Following a competitive application process, 21 Birmingham small businesses have been selected to participate in the Birmingham Business Alliance’s Supplier Scale program, which provides customized solutions to prepare local companies to do business with the region’s largest employers, many of which are members of The Alliance.
Supplier Scale is part of The Alliance’s Small Business Advisory Services, which is generously funded by Prosper and has a goal of advancing women- and minority-owned businesses in Birmingham. The Small Business Advisory Services will work with a series of cohorts like Supplier Scale, over six-to-eight-month periods, with the goal of serving 250 companies and creating 1,300 direct jobs over the next five years.
“This first cohort for Supplier Scale is full of amazing small businesses that are proactively seeking ways to do business with other companies and to grow from this experience,” said Ron Kitchens, CEO of the Birmingham Business Alliance. “This cohort, and future cohorts, will be integral in driving job growth and prosperity in their communities.”
The instructor for the Supplier Scale cohort will be Jay Spratling, founder and CEO of Corporate Facilities Management in Birmingham. He will utilize curriculum from nationally recognized small business development organization Interise and be supported by The Alliance’s small business team. In addition to leading one of the largest facilities management companies in the Southeast, Spratling advises aspiring business owners throughout the country. He is the founding board member and current President of Turning Dreams into Realities, a mentoring organization for college-aged men.
The companies and owners that Spratling will be instructing in Supplier Scale include:
3G Chemical Solutions LLC, Aleia Shipman
Auto Tread Inc., Carl Colvin
Birmingham Health, Dr. Alex Casey
BLUEROOT, Jennifer Senske Ryan
C&J Lawn LLC, Tanesha Howard
College Prep U, Jay Johnson
Complete 3 Tech Solutions LLC, Christopher White
Electrical Maintenance & Troubleshooting LLC, Lensey King Jr.
Global Team Staffing LLC, Greg Minard
Life Touch Massage LLC, Lemar Storey
LVL Up Logistics LLC, Olu Aladebumoye
MPA Financials, Cicely Jones
Naughty But Nice Kettle Corn Co., Clem Summers
Never Go Broke Inc., Tae Lee
ProFRESHional Creations LLC, Courtney Woods
Rebirth Marketing & Consulting, Rashida Reese
SARCOR LLC, Selena Rodgers Dickerson
Slade Land Use, Environmental and Transportation Planning, L'Tryce Slade
Smith and Associates Enterprise Inc., Joe Smith
Spiffy Designs, Barbara Cooney
Weelth Inc/TaxxWiz, Tevin Harrell
“This fantastic group of professionals represents a first step towards Prosper's commitment to supporting their growth and the inclusive economic growth of our community,” said Dee Manyama, Initiatives Director for Prosper. “We anticipate great things for these companies and the opportunities that will bloom from the investment of time and effort into scaling their businesses.”
65 small businesses applied for the Supplier Scale program and of those 36 met the requirements (privately owned companies headquartered in Jefferson County that employ 2 to 10 people, and/or generate between $100,000 and $999,999 in annual revenue).
Over a two-day period, 10 partners that work with The Alliance and Prosper interviewed 30 applicants and chose 21 participants - 20 of which are underrepresented businesses. The companies selected for Supplier Scale represent second-stage growth companies, those that have survived startup, achieved early growth, and are poised for further growth and scalability.
Orientation for the first Supplier Scale cohort was held this week and kicked off a six-month journey for the entrepreneurs that will take them and their businesses through CEO mentoring sessions, as well as courses focused on business and leadership, finances, marketing and sales, resources, and more.