Entrepreneurial program helps to build success

January 20, 2012 at 12:00a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Corey McRae of Youngstown beamed when he discussed his athletic prowess and talents in the construction industry — as well as his desire to build on the latter.

“I was born with a hammer and a football in my hand, and since football didn’t work out, I’ll swing a hammer,” McRae said after receiving a certificate for having been among the first to graduate from a Youngstown Metropolitan Housing Authority entrepreneurial training program.

Using a hammer certainly is nothing new to McRae, who helped build several city schools, including P. Ross Berry Middle School and East High School, both on the city’s East Side.

He also was one of several graduates who were handed certificates during Thursday’s YMHA board meeting for completing the six-week program, intended to give primarily YMHA clients skills and tools to start or expand a business.

Students receive training in areas such as accounting, bookkeeping, meeting state and federal requirements and keeping accurate records, noted James Glenn, chief operating officer for the Youngstown Area Development Corp., which designed the training program and has a contract with YMHA.

The entrepreneurial program also gives graduates access to a $200,000 federal minority-business loan fund, and graduates can receive up to $10,000 in startup money for their businesses, Glenn continued.

McRae, who has worked 15 years in construction, started his business, Youngstown-based CCC Building & Remodeling, about four years ago.

Landscaping, tree- removal services, pruning and yard maintenance are the specialties of William M. Curry, another graduate who runs We Care Home & Lawn Services from his Youngstown home.

Curry said the class gave him added marketing skills and allowed him to learn more about the financial and management ends of running a business.

Candace Mauzy, who started Reignmaker Entertainment LLC in 2008, tries to help musicians and independent recording artists market their materials and better understand public relations, for example, she explained.

April should be a big month for Sharhonda Camille McQueen, since that’s when she hopes to open her business, Spotlight Performing Arts Studio, on Belmont Avenue on Youngstown’s North Side.

Dance instruction and acting lessons for people of all ages will be on tap, noted McQueen, adding that she’s in negotiations to lease the building that will house her studio.

“Most of my children call me ‘Miss Banana,’” said Vonetta Davis, referring to the decision to name her business Banana Darlings Learning Center, which she plans to open in June on Youngstown’s East Side.

Davis, who’s worked with youngsters for 22 years but has never owned a business, said her facility will provide learning opportunities and care to those age 6 weeks to 12 years. She teaches and serves as assistant administrator at the Center for Community Empowerment Daycare Center on the East Side.

Access to startup funds often is the most challenging aspect of getting a business off the ground, noted William Carter, YADC’s executive director. “With the support of YMHA, these individuals have a chance to succeed,” Carter said of the training program. “This gives hope to those individuals starting out.”