Growth Unlimited Diversify-NY 2023 Annual Report

Diversify-NY

Report

23

Message From The CEO

To our many partners, stakeholders and those with vested interest in the success of our organization, I extend a warm thank you for continued and unyielding support of DiversifyNY. It is imperative that we recognize you, and your role in our growth and expansion phase, as none of this would be possible without the successful collaborations that you all have helped to cultivate over the past year. I am immensely humbled, and yet extremely proud of our accomplishments during this time. Please join us in celebrating the announcement of our expanded programming, award announcements, and community engagement efforts with a look back at the last year and an eye towards the future.

Extended Thanks

An extended thank you to Interfaith Works, it's board of directors, the El-Hindi Center for Dialogue & Action, and Bishop Collette Mathews-Carter in recognition of my acceptance of the 2023 Racial Justice Catalyst Award on June 2nd, 2023. It was an honor and a privilege to have been considered for this prestigious recognition. I wholly remain committed to affirming the dignity of our entire constituency and the population which my organization serves. Congratulations to those who joined me in the current class of honorees. We wish you all the best in the coming year and may you remain steadfast in your commitments to racial equity.

Founder, CEO Rickey T Brown

Founder, CEO Rickey T. Brown

Contract Awards

Diversify-NY, LLC

AWARD ANNOUNCEMENTS

Alliance For Economic Inclusion Year 3

We are pleased to have been selected to fulfill our third and final year under a 3 year anti-poverty initiative lead by Onondaga County. Certify CNY has program goal to increase NYS MWBE certification by 30% over 5 years

This program will allow us to address barriers in state contracting for minority and women-owned businesses by assisting them through the MWBE certification process and advocating for and promoting their businesses through the various state procurement channels.

PROJECT RISE

Diversify-NY is now a proud partner with the NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services This capacity building grant opportunity will be administered by OnPoint For College in partnership with 4 other grassroots community organizations.

Project Rise

23 $112k $78.5k $35k $20k

AEI ASM Good Life

Diversify-NY will deliver entrepreneurial assistance and financial literacy training to youth aged attendees in this multicollaborative effort to address gun violence in Central New York.

Collaborations

Our growth in programming has allowed us to expand and explore new partnerships and collaborations which help maintain and support our efforts. It is not only vital for long term sustainability, but, critically important in the short term success of our current programs.

Diversify-NY has collaborated with a number of new organizations in support of our expanded programming; all centered on creating economic equity within the region.

Expanded Programming

In recognition of the impediments and barriers created by poverty, a focal point of our programming growth has been financial literacy and empowering communities that are less fluent in finance and economics as a whole.

In addition to financial literacy, Diversify-NY has expanded its entrepreneurial assistance to include youth aged participants in hopes of fostering the next generation of business owners and leaders. Lastly, we are piloting a summer job training and professional development program for youth as well Not only will this help address the economic disparities within the region, but also the epidemic of gun violence by offering viable solutions to those affected by poverty in Syracuse and Central New York.

Certify CNY New York State MWBE Application Assistance

Government Contracting

For nearly 8 years Diversify-NY has remained at the forefront of advocacy in pushing state contracting opportunities for minority and women lead firms primarily in Central New York In strategic alignment with those goals, the Alliance for Economic Inclusion and the County of Onondaga has funded our third year of

programming, which supports our initiative to increase New York State certified firms in Central New York by 30% over a five year period An increased rate of certified firms expands the existing contracting pool, as well as, provides greater economic opportunities for those participating in the program.

CERTIFICATION ASSISTANCE ASSISTING

Federal and State Certification

Municipal Procurement

Marketing and Promotion

MWBE Advocacy

City of Syracuse

MWBE

Technical Assistance

Real Estate and Business Development

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

While state and federal certifications remain central to the services we provide, as the sole New York State certified firm focused on certification efforts, we recognize a number of needs related to navigating the state contracting process as well as barriers to building wealth.

Capital development and acquisition remains a goal of many MWBE's as they seek ways to expand growth and redefine the constraints under which minority and women-owned firms operate Real estate is critical to company growth and to wealth building for communities of color.

SPECIALIZING

Real Estate Acquisition

Property Development

Access to Capital

Grant and Resource Development

Work Ready Summer Job Training Pilot

Youth Programming

In partnership with Good Life Youth Inc., Diversify-NY developed the following training to assist in the job readiness and professional development of youth aged participants in order to strengthen their interpersonal communication, workplace readiness and entrepreneurial needs.

JOB TRAINING PILOT WORK SITE SPONSORS

This Training will empower youth to make informed career choices, develop and broaden relationships, and gain work experience in retail, manufacturing and in introduction to the trades Simultaneously, employers gain skills in providing youth with practical learning experiences.

Access Dental Laboratories

Dreissig Apparel Inc.

NJ Jones Plumbing, LLC

All Things Plush

Paid In F.U.L.L.

Financial Literacy Training

For communities of color it can be a struggle to gain fluency in finance and economics The many impediments to economic freedom that come as a result of poverty can often be mitigated through financial capabilities training. Helping communities overcome these barriers

FINANCIAL LITERACY OUR PARTNERS

has remained central to our mission. The Paid In F U L L financial literacy program is now offered throughout the community and in partnership with several organizations including the Community Folk Art Center's after school program funded by Syracuse University.

Syracuse University

Good Life Youth Foundation Community Folk Art Center Project Rise

OUR SUMMER INTERNS

Amer Lazraus

Pich Chet

Ajanni Brown

Iddrisa Justin

Senior Marketing Executive

Peer Mentor

Junior Executive

Peer Mentor

AMER LAZRAUS

I am a motivated first-generation accounting student with a keen interest in finance and business analytics I have a solid accounting foundation and practical experience through internships. Utilizing advanced tools in business analytics, I excel at uncovering hidden insights and making data-driven decisions.

During middle school, I launched Astamari Tutoring, a freelance private tutoring service aimed specifically at Ethiopian & Eritrean children, which I continued throughout my high school years This tutoring service was designed to provide educational support and assistance to Ethiopian & Eritrean children in various subjects, specifically English, Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Trigonometry & PreCalculus, empowering them to excel academically.

IDDRISA JUSTIN

Iddrisa Justin is a Business Administration major at SUNY Morrisville College where he is also a member of the Division 3 soccer team. He originally hails from the nation of Congo and is fluent in 3 languages including Swahili, Kirundi, and English.

His experience working with the Building Men Program further ignited his passion for working with young individuals and inspiring them to take control of their lives. Additionally, has a member of the soccer team he feels compelled to connect with aspiring young athletes and guiding them on their journey to becoming professionals

Justin joins Diversify-NY as a new member of Diversify-NY and will serve a prominent role as Peer Mentor to youth aged participants in our Work Ready summer job training program with aspirations for attending college.

His main responsibilities include providing guidance through the college application process, cultivating discussions on career pathways, and helping peers to write résumés and cover letters

AJANNI BROWN

Ajanni Brown in a rising junior currently attending the Institute of Technology in the City of Syracuse. As a student athlete, Ajanni enjoys the privilege of representing his high school, but also recognizes the delicate balance that accompanies being a scholar athlete. As such, Ajanni will serve as a peer mentor to aspiring youth entrepreneurs focusing on personal and professional development.

In this role, he will help coordinate and devise résumés, cover letters, and help form career objectives for youth aged attendees of our Work Ready Summer Job Training Program, in addition to providing administrative and marketing support to our senior staff.

With his previous exposure to Diversify-NY and his understanding of the New York State minority and women-owned business certification program, Ajanni will also coordinate the marketing of the monthly workshops centered on increasing MWBE participation in the region.

PICH CHET

Pich Chet has been destined for greatness since graduating as valedictorian of her senior class at the Institute of Technology in 2020. A recent graduate of Syracuse University and the Whitman School of Managment where she earned a bachelors of science in management, Pich has established herself as a force to be reckoned with.

Her recent experiences and expertise in media, marketing, social media and public relations blend seemlessly and provide a stellar background that will lead our content creation and social media campaigns where she has a proven track record on increasing engagement across all platforms.

The City of Syracuse graduate joins Diversify-NY summer internship program as a senior marketing executive by way of OnPoint for College In addition to overseeing our social media campaigns and content creation, Pich will be in charge of our marketing and email outreach in an effort to increase our engagement across all channels

Community Engagement

By now, it should be readily apparent that we consider real estate as a critical component to addressing the widening wealth gap between Black and brown households and white households in Central New York. While commercial real estate and land development offers tremendous potential, it is important that we increase residential home purchases as it is vital to addressing this barrier as well. For this reason, our CEO has chosen to serve as a board member to several local housing agencies and retains a board position as secretary of the Syracuse Industrial Development Agency.

At the heart of this work and central to our mission is the ability to impact the lives of the the community we serve It serves our organization to be actively engaged in conversations and initiatives that are

economically beneficial and directly address the impediments to closing the existing wealth gap such as real estate and homeownership We are selective and intentional in the areas in which we volunteer and devote time.

Models of Success

The following organizations have contributed mightily to the success of our various programs by providing us support through paid internships, administrative and financial support, and by actively working with us to increase procurement opportunities for minority and women owned companies.

Paid Internships/Project Rise Lead Organization

ASM Global Mercy Works

Advocacy in Action

Onondaga County Prime Contractor Partner in Diversify-NY diversity initiative.

Paid Internships/ Entrepreneurial Assistance

Van Dyke Norris is a fast rising, newly certified New York State MWBE firm located in Syracuse, NY. Founded by company owner LaTerese Mathews, Van Dyke Norris Cleaning is a highly competitive and growing company with 13 employees

LaTerese allowed Diversify-NY to assist her through the New York State certification process whereby she was certified as an MWBE with the State of New York in 2022. Subsequently, Diversify-NY provided technical assistance navigating potential contracting opportunities and helped Van Dyke Norris secure in excess of $68,000 to date

Van Dyke Norris is the quintessential example of our post certification advocacy and a prime example of why the work we do is so critical to bridging the gap between New York State certification and the economic disparities faced by minority and minority women-owned businesses in Central New York

$68,000

# 1 2. 3

OnPoint For College

Partner Description

FROM DIVERSIFY-NY

To the many funders, partners and collaborators that contribute to our continued success, we thank you for all that you have done and continue to do to make us a viable community organization uplifting Central New York.