PRESS RELEASE

Long Beach, CA – Today the City of Long Beach launched the Inclusive Business Navigators Program to provide outreach, workshops, education and direct technical assistance for local small businesses and nonprofits to support their economic recovery from financial hardships and disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Providing this support will give our great small businesses additional tools and skills needed to move their businesses forward,” said Mayor Rex Richardson. “I encourage businesses to take advantage of these resources.”

The City previously sought  partners to administer the Inclusive Business Navigators Program to support equitable economic recovery for Long Beach small business and nonprofits. The City selected vendors including CentroCHA, UCC, April Parker, and RightSource Services to provide outreach and assistance to local businesses. More information on these vendors and assistance available can be found at longbeach.gov/biznavigators. Businesses can also access assistance through this program through the BizCare Hotline: 562.570.4249 or 4Biz@longbeach.gov.

The City’s Department of Economic Development will lead the program and oversee all activity with the selected vendors. The vendors will be creating and implementing an inclusive outreach and education strategy; assisting businesses in navigating government resources and preparing to do business with government; and providing trainings or direct technical assistance in areas such as digital resources, finance and accounting, business planning, marketing, among others.  

The Inclusive Business Navigators Program will begin conducting services including inclusive business outreach, increased access to small business grants and loans, marketing and the delivery of free business advising. The program is intended to serve all small businesses in the city of Long Beach with a focus on reaching businesses owned or led by diverse business owners, such as Black, Latinx, Cambodian, and Asian and Pacific Islanders. Investments of time and energy are also expected to be prioritized in low-and-moderate income areas of the city and businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Small Business owners are encouraged to visit longbeach.gov/biznavigators for more information and details on participating with the Inclusive Business Navigators program.

The Inclusive Business Navigators Program aligns with Goal 4 Strategy 2 of Long Beach’s Racial and Reconciliation Initiative to partnering with local organizations to facilitate business navigation services through inclusive, neighborhood-based business centers.

This program is made possible by the Long Beach Recovery Act, a plan to fund economic and public health initiatives for Long Beach residents, workers and businesses critically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. More than twenty million dollars has been allocated to support direct business support, which includes prioritizing small businesses and nonprofits heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional information about the Long Beach Recovery Act is available at longbeach.gov/recovery.