Ohio-Based Startup Is First Northeast Recipient of Black Business Support Fund From Kinetic

By: Windstream Holdings via Business Wire

September 16, 2021 at 09:30 AM EDT

Kinetic Business has awarded $125,000 in grants since 2020 to benefit Black-owned firms

Kinetic Business today announced that an Ohio-based consulting firm that specializes in professional coaching, training and development, has been selected as the first Northeast Region winner of the Black Business Support Fund. The fund seeks to increase the number and stability of Black-owned businesses located within Kinetic’s service footprint.

Jewel White recently learned that, as a small-business grant recipient, her firm will receive $2,500 in cash and a year of free internet. Located in Geneva, Ohio, near Ashtabula, 180 Development Solutions & Consulting Co. LLC is a consulting agency that serves business and impact-driven organizations with coaching, facilitated dialogue, and shared learning experiences. Through its services, clients are given tools to manage and resolve disputes effectively, strengthen relationships, and encourage a collaborative team culture.

White says she is using the grant award to build strategic partnerships for her business. She recently became an authorized partner of Everything DiSC®, a global network of consultants, trainers, and coaches dedicated to improving the performance of people and cultures of organizations. That official partnership may not have been possible, at least not this year, without the support and recognition of Kinetic Business, she said.

“I’m so grateful that a close friend shared information about the Black Business Support Fund with me. I read the requirements and applied for it right away,” White said. “I strongly encourage other owners of Black-owned businesses to take the time to look into it and apply as soon as possible. The application process was a breeze. And already, the grant has been a real blessing for our small business, allowing us to continue pushing toward our vision of assisting other businesses and organizations, eliminating barriers, and implementing strategic techniques to produce purposeful, profitable, and impact-driven results.”

White’s is the first Black-owned enterprise to win the Fund since early August, when Kinetic Business began accepting applications for the awarding of grants to eligible businesses in three Northeast states: New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Previously, Kinetic opened the Fund to eligible customers in areas of Georgia, Kentucky, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, and Pennsylvania where the company has service.

Since the fund’s launch in late 2020, businesses selected for the grants have received a grand total of $125,000 in cash awards. If chosen, each small-business grant recipient will receive $2,500 in cash and a year of free internet for their business. The selected businesses will also get a free consultation from Kinetic Business on processes and products that could improve efficiencies and make their business more profitable.

To be eligible for a Black Business Support Fund grant, a business must:

Be a new or current small business in a market area that Kinetic serves in North Carolina, Kentucky, Georgia, New York, Ohio or Pennsylvania;
Be Black-owned and have 25 or fewer employees;
Not be currently engaged in bankruptcy proceedings;
Not be a nonprofit organization, liquor store, check-cashing agency, gun shop, pawn shop or adult entertainment business, and
Not apply for multiple businesses.

Funds will be awarded on a first come, first served basis. Applicants should check Black Business Support Fund website for full terms and conditions and application process.

Kinetic has a long history of partnering with business and residential customers to connect communities to what’s important. Kinetic by Windstream is committed to deploying fiber to communities across the 18-state Kinetic footprint. This multi-year, $2 billion investment expanding fast, reliable connection allows residential customers gig speeds to navigate the internet safely from home with no lag times while they work, learn or stream entertainment services. Businesses ranging from small shops to large enterprises can take advantage of the fiber-backed network to deploy solutions that make their companies more efficient and profitable such as OfficeSuite UC® and SD-WAN.

About Kinetic

Kinetic by Windstream is a business unit of Windstream, a privately held communications and software company. Kinetic provides premium broadband, entertainment and security services through an enhanced fiber network to consumers and businesses primarily in rural areas in 18 states. The company also offers managed communications services, including SD-WAN and UCaaS, and high-capacity bandwidth and transport services to businesses across the U.S. Additional information is available at KineticBusiness.com. Follow us on Twitter at @GoKineticBiz.