Diana Blank

Apis & Heritage Capital Partners Converts Denver-Based Sky Blue Builders to Employee Ownership via New Employee-Led Buyout (ELBO©)

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, April 3, 2024
Professional Services, DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion), Other Construction & Property, Human Resources, Commercial Building & Real Estate, Finance, Construction & Property, ESOP, ELBO, Sky blue, Diana Blank, Growth, City, Acquisition, Equity, Democracy, DEN, Denver International Airport, Great hall, Management

"We know Sky Blue will be a model for many more employers to follow in making our city a national leader in employee ownership."

Key Points: 
  • "We know Sky Blue will be a model for many more employers to follow in making our city a national leader in employee ownership."
  • A&H's ELBO© structure utilizes an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) model for employee ownership, which has over 50 years of bipartisan political and regulatory support.
  • Sky Blue took over the Great Hall renovation project at Denver Airport when it was struggling and righted the ship.
  • He formed Sky Blue Builders on the foundation of his passion for people, the ability to persevere, and a keen eye for innovative solutions.

Population Media Center's (PMC) Collaboration in Nepal Achieves Impactful Change through Entertainment

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, June 27, 2023
Partnership, PMC-Sierra, Nepalis, Diana Blank, Marriage, PMC, UNICEF, Population Media Center, Parenting, School, Child, Norm (mathematics), Adolescence, Vertically transmitted infection, Radio, Ecosystem, Environment, Hypothesis, Country, Birth control, BURLINGTON

This groundbreaking achievement was made possible by the Population Media Center (PMC), an organization dedicated to creating life-changing popular entertainment for a more equitable and sustainable world.

Key Points: 
  • This groundbreaking achievement was made possible by the Population Media Center (PMC), an organization dedicated to creating life-changing popular entertainment for a more equitable and sustainable world.
  • PMC's recent collaboration in Nepal resulted in the creation of an entertaining fictional radio show called Rope Guna Fal ("You Reap What You Sow").
  • This captivating program successfully engaged an estimated 325,026 Nepalis every week, with PMC spending only $0.91 per loyal listener.
  • By harnessing the power of storytelling, PMC challenged child marriage norms, improved reproductive health for adolescents, and strengthened parenting skills in Nepal.

Atlanta's Grove Park Foundation Receives $2 Million for Performing and Cultural Arts Center

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, April 27, 2023
Bank of America, Heart, Small business, Partnership, Food, Housing, QSR, Education, Digital, Culture, Chicken sandwich, Diana Blank, Risk management, Quality of life, BAC, Black, Bank, Employment, ATM, Bank of America Corporate Center, Investment, Restaurant, Chick-fil-A, Originality, Economic development, Glassdoor, Health, NYSE, Amusement park, Tourism

ATLANTA, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Bank of America and Chick-fil-A, Inc. announced their combined commitment of $2 million to Grove Park Foundation to create the Grove Park Performing and Cultural Arts Center by renovating the historic Grove Theatre on Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway.

Key Points: 
  • ATLANTA, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Bank of America and Chick-fil-A, Inc. announced their combined commitment of $2 million to Grove Park Foundation to create the Grove Park Performing and Cultural Arts Center by renovating the historic Grove Theatre on Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway.
  • The new Grove Park Performing and Cultural Arts Center, located at 1576 Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway, will create an accessible marketplace for small businesses and house community and cultural programming.
  • Stewart will also serve as chair of Grove Park Foundation's Grove Park Forward capital campaign, of which the theatre is a key component.
  • Grove Park Foundation acquired a historic theatre building in 2017 as part of its early commercial and affordable housing investments.

BeltLine MarketPlace Pilot Announces Lease Extension for Six Local Small Businesses and Passport Program for Shoppers

Retrieved on: 
Monday, December 5, 2022
Online, Small business, Water, ABI, Heart, GAB, The Village Market, City, Culture, Diana Blank, Georgia Statewide Minority Business Enterprise Center, MBE, Grady Memorial Hospital, Environment, Coffee, Macdonald, EAT, Hoodie, Animal, Veganism, The MarketPlace, BeltLine, TVM, Grady, Rest, Face, Jogging, Black-owned businesses, Athlete, Passport, Milk, Fast food, Airline, Interior design, Atlanta

ATLANTA, Dec. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The six local businesses chosen to be a part of Atlanta BeltLine, Inc.'s (ABI) inaugural - and much-anticipated - BeltLine MarketPlace incubator have signed lease extensions through the summer of 2023.

Key Points: 
  • ATLANTA, Dec. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The six local businesses chosen to be a part of Atlanta BeltLine, Inc.'s (ABI) inaugural - and much-anticipated - BeltLine MarketPlace incubator have signed lease extensions through the summer of 2023.
  • People can pick up the passports at each of the BeltLine MarketPlace businesses.
  • "We're thrilled to be part of this program and hope people will put us on their itineraries as they shop and eat around Atlanta."
  • The program received overwhelming interest from the local community, with 217 applications from local businesses received over two weeks.

Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. and The Village Market Launch BeltLine MarketPlace With Focus on Creating More Equitable Access to Affordable Commercial Space

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, July 14, 2022
Foot, Wi-Fi, Sale, Awareness, Enterprise software, Solution, Fiserv, Program, Partnership, United States Census Bureau, Diana Blank, Food, Prosperity, Organization, Annual business survey (UK), BeltLine, Google Nest, Chromebook, Equity, Small business, The MarketPlace, Google, Growth, Plant, ABI, Technology, CEO, Georgia Statewide Minority Business Enterprise Center, Microsoft, Management, Renewable energy, Video game, Online shopping, Tutoring, The Village Market, Atlanta, Clover, Ponce City Market, Verb, Black

ATLANTA, July 14, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. (ABI) and The Village Market (TVM) have chosen six local Minority Business Enterprises to be a part of the pilot BeltLine MarketPlace collaboration.

Key Points: 
  • In the process of applying for the BeltLine MarketPlace program, the BeltLine surveyed the Black small business owners to identify what some of those pain points are.
  • According to the applicants, the most common roadblocks are access to capital and resources; access to customers; and rising rental rates on commercial space.
  • Atlanta BeltLine, Inc.'s vision is to be the catalyst for making Atlanta a global beacon for equitable, inclusive, and sustainable city life.
  • BeltLine MarketPlace is a program that provides more equitable access to affordable commercial space for local small businesses, with a focus on Minority Business Enterprises in the pilot year.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Receives Grant to Expand Coverage of Climate Change in Georgia

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, June 7, 2022
Advertising, Journalism, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Climate change, News, Environment, Partner, Climate, Organization, Multimedia, Democracy, CNN, Health, Diana Blank, AJC, Fund, View, Public relations, Publishing, Atlanta

ATLANTA, June 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has received a $50,000 donation from the Kendeda Fund and 1Earth Fund to expand coverage of climate change in Georgia. The one-year grant, made possible by Journalism Funding Partners, will be used to increase the volume and depth of reporting on how climate change is affecting metro Atlanta and the state.

Key Points: 
  • ATLANTA, June 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has received a $50,000 donation from the Kendeda Fund and 1Earth Fund to expand coverage of climate change in Georgia.
  • The one-year grant, made possible by Journalism Funding Partners, will be used to increase the volume and depth of reporting on how climate change is affecting metro Atlanta and the state.
  • With its diverse landscape from mountains to coastal marshlands, the state is expected to see even more dramatic impacts to its livability and economy as climate change accelerates.
  • "The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is known for our in-depth reporting and our willingness to pursue complex stories where the stakes are high," said Kevin Riley, editor of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Apis & Heritage Capital Partners Completes First Two Transactions to Further Mission of Closing Racial Wealth Gap Through Novel Employee-Led Buyout Model

Retrieved on: 
Monday, June 6, 2022
Zero, Science, Company, Denver, Ford Foundation, Democracy, Foundation (nonprofit), Ownership, ELBO, City, Rockefeller Foundation, W. K. Kellogg Foundation, Workforce, Investment, Solution, BIPOC, Apex, Woodforest National Bank, Technology, Acquisition, Rehabilitation, UMB Financial Corporation, Twitter, Diana Blank, Jeffrey Skoll, Skoll Foundation, Today, Investment fund, Black Box (Brown Eyed Girls album), ESOP, Color, Airline, Management

WASHINGTON, June 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Apis & Heritage Capital Partners (A&H), an investment fund that finances the conversion of companies with substantial Black and Brown workforces into 100% employee-owned businesses, today announced that it has converted Denver-based Apex Plumbing Co. and El Paso-based Accent Landscape Contractors Inc. into 100% employee-owned enterprises.

Key Points: 
  • Their novel "employee-led buyout" (ELBO) model is helping workers build wealth through ownership, especially Black and Brown workers who have historically been left out of such opportunities.
  • "Closing the racial wealth gap is why we created A&H.
  • The future is literally in their hands, and we couldn't be more excited for our company and its new owners, our employees.
  • Our focus is on scaling renewable energy for all, stimulating economic mobility, and ensuring equitable access to healthy and nutritious food.

Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. and The Village Market Join Forces to Establish BeltLine Storefronts for Local, Black-Owned Businesses

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, April 14, 2022
West Side, CEO, Federal Reserve Bank, Awareness, COVID-19, Small business, Foot, ABI, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, BeltLine, Program, Bureau of Labor Statistics, PPP, Diana Blank, Prosperity, Beltline, Partnership, Black, TVM, Ponce City Market, Video game, Airline, Renewable energy, The Village Market, Verb, Atlanta, Latinx

ATLANTA, April 14, 2022   /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. (ABI) and The Village Market (TVM) announced today that the companies will be joining forces to launch BeltLine MarketPlace. This pilot program will provide new, affordable commercial opportunities for up to six (6) local, Black-owned businesses with storefronts directly on the multi-use trail as part of ABI's first small business incubator.

Key Points: 
  • BeltLine MarketPlace is one strategy targeted towards closing the wealth gap between Black-owned businesses and other minority- and white-owned businesses.
  • According to the Prosperity Now report, Atlanta's Black businesses are valued at $58,085 compared to Latinx businesses at $457,877 and white businesses at $658,264.
  • A community-driven economic vehicle, The Village Market , founded in 2016, steers a direct pipeline for Black-owned businesses' economic growth and placement.
  • A joint initiative of Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. and The Village Market , it is organized in alliance with Atlanta BeltLine Partnership and Atelier 7 Architects and made possible with the generous support of the Kendeda Fund.

Lemonada Media Announces New Season of Award-Winning Podcast Series, Last Day, A Show Devoted to Tackling Massive Epidemics with Humanity and Finding Solutions

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, March 24, 2022
People, Parks and Recreation, Organization, Work, HERE, Bubble, Late Night with Seth Meyers, The Untold Story, Drug, NPR, Multimedia, Everytown, Violence, Culture, Friends, Community, Humour, LEVI, Levi Strauss & Co., The Jed Foundation, Grief, Comedy Bang! Bang!, View, Untold, Gun, Park, THE, Everytown for Gun Safety, SuChin Pak, Diana Blank, Darkness, Morning Edition, Late Night, Season, ANNIE, Solution, Podcast, Master of None, Courage, Suicide, Annie E. Casey Foundation, LS, Politics, Love, Heroin, Television, Entertainment, Medicine, Mobile phone, Fashion

LOS ANGELES, March 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Lemonada Media, the podcast network that makes life suck less, today announces the return of their award-winning flagship podcast series, Last Day, which looks to confront massive epidemics with humanity, wit, and a quest for progress. Hosted by Lemonada co-founder and author, Stephanie Wittels Wachs, season three returns April 6th to address the harrowing reality of gun violence in America while seeking out answers to the question that so many are asking, "How can we live safely in a country that has more guns than people?"

Key Points: 
  • Stephanie Wittels Wachs and Jessica Cordova Kramer created Last Day , and subsequently Lemonada, after each lost their brothers to overdoses.
  • They realized that building a community around their grief could pull themand others suffering from profound loss out of darkness.
  • Stephanie Wittels Wachs is co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of Lemonada Media, a podcast network that makes life suck less.
  • She co-created and hosts Last Day, Lemonada's award-winning flagship show confronting massive epidemics with humor, compassion, and a quest for progress.

EO Equals Campaign Launches to Strengthen Communities Through Employee-Owned Businesses

Retrieved on: 
Monday, October 4, 2021
Professional Services, Philanthropy, Public Policy, Government, State, Local, Other Professional Services, Small Business, Foundation, Nexus, Evergreen Cooperatives, Goal, Partnership, Human, Employee ownership trust, Thought, ICA, Equal, Solution, ESOP, ICA Group, EO, Income, Fund, Ownership, Massachusetts Center for the Book, Child care, Twitter, Growth, Awareness, Small business, Alternative, Â, Retirement, Research, Diana Blank, Color, Evergreen, Investment, Movement, Nigerian Capital Development Fund (NCDF), Synthetic oil, Public relations, Pharmaceutical industry, Management, The Kendeda Fund, The Fund for Employee Ownership, the ICA Group, Nexus Community Partners, Project Equity, THE KENDEDA FUND, THE FUND FOR EMPLOYEE OWNERSHIP, THE ICA GROUP, NEXUS COMMUNITY PARTNERS, PROJECT EQUITY

The new Employee Ownership Equals campaign (EO Equals) launches today to help American small business owners understand the broad business benefits of employee ownership (EO) and get the support they need to transition to the EO model that is right for them.

Key Points: 
  • The new Employee Ownership Equals campaign (EO Equals) launches today to help American small business owners understand the broad business benefits of employee ownership (EO) and get the support they need to transition to the EO model that is right for them.
  • EO Equals increases awareness of the countless benefits of EO, including increased profits, secure owner retirement, motivated employees, and access to capital for growth.
  • Through EO Equals, the founding partners work with small business owners to help them transition to the EO model that is right for them.
  • Through the EO Equals campaign we hope to increase the number of business owners who are knowledgeable about, contemplating, and taking action to transition to EO.