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Montebello recognizes graduates of LEAF Business Boost program; graduates cite practical help
Summary
The Montebello City Council presented certificates to graduates of the LEAF Montebello Business Boost program; LEAF reported outreach and survey data for the city and promised continued support and resources for alumni businesses.
Montebello officials on Wednesday recognized local business owners who completed the LEAF Montebello Business Boost program and heard program staff describe outreach findings about small-business needs in the city.
Aileen Rodriguez, identified as director and co‑founder of LEAF, and Kat Ramsier, senior community program manager, presented the program and a report on local outreach. Rodriguez said LEAF’s outreach team reached about 10,000 businesses across Los Angeles County in the last year and that roughly 70% of those contacted had not previously heard of free business-support services. “We have direct connections with city council members and with other programs,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez told the council LEAF’s field surveys in Montebello found that 85% of the businesses they contacted said they had never received free business support. She also said canvassing observed that about 38% of businesses were open with customers at the moment of survey and about 20% were open with no customers present; she cautioned that those observations can be time‑ and place‑dependent but said they aligned with business-owner feedback.
Chris Hernandez, an alumnus of the program who runs WGT Financial, told the council LEAF helped him and his partner develop a business plan and generate leads. “If we don't have a GPS, we're gonna get to nowhere pretty fast,” Hernandez said, summarizing how the program helped him build a plan.
The program offers classes and one-on-one supports in marketing, finance, technology and operations, Rodriguez said, and LEAF reported maintaining services for alumni: the organization plans to provide no-cost websites to graduates who remain in LEAF’s pipeline and to refer businesses to county partners when LEAF does not offer a needed service.
Mayor Melendez and other council members presented certificates to local graduates at the meeting. The council thanked LEAF, the Montebello Chamber of Commerce, and program partners; staff and council did not take any action related to the presentation.
Why it matters: Council members said supporting small businesses preserves jobs and neighborhood character and asked staff to continue coordinating with LEAF on data and programming that could inform city efforts to assist entrepreneurs.
Staff noted LEAF offered to continue fundraising in partnership with the city to expand supports and recommended ongoing data sharing to shape local economic-development efforts.
