0820_AUG Comstock's Magazine 0820 August | Page 31

Does this create numerous good jobs
in-line with the costs? And what is required
of the Kings? What if they decide
to pit Sacramento against another city
for stadium upgrades?”
Taylor believes co-ops — a business
structure where the entity is owned by
community members — need to be part
of the economic development toolbox
for meaningful impact. As an example,
he points to Northern European social
democracies, which invest heavily in coops
to “offset the excesses of capitalism
and bake durability and stability into
economic and social policies,” he says.
“If we continue to do what we’ve
done the last 40 years,” Taylor says, “we
will continue the system in crisis and
make it worse.”
But this line of thinking is wrong,
according to Barry Broome, president
and CEO of the Greater Sacramento
Economic Council. He says big companies
help small businesses thrive by
increasing foot traffic. He adds that putting
innovation hubs in disadvantaged
neighborhoods not only creates jobs, but
also helps reduce costs for transportation
and day care for the people who live
there. He uses Aggie Square — UC Davis’
planned research and tech satellite
campus in Oak Park — as an example.
Broome also emphasizes the need for
“digital upskilling” for disadvantaged
and displaced workers in Sacramento’s
most impacted communities. This year,
GSEC partnered with the Greater Sacramento
Urban League to propose a pilot
program: two 12-week tracks for 100 students
in the fields of software engineering
and information technology.
As for co-ops, Broome thinks they
are good, but says the growth potential is
limited. “The minute we talk about minority-owned
enterprises, why do we go
to a small-wage business?” Broome says.
“Why can’t we scale? … We need to stop
segmenting in our minds that a minority-owned
business is somehow a permanent
small business that doesn’t have a
chance to turn into a global business.”
Every business, big or small, needs
support. The Sacramento Black Chamber
of Commerce has been around for
35 years, providing technical assistance,
training and tools necessary for small
businesses to be successful. “If you don’t
have anyone on your side, supporting
your effort, you’re not going to be that
successful doing it alone,” says CEO
Azizza Davis Goines. “There’s strength
in numbers, and we know that the
sooner we can collectively work together
and provide our own sustainability, the
better off it will be for the rest of the city.”
Since the pandemic began, Goines
has been on conference calls with local
officials, talking about the state of the
business community. The updates helped
her learn who was lending, how much
and how chamber members could get
those funds. Access to funding is a step
in the right direction, she says, but the
issues of racism and injustice that created
the disparity for Black-owned businesses
can’t be solved with a quick fix.
2020 Chairman’s Award Winners
Each year, InterWest recognizes broker performance excellence with our
Thomas G. Williams Chairman’s Award. Tom Williams provided the
visionary leadership of the formation of InterWest in 1992.
We proudly congratulate our 2020 recipients.
Bill O’Keefe
Delynn Thomas
John Hopkins
Brandon Muskopf Cameron Rappleye Chip Arenchild Craig Houck
Eric Isaacson
Jordan Swanson
Ryan Taylor
Grant Rappleye
Mario Reveles
Shaun Alley
Jeff Keena
Mike Feeney
Taryn Bacon
Jim Bulotti
Mike Ryan
CA DOI License #0B01094 | www.iwins.com
August 2020 | comstocksmag.com 31