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[South Dallas Fair Park Opportunity Fund Board Meeting on March 27, 2023.]
ALL RIGHT.I WILL NOW CALL THIS MEETING OF THE SOUTH DALLAS FAIR PARK OPPORTUNITY FUND BOARD TO ORDER.
TIME IS 6:15 PM UH, MS. REGINA, UH, LET'S KICK US OFF WITH THE ROLL CALL, PLEASE.
SONYA SMITH PRESENT? MR. LEVINE PRESENT? I CAN'T HEAR YOU, SIR.
CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE CAN HEAR YOU.
IF YOU'RE GONNA BE TALKING LATER.
CAN YOU HEAR ME? BARELY, BUT OKAY.
YEAH, I'M RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE SCREEN.
UM, V BROOKS, CAN RIETTA COOKS MR. DAWKINS PRESENT? BILL NAFE PRESENT.
TRENT HUGHES, MS. PVE PRESENT? WE CAN'T HARDLY HEAR YOU EITHER.
UM, WE'LL MOVE ON TO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER THREE, APPROVAL OF MINUTES.
EVERYBODY SHOULD HAVE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THOSE.
UH, ARE THERE ANY CHANGES, UH, COMMENTS OR UPDATES? IF NOT, WE'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE MS. MS. UH, MS. SIMS DID HAVE ONE CHANGE.
WE, SHE JUST WANTED HER NAME CHANGED TO KIMBERLY INSTEAD OF KIM.
SO WE HAD ALREADY HAD DULY NOTED THAT.
UH, GO AHEAD AND STATE THAT MOTION.
UH, MS. SIMS, MR. CHAIR, I MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES AS SUBMITTED.
WE HAVE A MOTION BY MS. SIMS. UH, SECOND.
ANY, ANY OPPOSED? MINUTES APPROVED.
NEXT AGENDA ITEM, UH, MS. REGINA, DO WE HAVE ANYBODY SIGNED UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT TONIGHT? WE DO NOT MR. CHAIR, BUT I WANTED MS. JOYCE WILLIAMS TO INTRODUCE OUR NEW STAFF MEMBER.
UM, MS. WILLIAMS, UH, DIRECTOR WILLIAMS, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR. CHAIR JOYCE WILLIAMS, DIRECTOR OF THE SMALL BUSINESS CENTER, CITY OF DALLAS, UH, BOARD MEMBERS AND HONORABLE CHAIR.
I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE THE PROGRAM ADMINISTRATOR THAT WE HAVE NOW BROUGHT ON, ON STAFF AS WE, AS I TOLD YOU ABOUT, UH, 18 MONTHS AGO, THAT SMALL BUSINESS CENTER WAS, UH, STARTED AND ONE OF THE INITIATIVES WAS TO BRING ON STAFF TO LOOK AT OVERSIGHT OF THE SMALL BUSINESS AREA AS PART OF OUR UNIT.
AND NOW, WE, UH, WE ARE PROUD TO, UH, HAVE HIRED MR. ANTHONY BALDWICK.
UM, ANTHONY BRINGS WITH HIM A PLETHORA OF EXPERIENCE, UH, IN THIS FIELD OF SMALL BUSINESS.
AND, UH, WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO TURN IT OVER SO THAT HE CAN TELL A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HIMSELF.
NOT TAKEN A LONG TIME TO DO THAT.
MR. CHAIR, I'LL GIVE YOU, UH, PROGRAM ADMINISTRATOR FOR THE SMALL BUSINESS UNIT WITH SMALL BUSINESS CENTER CITY OF DALLAS, MR. ANTHONY BALDWIN.
MR. CHAIR, BOARD MEMBERS, UH, AGAIN, UH, THANK YOU, DIRECTOR WILLIAMS. UH, AGAIN, MY NAME IS ANTHONY BARWICK.
UM, I SERVED IN A ROLE PRIOR TO THIS, UH, WITH, UH, THE SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER, UH, AS DIRECTOR.
AND PRIOR TO THAT, UM, I WORKED, UH, WITH, FOR THE STATE OF OHIO THROUGH, UH, ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN ALL KINDS OF, UH, PROGRAMMING.
PRIOR TO THAT, I LI I LIVE IN TEXAS, DALLAS, IN FACT, BACK IN 2003 FOR SEVEN YEARS, WHERE I WORKED FOR THE I R S AND, UH, UH, WORKING WITH SMALL BUSINESSES.
UH, THIS IS ABOUT, I'M NOW ON MY THIRD WEEK, AND, UH, DIRECTOR WILLIAMS HAS REALLY PUT ME TO WORK, AND I'M, I'M ENJOYING MY TEAM, AND I'M HAPPY TO BE HERE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. BARWICK.
