The Baton Rouge Area Chamber concluded its second year of the Drive Minority Business Accelerator powered by ExxonMobil, which graduated 11 business owners representing approximately $26.3 million in annual revenue.
The accelerator is an annual program designed for minority small business owners that uses Interise’s Streetwise MBA curriculum to provide minority business owners with tools to advance their business operations, financial management, marketing and sales.
The hands-on, cohort-style program aims to equip minority business owners with the knowledge, resources, and networks necessary for their businesses to scale.
The graduates of the 2024 cohort are:
- Paola Alvarado, Core Boiler & Mechanical Services
- Ross Armstrong, 4th FLR Creative Agency
- LaMiesa Bonton, Bonton Associates
- Kellen Francis, CodeGig
- Wendy Green Daniels, Beechwood Residential
- Kodi Guillory, Sustainable Design Solutions
- Sherilyn Hayward, Leroy’s LipSmack’n Lemonade
- Quinlan Motley, 1-800 Radiator & AC
- Derrick Smith, Luxury Lawn & Landscape
- Renita W. Thomas, In Loving Arms Pediatric Day HealthCare
- Achilles Williams, Caerus Advisors
Applications for the 2025 cohort will open in September. Preferred qualifications include being minority-owned, having a minimum of $500,000 in annual revenue within the last five years, and having at least three full-time employees. The program will begin in January.
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