When Seyi Falade left New York City last year to help her father run the family business in Gainesville, she was returning to a place she considered welcoming.
Falade, the owner of Cornerstone Barricades, a traffic equipment supplier, and an African-American, is part of a trend of minority-business owners who are finding success in Gainesville. In the past four years, Gainesville has seen a tremendous growth in minority-owned small businesses, progressing from only 20 stores in 2013 to 300 in 2017, said the city’s equal opportunity director Torey Alston.
Alston said this shift is due to new policies and community outreach efforts that support small businesses.
“Since coming on board two years ago, I placed a major focus on increasing opportunities for our small, minority and service-disabled veteran businesses,” Alston said.
In January 2016, Alston saw an opportunity for disabled veterans with business savvy. He suggested the Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Program to give technical assistance to disabled veterans who own businesses. Alston said he also suggested and passed a policy that requires city purchases between $2,000 and $50,000 to be from a certified small business or service-disabled veteran.
Falade said this job is her first time running a construction business, and she feels like she is being supported through the process.
“I don’t fit the mold; there are challenges despite race, often times from implicit bias, but Gainesville isn’t that type of place,” says Falade. “Support is helpful and speaks to the community of Gainesville.”