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UH, WE'RE HAPPY TO HAVE YOU HERE.UH, AND I'M SURE DIRECTOR WILLIAMS AND MR. GINA FED YOU IN TO, TO ALL THE, THE, THE GREAT WORK THAT'S BEING DONE AT THE SMALL BUSINESS CENTER.
SO, UH, WE'RE HAPPY TO HAVE YOU, UH, AND, AND WELCOME.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. CHAIR.
THE, UH, AGENDA IS A LITTLE OUT OF ORDER OF WHAT WE HAVE FOR THE PRESENTATION, AND THE PRESENTATION THAT YOU GUYS RECEIVED IS A LITTLE, HAS BEEN AMENDED SOME.
SO WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT FIRST THE, UM, JUST GIVE THE UPDATES OF THE NOFA RELEASE, WHERE WE'RE AT, AND THEN WE'LL GO INTO, UH, WHAT'S IN THE PIPELINE AND WHAT'S COMING TO YOU GUYS.
ARE THOSE THE ONLY CHANGES? SO THEY'RE JUST FLIP FLOP, IS THAT, IS THAT RIGHT? WE'RE FLIP FLOPPING TOO.
WE'RE GONNA DO THE, UH, FOR RELEASE UPDATE.
AND, UH, AND DID THE PIPELINE UPDATE, IS THAT, IS THAT CORRECT? YEAH, WE'RE GONNA DO PIPELINE TO NO FOR RELEASE AND FOR 20, WHERE WE ARE, WHERE WE'RE WITH THE 2023 AND WHERE WE'RE WITH THE 2022.
SO I'LL, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO YOU TO, UH, TO GIVE US AN UPDATE ON THE NOFA, UH, WHICH AGAIN, IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN THE ORDER THAT YOU HAVE ON YOUR AGENDA, WHICH IS THE LOANS.
SO, UH, WE'LL GO INTO THE NOFA, MR. OKAY.
SO FOR OUR 2022 AWARDEES, UH, AS YOU KNOW, IT CLOSED JULY THE FIFTH.
AND OUR THREE AWARDEES WERE BEACON HILL CORNERSTONE AND EMPOWERING THE MASSES.
TWO FOR WORKFORCE, ONE FOR AFTERSCHOOL TUTORING.
THE CONTRACTS ARE STILL IN, ARE BEING ROUTED FOR ALL SIGNATURES AND CONTRACTS SCHEDULED TO BE EXECUTED APRIL FOR THE THREE OF OUR AWARDEES.
AND AS FAR AS FOR 2023, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
SO, OUR NOFA IS SCHEDULED TO CLOSE LAST DAY OF THIS MONTH, MARCH 31ST AT 1:00 PM AT THAT TIME, NO NEW APPLICANTS WILL BE ABLE TO APPLY.
UH, THE VALUATION PROCESS SHOULD BE COMPLETED BY THE 14TH THROUGH THE EVALUATORS, AND ALL APPLICANTS WITH SCORES OF 80 PLUS WILL BE PRESENTED TO THE BOARD FOR HOPEFULLY OUR APRIL 24TH MEETING FOR YOUR RECOMMENDATION.
DOES THAT CONCLUDE THE UPDATE, MR. JEAN? MM-HMM.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS, UH, FROM THE BOARD ON ANYTHING RELATING TO THE NO FOR AWARD FOR 2022 OR THE UPCOMING, UM, CLOSE DATE OF THE 2023 NOFA? MR. CHAIR, DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION? AND I DO KNOW THAT, UM, YOU'RE STILL IN THE EVALUATION PROCESS OF 2023, BUT WHEN DO YOU EXPECT MS. CROWN? UH, USUALLY WHAT HAPPENS IS AFTER THE BOARD RECOMMENDATIONS, WHICH IS THE LAST MONDAY, WE MEET AS A BOARD, UH, LAST MONDAY OF APRIL.
AT THAT POINT IN TIME, IF A DECISION IS MADE TO MOVE FORWARD ON THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT ARE SUBMITTED FROM STAFF TO THE BOARD, THEN THE EXPECTATION IS THAT WE WILL THEN GO TO THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE WHO HAS TO THEN APPROVE THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS, WHICH IS THE VERY NEXT MONDAY.
SO THAT WOULD BE THE MAY 5TH, I THINK.
I THINK IT'S THE FIFTH, UH, MEETING FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
AND THE HOPE IS THAT BECAUSE THERE IS ONLY ONE COUNCIL MEETING IN MAY, WE WILL NOT PROBABLY BE READY FOR THE AGENDA ON MAY 8TH.
IT WILL PROBABLY BE ALREADY FULL.
SO WE WILL HAVE TO MOVE THOSE, UH, TO COUNCIL AGENDA FOR JUNE.
