Our Data Center Solutions team in DeKalb, IL is supporting the local community with a donation to a new economic program to promote entrepreneurship and employment, contributing to our goal of making a positive social, economic, and environmental impact in the communities where we live and work. Opportunity DeKalb, a nonprofit community development corporation that was started in 2020, focuses on Advocating for Inclusive Action, Developing the Future, and Asset-Based Community Building in DeKalb.  

As Opportunity DeKalb worked with entrepreneurs living in the community who had limited time and means to learn about the economics of starting a business, they saw a need for a new program model. While consulting with other cities around the country, they realized a program that included business training, in addition to individual business consulting would best support the community. The new program, Project Launchpad, will offer residents opportunity for social mobility tied to inclusive economic empowerment. It will allow DeKalb residents, both adults and youth, to complete an entrepreneurial program to begin their own businesses, as well as support existing businesses in DeKalb. The Mortenson Foundation gifted $25,000 to Project Launchpad.  

The program will provide training in the principles and practice of entrepreneurship to prepare participants, including minorities, women, individuals with disabilities, dislocated workers, veterans, and youth entrepreneurs to pursue self-employment and a business enterprise opportunity. The program will consist of several components to support community members, including job connections, business growth services, and access to capital. It will make an economic impact and change the lives of local residents who have wanted to start a small business but have not had the resources to.