JPMorgan Chase turned a floor of The Department at Hudson’s building into a small business command center Tuesday, hosting a free, all-day expo aimed at helping Detroit’s entrepreneurs grow, scale, and prepare for the future.
The “Experience Detroit” summit featured workshops, industry panels, and a fireside chat with NFL Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson.
“Chase supports over 123,000 small business owners,” said Bre Mills, executive director and Great Lakes Region Area Manager at JPMorgan Chase, who helped lead the event. The goal, she said, was to help owners leave with more than just a business card. “The inspiration goes from wall to wall.”
Mills said the summit was designed to get owners “reigniting their entrepreneurship mindset,” with sessions focused on everything from branding and marketing to accessing capital and one-on-one consultations with Chase advisers.
The timing is deliberate. Mills cited a looming generational transition in Detroit’s business community: “Fifty percent of business owners within the next 10 years in the city of Detroit will be retiring,” she said. “They’re really looking to build their legacies and making sure that they support their current employee base,” ensuring jobs survive the handoff.
Chase’s investment in Detroit extends beyond the expo floor. The bank has committed more than $1 million to Capital Impact Partners for technical assistance and is pushing its American Dream Initiative, aimed at “helping over 10 million business owners nationwide grow and scale their businesses.”
“We go beyond financial services in order to make sure that we’re integrating into the community,” Mills said.
The bank operates more than 100 branches in Detroit and employs 1,800 local staffers versed in its small business resources. Mills said the event was designed to cast as wide a net as possible - from startups to established companies eyeing succession.
“We don’t want to leave any business owners behind.”
More information is available at chase.com/business.