By Al Lopez, December 2012

As we approach the holiday season, we reflect on the great year we had. We are thankful to be in a place that nurtures the entrepreneurial spirit and contributes to the development of our community; we are thankful for our growing list of clients and supporters; and we are thankful for everything we accomplished in 2012.

In the last five years, EGBI has helped over one hundred dedicated men and women achieve their dreams by starting or growing their own small business. EGBI has graduated 170 clients from our entrepreneurial training programs (Building Success Program and Curso Empresarial). Two thirds of our graduates have gone on to start their business, generating revenue, paying taxes, employing on average two and a half employees with relatively young and growing businesses. It is great to be a part of an organization that is successfully equipping entrepreneurs to achieve their dreams.

Al Lopez, with HACA Leadership

Through our valued partnerships, we achieved recognition both locally and nationally. Along with the Housing Authority of the City of Austin, we recently received the National Award of Excellence from the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials. Locally, we were awarded the FuturoFund Grant, which will support the delivery of Curso Empresarial in 2013, in partnership with Las Comadres para las Americas.  We are grateful for the great support we received this year from our partners, including the Chambers of Commerce, Walmart, Wells Fargo, AT&T, just to name a few.  We couldn’t do the work we do without their support.

Brenda Carrera

Our clients include some fantastic folks that are business owners, like Brenda Carrera, owner of Hair Central Salon in Round Rock, who graduated from our Building Success Program in 2007. We had the privilege of having Brenda speak recently at our Second Annual Celebrating Success event. She told a group of almost two hundred attendees that, “The value of EGBI is not only on the great information they provide, but also on the network of resources they connect you with…I have an ongoing relationship with EGBI. I know I can always call them for advice… EGBI equipped me with the resources I needed to start and continue to grow my business. That is why I am committed to give back to an organization that does so much for entrepreneurs like me. In fact, this is my second year to sponsor this event, because I truly believe in the value of what this organization does. Thank you for making this program available. And again, thank you for giving me the resources to making my dreams come true.”  Well said and thank you Brenda for the kind words.

Our pictures from our Second Annual Celebrating Success are on our facebook page. You can check them out here. Thanks again to the event sponsors and the clients who participated at our event. Click here for our list of event supporters.

We are looking forward to 2013 and have great plans to continue to grow the impact we are making in our community through increasing support and new partnerships.

It’s not too late to invest in our efforts. Won’t you consider a year-end, tax-deductible gift to EGBI to assist us in expanding our efforts?

Happy holidays, all! We look forward to working with you in the New Year!