Congresswoman Brown Hosts Second Annual OH-11 Small Business Expo at Tri-C Corporate College with Hundreds of Local Entrepreneurs

Warrensville Heights, OH – Congresswoman Shontel Brown (OH-11) hosted her

second annual OH-11 Small Business Expo Saturday, June 1^st Tri-C Corporate College – East. Approximately 450 people attended the expo, which featured representatives from federal, state, and local agencies, as well as non-profits, the private sector, and financial institutions.

During the event, attendees had the opportunity to register their businesses as either a Sole Proprietorship or an LLC. The expo included resource tables, panel discussions and breakout sessions on advice for first-generation entrepreneurs, marketing and branding, creating a business plan, loan and financing advice and more.

“It was an honor to host our second annual OH-11 Small Business Expo. There are so many talented small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs in Northeast Ohio and it was incredible to see hundreds of them today. There is so much talent here and we need to tap into it so that our economy can grow and more people can build wealth. That’s what our Small Business Expo was all about, offering a one-stop shop for people to learn, network, and get inspired. It was especially important to host this event in Warrensville Heights and bring these resources to underserved communities,” said Congresswoman Brown.

Interest in entrepreneurship and small business ownership is surging for Black Americans. According to Gallup, 27% of Black women plan to start a business in the next year and Black women are the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs. Overall, the rate of Black business ownership is growing at the fastest rate in 30 years, and the share and dollar value of Small Business Administration loans going to Black-owned businesses has more than doubled since 2020 under the Biden-Harris Administration.

Participating agencies included: the US Small Business Administration, the US Department of Commerce, the US Department of Transportation, the Minority Business Development Agency, the Office of the Ohio Secretary of State, the Cuyahoga County Office of Small Business, the City of Cleveland, SCORE Cleveland, the Hispanic Business Center, SBA’s Veterans Business Outreach Center, the Urban League and more.

Program information and resources will be posted on Congresswoman Brown’s website for those that could not attend the event.

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