunn, Commencement 2 Careers was designed to accommodate students who need flexible schedules and who might have trouble finding transportation to and from their internships.

“ There are other interns who have other jobs and summer school and they’re able to fit time in,” Montal said.

Franky Descoteaux, director of the Entrepreneurship Center @ CTI, learned about the program through Nunn.

“LZ always puts together great stuff,” Descoteaux said. “Even in the pilot stage she’s got good ideas.”

Descoteaux participated as one of the 13 intern hosts and oversaw a team of interns who helped her with research. The Entrepreneurship Center had recently received some grants to connect with small, local businesses and help them through the pandemic.

The center’s interns were tasked with identifying all small businesses in the area, categorizing them by type of business and assign contacts. It was a large task that Descoteaux said would have been a challenge for her to complete without the help of the Commencement 2 Careers interns.

Beyond help completing the project, Descoteaux said she agreed to participate because she enjoys working with high school and college- age students.

“ I love helping young people in particular think about their life and what they create for themselves in their life,” Descoteaux said.

Commencement 2 Careers was funded by the Greater Lowell Community Foundation, a grant from the state and private donors. Currently the organization is looking for funding for the next round of virtual internships.

Moving forward, Nunn said Project LEARN hopes to expand the program to serve over 100 students annually.

Both Montal and Gachau said they would recommend Commencement 2 Careers to other students.

“ If you ever need a referral for a job or another internship they’re very open to do it, they’re very good at answering questions ( about) getting a job or career or getting into higher education,” Gachau said. “ We don’t have a class on how to make your resume better, you don’t have a class that teaches you how to dress; these people are offering it.”

Lowell high class of 2020 graduates shaveen gachau and stacey mcguire, who have internships through project LEARN’s commencement 2 careers program, talk to Lowell high teacher Kendra Bauer. Gachau worked with Bauer, her senior year English teacher, to help develop curriculum. Gachau said the interns were tasked with reading ‘how to be An Antiracist’ and developing questions and worksheets for Bauer’s incoming students

polito speaking at podium
polito speaking at podium

In Lowell, Polito announces grants for small business groups

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$550,000 in grants announced at Community Teamwork headquarters

Jon Winkler

 

Lt. Governor Karyn Polito speaking at the Community Teamwork headquarters in Lowell

By JON WINKLER | jwinkler@nashobavalleyvoice.com | Nashoba Valley Voice

PUBLISHED: February 6, 2020 at 9:11 pm | UPDATED: February 6, 2020 at 9:12 pm

LOWELL – The Baker-Polito administration continues its support of small businesses throughout the commonwealth with Thursday’s announcement of $550,000 in community development capital and microlending grants.

Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito announced multiple recipients of the grants at the headquarters of the Community Teamwork Inc., a nonprofit organization on Merrimack Street. Polito was joined by Mayor John Leahy, City Manager Eileen Donoghue and Larry Andrews, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation.

“What we’re celebrating today are the ideas that come from the community,” Polito said. “Think about the cultural diversity that makes up what Lowell’s history is and what you continue to be: a welcoming place for people with different backgrounds and cultures and dialects come to. They come with that diversity of thought, which is a real asset. When individuals come to this community, they have ideas that they want to bring forward.”

The biggest grant of the collective $550,000 total was awarded to the North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation in the amount of $150,000.

Other grants ranged from $100,000 each to $50,000 each. They were awarded to groups including Community Teamwork’s Entrepreneurship Center, the Cooperative Fund of New England, the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation and the Franklin County Community Development Corporation.

Andrews described the grants as a means for organizations spread throughout the state to offer matching funds to small business owners in need. He added that the amount in each grant and the number of grants awarded each year depend on yearly appropriation from the administration.

“The federal government wants to be sure that the state is involved, but more importantly we want to make sure that these community development corporations and community development financial institutions are supported in other ways,” he explained. “It is up substantially this year. However, it’s still not enough so we’re trying to look at a trajectory that’ll actually go up. There should be more.”

Andrews noted that the receiving corporations address communities with various demographics and needs, referencing how for example the Franklin County Community Development Corporation has a commercial kitchen that offers microlending for people wanting to start restaurants and catering businesses.

“Every recipient has a great story,” he concluded. “If you look at why people come to Lowell, they’re looking to make a a better life for themselves. You just have to go down Merrimack Street and there’s a Spanish restaurant and a Cambodian restaurant, some of that is just the flavor of the international population. You look at Lowell and its educational institutions and its financial institutions. It truly is a renaissance city that can come back from a dormant past. What you’re gonna start seeing is that international flavor of Lowell and I think there will be more inclusion of businesses.”

Jon Winkler

Jon Winkler is a 25-year-old reporter covering government, education and human interest in Ayer, Groton, Pepperell, Shirley and Townsend for the Nashoba Valley Voice. He previously covered education and local government in East Hampton and Southampton, New York. Jon is a New England original, born in Nashua and raised in Merrimack, New Hampshire.

 Follow Jon Winkler @MrJW595

In Lowell, Polito announces grants for small business groups

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