Kick-off event for the Flint & Genesee Business Bridge is underway

FLINT, Michigan — The Flint and Genesee Business Bridge is hosting a kick-off event for BIPOC-owned businesses in the area on October 27 with the goal of connecting the community.

Tyler Rossmaessler, the Executive Director of Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance and host of the kick-off event said the “Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance is a division of Flint & Genesee Group, and a core strategy of the Group’s Strategic Plan is to address barriers to success for small- and minority-owned businesses. The Flint & Genesee Business Bridge is one way we’re working to support that strategy.”

The Flint and Genesee Business Bridge is a digital directory for businesses owned by someone who is Black, Indigenous, and/or a person of color (BIPOC) and hopes to let the community search for all the BIPOC-owned businesses in the county.

The digital directory is free to join for businesses and allows the public to “like” the business and has access to all of the social media accounts connected with the business.

“The purpose of the Business Bridge is to connect people,” said Rossmaessler. “There are larger companies that want to be more intentional about their spending in the BIPOC community. The Business Bridge can help them find local businesses that can fill their procurement needs, whatever they may be. It’s a great opportunity for BIPOC-owned businesses to get their resources and products in front of interested buyers and consumers.”

The event will be hosted at the New Jerusalem Full Gospel Baptist Church and will be from 10:00 a.m until 3 p.m. It’s completely free and lunch will be provided. Registration is open until October 21 and is free to register on the Flint and Genesee Business Bridge’s website. 

There will be speakers, a panel of experts, and time to connect with other local BIPOC-owned businesses. Businesses attending can expect to meet with buyers and services that will help their business.

Rossmaessler said, “it’s bringing an online resource offline for a few hours. In addition to showing attendees how to use and navigate the online directory, we’ll also have motivational speakers, panels covering business certifications and marketing resources, and matchmaking roundtables with area buyers. We hope attendees leave with a broader network and a greater awareness of resources and tools available to them.”

For more info about the Flint and Genesee Business Bridge, visit the website here.