|
As a community, we are full of joy as we welcome Kristy Jackson and Brandi Brooks to Harris-Stowe State University as our inaugural CIE and MECCA Directors! And what better time to celebrate our newest leaders than Black History Month! Our team is strengthening as we continue to serve emerging Black and Brown entrepreneurs.
Like any good start-up business, the additions to our team will help us continue to grow, succeed, and better meet the needs of our community. The Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) alongside the Minority Entrepreneurship Collaborative Center for Advancement (MECCA) is shining bright as the hub for our entrepreneurs excelling in every aspect possible.
We recognize how it is important to highlight the accomplishments of Black people - including those who may have been previously overlooked, but deserve recognition and praise. Black History Month calls for everyone to be intentional about how we celebrate and uplift our people – and we at HSSU are here to salute excellence all year round!
Thank you,
Dr. Stacy Gee Hollins
Interim Associate Provost of Academic Affairs and Dean of the Anheuser-Busch School of Business
| |
Kristy and Brandi Take STL | Within the first several weeks as directors, Kristy and Brandi have hit the ground running. After receiving a warm welcome from HSSU faculty and staff in January, they took a deep dive into the STL entrepreneurial ecosystem. They’ve gone to events at T-Rex, visited HSSU’s GeoHornet Lab there, and also visited Fresh Harvest 365, LLC. Kristy and Brandi wasted no time establishing and developing relationships with partners who believe in, and want to invest and take part in, the CIE|MECCA mission. In addition, they were recently featured guests on Fox 2 TV. Several events and programs are already underway for the year, and Kristy and Brandi have so much more in store! | |
CIE|MECCA hosted Erik Siemers and Nathan Rubbelke, of the St. Louis Business Journal, at HSSU for an opportunity to hear business pitches from recent Accelerator grads. Each participant shared the story of their business, followed by a discussion with Erik and Nathan. Thank you to the St. Louis Business Journal, and of course, to our inspiring entrepreneurs: Kacie Starr Long, CEO of Sew Hope; Chaneyll Anderson, CEO of C5 Events and Decor; Mellarie Thomas, CEO of Tommy Wong Select; Angelia Bills, CEO of Eagle Productions, LLC; and Stanley Prince, CEO of Prince on AriZe. | |
Spring 2023 Facilitator Training Program | Nineteen participants successfully completed the Facilitator Training Program! The program is a 3-week intensive training, which helps them develop their leadership skills by learning how to facilitate programs to help groups meet learning and business goals. | |
Kacie Starr Long is the CEO of Sew Hope, a social enterprise under Jacob's Ladder Ministries, a faith-based non-profit. Sew Hope Community Sewing Room serves the St. Louis community well by providing a unique gathering space that attracts women of all races and ages to share and learn from each other through the art of sewing, quilting, and crafting. In addition to providing classes, workshops and workspace for sewers, quilters and crafters, Sew Hope gives back to the community through special initiatives that include working with individuals who have been incarcerated. | |
Photo courtesy of Gator MediaSTL | |
|
Having once made history, at the age of 26, as St. Louis’ youngest elected official and first African-American woman to represent her district on the St. Louis Board of Aldermen, Kacie is a leader with a passion for serving in her community and advocating for those in need.
Kacie is currently on a mission trip to Beira, Mozambique. In collaboration with Equip Mozambique, She is there for two weeks to teach local women how to sew.
Kacie participated in the Fall 2022 Scale-Up Entrepreneurship Accelerator and placed 1st in the cohort pitch competition.
| |
Are you interested in volunteering for CIE|MECCA? We are looking for people willing to help at upcoming events throughout the year. If you are interested, please fill out the form below! | | |
|
Crash Course
In partnership with Cortex and CIC, HSSU-CIE is launching a FREE Crash Course speaker series on Friday, March 3rd, from 6-8PM. The series will introduce and engage participants in relevant business topics needed to grow or scale their businesses. The first Crash Course is about TRADEMARK and COPYRIGHT. The guest speaker will be Glennetta Haymon, Esq., of Haymon Law Office, LLC. These events are hybrid (virtual and in-person).
| |
|
SAVE THE DATE: The second Crash Course will be on Tuesday, April 28th from 6-8PM. It will focus on "Automation Tools for Business: Grow With Google + More." The guest speaker will be Keisha Mabry, author, speaker and motivator.
Heydays HQ
3139 Olive St.
St. Louis, MO 63103
| |
|
TechSTL
March is now officially the month of Marketing Madness! TechSTL is hosting three FREE events, back-to-back on March 2nd and March 3rd, so mark your calendar now for these amazing opportunities.
At Venture Café St. Louis on March 2nd, they're hosting a workshop from 4-5 PM with Sarah Benoit, Lead Trainer of JB Media Group, LLC and JB Media Institute, LLC and TACTIXapp on "Influencer Marketing: How to turn Fans into Customers." Register HERE.
Right after that, the #TechEXPstl event is bringing out John Simanowitz, CEO of Integrity to speak on "Content Generation through AI" as he shows off their newest product #ScribbleAI and discuss how #artificialintelligence can be leveraged for marketing. Register HERE.
The next day, they are hosting a FREE "Online Sales Bootcamp" at Center for Emerging Technologies with the epic trainers Laura Burkemper, Amy Kohl, Deanna Jannuzzi, Sarah Benoit, Brittany Raji Alberty, and Keisha Mabry Haymore (heyFRIEND). Register HERE.
Don't miss these powerhouse programs to help you leverage technology to make more money online!
| |
Entrepreneur Reads and Resources | |
|
Washington University in St. Louis is hosting a marketplace featuring diverse/woman-owned business enterprises from the St. Louis region on March 29th and 30th from 11a-1pm. They are looking for 40 vendors that sell products and services such as food, clothing, art, jewelry, etc to participate. If interested in participating, APPLY HERE.
Arch Grants 2023 Startup Competition, applications open 2/21-3/31
SCORE Business Mentors
Draw Your Future with Agilities by The DeBruce Foundation
St. Louis County Library Small Business Resources
50 Best Books for Black Entrepreneurs, by Black Entrepreneurs
MECCA Program Coordinator at Harris-Stowe State University
CIE Innovation Coordinator at Harris-Stowe State University
| |
|
ABOUT CIE
The Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) serves as a hub of innovation, a center for entrepreneurship, and a facilitator of partnerships to enhance the black/brown community as well as the community at large.
ABOUT MECCA
The Minority Entrepreneurship Collaborative Center for Advancement (MECCA) serves as a hub of campus and community entrepreneurial activities fostering the growth of emerging entrepreneurs and cultivating the next generation of entrepreneurs from minority and under-resourced communities as future business owners. MECCA provides educational training and services to assist individuals pursuing entrepreneurship, establishes partnerships with local centers for entrepreneurship, provides counseling services to entrepreneurs in developing markets, hosts and sponsors workshops and educational seminars in collaboration with community partners, and assists entrepreneurs in establishing accounting and licensing procedures.
| | | | |
