Press Release
BLUFFTON, SC – Black Equity University (BEU), the entrepreneurial program from BlacQuity, Town Council Member Bridgette Frazier and Watterson Brands, is once again changing the landscape of innovation and business leadership in the Lowcountry. The nine-person cohort relaunched in spring 2022 to provide vital tools and mentorship to program participants in diverse fields ranging from child and elder care services to a competitive cheerleading gym.
Each participant applied for the BEU program, lives in the Bluffton – Hilton Head Island area, and has demonstrated the acumen to grow their business model.
The curriculum for BEU is based on the syllabus model from Rising Tide Capital, a New Jersey-based organization that instructs more than 600 business owners annually. Of those businesses, 87% have maintained success beyond the significant five-year mark.
“Statistics show that the first three years of a new business are the most critical to long-term success, so the ultimate goal of BlacQuity and BEU is to create and support a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem so that black-owned businesses are able to flourish in our community,” said Gwen Chambers, Executive Director of BlacQuity.
Beyond the 12-week course, graduates may participate in several additional opportunities offered exclusively to BEU graduates: Motivation Mondays, a series of workshops that emphasize entrepreneurship while also providing a forum for networking; the Advisory Council Pitch Sessions program, which helps to personalize plans for growth opportunities for their business; the Business Acceleration Services program, which combines mentorship and coaching; and the Credit to Capital program, which links entrepreneurs to potential funding partners.
The Spring 2022 BEU program will conclude on July 13, 2022 with a graduation ceremony and reception at Burnt Church Distillery, 120 Bluffton Rd. More details will be provided to the media, and through BlacQuity's social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn in the coming weeks.
“Boosting the success of Black-owned businesses in the southern Lowcountry region is our mission,” said Chambers. “Through the provision of entrepreneurial resources, tools, and networks we have created an environment where the knowledge and resources for a sustainable business are accessible and attainable.”
About BlacQuity
BlacQuity is a non-profit organization that began as an initiative of the Bluffton MLK Observance Committee. BlacQuity was formed by a group of multi-racial business and community leaders in the South Carolina Lowcountry who came together in 2020 with the desire to elevate, empower, and promote local black-owned businesses. BlacQuity is dedicated to facilitating and increasing opportunities for economic mobility while strengthening small black-owned businesses. Currently, there are 17 black-owned businesses benefitting from the Black Equity University (BEU) initiative. To learn more, visit www.blacquitysc.org.
