The IEE’s Urban & Community Entrepreneurship Program (UCEP) graduated its 24th cohort of the Community Power to Prosper program on Wednesday, June 17 with a ceremony at the University of Pittsburgh Community Engagement Center in Homewood.
The program covered key topics integral to managing and growing a business such as financial analysis, human resources, marketing, legalities of small business management, business strategy, and more. The graduates of this year’s program are:
- Lydia E. Alvarez — Lydia: God is in the Tea-tales
- Kamyah P. Barry — Balanced Living Mental Health Services
- Carla D. Betsill — Ci Ci Creative Creations
- Philip Gilbert — Phil Gil Mechanical Systems
- Shauntel Green — DirtyBirdsChicken LLC
- Suzan Hauptman — Polly and Esther LLC
- Sharday McGee — Bouji Bites
- Donisha Morgan — Squeaks Eats
- Markia L. Moses — B&M Market LLC
- Sydni D. Mundy — Precious Sprouts Daycare Academy, LLC
- Nicole Miller — Cafe NikkiP
- Brandon P. Rice — Culturvate Enterprises
- Tangela Richardson — Steel City Cleaning Concepts LLC
- Tayler Robinson — Robinson Aesthetics
- Shelbin Santos-Pereira — Chicken Latino Restaurant
- Tierra Walters-Barrett — Pop&Dazzle
- Briana L. White — Culturvate Enterprises
At the ceremony, Tyler Coulverson, owner of Soul Fusion Cuisine LLC, served as the ceremony’s keynote speaker, where he shared insights as a CP2P Alum, reflecting on the benefits he gained from the program. The graduates each delivered a presentation about their businesses detailing the value proposition and offerings their businesses provide for their Pittsburgh-based communities. They also spoke about the ways they’ve grown and benefited from participating in the Community Power to Prosper program.
Philip Gilbert said he learned to focus on spending time to so much time working in the business that he also forgets you need to work on the business as well.
Tierra Walters-Barrett says this program helped her understand what to base decisions off in the business.
Shelbin Santos-Pereira says this program reminded her why she started her business in the first place.
The Community Power to Prosper program comes at no cost to the program’s participants and was funded through generous sponsorship from Chase, PNC Foundation, First National Bank, Meyer, Unkovic & Scott, Huntington Bank, UPMC, and Wilke & Associates CPAs.
More information about UCEP and the Community Power to Prosper program can be found at entrepreneur.pitt.edu/cp2p.
