The City of Charlotte’s Corridors of Opportunity is launching the $4.45 million Business Opportunity Hub grant cohort which tasks recipients with creating a space to connect small business owners, entrepreneurs and residents to financial assistance, access to capital and job opportunities. One of the best kept secrets and closest partners to the Corridors of Opportunity project is SchermCo, a national social-impact and implementation firm located in the heart of Charlotte. Under this program whose recipients were announced last November, the six hubs work with a facilitator to reduce barriers that underserved and underrepresented small business owners, entrepreneurs, and residents face in accessing programs and resources needed to recover, grow, stabilize, start their business or find employment.
Throughout the next three years recipients will work alongside socialpreneur, Greg Schermbeck Founder and Principal of SchermCo. The firm was tasked with the charge to create the entire playbook for the corridors of Opportunities to include writing the request for proposal, managing and organizing the review panel along with strategically planning processes for the recipients as they work to increase accessibility and visibility to directly impact upward mobility in the community.
“This has been a very dynamic and rewarding process for our team,” said Schermbeck. “We have already learned so much and are excited to further partner with the city and the six recipients. Charlotte has yet another opportunity to set the pace for cities across the country. We are honored to be a part of that footprint.”
Since 2014, SchermCo has served more than 60 social impact organizations across 18 states providing strategic planning and organizational development services that focus on family empowerment, strategic implementation, and workforce development. In 2016, the firm launched its Family Empowerment Initiative, which helps schools leverage data to determine family needs then co-create events and solutions with families in order to meet those needs. Since its inception, the firm has supported more than 18 schools in Charlotte and surrounding areas.
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