Walking The Small Business Tightrope
Small Group Of County Business Leaders Seek to Turn Up The Heat In Efforts To Grow
By Gil Griffin
Something different is coming soon, in the county’s small business community's philosophy of how to maximize opportunities, profits, and prosperity.
Two of the county’s prime economic drivers, the Norman F. Holmes Foundation and NuDawn Marketing Group recently partnered to convene a summit in College Park, of business leaders and law enforcement officials and launch an initiative called Prince George’s Business & Economic Imperative. The initiative’s goal, according to its messaging, is, “fostering economic growth and strategic business transformation.”
“The Prince George’s Business & Economic Imperative is more than a conversation,” says Dawn P. Jackson, NuDawn Marketing Group’s founder, chief strategy officer and CEO.
“It’s a movement, shifting the narrative from ideas to action, because our business owners are ready. They are the solution. This is about ownership — of our economy, our communities, and our future.”
The Initiative’s series of panel discussions included prominent members of law enforcement detailing the importance of public safety for economic growth, CEOs of several county businesses giving their perspectives on economic trends in the county and region, and economic experts shared pro tips with entrepreneurs on achieving sustainable financial success. Gov. Wes Moore’s administration also was represented at the gathering, as Kevin Anderson, the governor’s senior advisor for economic development hosted a “Fireside Chat,” a la former president Franklin Delano Roosevelt, when he regularly held radio talks over the airwaves with the public during the Great Depression era.
Though it’s a century later now, with the current presidential administration championing tariffs on imported goods from a plethora of countries, Wall Street markets dipping in response, and anxious talk of a possible oncoming recession, calming fears and boosting morale seemed to be the order of the day.
Johnson herself projects that in her words, when describing the Initiative, urging unity and economic cooperation among businesspeople.
“Real, lasting change begins with those who live and build here,” Johnson says. “Our business owners are not just participants in the local economy, but the architects of its future. When we keep dollars circulating within our community, we strengthen the foundation for generations to come.”
