An organization that helps train and support female business owners in Iowa will start a program that aims to do the same for rural Hispanic entrepreneurs.
Iowans for Social and Economic Development received a $200,000 grant from an agency that supports efforts to reduce poverty and help people build sustainable lives. The grant, which will be handed out over the next two years, allows the agency to start Emprendedores Latinos de Iowa, a program that will roll out first in Muscatine and surrounding counties.
That area includes Columbus Junction, a city in Louisa County of about 1,900 people that has a roughly 48 percent Hispanic population, according to 2010 U.S. Census data.
ISED Ventures President Mike Tramontina said his agency will create an advisory board and start hiring staff as early as next month. Eventually, he said, the goal is to expand the program beyond just southeast Iowa.
“There is no question there are specific communities that have got a high concentration of Latino businesses,” Tramontina said. “We will probably hope to expand into those areas, but we have to first make sure we are having an effect on local businesses before moving on.”
The award was part of $3 million handed out by the St. Paul, Minn.-based Northwest Area Foundation, which provides support to agencies in Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon.
Amelia Lobo, the director of ISED’s Women’s Business Center, said the new program will likely mirror the one used at her center. The Women’s Business Center offers 10-week classes that touch on various topics, including social media, access to capital and regulations. The program will bring in local experts to meet with entrepreneurs. READ MORE
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