ICIC

Last month, we officially kicked off Year 2 of Building for Growth in New Jersey with an in-person event at Kean University ! Designed for construction business owners ready to scale, Building for Growth is an 18-week hybrid executive education program that helps contractors strengthen their operations, improve financials, build capacity, and pursue larger contracts. This year’s cohort will also dive into green infrastructure, equipping participants with insight into sustainability standards and climate-resilient projects that are shaping the future of the construction industry. We’re proud to continue this partnership with @keanuniversity and @newjerseyeda to support New Jersey construction contractors as they break barriers, build businesses, and strengthen communities. Congratulations to this year’s cohort — we’re excited to see the growth, connections, and impact that come from the months ahead! #NewJerseyBusiness #ConstructionBusiness #SmallBusinessGrowth #EconomicDevelopment #GreenInfrastructure #ICIC #ICICorg #ICICBFG #BuildingforGrowth #BFG #BIPOCBusiness #WomanOwnedBusiness #WomenInConstruction #VeteranOwned #ConstructionManagement #ConstructionCompany #ExecutiveEducation #Construction

Small business owners, this one’s for you! 🚀 If you’re looking for ways to sharpen your skills, access funding opportunities, and connect with resources that can help your business grow, @verizon Small Business Digital Ready is worth exploring. Through the platform, entrepreneurs can access free courses, events, and opportunities designed to support business owners at every stage. Current opportunities include: ✅ Verizon Small Business Super Pitch Submit your entry by May 18, 2026 at 11:59 PM PT for a chance to win an exclusive trip to the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Final and compete for up to $20,000 in a final pitch competition judged by two-time World Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Carli Lloyd. Enter the Super Pitch: digitalready.verizonwireless.com/static/articles/Verizon-Small-Business-Super-Pitch.html ✅ Digital Ready $10,000 National Grant Verizon, in partnership with LISC, is awarding $10,000 grants throughout the year. Complete any two eligible courses or events on the Digital Ready platform to unlock your application. Ten small businesses are selected each month, and applications remain eligible for future rounds throughout 2026. Learn more here: digitalready.verizonwireless.com/funding/details ✅ Additional Sponsorships and Offers Business owners can also explore opportunities from partners including Indeed, Intuit QuickBooks, Microsoft 365 Copilot, and more. Explore more opportunities: digitalready.verizonwireless.com/category/promotions Whether you’re looking to build new skills, pursue funding, or discover tools that can support your next stage of growth, these resources are designed with small business owners in mind! #ICICOrg #ICIC #SmallBusiness #Entrepreneurship #SmallBusinessGrowth #BusinessResources #AccessToCapital #VerizonDigitalReady

In honor of National Small Business Week and National Small Business Day, we’re taking a moment to cheer on several incredible members of the ICIC’s Alumni Network (ICAN) who were recognized by SBA district offices for their achievements! Congratulations to these outstanding business leaders: ⭐Maqsood Ali of TSI Engineering, Inc. — Small Businessperson of the Year from the SBA Sacramento District Office and a 2025 IC100 Award Winner ⭐Ronnette Meyers of JLAN Solutions — Small Business Person of the Year in Washington, D.C. and a Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses and ICCC alumna ⭐Troy Anthony of Troy Anthony Fashion — Microenterprise Business of the Year from the SBA Connecticut District and an ICCC alumnus ⭐Mike Hess of Mike Hess Brewing Co., LLC — Veteran-owned Small Business of the Year from the SBA San Diego District and an ICCC alumnus ⭐Hyacinth Tucker of The Laundry Basket LLC — Veteran-owned Small Business of the Year from the SBA Baltimore District and an ICCC Program alumna ⭐Vicki Gray of New Chapter Home Improvement Services — Woman-owned Business of the Year for Massachusetts and New England and a BFG and ICCC alumna We’re proud to celebrate these changemakers for their leadership, resilience, and community impact. Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition! #NationalSmallBusinessWeek #NationalSmallBusinessDay #ICICOrg #ICIC #SmallBusiness #Entrepreneurship #ICCC

Congratulations to the 2025 IC100 winners! 🎉 At this year’s conference, we were proud to recognize an outstanding group of businesses whose growth, leadership, and impact are helping transform communities across the country. Since 1999, ICIC’s IC100 awards have celebrated the fastest-growing businesses in under-resourced communities — companies that are creating jobs, driving economic revitalization, and showing what is possible through entrepreneurship and innovation. This year’s winners represent companies across 21 industries, with an average 435% four-year revenue growth and 2,277 jobs created between 2020 and 2024. We were honored to celebrate these incredible businesses and the impact they are making in their communities every day. Congratulations again to all of the 2025 IC100 winners — your success is inspiring! #IC100Awards #Entrepreneurship #CommunityImpact #EconomicOpportunity #ICICAnnualConference #ChangemakersTakeAction #SmallBusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #BusinessInnovation #AccessToCapital #EconomicOpportunity #AtlantaEvents #SmallBusinessConference #ICICAnCon #LeadTheChange #ICICOrg #ICIC