AND DIRECTOR WILLIAMS, JUST TO CLARIFY, FOR THE ITEMS THAT NEED TO GO TO THE ECO DEV COMMITTEE, THOSE ARE ONLY FOR ITEMS THAT ARE OVER THE $50,000 THRESHOLD? OR, OR IS IT ALL OF THEM? IT'S ALL OF 'EM AT THIS POINT.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HAS DECIDED THAT THEY WANNA SEE ALL GRANTS.
ALL GRANTS THAT COME THROUGH, ALL LOANS THAT COME THROUGH, ANY DOLLARS THAT COME THROUGH THE SMALL BUSINESS CENTER THAT ARE RELATED TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, INCLUDING ANY DOLLARS THAT ARE SPENT SO THAT THEY CAN HAVE AWARENESS IN THE COMMUNITY OF WHAT'S GOING ON.
AND, AND SO, AND AT ONE POINT IN TIME THAT, UM, AT ONE POINT IN TIME, YOU ARE RIGHT, IT WAS 50,000 AND OVER THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BECAUSE OF THE FLOW OF THE NUMBER.
HOWEVER, FOR AWARENESS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, AS YOU KNOW, THAT THIS IS ONE OF THE CITY VALUES THAT HAVE BEEN ADDED, IS ENGAGEMENT.
SO TO SHOW ENGAGEMENT, THAT'S PART OF THE COMMITTEE.
THEY WANT TO SEE ALL DOLLARS THAT COME THROUGH.
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YOU, DIRECTOR WILLIAMS. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT OR COMMENTS ON THAT? IF NOT, CAN I BACKTRACK JUST A MOMENT? MS. REGINA, UH, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK JUST BRIEFLY ABOUT SOME OF THE OUTREACH THAT WAS DONE PRIOR FOR THIS NOFA? SURE.UH, SO FOR THIS 2023 NOFA, WE HAD FIVE SESSIONS THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY, THE SOUTH DALLAS CENSUS TRACT.
UH, WE HAD GREAT PARTICIPATION OVER A HUNDRED TOTAL, UH, WITH ALL OF THEM, THEM COMBINED, WE HAD, UM, GREAT QUESTIONS.
THIS TIME IT WAS BETTER FOR THIS TIME.
SO I'M VERY HOPEFUL ON MARCH 31ST, WE CAN ACTUALLY GET SOME CANDIDATES THAT CAN, THAT WE CAN GET THROUGH, AND THAT WE CAN TAKE THROUGH MORE THAN THREE.
AND JUST TO, JUST TO CLARIFY, THE NEW SCORING PROGRAM THAT WE APPROVED LAST YEAR WOULD BE WHAT WE'RE USING THIS YEAR, AND ALSO THE $200,000 LIMIT IS, IS THE THRESHOLD THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH THIS CYCLE? IS THAT, IS THAT ALL CORRECT? YES.
THE 200,000 WAS APPROVED IN COUNCIL.
AND WHAT WAS YOUR OTHER QUESTION? UH, THE SCORING.
SO WE CHANGED, UH, IT'LL BE A LITTLE DIFFERENT.
THE, UM, THE COVER SHEET IS NOW ONE AS OPPOSED TO FIVE.
THEY REFLECTED THE CHANGES THAT WE MADE.
SO THE NEW THE NEW ONE IS REFLECTED UNDERSTOOD ON BONFIRE.
DO WE HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS OR, UH, COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD ON THIS ITEM? HEARING NONE, WE WILL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM, AGENDA ITEM NUMBER SIX, WHICH IS AN UPDATE OF THE LOANS IN THE PIPELINE.
AND AGAIN, I'M, I'M, UM, DIRECTOR WILLIAMS IS GONNA COME UP AND TALK ABOUT THIS.
IF YOU RECALL, WE HAD THREE OR FOUR IN THE PIPELINE, BUT THEY'RE JUST NOT READY.
AND SO SHE JUST WANTED TO BRING UP THE ONES THAT WILL BE COMING TO YOU GUYS IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
ON THE, UH, POWERPOINT THAT YOU ALL GOT PREVIOUS TO TONIGHT, THERE WERE SOME, THERE WAS SOME INFORMATION THAT WAS PUT THERE OF WHERE STAFF IS WORKING ON DIFFERENT INITIATIVES.
AND THOSE APPLICATIONS WERE, UH, AFTER FURTHER RESEARCH AND REVIEW, THOSE APPLICATIONS WERE NOT COMPLETE.
AND I GAVE YOU, WHEN I STARTED AS A DIRECTOR OF THE SMALL BUSINESS CENTER, I GAVE YOU A COMMITMENT THAT WHATEVER WE BRING TO YOU, THAT IT WOULD BE TOTALLY VETTED, UM, PRIOR TO BRINGING IT TO YOU SO THAT WE WOULD BE PREPARED TO ANSWER ALL OF THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU WOULD HAVE.
