Chris Lassiter
Coushatta’s Creations: Adding to the family recipe
Photo by Chris Lassiter It’s a taste of Texas just like Mama used to make. Otis Hawkins and Coushatta Hawkins moved from Houston, TX, to...
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SCCF Blog
Chris Lassiter
Aug 12
Carlton Melton: Making a pivot
Once Carlton pictured a new vision for his business, he picked up a camera. The founder of Take One Imaging – a company that caters to...
Chris Lassiter
Jul 29
Kyle Alston and Sunqueet Pepper: A serendipitous partnership
Photo by Chris Lassiter Kyle Alston and Sunqueet Pepper made good on their fresh idea. Now they’ve got the juice. The friends and...
Chris Lassiter
Jul 22
Taylor Redmond and Whitney Vaughn: Running the numbers
They had a fresh idea to squeeze out more income. Now the husband-and-wife tandem, co-owners of Nolia’s Lemonade, are reaping the fruits...
Chris Lassiter
Jul 15
Eric Vasson: Cooking up an idea
Photo by Chris Lassiter Eric Vasson just wants to be the second-best cook in his family. The number one position isn’t up for debate. The...
Chris Lassiter
Jul 8
Simone McKelvey: Building a homemade business
Photo by Chris Lassiter Simone McKelvey went from gifting soaps to becoming a gifted soap maker. The founder of Simone & Tuesday LLC,...
Chris Lassiter
Jun 27
The Goodmans: From passion to paycheck
Photo by Chris Lassiter Ray Goodman told his wife Charlotte to turn her passion into a paycheck — the result: Charlotte’s Kitchenette....
Chris Lassiter
Jun 20
Staunton Black Business Collective
A group of community stakeholders has organized to help grow Black business in Staunton. The Staunton Black Business Collective was...
Chris Lassiter
Jun 13
Nadia Ware: All-natural entrepreneur
Photo by Chris Lassiter It started as making a strawberry mask for her niece. Now Nadia Ware, founder of Honey Sweet Face and Body LLC,...
Chris Lassiter
Jun 6
Tony Davenport: Turning a skill into a business
Photo by Chris Lassiter Tony Davenport found a silver lining during the pandemic. He also found a black turntable. A huge music fan – who...
Anika Horn
Jan 15
Building the ecosystem for underserved entrepreneurs in the Valley
Reviewing two years of the Community Navigator Pilot Program From December 2021 to November 2023, a consortium of six entrepreneurial...
Jessica Bond
Oct 2, 2023
Teaming up with the NAACP
This past summer, SCCF partnered with the NAACP and People Inc. to facilitate our Business Bootcamp entrepreneurship program for Black...
Anika Horn
Aug 29, 2023
Vocal About What Matters
“When I first explored my creative side, I bought a silhouette cutter (device for printing on apparel) and immediately hated it. What had...
Ashley Wenger
Jul 30, 2023
Building a strong foundation
Last summer, we met Daniel Kelly II, the founder of M.E. Opus, a music and entertainment venture in the Northern Valley. M.E. Opus is the...
Anika Horn
Feb 21, 2023
RISE
When you first visit RISE Organization in Waynesboro, you don’t simply walk into an office. Upon entering, Founders Sharon Fitz and...
Anika Horn
Feb 6, 2023
B-Cubed: Black and Brown-owned Business Growth Program
When COVID-19 broke out in March 2020, small businesses struggled to remain open during lockdowns and the subsequent economic standstill....
Anika Horn
Jan 31, 2023
Building an Ecosystem for Black Business Support: Year 1 of Community Navigator Pilot Program
“In order for there to be a great America, there must be a great Black America. In order for there to be a great Black America, we need...
Anika Horn
Nov 28, 2022
The Walker Program: A renaissance of Black business in the Southern Valley
Once an important destination in the Motorist Green Book, Black-owned businesses dwindled for a half-century in Lexington, VA, until the...
Ashley Wenger
Nov 21, 2022
Axe Warehouse
Starting a business is time-consuming enough as it is. Starting a business while you’re a student in school is even busier still. But...
Ashley Wenger
Nov 15, 2022
Simply Clean
When Mallory Douglas moved her cleaning business, Simply Clean, from Virginia Beach to Lexington, she had 40 dollars and the...
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