Wow — what an incredible time bringing changemakers together in Atlanta! Thank you to everyone who showed up, brought the energy, and helped make this year’s event so special. To all of our attendees and partners, thank you for being part of Changemakers Take Action. Your presence, enthusiasm, and engagement created an atmosphere full of meaningful conversations, new connections, and a shared excitement around small business growth and community impact. A special thank you to our speakers for sharing your knowledge and perspective, our sponsors for helping make this event possible, and the ICIC team whose hard work behind the scenes brought the conference to life. We’re so grateful to everyone who helped make Changemakers Take Action: Leveraging Innovation for Growth such a memorable event. And we’re not done yet — we’ll be sharing more moments, highlights, and takeaways from the conference in the days ahead, so stay tuned! @tiranjacksonofficial @halimflowers @harriettubmanherself @laithp @cliffco.oxford #ICICAnnualConference #ChangemakersTakeAction #SmallBusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #BusinessInnovation #AccessToCapital #EconomicOpportunity #AtlantaEvents #SmallBusinessConference #ICICAnCon #LeadTheChange #ICICOrg #ICIC

We’ve officially kicked off the ICIC Annual Conference: Changemakers Take Action: Leveraging Innovation for Growth! Couldn’t make it in person? Don’t worry — there’s still time to join us virtually for today’s Mainstage sessions and be part of the conversations shaping the future of small business. Tune in for keynote addresses, an economic forecast for small businesses, a Shark Tank-style pitch competition, the IC100 Awards Presentation, and more — livestreamed today from 8:00 AM–7:30 PM ET. This is your last chance to register for the virtual conference and experience the Mainstage from wherever you are. Join the livestream here: icic.org/annualconference/livestream #ICICAnnualConference #ChangemakersTakeAction #SmallBusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #BusinessInnovation AccessToCapital EconomicOpportunity AtlantaEvents SmallBusinessConference ICICAnCon LeadTheChange ICICOrg ICIC

As we kick off the ICIC Annual Conference, we’re taking a moment to celebrate and shout out the incredible sponsors helping make this event possible! Thank you to Kaiser Permanente, Bank of America, FedEx, Bain Capital, Intuit, Regions Bank, The Home Depot, Appleton Partners, Arctaris Impact Investors, and Forward Financing for your support of small business owners and your investment in the growth of local economies. Many of these organizations have stood alongside ICIC for years, showing what meaningful partnership can look like in action. Their continued commitment to entrepreneurship, innovation, and economic opportunity helps create the kind of momentum that empowers businesses, strengthens communities, and drives lasting impact. We’re proud to begin this conference with partners who believe in the power of small businesses and the importance of investing in their success. #ICICAnnualConference #ChangemakersTakeAction #SmallBusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #BusinessInnovation #AccessToCapital #EconomicOpportunity #AtlantaEvents #SmallBusinessConference #ICICAnCon #LeadTheChange #ICICOrg #ICIC

Your conference experience, your way! At Changemakers Take Action, you don’t have to take a one-size-fits-all approach. With session tracks designed around different goals, challenges, and opportunities, you can build the experience that best supports your business, your growth, and your next move. Want to explore how innovation and AI can help you operate smarter and scale more effectively? Curious about how to strengthen your brand, expand your customer base, and unlock procurement opportunities? Passionate about the role entrepreneurship can play in transforming communities? This year’s conference tracks are designed to help you choose the conversations, strategies, and insights that matter most to you. Follow one track for a deeper dive or mix and match sessions to create your own learning journey. However you choose to engage, you’ll walk away with fresh ideas, practical takeaways, and connections that can help move your business forward. So… what track will you take? #ICICAnnualConference #ChangemakersTakeAction #SmallBusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #BusinessInnovation #AccessToCapital #EconomicOpportunity #AtlantaEvents #SmallBusinessConference #ICICAnCon #LeadTheChange #ICICOrg #ICIC