AND, UM, SO THOSE THAT ONCE WE REVIEWED THOSE APPLICATIONS, THERE WERE SOME MISSING DOCUMENTS, FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS, THAT WE WOULD NEED TO BE ABLE TO FINISH OUT THOSE APPLICATIONS.
WE DO THINK THEY'RE VIABLE, HOWEVER, WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE VETTED AS FAR AS BEING ABLE TO HAVE ALL OF THEIR FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS IN PLACE.
AND SO, WHAT I PRESENT TO YOU TONIGHT IS AN OPPORTUNITY THAT AFTER REVIEW AND LOOKING AT ALL DOCUMENTATIONS THAT BEEN PROVIDED, THAT WE FEEL THAT THE DALLAS EXAMINER WILL BE ONE THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO BRING TO THIS BOARD IN, UH, APRIL.
AFTER WE LOOK AT THE UNDERWRITING CRITERIA THAT, UM, WE WILL BE USING, WE ARE NOW USING UNDERWRITING CRITERIA FOR ALL FUNDING THAT'S GOING THROUGH THE SOUTH, UH, GOING THROUGH THE SMALL BUSINESS CENTER.
AND SO AFTER WE LOOK AT, AFTER THE UNDERWRITE FINISHES, ALL THIS INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE GATHERED FROM THE DALLAS EXAMINER, WE FEEL THAT IT WILL BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO BRING THIS FORTH TO YOU, UH, FOR SOUTH DALLAS FAR PARK PARK.
THE DALLAS EXAMINER IS NOT A STRANGER WITHIN THAT COMMUNITY AND HAS EXISTED WITHIN THAT COMMUNITY FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS.
UH, IT IS A MINORITY OWNED NEWSPAPER.
IT'S LOCATED AT 45 10 SOUTH MALCOLM X.
IT IS OWNED BY MS. MOLLY BELT.
AND IF ANY OF YOU HAVE EVER MET MS. MAR, MOLLY BELT, YOU DIDN'T KNOW THAT SHE IS A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH AND AS AN ADVOCATE OF THAT COMMUNITY.
AND SO IN DOING SO AND MEETING WITH HER, AND THAT IS ONE OF THE REASONS THAT I STAND HERE VERY PROUDLY, UH, WITH THIS BOARD, BECAUSE YOU ALL HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE.
MS. MOLLY BELT SAID TO ME THAT SHE MET ME AND SHE SAID, I NEED YOU TO COME TO, TO MY PLACE.
I NEED TO SIT DOWN AND TALK TO YOU.
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OF COURSE I DID.AND DURING OUR CONVERSATION, SHE SAID, SO, I HEAR THAT THE TRUST FUND IS NOW AN OPPORTUNITY FUND, AND THAT YOU ALL ARE DOING GOOD THINGS OVER THERE.
THAT DOESN'T COME BECAUSE OF SMALL BUSINESS CENTER.
IT COMES BECAUSE OF THE WORK OF THIS BOARD.
AND SO, BECAUSE OF THE WORK OF THIS BOARD, I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO TELL MS. BELL ABOUT THE SOUTH DALLAS FAIR PARK OPPORTUNITY FUND.
AND SO I'M VERY PROUD THAT WHAT YOU ALL HAVE BEEN DOING THIS, THESE 18 MONTHS THAT YOU'VE BEEN SITTING AROUND THIS TABLE.
CAUSE THE DIFFERENCE THAT YOU'VE BEEN MAKING IN THE SOUTH DALLAS FAIR PARK, UH, AREA IS DEFINITELY RINGING THE BELLS.
AND SO WITH THAT, WE, I THINK THAT, UM, HAVING MS. BELL PROVIDE ALL OF THE INFORMATION, UH, VERY QUICKLY, UH, AND WITH DEFINITELY WITH A SMILE ON HER FACE AND SAYING THAT THIS IS JUST AN OPPORTUNITY FOR HER TO RENOVATE HER BUSINESS AND REVOLVE HER BUSINESS BECAUSE THERE ARE SOME SAFETY ISSUES, BUT SHE BELIEVES WITHIN THAT AREA, IF SHE CAN STEP UP, THEN THERE ARE OTHER BUSINESSES IN THE COMMUNITY WE CAN STEP UP TO.
SO THANK YOU TO REGINA TO ALLOW ME TO PRESENT THE FACT THAT THIS IS ONE OF THE PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE ON THE PIPELINE, BUT MORE SO THAN TO THAN THAT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR HELPING THE CITY, HELPING THE SMALL BUSINESS DO WHAT WE WERE INTENDED TO DO FOR THE SOUTH DALLAS FAIR PARK.
