10. GMEN News

Inclusive Economic Prosperity : A Community Conversation with Atlanta Fed President Raphael BosticGMEN Reentry Consultant, Sharon Turner, was the Facilitator of a luncheon community conversation with the new Atlanta Federal Reserve Chair Raphael Bostic, Reverend Raphael Warnock of Ebenezer Baptist Church and Shawn Sebastian of Fed Up. The event was hosted at the Center for Working Families. In addition to supporting GMEN's Reentry and Entrepreneurship Trainings, Sharon is a 2018 Fed Up Fellow. You can view the entire conversation on inclusive economic prosperity here.

9. GMEN Training Updates

Southeast Association for Micro Enterprises The June 16, 2018 Southeast Association for Micro Enterprise "SAME" Orientation was a

rousing success! Entrepreneurs from across the state were in attendance and GMEN was

pleased to host the South Carolina Micro Enterprise Network Representative, Rogie

Nelson. SCMEN and GMEN will both hold SAME training events over the next few

months, both in Georgia and South Carolina. The next session in Georgia will

be Saturday, July 21, 2018, from 12;30 - 2:00. Be sure to join us helping women and

families ensure a more profitable future for their children through entrepreneurship. SAME

is a four state initiative that provides business support services, capital access and access

to market opportunities for Women across the Southeast. REGISTER HERE FOR FREE TICKETS

8. Research and Data

Women Owned Small BusinessesThe Future of Business Survey is a new source of information on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Launched in February 2016, the monthly survey - a partnership between Facebook, OECD, and The World Bank - provides timely information on how firms with a digital presence assess the current state and future outlook of their business, the main challenges they face and their involvement in international trade. Read the latest report: Financing and Women-Owned Small Businesses: The Role of Size, Age and Industry Consult the latest key findings by country

7. Small Business News

Congress Should Continue to use Proven FinancialLeverage to Help Those Who Need It Most

CDFI Fund

As reported by Bob Rapoza, Opinion Contributor in “The Hill”, Congress should continue to use proven financial leverage to help those who need it most. The Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) was established within the U.S. Department of Treasury in 1994 to promote community development in economically distressed urban and rural areas by investing in mission-driven financial institutions—CDFIs. These organizations provide the flexible, patient capital and financial services that consumers, small businesses and communities need to grow and thrive. Congress and CDFI Fund

6. Program Updates

Financial Inclusion Program across Atlanta

GMEN continues to be a participant in several Atlanta focused initiatives including:

Bank on Atlanta, a financial access program that focuses on providing free or low-cost

banking products, along with financial education and financial counseling, to unbanked

and underbanked residents in the city of Atlanta has been created. GMEN is assisting in

developing the entrepreneurial focus of the initiative and will provide updates within the

next few weeks.

AWBI Westside Beltline Working Group, made up of GMEN, Georgia Watch, Invest

Atlanta and the Atlanta Beltline Partnership and the Atlanta Beltline Inc. to develop

strategies to ensure African American business owners and entrepreneurs take full

advantage of the opportunities for economic development on the Beltlines West Side Trail.

The Atlanta Community of Practice, a coalition of organizations dedicated to advancing

collective prosperity in Atlanta by working with 900 African American firms to hire one

additional employee and 100 African American firms to increase employment and create

more opportunities for community wealth building.

We will provide additional information about each of these programs over the next few

weeks and ways for partnership and collaboration with GMEN members.

5. Georgia Business News

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announces Opening of “One Atlanta,” the City’s first Office of

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

On Wednesday, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced the establishment of the first Mayor’s Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, which will be referred to as “One Atlanta.” The One Atlanta office is located inside City Hall. The office is led by Rashad Taylor, Chief Equity Officer and Counselor to the Mayor. One Atlanta.

4. Member Spotlight

Kassie Paredes is an extraordinary

community servant working for Woodforest

National Bank

As Branch Manager of the Southeast Region of the Woodforest Bank, Kassie continually

exceeds branch sales and revenue goals through proactively identifying, marketing, and

recommending banking products and services beneficial to customers. She truly is a "keeper of

the culture" brand ambassador, and possesses an innate ability to tell a story while conveying the

overall essence of the Woodforest National Bank. More often than not, Kassie develops and

leads innovative strategies to grow and retain deep business and consumer relationships. She

enhances the customer experience as well as the reputation of the Bank through warm, sincere

greetings, fearless engagements, and developing extraordinary relationships with retail partners

and customers. Kassie always embraces and leads technology driven customer experiences

while executing community engagement strategies with the Community Development

Relationship Manager. She also works hard to inspire and lead team members to reach their full

potential. Most importantly, Kassie demonstrates flexibility to perform every other duty as

assigned.

3. Funding Opportunities

Overview:

Wells Fargo's philanthropic goals and objectives. At Wells Fargo, we believe that grant-

making decisions are more effective when made locally. That's why Wells Fargo is actively

involved in the communities where we live and work, and why our team members are

leaders in helping our communities succeed.

Our Giving Priorities

Wells Fargo is proud to support organizations that work to strengthen our communities.

We look for projects that keep our communities strong, diverse, and vibrant. Through the

volunteer efforts of our enthusiastic team members and our contributions, we share our

success with the communities in which we work and live.

• Atlanta: Carroll, Cobb, Coweta, Clayton, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton,

Gwinnett, Henry, Paulding, Rockdale, Spalding Counties.

Wells Fargo also considers grants to organizations that support the following areas:

Civic Engagement

• Civic leadership and cultural diversity

Human Services

• Enable and sustain independence for individuals and families

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the Wells Fargo website.

2. Action Alerts

2018 Small Business Person of the Year Awards

As reported in the Atlanta Business Chronicle. Do you know someone who is chasing their dreams and making them real? The Small Business Person of the Year Award honors outstanding entrepreneurs in metro Atlanta. Nominate someone today! The nomination deadline is July 13, 2018. Judges will evaluate the nominees based on the content of the Q&A questions and choose finalists to

return for interviews with the judging panel to determine the category winners. Small Business Person

of the Year

1. Upcoming Events

SAVE THE DATES!

The next SAME SAME Entrepreneurship Orientation will be held Saturday, July 21, 2018, from

12:30 - 2:00 at the ML King Center. REGISTER HERE FOR TICKETS

The next Quarterly Reentry and Entrepreneurship Training of Trainers is scheduled for July 19,

2018, location to be announced. REGISTER FOR RITES

Copyright © 2018 Georgia Micro Enterprise Network*, All rights reserved.

PAGE 1 |Newsletter

Our mailing address is:

Office: +1 (678) 515-3346, Fax: 404-344-2601, Address: 233 Mitchell Street Suite 250 Atlanta, Georgia,

30303

Want to change how you receive these emails?

You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

*|IF:REWARDS|* *|HTML:REWARDS|* *|END:IF|*