Explanation
This ordinance authorizes the City Clerk to enter into a grant agreement with Catholic Social Services, Inc. in support of Mercadito Raices.
Latino businesses represent a significant growth opportunity for central Ohio. Over the last ten years, the number of Latino businesses owners has grown by 44%, compared to 4% for all other business owners. Within Columbus, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce reports that there are 16,000 Hispanic-owned businesses. However, Columbus ranks below the national average in terms of its share of very small businesses (fewer than 20 employees) and representation of Hispanic-owned businesses.
¡Festival Latino! and the Hispanic Heritage festival are two prime opportunities for launching Hispanic businesses. However, in past years many of the food vendors at ¡Festival Latino! were from out of state. A primary reason for low local participation in the festival was unfamiliarity with the requirements of becoming a vendor. There is an opportunity to build capacity in greater Columbus and assist Latinos in creating businesses.
In recent years, the Ohio Small Business Development Center at Columbus State has provided a series of workshops prior to ¡Festival Latino! to help Hispanic entrepreneurs prepare for the event. The goal of this program, called Mercadito Raices (“The Roots Market”), is to demonstrate to Latino businesses the value of community outreach by assisting them through all the steps needed to prepare and have successful sales in community events and open the doors to a wider market.
In 2023, the Ohio Small Business Development Center partnered with Catholic Social Services’ Our Lady of Guadalupe Center (OLGC) to offer Mercadito Raices, in conjunction with both ¡Festival Latino! and the Hispanic Heritage festival. Ten Hispanic entrepreneurs completed the Mercadito Raices workshops in 2023, nine of whom launched their businesses at ¡Festival Latino! on August 12-13, 2023.
Catholic Social Services is requestin...
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