AND THAT IS TO BE ABLE TO GET THE WORD OUT TO, UH, I WOULD SAY MATRIARCHS OF THE SOUTH DALLAS FAIR PARK AREA, LIKE MS. MARVILLE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT UPDATE.
AND THERE WAS ONE OTHER THING THAT REGINA WANTED ME TO ALSO SPEAK UPON.
THANK MR. CHAIR WAS VERY COMMITTED TO US.
WELL, HE WAS VERY, HE WASN'T SILENT WITH ME, I'LL SAY IT THAT WAY.
UH, AND THAT IS THAT THE INTENT WAS TO DO TWO THINGS.
ONE WAS TO GIVE THE MONEY OUT TO SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES AND HOW WE WANNA GET THAT MONEY OUT THROUGH OUTREACH TO THE COMMUNITY AND ENGAGEMENT.
AND SO THERE ARE ENGAGEMENTS THAT ARE PLANNED, UH, FOR THIS UPCOMING YEAR.
AND REALLY WITHIN THE NEXT THREE MONTHS, OUR PROGRAM ADMINISTRATOR, MR. BARWICK, HAS ALREADY BEEN ON A COMMUNITY TOUR, UH, WITH ONE OF OUR STRONGEST ADVOCATES IN THAT COMMUNITY.
SO HE'S MET SOME COMMUNITY LEADERS, UM, FAITH-BASED, AS WELL AS NEW OPPORTUNITIES OF BANKS THAT WANNA LOCATE IN THAT COMMUNITY.
HE'S ALSO BEEN MEETING WITH, UM, DIFFERENT SMALL BUSINESSES, DIFFERENT LEADERS, CHAMBERS WITHIN THAT COMMUNITY.
AND WE WILL CONTINUE THAT TOUR OF INTRODUCING HIMSELF TO THE COMMUNITY.
BUT AS PART OF THAT, WE WILL CONTINUE TO SCHEDULE OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT, AND WE WILL THEN INVITE THIS BOARD TO BE ABLE TO JOIN US ON THOSE, UH, OUTREACH ENGAGEMENTS TO TALK ABOUT THE SOUTH DALLAS FAIR PARK OPPORTUNITY FUND AND THE DEVELOPMENT THAT IS COMING FORTH.
THERE ARE SEVERAL INITIATIVES THAT ARE COMING FORTH WITHIN THAT COMMUNITY THAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SIT WITH WITH THEM.
SOME OF THEM ARE CONFIDENTIAL IN NATURE AT THIS POINT, SOME OF THEM ARE NOT, UH, BECAUSE THEY'RE PART OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
BUT MORE THAN, MORE THAN THAT, THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK DIRECTLY TO THE COMMUNITY AND GET THE WORD OUT, AND TO BE ABLE TO SIT DOWN AND LOOK AT OP OPPORTUNITIES IN WHICH WE CAN USE MEDIA AS WELL.
SO, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE WILL BE TELLING THE MEDIA ABOUT WHO OUR BOARD MEMBERS ARE, OF COURSE, GOING THROUGH MR. CHAIR TO BE ABLE TO SET UP SOME OF THOSE MEDIA INTERVIEWS.
SO THOSE ARE THINGS WE HAVE PLANNED OVER THE NEXT SIX MONTHS, AND WE WILL BE GIVING YOU MORE FORMAL, UM, INVITATIONS TO THAT AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
BUT I CAN SAY, MR. CHAIR, MY COMMITMENT TO YOU, UH, ON YOUR CHARGES TO ME, WHICH WERE TO GET THE MONEY OUT THE DOOR TO SMALL BUSINESSES TO SUPPORT THEM, AS WELL AS BEING ABLE TO LOOK AT MEDIA OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT, AND BEING ABLE TO INVOLVE THIS BOARD.
THAT IS THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING IN THE NEXT 90 DAYS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT UPDATE, DIRECTOR WILLIAMS. AND I WANNA SAY THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE COMMITMENT OF THE SMALL BUSINESS CENTER, UH, YOUR LEADERSHIP AND, AND THE WORK THAT YOU ALL ARE DOING AND CONTINUE TO DO.
UM, I ALSO HAVE TO, TO SAY THANK YOU TO THIS BOARD BECAUSE THE SUGGESTIONS THAT THAT COME DOWN ARE, ARE, ARE A PRODUCT OF THE BOARD, RIGHT? AND SO THESE ARE ALL THINGS THAT WE BROUGHT UP.
EVERYTHING THAT WE BROUGHT UP IN THESE MEETINGS.
