COED Launches Black Business Roundtable

The Cherokee Office of Economic Development, in partnership with Cherokee By Choice investor Georgia Power, has created a Black Business Roundtable in an effort to enhance relationships with Black business owners and residents.

The roundtable aims to create a deeper understanding of the Black business community’s distinct viewpoints and needs.

Eleven business owners attended the first meeting on April 9, to exchange thoughts, experiences and expertise to strengthen the collaboration and support among Cherokee’s Black community. They discussed empowering entrepreneurs through mentorship, fostering connections and resource sharing among minority-owned businesses.

“We want to change the narrative and encourage black entrepreneurs to delve into industries that don’t typically feature people who look like us,” said William Thomas of Golf2Grow.

The Black Business Roundtable comes as part of COED’s Cherokee By Choice 2.0 strategic plan’s minority-owned business support initiative, made possible by CBC investors and Georgia Power.

“We don’t want people to think that we only want black customers,” Thomas said. “I want to be a business that caters to the needs of the community that I serve; so, I expect my customer base to reflect Cherokee’s demographics.”

In October of last year, COED launched the Latino Business Roundtable to create a communication pipeline for Hispanic and Latino business owners. The Latino Business Roundtable meets monthly, tackling issues like transportation, education and language barriers.

CBC 2.0 is COED’s next-level five-year economic growth and resiliency initiative, aiming to strengthen Cherokee’s business community as a whole. To read the full five-year plan or invest in Cherokee By Choice 2.0, visit cherokeega.org/CherokeeByChoice.