Take Advantage of Minority-Owned Business Outreach in Montgomery County, Ohio

Throughout 2021, Montgomery County, Ohio Community and Economic Development, in partnership with the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce Minority Business Partnership, hosted minority-owned business outreach activities in a roundtable format, as well as virtual resource highlight events. The outreach was part of the Montgomery County Commissioners’ Addressing Racism initiative to grow and expand minority-owned businesses in the County. Business owners who attended represented a diverse range of businesses such as beauty salons, restaurants, clothing retail, grocery stores, childcare centers, business consultants, artists, and more.

“This outreach is in response to Montgomery County Commissioner’s declaration of racism as a public health crisis on June 16, 2020,” said Tosin Osunbunmi, Montgomery County Community and Economic Development Specialist. “We are trying to better understand the needs of minority-owned businesses and identify resources to meet those needs.”

“This is necessary because one thing the COVID pandemic exposed was the lack of awareness of resources by minority-owned businesses and the need to assist those businesses,” continued Osunbunmi. “Assisting minority-owned businesses will not only make them successful but will also help make other businesses and the Dayton Region economically successful.”

The outreach events have worked to promote awareness of resources. Feedback received during the events revealed that several business owners weren’t aware of the variety of resources and partner organizations that existed to help them move their businesses forward. As a result of these events, the Office of Community and Economic Development had several minority-owned businesses reach out for assistance for various needs. “We’ve been able to connect them to helpful resource partners, which probably would not have happened without the outreach,” said Osunbunmi.

There are more events scheduled for 2022.  “We have an upcoming virtual Minority-Owned Business Workshop called ‘Marketing: Messaging and Branding’ on March 8, 2022, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.” said Osunbunmi. “In surveying the registrants for the events in 2021, we found this was an area most businesses indicated they needed assistance managing and developing.”

The workshop will cover how to build an engaging message to drive customers to your business, all while building a strong brand. The workshop promises to be hands-on to give a practical framework for creating a compelling message and brand growth.

To register for the virtual marketing workshop, visit selectmcohio.com/marketing-workshop.

Visit the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce Minority Business Partnership for more information about initiatives.