The following is an interview with Ben Cabildo, founder of AHANA. An organization committed to the advancement of minority owned businesses in Washington. We talked candidly about his views of the Hispanic business community. Ben also outlines, in a very specific way how he can help you start a business. Enjoy!
When, did you form AHANA?
The formal foundation date for AHANA was Jan 1999, but I was doing all the preparation for its founding 2 years before. How? Since I have been connected with various ethnic communities intimately due to my prior involvement with various efforts, I sat down with various community leaders and talked about how to move our community forward beyond social and civic activities.
I talked to them about economic empowerment. I told them that without organizing as a force, we will continue to miss out on the economic opportunities and continue to be marginalized because the trickle down theory was not working. I also told them that demographically, our numbers are increasing as well as our purchasing power.
We have the duty to contribute to the economic and political development of this region. At the same time I was talking to various ethnic leaders, I was also talking to various mainstream business leaders about the important of integrating the minorities into the economic and political life of the region. I talked about diversity as a business imperative. (I was involved with the Spokane Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Council at that time advocating for valuing and embracing diversity in the area.) After these marketing works, with the help of Pastor Mitchell of Bethel AME Church, I called two meetings. One at the Bethel AME Church and it was packed with people and the other at the Chamber of Commerce downtown and it was standing room only.
How did AHANA get started?
Since we had no funds, our first office was at my home and I paid my niece $20.00 to establish our first website. However after a year and a half, Skip Davis- CEO of Providence Health Services contacted me and asked me to present my case to the Providence Board of Directors. The Providence Board of Directors decided to fund AHANA for 3 years and donated office space to the organization. Late 2000, the real work of AHANA begun.
What services do you provide in the initial start up as well as long term?
AHANA provides technical assistance to minorities and under served populations seeking to contribute to the revitalization of Spokane County through the following activities. Business Development. AHANA works with under served populations through one-on-one business counseling, business development workshops, improved access to capital, outreach to minority populations, enhanced business procurement advising, and the proposed neighborhood business development centers.
Specific services include:
One-on-One Business Counseling: AHANA averages about 25-30 one-on-one counseling sessions per month to minority and immigrant entrepreneurs wanting to start a business. In the last three years, AHANA has assisted over 25 successful startup businesses and helped to create over 150 jobs throughout the region by providing minorities with intensive business planning and technical assistance. Many of AHANA’s clients consist of immigrants from Cuba, other Latin American countries, Africa, Russia and Asia. Many have been business owners prior to immigrating, but are now unfamiliar with the business rules and regulations in the U.S.
Business Development Workshops: AHANA will continue to provide Business Development Workshops addressing topics such as business planning, marketing fundamentals, and business funding. These trainings will be expanded to be offered through the proposed neighborhood business development centers (see below).
AHANA Micro-Loan Program Assistance: AHANA and Community-Minded Enterprises provide financial assistance and access to capital through micro-loans to small businesses and childcare providers that do not have access to loans from commercial sources. Recently, Wells Fargo committed $100,000 to Community-Minded Enterprises and AHANA, greatly increasing our micro-lending capacity. Through these loan programs C-ME and AHANA assist micro entrepreneurs strengthen their businesses, stabilize their incomes, create additional employment and contribute to the economic revitalization of their communities. Business counseling activities conducted with county funding will enhance the successful implementation of many new micro-loans for minority owned businesses in the specified neighborhoods. For those businesses that cannot be assisted through the micro-loan program, we facilitate relationship with banks and other lending institutions such as Northwest Business Development Association for (504 loans) and many SBA related programs.
AHANA will continue to expand its work with the Spokane Tribe 477 Economic Development Program providing business support services to Native American entrepreneurs in and outside the Reservations. AHANA has conducted business feasibility assessments on 28 members of Spokane Tribe and made recommendations for the Spokane Tribe to fund 18 of them. AHANA also provides business counseling and other business support services to other tribal members.
Contracting and Procurement Assistance Program: AHANA assists in identifying potential market and procurement opportunities. AHANA’s business development model has opened doors and helped a number of minority businesses acquire various contracts with mainstream businesses and government. In the last few years, we have assisted in facilitating major contract opportunities for many clients. Two contracts were with a large manufacturing plant in the region. A start-up business that AHANA worked with was able to challenge a national chain and was awarded two major contracts with large corporations. AHANA was also successful in helping one client land a $900,000 contract with the federal government. AHANA is also currently working with State and city government expanding their minority contracting opportunities program.
New Neighborhood Business Development Centers: In addition to continuing to increase community wide services, AHANA plans to coordinate the set-up and implementation of counseling and coaching services in each of the three new neighborhood business development centers. AHANA staff will set-up service locations with natural partnerships in these neighborhoods such as the County Libraries, outreach to minorities and other under served individuals in each neighborhood, and carry out one-on-one intensive business counseling and coaching services as well as facilitate the implementation of businesses development workshops in each site. These neighborhood-based locations will serve as point of contact and outreach and strengthen the economic development activities at the neighborhood level.
