Indiana Black Expo Expands Black Business Training Institute to Meet Growing Demand Following KeyBank Grant

The Indiana Black Expo (IBE) has dedicated more than 50 years to helping business owners build management training, procurement opportunities and networking to enhance capacity and growth. In February, the KeyBank Foundation invested $300,000 in IBE to assist with the organization’s Black Business Training Institute.

To meet growing demand, IBE is expanding its upcoming training institute program to assist additional business owners. An additional 95 seats have been added to the program, bringing the total number of business owners in the first cohort to 120. This is up from an original projection of 25 seats.

"We are overwhelmed by the demand for the training and look forward to serving 120 business owners in the first cohort,” said IBE Chief Executive Officer, Tanya Mckinzie. “We are thankful for KeyBank's investment and support of our strategic priority focus to enhance and develop Black-owned businesses and create generational wealth in our communities."

Earlier this month, more than 100 business owners involved in the first cohort attended a welcome reception and orientation.

“Seeing such demand and motivation for the program is truly inspiring,” said Nick Bontreger, KeyBank Northern Indiana Market President and Regional Retail Leader. “These owners have real passion for growing their business knowledge, and I am proud to help support their mission.”

The goal of the Black Business Training Institute is to re-energize Central Indiana’s African American small business community by establishing more thriving businesses led by Black entrepreneurs. Doing so will increase the capacity of Black businesses to grow their workforce and strengthen existing minority small businesses. IBE plans to do this by:

• Strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem to encourage personal development and increase peer resources for Black business development
   
• Increasing the number of procurement opportunities for minority-led small businesses
   
• Increasing Indiana business owners’ access to the best available talent from the Black and minority community

To accomplish these objectives, IBE will offer a robust 10-week business management program for two cohorts. The training will focus on practical business skills that can immediately be applied by small minority business owners. A $5,000 award will be provided to the top business owner or business in each cohort that excels in the program and receives perfect attendance.

Training sessions for the first cohorts are set to begin Tuesday, April 26.

Read more about KeyBank’s investment in IBE:

Indiana Black Expo program receiving $300K grant; IBE plans to invest funds into training institute | The Courier Journal

Indiana Black Expo's new business development program gets $300,000 grant | Indy Star

Indiana Black Expo launches training program | WISH-TV