BLM inspires free business training and grant program at Farmingdale State

The Black Lives Matter movement has led to the creation of a program at Farmingdale State College aimed at helping minority students and alumni with their businesses and business dreams.

The Student & Alumni Business Boot Camp & Grant Program, which began taking applications in December, includes free training and grants of up to $1,000 per participant.

One of the first to sign up was Don Mahalli, 22, of Commack, who graduated in May as valedictorian with a degree in business management. Even with that background, Mahalli said he appreciates the advice he's gotten so far for his nascent coaching business, which he calls Tiki Soccer.

The boot camp is helping Mahalli, who is Persian American, to set some marketing priorities: He said he needs a compelling video at the top of the business' future website, plus business cards and clothes emblazoned with the Tiki Soccer logo.

"Right now, I'm weighing what type of business [structure] that I should use, and what I need to spend money for," said Mahalli, who landed a job last month at Farmingdale State as an admissions adviser. He said he plans to coach soccer and offer private lessons in the evenings and on weekends.

The program can accommodate 25 people per year; 10 have enrolled so far, according to Erica Chase-Gregory, who got behind the initiative in her role as director of the Small Business Development Center at the college.

NAACP resolution

The boot camp was created in response to a 2020 resolution by the college's NAACP chapter.

The student-led group had proposed the creation of a Black Business Development Fund, where recipients would receive expert advice and training from the SBDC.

"Entrepreneurship provides an effective vehicle for Black people in this country to circumvent discriminatory hiring practices in the labor market, develop economic power and hire other Black professionals," the NAACP resolution states.

Darrien Hunt, who started the NAACP chapter and was its president in 2020, said the resolution was one of 12 presented to the college's administration in the wake of the George Floyd Jr. murder in Minnesota and Black Lives Matter protests nationwide.

"A lot of times we feel like it’s us against the world," said Hunt, 22, of Cambria Heights, Queens. He graduated in May with a degree in computer science and information systems and is now pursuing a graduate degree at Hampton University in Virginia.

"To have an institution not only say they believe in you but prove that by providing financial resources and guidance to help you get to where you want to be — that makes all the difference for us in trying to close some of these equity gaps," Hunt said.

He spoke with Chase-Gregory, the SBDC director, in 2020 about the NAACP resolution. She recalled, "I told him, 'I love your proposal.' "

Chase-Gregory expanded the resolution's reach to include students and alumni from all racial minority groups who have or want to open a business in New York State.

"We want to learn about what they need," she said of the entrepreneurs. "We will help them determine the best use [of the grant funds]."

Ongoing guidance planned

Program participants are each assigned a business adviser from the SBDC who will work with them during the boot camp, and for years ahead.

Those with a startup business are required to attend workshops on how to launch a business, write a business plan and market their offerings. The time commitment is a minimum of three to five hours, according to Chase-Gregory.

Participants with an existing company in New York State will meet with their SBDC adviser to identify challenges and growth opportunities, and to select three appropriate workshops to attend.

The adviser will help the participant to prepare for pitch events in April and May that will determine grant awards of up to $1,000. The funding comes from $30,000 given to the SBDC from Capital One’s Impact Initiative, a five-year, $200 million program established in response to Black Lives Matter activism.

Capital One hopes "to help create a pathway to self-employment and to ensure the participants of [Farmingdale State's boot camp] develop a successful business foundation for growth," bank spokeswoman Angela Solomon told Newsday.

Pursuit Lending, a Albany-based nonprofit that provides loans and other financing to small businesses, is also supporting the Farmingdale State program.

By James T. Madore

james.madore@newsday.comJamesTMadore

James T. Madore writes about Long Island business news including the economy, development, and the relationship between government and business. He previously served as Albany bureau chief.