BPM Vendors Graduate from Interise Streetwise ‘MBA’™ Program

We at Interise are very proud of the most recent class of small business owners that graduate this evening from our StreetWise ‘MBA’™ program. This class represents ten local food businesses, many of which you’ll find at the soon-to-open Boston Public Market.

Interise has it’s roots in Boston and has called it home for over 10 years. From the beginning we have focused exclusively on established small employers in lower income communities.

Our national headquarters is around the corner from Boston Public Market and we understand the important impact that BPM has at a regional level and we also understand the impact of Commonwealth Kitchen and their commitment to Dorchester. Given that Interise builds the capacity of our companies to grow from local to regional markets, it was a natural collaboration for Interise to sponsor this program.

We are thrilled to learn that seven of tonight’s graduating companies have been accepted to become vendors at Boston Public Market and are pleased that Interise’s Streetwise ‘MBA’™ was an integral ingredient in their recipe for continued success. They now join a network of more than 3,000 small businesses in 60+ lower income communities across the country.

Through our Streetwise ‘MBA’™, we build the capacity of established small business owners who operate primarily in lower income communities with the management knowledge, business know-how, and relationships needed to scale regionally and contribute to economic development, job creation, and social resilience.

Our most recent impact report that tracks our businesses from 2011-2013, with 857 respondents, cites an average increase in revenue of $480K; of those companies, 43% secured new contracts. Historically, Interise alumni create new jobs at 5X the rate of the private sector as a whole, based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

This group of graduates, with their freshly minted acumen and refined focus on strategic growth, are now ready to drive measureable results and make the most of their Boston Public Market participation. We wish our graduates continued success and we look forward to witnessing their accomplishments as they build resilience in our community and theirs.

Jean has more than 20 years of nonprofit leadership experience, spanning the private, public, and nonprofit sectors and two continents. Before joining Interise as its first CEO, Jean served as the National Director for Civic Engagement and Corporate Citizenship at Citizen Schools. She has partnered with other national social entrepreneurs, serving in senior leadership roles with Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild and BELL (Building Educated Leaders for Life), and was also the Managing Director of the Society for Organizational Learning.