Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - As we near the month of August, East Buffalo's Entrepreneur Service Organization known as The Exchange at Beverly Gray is excited to celebrate Black Business Month, with a lineup of events to pitch ideas and learn how to grow your business.
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The Exchange at Beverly Gray, located on West Utica Street on Buffalo's east side near Jefferson Avenue, is the first incubator and co-working space in WNY specifically serving entrepreneurs who are black, indigenous or people of color [BIPOC]. The Exchange works to empower local business owners through investment, programming, advanced technology, and a state-of-the-art multi-use facility, with a variety of services that can be utilized to help business grow.
The goal for the businesses is two-fold, according to Exchange at Beverly Gray Executive Director Derrick Parson.
"For the co-working space, it's more of we want to foster a community. One particular thing about it is the fact that this is the only co-working space on the east side of Buffalo. So not only are we fostering community, but we're fostering culture. We want people to set their roots to grow to learn from each other, whether trials or triumphs. For the incubator tenants, the goal is to have a set space for about a year, year and a half or two, and then to grow up as they grow, and then we can help them find larger spaces."
One business that The Exchange has grown at great scale, is the Clementine Gold Group.
"They're on pace to do record numbers in terms of revenue, and they've only been in business full-time for about a year or two," says Parson.
The events to celebrate Black Business Month starts with the kids as The Exchange hosts The Business of Business: Youth Edition on Wednesday, August 2.
"We're celebrating all our young entrepreneurs, followed by The Business of Real Estate. After that, we have The Business of Food, we're doing one in partnership with the city, The Business of Cannabis, that's going to be an especially big one as well. From there, we have a celebration towards the end of the month, our Black Business Block Party. We will be doing a "Pull Up and Pitch" where people can just come to the festival pitch their idea for prizes and services."
Pull Up & Pitch winners will receive prizes that include business capital, free co-working space for six months, free legal, financial, and business development services, and six months of business mentorship.