BIPOC Business Survey Preliminary Results Released
20 December 2020
Vermont Partnership for Fairness & Diversity released the preliminary results of its BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) Business Survey. Seventy-five (75) BIPOC business owners from ten counties operating in thirteen different business sectors completed the survey. Survey results, findings, and recommendations are posted to the Vermont Partnership website at this link.
The survey was designed to gauge interest in the creation of an entity to serve the needs of BIPOC business owners in Vermont. Sixty-two percent (62%) of BIPOC business owners responding to the survey were not members of a chamber of commerce or business association. Over three quarters (76%) felt a need for a government commission to promote and support the growth of BIPOC businesses. Access to capital ranked highest on the list of priorities for BIPOC business owners followed by the need for a mutual support network.
“Our next steps include convening a BIPOC business association exploratory committee and drilling deeper into the data by county and sector,” notes Curtiss Reed, Jr., executive director of Vermont Partnership.
Economic and business development has been the central focus of Vermont Partnership for nearly twenty years. The organization believes that Vermont’s economic prosperity is dependent upon the state’s ability to attract and retain consumers, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists of color to the Green Mountains. This preliminary work has been underwritten by both the Vermont Partnership and the Vermont Community Foundation through a grant to the ALANA Community Organization.
Download the survey results here: