In Muskegon, Lashae Simmons II was already leading the charge to uplift Black entrepreneurs when the pandemic struck. As founder and president of
Black Wall Street Muskegon, she saw firsthand how many Black-owned businesses, often launched out of necessity, were excluded from critical relief efforts.
Simmons responded by creating a platform that legitimized and supported those businesses, from grassroots training to high-exposure events
like the Black Business Expo.
"Receiving a grant isn’t just funding. It’s a launchpad," Simmons says. "We take that opportunity, multiply it, build on it, and pass it forward so under-represented entrepreneurs can rise higher."
Now, Black Wall Street Muskegon is part of a growing coalition of Black-led entrepreneur support organizations across the region, known as the West Michigan Black Economic and Business Development Group (WMBEBDG).
The group was recently awarded the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)’s Trusted Connector Grant, which supports organizations that engage underrepresented small businesses through mentorship, technical assistance, and community-building.
Turning hustle into growth
WMBEBDG was formed during the COVID-19 pandemic as a response to inequities in the allocation of relief. Its mission: to build larger Black businesses and advance Black economic resilience across West Michigan. Its vision: “One Ecosystem. Regional Reach. Collective Power.”
"Many of the entrepreneurs we work with didn’t start with business plans—they started with survival," Simmons says. "They lost a job and knew how to cook, or sew, or create. So they started selling just to get by. Our role is to help legitimize that hustle, turning it into something sustainable."
Her Black Business Expo and training symposiums have directly supported over $260,000 in funding and helped entrepreneurs unlock an additional $300,000 through connections and partnerships.
The founding organizations of the group include:
- Black Wall Street Muskegon: Advocating for equity and investing in business training and growth in Muskegon.
- Black Wall Street Kalamazoo: Empowering Kalamazoo's Black-owned businesses through structured education and funding.
- Sisters In Business: Supporting and amplifying Black women entrepreneurs through mentorship and business development.
- Grand Rapids Area Black Businesses (GRABB): Providing capital access, one-on-one coaching, and ecosystem navigation.
Jamiel Robinson, founder and CEO of
GRABB, says the collective was born out of necessity.
"During COVID, everything was happening at a regional level, but Black businesses in communities like Grand Rapids, Muskegon, and Kalamazoo were being left out of those conversations and resources. That’s why we came together," Robinson says. "We weren’t waiting for someone to create a table for us. We built our own."
Robinson believes the Trusted Connector Grant will strengthen the individual organizations and the broader ecosystem they support.
"This grant is helping us do two things: strengthen our organizations and build a regional network that connects Black entrepreneurs across city lines,” Robinson says. “That’s the kind of collective power that creates lasting change."
Structure of support
In Kalamazoo, Nicole Triplett of
Black Wall Street Kalamazoo and Nicole Parker of
Sisters in Business joined forces to drive change locally and regionally.
"We launched Black Wall Street Kalamazoo in 2018 with one goal: to develop and resource local entrepreneurs," says Triplett. "Our community didn’t just need motivation, we needed structure, education, and capital."
"We started Sisters in Business in 2017 after hosting a brunch for 50 women,” Parker adds. “That number doubled at the next event. The need was obvious. So we built a space that not only celebrates Black women in business but supports them through pitch competitions, mentorship, and emergency microgrants."
Their work laid the groundwork for WMBEBDG. In 2021, Triplett’s team launched the Black Entrepreneurship Training Academy (BETA), which has mobilized over $1.2 million in capital and resources for Black entrepreneurs.
"Too often, Black businesses are left out of funding conversations because they don’t have the ‘right paperwork,’ or haven’t been invited into the right rooms," Triplett says. "We realized we could change that by preparing entrepreneurs for capital and holding institutions accountable for access."
Parker’s organization has distributed close to $500,000 to women-led businesses through its SIBS Fund and other initiatives.
“These aren’t just conversations. They’re transactions," Triplett says. "People post a service, and someone hires them. Our platforms both in Muskegon and Kalamazoo see tens of thousands of interactions each month. We’re seeing real revenue increases; most businesses see an average 33% growth.”
As WMBEBDG looks to the future, its members are focused on breaking down what Robinson calls "invisible barriers."
"There’s no reason a business in Muskegon shouldn’t be getting contracts in Kalamazoo. There’s no reason a Grand Rapids entrepreneur shouldn’t be part of supplier diversity opportunities in Battle Creek. Our job is to connect those dots," he says.