NewTown Macon and the Macon-Middle Georgia Black Pages will host the Downtown Diversity Initiative this fall to attract more African American business owners to the urban core. Currently, 18% of downtown businesses are owned by African Americans, a statistic that does not reflect the demographics of Macon-Bibb County. The goal of the Initiative is to help more entrepreneurs of color successfully scale their business idea or concept and open a storefront in downtown Macon. 

“This initiative is very much needed and will make a measurable impact on diversity, equity and inclusion for downtown generally and African American Businesses specifically,” said Alex Habersham, publisher of the Macon-Middle Georgia Black Pages.

The Downtown Diversity Initiative consists of five in-person meetings with a cohort of fellow entrepreneurs and self-paced online training. Participants will complete the core components of a business plan and deliver brief presentations each session to cultivate communication skills, confidence, and promotional skills as leaders of their venture. The program ends with a final pitch presentation before a panel of guest judges, and a set of winners will be awarded a cash prize to set-up or expand their business concept in downtown Macon. The program is limited to 30 participants, and all interested entrepreneurs must complete the online application to be considered. 

“At NewTown Macon, we're committed to the Downtown Diversity Initiative for two key reasons,” said Bethany Rogers, executive director of NewTown Loans. “The first is that entrepreneurs of color in Macon-Bibb lack access to traditional financing, so we need to provide them the training, networking, and inspirational capital they need to secure needed funding and build successful businesses. The second is that by diversifying our business ownership in downtown, we also attract more of our community to come out in support of all our businesses and enjoy the amenities of our urban core.” 

Interested entrepreneurs of color who currently do not already operate a business in downtown Macon can learn more and apply to participate at http://bit.ly/NewTownDDI.