It’s been more than a year since the controversy began over the opening of yet another liquor store in the Brentwood neighborhood. Protestors were in sync with community residents that there were already too many liquor stores in the area. The demand for change was heard by the Mayor’s office resulting in the payment of more than one million dollars to the store’s owner, leaving the building empty and undecided on its next steps. The building has now been converted into a City of Jacksonville JSEB Center (Jacksonville Small Emerging Business). To bring attention to the centers remolded vision, Mayor Deegan joined city representatives, community activist and residents in tow, the city opened Jacksonville’s first Entrepreneurship Workforce Development Center.
Unveiled during Small Business Week, the center will offer practical entrepreneurship education and career readiness support for Brentwood residents. The goal is to bring together local institutions, nonprofits, corporations, small businesses, and community partners to create a stable, sustainable workforce development hub. Entrepreneurs will be able to access resources to start, grow, and expand their businesses, while job seekers can build skills to start, grow and advance their careers – all for free. “These Centers will be catalysts for uplifting our community, advancing workforce readiness, and expanding entrepreneurial opportunities across Jacksonville,” said Gregory Grant, JSEB Administrator, City of Jacksonville.
The protesters weren’t so lucky in their second protest attempt to block a city morgue form being headquartered in their neighborhood.
The center will focus on: workshops on business development; financial literacy; technology skills; mentorship and consulting sessions; job placement assistance; networking events; certification programs; specialized and workforce development training. Three additional Centers will open in the coming days. They are located at: Main Library: 303 N. Laura Street; Phoenix Arts + Innovation District: 2320 N. Liberty St. and Cecil Commerce Center: 13541 Lake Newman St. Suite A. Regular hours will be Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Additional hours may include evening events from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
For more info visit www.coj.net.