Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Small Business Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Elkhart meeting approves $7,500 to host Indiana Black Expo small‑business cohort
Summary
Elkhart City meeting approved a one‑time $7,500 payment to help bring an Indiana Black Expo cohort‑based small‑business training program to Elkhart. Staff described cohort size, curriculum and past results and said the program will be free to participants.
At an Elkhart City meeting, members approved a one‑time $7,500 payment to support an Indiana Black Expo cohort‑based small‑business training program aimed at strengthening the local small‑business ecosystem.
City officials said the program will be free to participants and run as a cohort of roughly 25 participants, with a maximum of 35. The curriculum will cover business fundamentals including value propositions, customer segmentation, financial management, marketing and branding, and practical skills such as basic AI prompt engineering for marketing automation and digital marketing tactics like SEO and CRM use. Presenter Marcus said the cohort will draw enrollment from the Chamber of Commerce database, the U.S. Small Business Administration’s local office, the Elkhart Small Business Development Center, the SCORE network, the Latin American Chamber of Commerce and the Elkhart chapter of Indiana Black Expo.
Marcus said Jean Poole, a contractor and certified leadership trainer who has worked with more than 400 small and medium‑size business owners in Indiana between 2023 and 2025, will lead the training. Marcus told the meeting the program’s participants are expected to complete a draft business plan, produce an action plan and develop basic SOPs and marketing and financial initiatives the city can track.
The presenter itemized several line items: a facility fee of $5,500, program setup and tracking for $2,500 and a core design fee of $7,500; the request to the city was limited to $7,500. Marcus said the program’s prior cohort began with 35 participants and ended with 25 who completed the training. When asked whether participants will pay, Marcus said the course would be “completely free.” He added, “If you feed them, they will come,” when describing why modest food or hospitality is included in the budget.
City staff said the request is a one‑time grant and that they plan to budget for similar programs in future years if the city commits ongoing support. The assembled members made a motion to approve the $7,500 request; the motion received a second and passed on a voice vote.
The presenter said staff will provide a program summary to the city after the cohort concludes, including participation data, pre/post assessments and recommendations for future cohorts or scalability.
