Business

First Tennessee Operation Hope success story: Atina Labs

NASHVILLE PRIDE — Charles D. Hill was encouraged by his wife to launch a business after he retired from Memphis Light Gas & Water after 20 years. Initially inspired by his mother, Irene Holt, who was an entrepreneur and owned a restaurant, sports bar and a fish market, Hill remembers the key lessons he learned from her: how to read and count money.

Published

5 years ago

April 16, 2019

Oakland Post

By Pride Newsdesk

Charles D. Hill was encouraged by his wife to launch a business after he retired from Memphis Light Gas & Water after 20 years. Initially inspired by his mother, Irene Holt, who was an entrepreneur and owned a restaurant, sports bar and a fish market, Hill remembers the key lessons he learned from her: how to read and count money.

As he began researching small businesses, he located the Operation HOPE Entrepreneurial Training Program, a partnership between Operation HOPE, COGIC Urban Initiatives, and First Tennessee Bank.

“We are very excited about the early success and solid impact of our Entrepreneur Training Program through our partnership with Operation HOPE,” said Steve Swain, manager of Operation HOPE programs for First Tennessee. “We will continue our commitment to meeting the small business entrepreneur training, credit and financial needs by expanding economic empowerment in underserved communities, enhancing dignity through financial education.”

Meeting Operation Hope Financial Counselor, Trudy Morrison, on the first day of class, Hill knew he was in for an exciting and fun challenge. “I learned how to do an elevator pitch, understand my sales strategy, and identify my target market,” he said.

“Drug usage in the U.S. had been on the rise. There is a demand for drug screening and collection businesses,” said Hill, who is a certified Breath Alcohol Technician, Urine Drug Screen Collector and Hair Drug Screener.

“The training program helped me to shape my vision, write a business plan, conduct market research, understand credit and accessing capital,” stated Hill. “The new skills in advertising, accounting, and networking will allow my business to flourish and grow.”

Hill’s goal is for Atina Labs to be a highly visible and reputable firm known as the leader in the substance abuse screening industry in the Mid-South area. He challenges aspiring entrepreneurs to “move past the fear of failure” and encourages them to not let their dreams go without trying. After graduation from the 12-week program in May of 2018, Hill opened the doors to his physical location, Atina Labs in February 2019.

First Tennessee Bank holds free credit score workshops for Financial Literacy Month

In conjunction with its Operation Hope initiatives, First Tennessee Bank will be hosting a free workshop to help Nashvillians improve their credit scores. The workshop will take place Saturday, April 13 from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm, at the Metro Center branch at 2110 Rosa L. Park Blvd.

Interested participants can contact Michael D. Morrow at 615-268-9053 or by email at <michael.morrow@operationhope.org>. Online registration is open at <www.eventbrite.com/o/michael-morrow-15902057619>.

Workshop participants will learn about establishing or improving a credit score, budget techniques to get the most out of a limited income, and strategies for paying off debt and using credit wisely. The free sessions are open to everyone.

First Tennessee’s partnership with Operation HOPE invests in financial education programs that allow individuals and small businesses to create solid foundations, achieve economic dignity and secure their financial futures. 2018 financial literacy impacts included: over 8,000 new clients served across 21 HOPE Inside locations, 1,360 clients still actively enrolled in services, and 84 new small businesses created.

This article originally appeared in the Nashville Pride.

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Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

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18 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Oakland Post

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V.P. Kamala Harris: Americans With Criminal Records Will Soon Be Eligible for SBA Loans

Speaking in Las Vegas on Jan. 27, Vice President Kamala Harris announced a forthcoming federal rule that will extend access to Small Business Administration (SBA) loans to Americans who have been convicted of felonies but have served their time. Small business owners typically apply for the SBA loans to start or sustain their businesses.

Published

3 days ago

April 16, 2024

Oakland Post

On her daylong trip, Harris was joined by Horford, SBA Administrator Isabella Guzman, Interim Under Secretary of Commerce for Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Eric Morrissette, and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev).

By California Black Media

Small business owners typically apply for the SBA loans to start or sustain their businesses.

Harris thanked U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV-04), the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, for the work he has done in Washington to support small businesses and to invest in people.

“He and I spent some time this afternoon with business leaders and small business leaders here in Nevada. The work you have been doing to invest in community and to invest in the ambition and natural capacity of communities has been exceptional,” Harris said, speaking to a crowd of a few hundred people at the Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Hall in East Las Vegas.

“Formerly incarcerated individuals face significant barriers to economic opportunity once they leave prison and return to the community, with an unemployment rate among the population of more than 27%,” the White House press release continued. “Today’s announcement builds on the Vice President’s work to increase access to capital. Research finds that entrepreneurship can reduce recidivism for unemployed formerly incarcerated individuals by as much as 30%.”

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G.O.P. Lawmakers: Repeal AB 5 and Resist Nationalization of “Disastrous” Contractor Law

Published

4 days ago

April 16, 2024

Oakland Post

File Photo: Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher (R-Yuba City)

By California Black Media

Republican lawmakers gathered outside of the Employee Development Department in Sacramento on Jan. 23 to call for the repeal of AB5, the five-year old California law that reclassified gig workers and other independent contractors as W-2 employees under the state’s labor code.
Organizers said they also held the rally to push back against current efforts in Washington to pass a similar federal law.

“We are here to talk about this very important issue – a battle we have fought for many years – to stop this disastrous AB 5 policy,” said Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher (R-Yuba City).
Now, that threat has gone national as we have seen this new rule being pushed out of the Biden administration,” Gallagher continued.

On Jan. 10, the U.S. Department of Labor issued a new rule providing guidance on “on how to analyze who is an employee or independent contractor under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).”
“This final rule rescinds the Independent Contractor Status Under the Fair Labor Standards Act rule (2021 IC Rule), that was published on January 7, 2021, and replaces it with an analysis for determining employee or independent contractor status that is more consistent with the FLSA as interpreted by longstanding judicial precedent,” a Department of Labor statement reads.
U.S. Congressmember Kevin Kiley (R-CA-3), who is a former California Assemblymember, spoke at the rally.

“We are here today to warn against the nationalization of one of the worst laws that has ever been passed in California, which has devastated the livelihoods of folks in over 600 professions,” said Kiley, adding that the law has led to a 10.5% decline in self-employment in California.

Kiley blamed U.S Acting Secretary of Labor, July Su, who was the former secretary of the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency, for leading the effort to redefine “contract workers” at the federal level.
Kiley said two separate lawsuits have been filed against Su’s Rule – its constitutionality and the way it was enacted, respectively. He said he is also working on legislation in Congress that puts restrictions on the creation and implementation of executive branch decisions like Su’s.
Assemblymember Kate Sanchez (R-Rancho Santa Margarita) announced that she plans to introduce legislation to repeal AB 5 during the current legislative session.

“So many working moms like myself, who are also raising kids, managing households, were devastated by the effects of AB 5 because they lost access to hundreds of flexible professions,” Sanchez continued. “I’ve been told by many of these women that they have lost their livelihoods as bookkeepers, artists, family caregivers, designers, and hairstylists because of this destructive law.”