Next week, we are bringing together bold thinkers, practical strategies, and the conversations small businesses need right now — and the breakout sessions are where so much of that learning comes to life! At Changemakers Take Action: Leveraging Innovation for Growth, attendees can choose from dynamic sessions across three powerful tracks: 🔹Leveraging Innovation for Growth🔹 From actionable AI strategies to real conversations about implementation and access to capital, this track is built for businesses ready to innovate and scale. ♦️Accessing Opportunities for Growth ♦️ With sessions on the economic outlook, branding and sales, and procurement pipelines, this track is designed to help businesses strengthen their positioning and pursue new opportunities. 🔸Spotlighting Transformational Change in Communities🔸 From Halim Flowers’ featured keynote to a conversation on neighborhood revitalization, this track explores how entrepreneurship can create lasting impact in communities. These sessions are designed to give attendees practical takeaways, new ideas, and meaningful connections they can carry forward long after the conference ends. Get ready for an inspiring week! #ICICAnnualConference #ChangemakersTakeAction #SmallBusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #BusinessInnovation #AccessToCapital #EconomicOpportunity #AtlantaEvents #SmallBusinessConference #ICICAnCon #LeadTheChange #ICICOrg #ICIC

The countdown is on — the ICIC Annual Conference is happening next week, and the mainstage lineup is one you won’t want to miss. From economic insight and bold reinvention to transformational change and scalable growth, this year’s speakers are bringing powerful perspectives to the stage at Changemakers Take Action: Leveraging Innovation for Growth. Here’s a look at what’s ahead on the mainstage: 🔹Economic Outlook for Small Businesses with Ronald Homer, Corey Harris, Brenda McKenzie, and S. Alan McKnight, Jr. 🔹Opening Keynote from Tiran Jackson on reinvention and rising in a changing market 🔹Featured Keynote from Halim Flowers on transformational change and the value of the future 🔹A Gentler, Kinder Shark Tank-style Pitch Competition featuring innovative entrepreneurs 🔹The ICAN Induction Ceremony 🔹Afternoon Keynote from Cliff Oxford on scalable revenue and long-term growth 🔹And the IC100 award ceremony Whether you’re joining us in person or tuning in from wherever you are, this is a conversation you’ll want to be part of. Not attending the conference? You can still watch the mainstage virtually at icic.org/annualconference/livestream. Let’s get ready for an incredible week! #ICICAnnualConference #ChangemakersTakeAction #SmallBusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #BusinessInnovation #AccessToCapital #EconomicOpportunity #AtlantaEvents #SmallBusinessConference #ICICAnCon #LeadTheChange #ICICOrg #ICIC

Get ready for the energy, ideas, and community of the ICIC Annual Conference! Changemakers Take Action: Leveraging Innovation for Growth brings together bold entrepreneurs, visionary leaders, and partners who are shaping the future of small business — and this year’s conference is designed to help you connect, learn, and take action. What makes this event so powerful is the community. It’s a place to build relationships, exchange ideas, and learn alongside people who are committed to growth and impact. This year, attendees can tailor their experience through dynamic conference tracks focused on the strategies and opportunities driving business success: Leveraging Innovation for Growth — for those ready to use AI, new tools, and smarter strategies to scale Accessing Opportunities for Growth — for those looking to strengthen their brand, expand opportunities, and pursue larger contracts Spotlighting Transformational Change in Communities — for those passionate about the role of entrepreneurship in revitalizing neighborhoods and creating lasting impact Whether you follow one track or mix and match, you’ll walk away with fresh ideas, practical insights, and meaningful connections. We can’t wait to see you there! #ICICAnnualConference #ChangemakersTakeAction #SmallBusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #BusinessInnovation #AccessToCapital #EconomicOpportunity #AtlantaEvents #SmallBusinessConference #ICICAnCon #LeadTheChange #ICICOrg #ICIC

Throwing it back to the 2025 ICIC Annual Conference and celebrating one of ICIC’s most impactful partners, Kaiser Permanente. We’re proud to welcome @kaiserpermanente back this year as a Principal Sponsor — our highest sponsorship tier — for the upcoming ICIC Annual Conference: Changemakers Take Action: Leveraging Innovation for Growth. Kaiser Permanente’s partnership with ICIC has helped advance economic empowerment through our Inner City Capital Connections (ICCC) program and the ICIC Alumni Network (ICAN), reflecting a shared commitment to improving wellness outcomes through opportunity, growth, and small business success. Last year, we were honored to present Kaiser Permanente with the Small Business Transformation Award, recognizing years of extraordinary leadership and impact. Their support has helped expand ICCC across the country and strengthen the communities and entrepreneurs ICIC serves every day. As we look ahead to this year’s conference, we’re grateful for Kaiser Permanente’s continued partnership and leadership in helping shape a stronger future for small businesses. We hope to see you next week in Atlanta! Register today if you haven’t yet by using the link in bio! #ICICAnnualConference #ChangemakersTakeAction #SmallBusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #BusinessInnovation #AccessToCapital #EconomicOpportunity #AtlantaEvents #SmallBusinessConference #ICICAnCon #LeadTheChange #ICICOrg #ICIC