Investing in Small Business and the Community

CenterState CEO's Community Investment team advances strategies that serve minority and women owned businesses and encourage real estate development in key neighborhoods. In 2021, the team provided services to 85 women and/or minority-owned businesses through Up Start (53 minority, 58 female) and 11 real estate projects in target city of Syracuse neighborhoods totaling $19+ million in project costs and 170,000 square-feet. With funding from JPMC AdvancingCities, CenterState CEO designed and launched Surge for Small Business, serving 18 businesses and investing more than $27,000. The program helps small XBE businesses access implementation grants and technical assistance, enabling them to be more resilient and adaptable in the changing economy

Pictured above: Roselinda Abbey’s African & Caribbean Market sells products from West African countries and enables customers to send money to family and friends in Africa. With the help of the city’s Neighborhood & Business Development department, she purchased the building and CenterState CEO helped her navigate the process to combine two storefronts into one, nearly doubling the size of her current shop, and helped her apply for a SEDOC ARPA loan to help fund the final phase of the renovation.