Much has been written about the economic benefits of growing larger scale diverse businesses. Higher levels of job and wealth creation for minorities and women; creating procurement opportunities for smaller diverse firms; and creating new business and civic leaders are but a few of the benefits routinely cited. Despite these highly desirable outcomes, the level of investment in this strategy continues to significantly lag behind other efforts. Given the overall state of the economy, I certainly recognize that all strategies, no matter how viable, are challenged to secure adequate resources. In such an environment, our funding community rightfully begins to search for the “highest and best use” of capital, or simply stated in today’s economy, what efforts can create the most meaningful and sustainable jobs in the shortest possible time frame?
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