Business

Wells Fargo Donates $2 Million to Main Street Launch in Oakland

OAKLAND POST — Wells Fargo Bank gave a $2 million grant to an Oakland-based small business lender on Monday morning, according to bank officials. The donation to Main Street Launch, described as a Community Development Financial Institution, was announced at a news conference at a small business in Oakland – McMullen Boutique at 2257 Broadway in Oakland.

Published

5 years ago

May 22, 2019

Oakland Post

By The Oakland Post

Wells Fargo Bank gave a $2 million grant to an Oakland-based small business lender on Monday morning, according to bank officials.

The donation to Main Street Launch, described as a Community Development Financial Institution, was announced at a news conference at a small business in Oakland – McMullen Boutique at 2257 Broadway in Oakland.

Sherri McMullen, the boutique owner, spoke about the importance of small business loans, and her experience as a Main Street Launch client.

“An investment in a small business, like McMullen, is an investment in someone’s dream and in the growth of the local economy,” she said in a statement.

In an interview, McMullen noted that she had been uncomfortable attempting to get conventional funding when she decided to open her boutique. She ended up going to friends and using her savings. Eventually, she was introduced to Main Street Launch and applied for a microloan.

It made all the difference for her. Robert Lattimore, who helps provide access to capital for African American entrepreneurs at Main Street Launch, understood small business in general, and specifically understood McMullen’s business and personal goals as a single mother trying to raise a son and maintain her Oakland roots.

“With that funding, I’ve been able to bring on people, you know, more staff management, employees who are employed in Oakland and live in Oakland. That’s also important to help my staff with their needs as well,” McMullen said.

Wells Fargo’s commitment at this time helps extend Main Street Launch’s reach. “And, (the grant) is helping support a community, it’s helping support people who are really grounded and rooted in helping the economic growth of a city that they care so much about,” McMullen said.

Lattimore, Main Street Launch executive vice president of diverse markets, is also passionate about “small businesses in the Bay Area because small businesses are really the backbone of the economy of the United States. For example, there are about 2.85 million African-American small businesses located throughout this country. As we move toward the year 2046 the demographics of this country will change. And, it’s critically important that small businesses and particularly businesses of color are a part of a vibrant community, and by them being vibrant it will allow them to create assets, wealth, and income.”

For more information on Main Street Launch, please go to: https://www.mainstreetlaunch.org/.

Bay City News, Internet sources contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared in the Oakland Post.

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LIVE! — TOWN HALL ON RACISM AND ITS IMPACT — THURS. 11.14.24 5PM PST

Join us for a LIVE Virtual Town Hall on the Impact of Racism hosted by Post News Group Journalist Carla Thomas and featuring Oakland, CA NAACP President Cynthia Adams & other Special Guests.
Thursday, November 14, 2024, 5 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. PST

Published

5 days ago

November 12, 2024

Oakland Post

Discussion Topics:
• Since the pandemic, what battles have the NAACP fought nationally, and how have they impacted us locally?
• What trends are you seeing concerning Racism? Is it more covert or overt?
• What are the top 5 issues resulting from racism in our communities?
• How do racial and other types of discrimination impact local communities?
• What are the most effective ways our community can combat racism and hate?

Your questions and comments will be shared LIVE with the moderators and viewers during the broadcast.

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Oakland Post: Week of November 6 – 12, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 6 – 12, 2024

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November 9, 2024

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Pamela Price Appoints Deputy D.A. Jennifer Kassan as New Director of Community Support Bureau

On Monday, District Attorney Pamela Price announced Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Kassan as the new director of the Community Support Bureau. Kassan has over 25 years of experience as an attorney and advisor for mission-driven enterprises including benefit corporations, low-profit limited liability companies, nonprofits, cooperatives, hybrid organizations, investment funds, and purpose trusts.

Published

2 weeks ago

November 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Alameda County Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Kassan. Courtesy photo.

Special to The Post

On Monday, District Attorney Pamela Price announced Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Kassan as the new director of the Community Support Bureau.

Kassan has over 25 years of experience as an attorney and advisor for mission-driven enterprises including benefit corporations, low-profit limited liability companies, nonprofits, cooperatives, hybrid organizations, investment funds, and purpose trusts.

Working in the DA’s new administration since 2023, Kassan was most recently assigned to the Organized Retail Theft Prosecution team.

Kassan has a master’s degree in City Planning from the University of California, Berkeley. She received a National Science Foundation Fellowship from Yale Law School, and graduated from Yale Law School in 1995. She earned her B.A. in Psychology with a minor emphasis in Ethnic Studies from UC Berkeley.

Kassan’s education, extensive legal background, list of notable accomplishments and impressive resume includes helping to found and lead multiple organizations to support community wealth building including:

Community Ventures, a nonprofit organization that promotes locally-based community economic development,
the Sustainable Economies Law Center, a nonprofit that provides legal information, training, and representation to support sustainable economies
the Force for Good Fund, a nonprofit impact investment fund
Crowdfund Main Street, a licensed portal for regulation crowdfunding
Opportunity Main Street, a place-based ecosystem building organization that supports under-represented entrepreneurs and provides education about community-based investing.

In addition, Kassan served as an elected member of the City Council of Fremont, California from 2018 to 2024, and on the Securities and Exchange Commission Advisory Committee on Small and Emerging Companies.

In 2020 she was named to the list of World-Changing Women in Conscious Business by SOCAP Global.

“We are excited to see Jenny accept the role as the new leader for the Community Support Bureau,” said Price. “She brings a wealth of talent, experience, and a vision to expand our office’s engagement with community groups and residents, that will level-up our

outreach programs and partnerships with local organizations with the aim of promoting crime prevention.

“We thank Interim CSB Director Esther Lemus, who is now assigned to our office’s

Restitution Unit, for her hard work and a great job fostering positive relationships between the DAO and the community.”