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THE SMALL BUSINESS CENTER HAS IMMEDIATELY ACTED UP ON THOSE THINGS, UH, IMMEDIATELY TRIED TO FIND WAYS TO, TO IMPLEMENT, UH, THE SUGGESTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN BROUGHT FORTH.AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK I, I SPEAK FOR THE ENTIRE BOARD WHEN I SAY WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR DEDICATION AND COMMITMENT TO WHAT YOU'VE BEEN DOING AND YOUR ATTENTIVENESS AND YOUR RESPONSIVENESS TO EVERYTHING THAT'S BEEN REQUESTED BY THE BOARD, UH, OVER TIME BECAUSE OF, AGAIN, THIS IS A JOINT EFFORT.
UH, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY HAS A, A PART TO PLAY, A ROLE TO PLAY IN THIS.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE'RE ALL PLEASED WITH ALL THE WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE, UH, BY THE SMALL BUSINESS CENTER AND, UH, HOPE TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT WORK.
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH, UH, FOR YOUR COMMITMENT IN DOING THAT.
AND, UH, ANYBODY FROM THE BOARD HAS ANY COMMENTS, UH, OR FEEDBACK.
UH, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO ANYBODY WHO'D LIKE TO SHARE ANYTHING OR, OR HAVE ANY COMMENTS, UH, WITH REGARDS TO THE WORK THE SMALL BUSINESS CENTER HAVE DONE.
I WOULD JUST SECOND EVERYTHING.
I DON'T KNOW HOW WELL YOU, YOU ALL CAN HEAR ME.
I KNOW THE PEOPLE ON THE PHONE CAN, BUT I WOULD JUST SECOND EVERYTHING THAT THE CHAIRPERSON JUST SAID.
I SO GREATLY APPRECIATE ALL OF YOUR AMAZING ACTION AND STRATEGY AND, UH, PASSION TOWARDS SERVING THIS COMMUNITY.
AND WE JUST GREATLY APPRECIATE YOU ALL.
I HAVE MR. LEVINE, I, I SEE YOU, I SEE YOU TALKING.
CAN YOU, CAN YOU ALL HEAR ME? UH, YOU, YOUR, YOUR VOICE IS VERY, VERY FAINT ON THIS END.
UH, SO, SO JUST TRY TO SPEAK AS LOUDLY AS YOU CAN.
I JUST WANNA SAY, UM, YEAH, I, I JUST PLUS, PLUS TWO ON WHAT YOU AND MS. PEEVY MENTIONED, UM, EVER SINCE I'VE BEEN A PART OF THIS BOARD, UH, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN INCREASINGLY IMPRESSED.
AND, YOU KNOW, I TAKE ALL OF THE MINUTES AND I SEND THEM OUT TO, UM, YOU KNOW, MY, MY DISTRICT COUNCIL PERSON.
AND I, I JUST WANNA SAY I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL OF THE WORK.
IT'S NICE TO SEE THE IMPLEMENTATION TAKING PLACE WITH THIS BOARD NOW.
UH, ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANY COMMENTS? UH, MR. NAFE, I SEE YOU'RE OFF MUTE.
DID YOU, DID YOU HAVE A COMMENT OR DID YOU HAVE FEEDBACK? UH, NO.
UM, I, I, EVERYBODY, EVERY DOING A GREAT JOB.
DID WE HAVE ANY OTHER COMMENTS? UH, MS. MS. SIMS, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO COMMEND OUR CHAIR AND COMMEND STAFF THAT SUPPORT US IN THIS PROGRAM.
YOU ALL HAVE BEEN VERY INTENTIONAL IN MAKING SURE THAT YOU ARE MAKING CONNECTIONS IN THE COMMUNITY.
YOU'VE BEEN VERY INTENTIONAL ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT THERE'S CAPACITY BUILDING GOING ON, AND BEEN VERY INTENTIONAL ABOUT BRINGING US GREAT APPLICANTS WHO WANTS TO DO GREATLY FOR THE COMMUNITY.
SO I WANNA THANK YOU, UM, MR. CHAIR, I WANNA THANK YOU FOR YOUR VISION AND, UM, FOR ENCOURAGING AND, AND EMPOWERING STAFF TO DO WHAT THE STAFF CARD COMMUNITY MEANS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MS. SIMS, FOR THOSE COMMENTS.
MR. MARQUEZ, I'D LIKE TO ECHO EVERYONE.
UM, I DO HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF FEEDBACK, LIKE I'M PRETTY NEW HERE TO THIS BOARD.
SO MY QUESTION IS, HOW ARE WE PARTNERING UP WITH, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, THE FINANCIAL LITERACY CENTER HERE? UM, I FEEL THAT A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY FOR US WITH SMALL BUSINESS CLIENTS IS WORKING WITH OTHER DEPARTMENTS.
