Stark County Minority Business Association now part of statewide network

CANTON − The Stark County Minority Business Association (SCMBA) is now part of the statewide Minority Business Assistance Center (MBAC) network.

The association applied for and was awarded a $300,000 grant from July of this year through June 2025 as part of the Ohio Department of Development's minority business network. It replaces money the association previously received from the state budget.

"The difference with this is that this grant is pretty much guaranteed every two years, comes up for renewal," CEO Leonard Stevens said. "We have certain goals that we have to hit, and as long as we're doing our part servicing the minority, women and veteran-owned businesses, then we'll pretty much automatically be renewed each year."

It will help sustain the association, which also will be expanding its services beyond Stark into Tuscarawas, Carroll, Holmes, Wayne and Medina counties.

The association will emphasize business planning and assisting startups and businesses in the "ideation" phase, said Skyler Parks, the SCMBA's director of business development and growth.

"We're also going to make sure that they're aware of all the opportunities they have available with the state through the Department of Development, Minority Business Development Division," he said. "There are several loan programs as well as procurement opportunities that are very exclusive to the state, as well as individuals who are state certified."

State certification programs include the Minority Business Enterprise, Veteran-Friendly Business Enterprise and Women Business Enterprise. Parks said the association will use partnerships, such as an existing one with Community Legal Aid, and the state network to connect with businesses and individuals.

The association will continue to provide grants and mentorship to help businesses "scale and grow," Stevens said, which often spreads SCMBA's mission by word-of-mouth. Planning for the expansion as an MBAC is underway with services expected to start in 2024 outside of Stark County.

The state MBAC network is divided into seven regions with a total of 10 centers. The Akron region, of which the SCMBA is part, also includes the Akron Urban League and the North End Community Improvement Collaborative in Mansfield.

The Canton-based association is categorized as a Tier 1 MBAC, which is smaller than Tier 2 centers, but leaders said they hope the organization can eventually level up.

"The more success that we have, there's more opportunities to grow and receive additional funding, especially as we branch into different markets," Parks said.

Reach Kelly at 330-580-8323 or kelly.byer@cantonrep.comOn X, formerly known as Twitter: @kbyerREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Stark County Minority Business Association joins statewide network