Greater Omaha Chamber Expands Successful REACH Program with Bilingual Support
The Greater Omaha Chamber’s (www.omahachamber.org) bilingual extension of its construction-focused, capacity-building REACH program for small and emerging businesses is now serving the Omaha community. This expansion builds on the seven years of success the REACH program has had empowering entrepreneurs to scale their businesses.
“We know this will open up new opportunities for more business owners. By removing language barriers to our program, more entrepreneurs can learn the skills they need to be successful,” said Winsley Durand, executive director of the REACH program. “We’re here to provide assistance that helps small contractors grow and share in Omaha’s continuing economic prosperity.”
In 2020, the REACH program served more than 200 businesses with more than 2,800 hours of technical assistance and consulting. The result of that time was $7.45 million dollars in direct contracts for REACH participants. The bulk of that assistance was focused on minority business owners, with 51% of the assistance provided to Black entrepreneurs, and 29% to Latino-owned businesses.
The Spanish-language program has an office in the Metropolitan Community College (MCC) South Express location on 24th and Vinton. This further solidifies a strong programmatic partnership with MCC, who hosts REACH education programs, including a comprehensive 10-week certificate course.
The mission of the Greater Omaha Chamber is to champion a thriving business community and a prosperous region through visionary leadership and collaboration. Learn more at www.omahachamber.org.