Financial Stability
One Business, One Job, One Individual
At a Time Urban and Community Entrepreneurship Program Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence
“All small business owners know that, when running a company, it is easy for things to get overwhelming,” says Alexis Russell, cofounder of Russell General Contracting, LLC, and a 2019 Community Power to Prosper (CP2P) certificate holder. CP2P certification is awarded after the completion of the Urban and Community Entrepreneurship Program’s (UCEP) five-month course, which specializes in assisting businesses in underserved low-to-moderate income communities, helping them to grow and prosper through collaborative partnerships, consulting services and educational workshops. Developed by the Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence (IEE) in 2008, UCEP has fostered economic empowerment in the Greater Pittsburgh area by investing in one business, one job and one individual at a time. Currently hosted at the Homewood Community Engagement Center, UCEP is committed to providing essential resources and training to emerging and established business owners located in the urban environment. Businesses participating in CP2P often have less than $250,000 in annual revenue and few employees. More than 200 diverse small business leaders across Pittsburgh have participated in the program, with the majority being Black and/or women business owners.
CP2P in Action Local business owners participate in a Community Power to Prosper class held at the Homewood Community Engagement Center in July 2021.
CP2P certificate holders have won contracts with Pitt, UPMC and the City of Pittsburgh and have sought to further their business training in IEE’s Entrepreneurial Fellows Class. Russell is one such person who has continued their training in the fellows class. “The course breaks down the information that business owners need to know and feeds it to the participants in bite-sized pieces that are easy to digest. All the main areas of business are focused on to provide a comprehensive view of how to successfully grow your business.”
Across Pittsburgh,
business owners 49 Black
+
business owners 48 Women have participated in the program (as of 2022)
28