“Diversity in Small Business & Access to Capital Workshop” Aims to Provide Tools to Local Small Businesses

The Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce, Nicholls State University, and Regions Bank are sponsoring the “Diversity in Small Business & Access to Capital Workshop.” The event is set for Tuesday, July 13 at 4:00 p.m. and will be presented by Dr. Steven Kenney, AVP for Human Resources/Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer at Nicholls State University.

The Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce established a Small Business Diversification Task Force in 2020. The purpose of the task force is to reflect the area’s diverse business community in its membership, to start conversations around diversity, equity, and inclusion, and to provide resources for small businesses. The first diversity workshop was titled “Cultivating Connection: Starting the Conversation Around Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Workshop,” where participants were taught the definition of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The LSBDC website says diversity “provides the tools, Equity provides the balance, and Inclusion writes the narrative. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are relational constructs. While each is a stand-alone concept, together each is an essential component needed to build effective relationships. Success with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is ultimately about how your network functions and performs based on the quality of social connections, openness to learning, agility, and depth of decision making…Together we will examine the concept of climate as well as explore specific behaviors and skills needed to demonstrate inclusivity and access.”

The next workshop in the series will be Tuesday, July 13 at 4:00 P.M at the Theodore Duhe Center Auditorium located at 235 Civic Center Boulevard in Houma. “Diversity in Small Business & Access to Capital Workshop” will teach business owners the best ways to promote diversity within their small businesses and how to access capital. 

The issue arose about small businesses hitting barricades when it comes to access to capital in a recent task force meeting. The conversation highlighted examples from business leaders of small business owners of not only not knowing how to access capital but also an issue of small business owners’ hesitance with banking institutions. The conversation led to the fruition of the July 13 small business workshop.

The workshop is free of charge and is open for registration. Visit https://www2.lsbdc.org/workshop.aspx?ekey=10410023 to register, call (985) 493-2587, or email lsbdc.nic@louisianasbdc.org for more information.