Business

California Diversity Awards Celebrates Achievements and Highlights Growth of Diverse Small Businesses

The California African American Chamber of Commerce, the CalAsian Chamber of Commerce and Hispanic Chambers of Commerce hosted their third Annual Diversity Awards on June 27 in Sacramento. The awards luncheon celebrated corporate, legislative, and business leaders who are champions of small diverse businesses in California. The program also featured highlights from a report commissioned by the California Office of the Small Business Advocates (CalOSBA), aimed at understanding the significant impact small businesses have on the state.

Published

2 years ago

July 8, 2024

Oakland Post

The Ethnic Chamber Diversity Luncheon held in Sacramento on June 27. The audience listens to the report on the state of small diverse businesses in California. (CBM staff photo)

By Antonio Ray Harvey, California Black Media

The California African American Chamber of Commerce, the CalAsian Chamber of Commerce and Hispanic Chambers of Commerce hosted their third Annual Diversity Awards on June 27 in Sacramento.

The awards luncheon celebrated corporate, legislative, and business leaders who are champions of small diverse businesses in California. The program also featured highlights from a report commissioned by the California Office of the Small Business Advocates (CalOSBA), aimed at understanding the significant impact small businesses have on the state.

“We like to think of the economy as something where there’s always some government agency collecting information, but it’s remarkably hard to get into the trenches and figure out what’s really happening at the ground level,” said Chris Thornberg, an economist who authored the report.

“Last year was the beginning of pulling this together with the help of CalOSBA, the chambers and sponsors. This year, we expanded and improved the processes, adding data from the American Community Survey to get a better sense of the diverse business community.”

The report’s findings highlight the importance of small and diverse businesses in California. Collectively, they generated about $443 billion in 2019, representing nearly half a trillion dollars. Although this figure dropped slightly in 2020 due to the pandemic, their impact remained above $400 billion, accounting for about 8% of California’s overall output.

“That $414 billion would make our diverse small business sector the 24th largest state economy, larger than Oregon or South Carolina,” Thornberg noted. “These businesses support about 3.6 million jobs directly or indirectly.”

The report also indicated that diverse small businesses have shown resilience and growth in recent years.

“Despite various challenges, diverse small businesses have performed well,” said Thornberg. “The number of self-employed individuals and minorities in the state is up 10% from 2016, while overall small business numbers have contracted by about 15% over the same period. This growth is particularly evident in major regions like Los Angeles and San Bernardino, where a significant portion of the labor force comprises self-employed minorities.”

The success and growth of diverse small businesses in California are seen as a promising trend. “Los Angeles is home to the largest concentration of these businesses, followed by San Diego and San Bernardino,” Thornberg added. “In these regions, almost a third of the entire labor force is made up of self-employed minorities, showcasing the power and influence of these communities.”

Pat Fong Kushida, President and CEO of the California Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce thanked everyone for attending the event and highlighted the need for continuing to work together.

“Thank you so much for leaning in on that first report and giving us a strong foundation. We all push and pull. This is what we’re doing in the room today. There are a lot of pushers and a lot of pullers. Let’s work better together, and then we’ll achieve some of the goals that Chris outlined for all of us,” said Fong.

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

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2 days ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

1 week ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.