UM, AGAIN, I'M NOT TOO SURE IF YOU GUYS HAVE HAD THAT FEEDBACK, BUT I JUST LEARNED, I JUST MET CREWS AT A, UM, INTERNAL REVENUE ROUND TABLE FINANCIAL, UH, PROGRAM.
AND SO I DID NOT KNOW THAT UNTIL I MET HIM THAT DAY.
SO I WAS SHOCKED ABOUT THAT, ESPECIALLY BEING INVOLVED AS MUCH AS I AM, FOR ME TO JUST FIND OUT, I FEEL LIKE THAT'S A MISSING OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY SMALL BUSINESS, UH, OWNERS.
UM, AND JUST HELPING HIM WITH DOCUMENTS, YOU KNOW, KNOWING THAT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S A, A PAIN POINT FOR US.
I'LL, I'LL REPEAT, UH, MR. MOCA'S QUESTION.
HE WANTED TO KNOW, UH, THE DIFFERENT INITIATIVES THAT THE SMALL BUSINESS CENTER COULD BE WORKING WITH ON DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS.
AND ONE OF THOSE DEPARTMENTS HE NAMED WAS THE OFFICE OF COMMUNITY CARES.
THAT IS NOW HAVING AND SETTING UP AN INITIATIVE FOR FINANCIAL CENTERS, UM, FINANCIAL LITERACY CENTERS ACROSS DALLAS TO SUPPORT NOT ONLY RESIDENTS.
UH, BUT I WILL TELL YOU, UH, THE CONVERSATION THAT CAME UP ABOUT SMALL BUSINESSES CAME FROM THE SMALL BUSINESS CENTER OF HOW WE, HOW THEY COULD ALSO USE THESE FOR AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO ALSO SUPPORT FINANCIAL LITERACY FOR SMALL BUSINESSES.
SO WE ARE IN CONVERSATION WITH THE, THE DEPARTMENT FOR OFFICE OF COMMUNITY CARE CRUISING,
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UH, SPECIFICALLY JESSE SARDINIA IS, UM, WORKING WITH AND LEADING THAT EFFORT, UM, THROUGH THE SMALL BUSINESS, UH, M W B E INITIATIVE, PART OF THAT, WHICH IS A MINORITY WOMEN BUSINESS, UH, ENTERPRISE.AND HE'S WORKING COLLABORATIVELY WITH, UM, ANTHONY BARWICK.
I'M LOOKING AT THAT ON THE SMALL BUSINESS SIDE AS WELL.
SO YES, WE'RE, WE ARE, WE ARE DEFINITELY INVOLVED.
THANKS FOR ANY QUESTION, MR. MARQUEZ.
UH, IS THERE ANYONE ELSE THAT HAD ANY, UH, QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS AT THIS TIME? OKAY, I'M HEARING NONE.
UM, I DON'T SEE ANYTHING ELSE ON THE AGENDA FOR THIS EVENING.
IS THERE ANY OTHER UPDATES, UH, OR OLD BUSINESS THAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS, MS. REGINA OR DIRECTOR WILLIAMS? I JUST WANTED EVERYONE TO PLEASE JUST HAVE ON YOUR CALENDAR, MAY 13TH IS OUR BOARD RETREAT.
HOPEFULLY WE CAN HAVE FULL PARTICIPATION BECAUSE WE'RE BRINGING IN COMMUNITY LEADERS AS WELL AS, UM, SOME FROM THE CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE AND CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, UH, JUST FOR EVERYONE TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THEIR ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES, UM, AS BOARD MEMBERS AS WELL.
SO, UH, JUST AN UPDATE, MR. CHAIR ON, UM, SHAKINA LEGACY HOLDINGS.
UH, LAST MONTH WE HAD A PRESENTATION FROM MR. SCOTTIE SMITH, UM, SECOND AND THE AGENDA ITEM, WE MOVED THE AGENDA ITEM TO THE APRIL 12TH.
UH, THAT AGENDA ITEM WILL BE COMING FORTH FOR COUNSEL APPROVAL, A REVIEW AND APPROVAL FOR APRIL 1ST.
DIRECTOR WILLIAMS. ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? UH, MS. PEEVY, SORRY, LESS, LESS OF A QUESTION, BUT SOMETHING THAT, UM, JUST A THREAD THAT I WANTED TO MENTION THAT I DON'T KNOW WHEN THE BEST TIME WOULD BE, BUT, UM, I WORK FOR THE LARGEST ARCHITECTURE FIRM IN DALLAS, UM, WHICH IS ONE OF THE LARGEST IN THE GLOBE.
AND ONE OF THE INITIATIVES THAT WE HAVE THIS YEAR IS, UM, IT'S CALLED OUR X B E, UM, SO, UH, NETWORK.
AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS ELEVATE THE DIVERSITY AND I INCLUS INCLUSION OF OUR PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMS, UM, TO HELP TO CREATE A MORE DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE FUTURE FOR DALLAS AND BEYOND, UM, ESPECIALLY IN THE BUILDINGS, YOU KNOW, AND ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN.
UM, SO I WOULD LOVE TO, UM, LINK UP, LIKE, BASICALLY WE HAVE A WEBSITE AND WE ARE JUST LOOKING TO FEATURE PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY AND TO CREATE A NETWORK WHERE OTHER PEOPLE CAN, UM, BE A PART OF THAT.
SO ANYWAYS, I'LL, I'LL SHARE THAT, BUT I DON'T, YOU KNOW, HOWEVER WE CAN HELP AS AN ORGANIZATION TO ELEVATE, UM, THE WORK THAT'S HAPPENING AS A PART OF THIS BOARD.
I WOULD, I WOULD LOVE TO HELP TO SUPPORT THAT, UM, TO AMPLIFY THE GREAT WORK THAT'S ALREADY HAPPENING HERE.
IT'S JUST A LITTLE HARD TO HEAR ON THIS SIDE, SO I'LL TRY TO RECAP, UH, WHAT, WHAT YOU SAID HERE.
UM, I, I BELIEVE WHAT YOU WERE SAYING IS THAT, UH, THROUGH YOUR EMPLOYER, YOU HAVE A PROGRAM CALLED THE X P E NETWORK, WHICH IS GEARED TOWARD DIVERSITY.
UH, AND YOU'D LIKE TO FIND SOME SORT OF WAY TO, TO INTERFACE AND, AND FEATHER IN WHAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING WITH SOME OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT MAYOR, MR. CHAIR, UH, DIRECTOR WILLIAMS. UH, MS. PBE, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
I'M SO GLAD THAT YOU MENTIONED THAT WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY, UH, THE SMALL BUSINESS CENTER IS LAUNCHING.
WE'RE LAUNCHING OUR MENTOR PROTEGE PROGRAM, AND I, WE WOULD LOVE IF YOU A COMPANY WOULD PARTICIPATE AND BE A MENTOR.
THAT PRO, THAT PROGRAM IS SPECIFICALLY FOR MWBES, UH, AND, AND IT'S ABOUT BUILDING CAPACITY.
SO, UH, I AM SURE THAT JESSE SARDINIA, WHO'S A PROGRAM ADMINISTRATOR FOR THE MENTAL PROTEGE PROGRAM, UH, WE'LL DEFINITELY GET YOUR INFORMATION AND CONTACT YOU FOR THAT.
YOU'LL ALSO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR, WE ARE LAUNCHING A PROGRAM CALLED B TWO B CONNECT, AND THAT'S AN OPPORTUNITY, AGAIN, FOR SMALL BUSINESSES THAT ARE INTERESTED IN DOING BUSINESS WITH THE CITY TO BE ABLE TO CONNECT WITH EACH OTHER, AS WELL AS CONNECT WITH CITY DEPARTMENTS WHO ARE DOING PROCUREMENT.
WE START THAT PROGRAM ON MARCH 29TH AS PART OF A ROUND TABLE INITIATIVE.
AGAIN, THAT IS UNDER, UH, PROGRAM ADMINISTRATOR JESSE NIA, AS WELL AS COLLABORATIVELY WORKING WITH OUR NEW PROGRAM ADMINISTRATOR, ANTHONY BALDWICK.
[00:30:01]
OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR SMALL BUSINESSES TO BE ABLE TO BUILD CAPACITY AND ESPECIALLY OUR SMALL MINORITY AND WOMEN OWNED BUSINESSES TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT.SO, MS. PEEVE, THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT AND GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO THAT.
AND WE WILL DEFINITELY BE IN CONTACT WITH YOU ABOUT, UH, MENTOR OUR MENTOR PROTEGE PROGRAM THAT WE ARE LAUNCHING.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT UPDATE, DIRECTOR WILLIAMS, AND THANK YOU FOR THE COMMENT, UH, AND THE FEEDBACK, MS. PEEVY, AND ALSO THANK YOU MR. SNIA, FOR, FOR ALL THE WORK YOU'RE DOING AND WE REALIZE YOU'RE DOING ALL THAT WORK.
UH, SO, UH, THANK YOU FOR THAT.
UH, ARE THERE ANY OTHER COMMENTS BEFORE WE WRAP UP THIS EVENING? IF NOT, I'M HEARING NONE.
WE'RE WE'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO ADJOURN.
I MOTION MR. MARQUEZ MOTION TO ADJOURN.
IS THERE A SECOND? IS THERE A SECOND? UH, MR. LEVINE? UH, SECOND.
IT IS 6:46 PM THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH.