
By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
Tabor 100, an organization committed to economic empowerment and social equity for African Americans and the broader community, has teamed up with VertueLab, a nonprofit supporting climate tech and clean energy entrepreneurs in the Pacific Northwest. Together, they have launched the Green Economy Program, offering virtual sessions aimed at helping minority and women-owned businesses enter the growing climate sector.
Don Robinson, Program Director at Tabor 100, explained that historically, women and minority-owned businesses have had limited participation in the climate field, and the Green Economy Program is designed to change that.
“We partnered with VertueLab to create a pipeline for climate entrepreneurs to gain experience in this sector,” said Robinson. “Some already have products, and some are in the development phase, but our goal is to help them figure out how to break into the clean energy field.”
The program, which runs from October through January, provides resources to businesses looking to transition into eco-friendly practices under the NAICS codes and initiatives like the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IJA).
Leo Ochoa, the Accelerator Manager at VertueLab, emphasizes that their primary concern is maximizing Tabor 100 and VertueLab’s positive impact on the planet. The Green Economy Program is a key initiative aimed at lessening the effects of climate change.
“We are creating virtual information sessions and starting with those small business owners who need the help,” says Ochoa. “The help in understanding that there are state funds that can help grow their business. By acquiring those state funds and grants, it can help grow and expand their business so they can better serve the communities.”
With the main goal of providing technical assistance to women and minority-owned businesses through partnerships with consultants, backed by fundraising and grant funding from community partners, Robinson believes that the Green Economy Program is the next step in this world, and Tabor 100 is performing outreach through social media and advertisements in hopes of getting the word out to businesses.
According to Ochoa, the Green Economy Program will focus on training entrepreneurs—especially those in construction, electrical work, and plumbing—to help them transition into the green economy.
“Those workers are the ones who can help transition into a sustainable green economy through the electrification of homes and vehicles,” says Ochoa.
“We’re working with businesses that don’t know how to navigate this space,” said Robinson. “Through our resources and our partnership with VertueLab, we want to help businesses understand the requirements and determine how we can best support them. Every business may be different, but we are just looking to see who and how we can help businesses better.”
“We live in Washington, in the Pacific Northwest, where the future in the climate is clean energy, and we don’t want to be left behind. We are trying to make sure that these businesses can participate, have the support, and access resources to be successful. With the help of our community partners, that is the work that we are doing,” says Robinson. “We’re working to make sure that everyone has a way of participating and not being left behind in what the future holds.”
Tabor 100 is inviting small business owners to join them on October 3rd, 2024, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., for an insightful virtual session where they will learn how their business can tap into accessing these green economy grant dollars.