In June, for the first time in two years, C2BE’s board of directors and staff met for an in-person retreat. Some of our newer board members had met members of the staff face-to-face only once before the COVID pandemic hit. What was clear at the retreat is that C2BE has powerful leadership dedicated to the ongoing transformation of the organization as it supports Black, Brown and under-resourced community members become worker-owners and community-member owners of small business in in metropolitan Detroit. The board rededicated itself to supporting small business owners with succession planning and assisting the smooth transition to worker ownership.
Everybody wins when a retiring business owner can walk away with a hard-won business legacy, employees can maintain their jobs, local governments can maintain their tax base and community members can enjoy uninterrupted goods and services.
We are excited about 2022 initiatives and beyond. Over the next year in this newsletter, we will introduce you to each of our dedicated board members. For now, I leave you with this visual and a teaser to encourage you to stay tuned as we roll out C2BE 3.0 throughout the year!
Front Row (left to right): Alicia Farris, Aaron Jackson, Terry Lewis and Karen Tyler-Ruiz Back Row: Judith Robinson, Delphia Simmons, Steve Dubb, Isiah Parfait, Michael Friedman and Juwon Harris NOTE: C2BE board member Sarah Craft is missing from this photo.