On Thursday, September 30th, MassINC hosted the Ninth Annual Gateway Cities Innovation Institute Awards and Summit. During this year’s annual event, we focused on how Gateway Cities take full advantage of anticipated federal infrastructure investment to grow businesses owned by people of color and build stronger regional economies.

Data collected by MassINC point to the need to take advantage of this unprecedented opportunity. New business starts have been trending down for decades. And while entrepreneurs of color are launching a growing number of new companies, too often they lack access to the networks, capital, and markets that their enterprises will need to grow and prosper. A panel of expert leaders, including Boston Globe’s Shirley Leung, MassDevelopment’s Dan Rivera, Maven Construction’s JC Burton, Trinity Financial’s Kenan Bigby, and New York City’s Deputy Mayor Phil Thompson, shared strategies to help entrepreneurs of color overcome these hurdles with the once-in-a-generation opportunity presented by federal ARPA funds and future infrastructure investment.

In addition to this substantive policy discussion, we recognized and celebrated the following leaders for their commitment to equitable Gateway City growth and renewal:

• Congressman Richie Neal– Gateway Cities Champion Award
• Mayor Thomas M. McGee– Mayor Bill Carpenter Award for Excellence in Gateway City Leadership
• Dr. Tracy Corley– Gateway Cities Champion Award
• Frank Carvalho– Gateway Cities Innovation Award
• Samalid Hogan– Gateway Cities Innovation Award
• Fred Taylor– Gateway Cities Innovation Award
• Ann Burke– Gateway Cities Innovation Award

You can view the complete event below, including powerful tributes to this year’s awardees.

Watch the event recording

Dive into the data