Jenniffer Bleakley and her Hand In Hand Early Childhood Center applied for a NYS Office of Children and Family Services state grant, which was awarded to expand her childcare center. After receiving the grant award, it was rescinded and taken back after a technicality. At this time, she and her team had already started planning her business expansion and were working towards offering more childcare to Lewis County residents.
Mike Blecha grew up and lives in a small rural area in northeastern Colorado. Most of his family, friends, customers and neighbors are hard-working people, many with property and belongings spread around the region. During the pandemic, theft and robbery exponentially increased, and Mike, known in his local community as the ‘tech guy’, was the go-to person for a surveillance solution.
After unsuccessfully trying to implement almost every option currently on the market, Mike decided to build a surveillance camera that anyone could use anywhere, regardless of their access to high-speed internet or power. He created AnywhereCam as a reliable and durable solution to help the people of rural communities have a sense of security regardless of circumstances.
When Mike Blecha launched AnywhereCam, he faced the classic startup dilemma: limited funds and limited reach. Marketing efforts generated brief spikes in sales, but without a steady budget, the momentum quickly faded. At the same time, raising a seed round proved equally difficult—few investors resonated with the vision or the scalability of AnywhereCam’s technology.
In 1983, the first Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) provision was enacted by Congress, requiring the U.S. Department of Transportation to ensure that small disadvantaged businesses must be included as suppliers on federal, state, and local infrastructure contracts. Since then, the policy of helping socially and economically disadvantaged minority, woman, veteran, and disabled owned businesses has expanded.
A 2017 Transportation Act made it a requirement for any government contractor to spend a certain percentage of dollars on diverse suppliers for road, railroad, and other infrastructure projects.
It was this requirement that essentially sent Matthew Reed, President of JCR Construction on the path to create DBEsearch.com. JCR Construction is a utility contractor who builds power lines for various utility companies in the Northeast.
From Local Legacy to Thriving Success Story: Crest Haven Farm Market in Danville, PA, is more than just a place to buy groceries. It’s a cornerstone of the community, boasting a rich 52-year history. But in 2017, when Scott Keefer and Shawn Snyder took the reins, they embarked on a journey that transformed Crest Haven into a thriving local success story.