Most local economic development strategies do not specifically focus on how to build a more racially inclusive community of business owners, address our urban-rural divide of access to resources, or engage in the detailed elements about how to invest in the infrastructure these business owners need to survive and grow. As we rebuild from the pandemic, while millions of dollars in American Rescue Plan Act funds flow to our cities and towns, this moment holds a unique opportunity to make sure that more people benefit moving forward.

Working with small-scale manufacturing businesses is one concrete way to take action and start making changes immediately to build a more inclusive local economy without needing to wait for some big, long-term strategy. Join this event to learn about small-scale manufacturing businesses, their benefit to your local economy, how to work with these businesses to immediately start building a more equitable local economy, and how to use this method to improve local economic development programs to better support diverse business owners in the future.