From Michael Rafferty, Vice President of Small Business Services
Fourteen new businesses, spanning nine Detroit neighborhoods, were the latest to be awarded a total of $500,000 through the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation’s (DEGC) Motor City Match (MCM) program in the Round 12 award ceremony held Aug. 8, 2018. Four of latest awardee businesses are located in areas with previous Motor City Match award recipients, building density in Detroit’s commercial corridors.
The event was held at Pharmacy 4 Less, a Round 2 MCM cash awardee. The business, located on E. Seven Mile Road in the Osborn neighborhood, is a community pharmacy, walk-in clinic and business center.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan called Pharmacy 4 Less owner Belief Emadamerho a model for the MCM program. Emadamerho, who owns two pharmacies, has been serving the Osborn community for seven years and has created jobs for 10 Detroiters.
“Residents want to live near thriving commercial corridors and Motor City Match is a key part of our strategy to bring more goods and services to our neighborhoods,” said Mayor Mike Duggan, “It also helps small business owners like Belief create jobs and make their community more attractive for other businesses to locate.”
Pharmacy 4 Less provides healthcare services to low-income residents and free prescription deliveries to the community’s elderly and homebound. The building will also offer business services for local residents to access the Internet, make copies and send faxes free of charge.
“MCM has helped me fill the Osborn community with three critical and affordable services, making life a little easier for the residents in the area,” said Emadamerho. “With the help of the program, I was able to take a building that had been abandoned for over a decade and revitalize it to meet the demands of the neighborhood and residents.”
Motor City Match celebrates three years launching businesses in Detroit.
Round 12 marks the third year for MCM. Since its launch in 2015, the program has assisted more than 1,000 entrepreneurs on their journey from “idea to open.” To date, MCM has awarded $6M in cash grants to 139 businesses in 29 of Detroit’s neighborhoods. Other business owners have received a variety of other critical services, including finance workshops, design, technical and business planning assistance, and business/building matchmaking.
Through a growing suite of resources, MCM is helping to create a pipeline of entrepreneurs eager to do business throughout Detroit. Combined with our other programming, DEGC is creating a sustainable small business environment that nurtures new concepts and ideas. Thanks to Detroit’s growing small-business landscape, residents will begin to have the basic goods and services they need convenient to their homes.
Among the round 12 awardees:
84 percent are minority-owned businesses
71 percent are women-owned businesses
56 percent are businesses owned by Detroit residents
MCM awards are presented four times a year in four categories: a matching cash grant, assistance with business planning, design or location selection. Applications are available quarterly. Round 14 applications will be open Sept. 1 – Oct. 1, 2018, www.MotorCityMatch.com.
Motor City Match remains a unique partnership between the City of Detroit, the DEGC, the Economic Development Corporation of the City of Detroit (EDC) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Competitive financial assistance is supported by a broad partnership of Southeast Michigan community development financial institutions and corporations including, Bank of America, Fifth Third Bank, Ford Foundation, Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Foundation, Hudson Webber Foundation, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Knight Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, New Economy Initiative and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
Motor City Match Round 12 Cash Awardees
• Blessed And Highly Favored Juice Bar – $60,000
Café and juice bar
18999 Livernois Ave.
Past Plan, Space and Design awardee
• Coriander, LLC – $55,000
Restaurant and collaborative farm
14601 Riverside Blvd.
Past Plan and Space Award winner
• Baobab Fare – $50,000
Restaurant and community space
Woodward Ave.
• Red Door Digital, LLC – $50,000
Office and event multi-use space
7500 Oakland Ave.
• Charlevoix Studio and Gardens, LLC – $45,000
Artist workshop and tenant space
6811 Charlevoix St.
• Good Cookies, LLC – $45,000
Café
19001/19007 W. McNichols Rd.
• Good Times on the Ave. – $40,000
Bar and restaurant
19416 Livernois Ave.
• GrindGrind, LLC – $40,000
Clothing and athletic wear retailer
18931 W. 7 Mile Rd.
• See You Tomorrow – $35,000
Casual dining restaurant
7760 Woodward Ave.
• Detroit Soccer District – $30,000
Multi-sport facility
5157 Stanton St.
• Max Henry & Associates – $25,000
Cable TV music video channel
15933 W. Eight Mile Rd.
• Ella Mae’s Place– $15,000
Carry-out restaurant
2251 S. Fort St.
• Flamingo Vintage, LLC – $5,000
Clothing and accessories boutique
5449 Vernor Hwy.
• Rebel Cycle Studio, LLC – $5,000
Indoor cycling studio
3401 E. Lafayette St.
Past Space Award winner