ST. LOUIS — St. Louis leaders celebrated the grand opening of a new center in north St. Louis City Monday morning.
The Northside Economic Empowerment Center is meant to reinvest in the area, while supporting business owners at the same time.
It's in in the annex at Sumner High School and $1.5 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds are dedicated to its growth.
St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones said this opening is a representation of the city's commitment to reinvest $150 million in north St. Louis neighborhoods.
Stacey Fowler, senior vice president of Minority and Small Business Empowerment with St. Louis Development Corporation said north St. Louis is the side of the city that has experienced disinvestment for decades.
Fowler said the center has:
- Five classrooms
- A planning room for construction contractors
- A digital computer lab
- Training and workshops
- Seven full-time staff in the building working with direct services around certification, workshops, and access to capital
Fowler said the goal is to empower minority business owners.
"Black entrepreneurs are fueling a nationwide business boom with a 30% jump in Black businesses since 2020. Twenty-five percent of St. Louis start-ups are minority-owned," Jones also said. "Empowering them in their own neighborhoods, a fitting tribute of the Ville's long history as a hub for Black professionals and commerce."
According to JobSage, an employee transparency platform, St. Louis is at the top of the list for the top '10 cities for entrepreneurs of color.'
"Though minority groups only make up 26.3% of the city’s population, 25% of startups are minority-owned," according to the platform.
As far as the center's location, city officials said they picked the location on purpose.
"The significance of this neighborhood...this school...it being the first Black high school just west of the Mississippi in the 1900s," Jones also said.
Preserving the past is a way to build the future, Jones said.
"Sumner was on the closure list initially so this is the type of investment we want to do so these historic institutions survive," she said.
The center is open Monday - Friday from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
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