Emerging Workforce Development. AHANA plans to expand its business development workshops and counseling services to implement specific education and training programs for minority and other undeserved young adults. Workforce development activities will include small business planning and implementation, leadership and employment skills training, and digital media production training in conjunction with CMTV (Community-Minded Television). CMTV is a community access TV station serving 100,000 residents throughout Spokane County and is facilitated by Community-Minded Enterprises. CMTV is a resource for local citizens to create, produce, and televise positive, solutions-oriented programming benefiting our community.
CMTV will work with AHANA to train youth in digital media technology- advancing their employability, as well as to produce youth oriented educational shows regarding business development services provided by AHANA to air on Channel 14.
AHANA will also provide business counseling services to young adults, technical assistance to youth serving agencies, and implement training programs at the neighborhood development centers focusing on engaging minority young adults in economic development activities.
Community Awareness and Image Building: AHANA has made important contributions to our region through community awareness activities contributing to Spokane’s growing reputation of supporting minorities and small businesses and positively advancing the socio-economical conditions for all people in the community. AHANA will continue to partner with key stakeholders to carry out the following community awareness activities.
Community Events: AHANA works to connect community leaders, employers, and minority businesses and professionals through partnerships and participation and/or facilitation of important community events such as: Congress on Human Relations CEO Diversity Breakfast, First Night Spokane Multicultural Program, Workforce Diversity- a Partnership with People of Color, and many more. AHANA along with C-ME will continue to coordinate Unity In the Community- the biggest multi-cultural celebration in the Inland Northwest. This year’s Unity In the Community attracted over 7,000 people throughout the day, wanting to celebrate and learn about other cultures.
Communication Resources: In addition to these community activities, AHANA publishes a monthly business newsletter and the AHANA website. These business tools are well used by small businesses and provide useful resources and information to minorities and the general community.
Diversity Workforce Development: AHANA will continue to act as a clearinghouse for information and connection to the minority communities. AHANA has provided assistance to a number of companies in the county to help them diversify their workforce. In the last three years, AHANA has assisted all major companies and organizations in the region by providing information about the minority community and also in recruiting minority professionals. AHANA also provided many presentations about the economics of diversity to various meetings and task forces and will continue providing this critical community resource.
State Activities: On a state level, AHANA advances the needs and opportunities of the Spokane region by participating in the Multi-Ethnic Business Alliance (MEBA). This past year, MEBA adopted the AHANA model as the state standard of uniting various minority organizations under one umbrella and elected AHANA’s Executive Director, Ben Cabildo as its Chairman. AHANA’s continued relationship with minority businesses throughout Washington State is vital in promoting Spokane as a business-friendly county in the state.
What’s the most difficult part for minorities when it comes to starting a business?
Typically, they have the technical know how, but no knowledge of business principles (Business planning), no access to capital and no marketing background. Because of our small number in Spokane, they need to network widely amongst the mainstream. Without the knowledge or contact in the mainstream community, they have no chance of success. Most were reluctant to visit with the Chamber or other resource centers because of feeling alienated and not welcome, AHANA on the other hand made them feel welcome and felt that it was their own.
How is their experience different from a non-minority starting a business?
Non-minority business are more comfortable with mainstream resource centers and tend to have circle of friends in the mainstream business community. They are also not stereo-typed like minorities. Typical minority stereotypes include “non-professionals, lazy, not smart, lack of knowledge, no education, etc…
You recently visited the Hispanic Professional Business Association meeting and talked about state contracts not going to many minorities.
You believe there’s a quote: “Good Old Boys Network” in the state of Washington when it comes to minorities getting state contracts.
What did you mean by that?
In contracting and procurement process, most mainstream business are more comfortable with using those that they have been using for a long time and those that look like them, or friends with. Sometimes, part of scoring a bid is “having experienced with their institution” or “ or known in the business community.”
In that same meeting you said the many Hispanic businesses don’t believe the Hispanic Professional Business Association is really helping them out. Why do you think this is?
I was not the one who said that the HBPA is not helping Hispanic businesses? It was Ms. Santillanes. She was saying that small Hispanic business does not see the value of coming to the HBPA meeting. Because they are so busy struggling to survive, unless the meeting brings value to their predicament, they will not spend their time there. It is hard enough to bring people out to the meeting because of their busy schedule, it is impossible unless your meeting addresses their needs. If HBPA would revisit their goals and objectives and address the issues faced by Hispanic businesses, they will continue to have a hard time drawing them.
Many Hispanics in Spokane don’t believe the state awarding contracts will bring long-term economic prosperity? Rather true economic prosperity will only come if the Hispanic business community unites and Hispanics in turn support those businesses.
What’s your take on that assessment?
I look at this question from a marketing standpoint. The government (State, City, County) is a major market spending billions of $ on different products and services. Since we also pay taxes and contribute tremendously to its revenue, I believe that they also should do business with us. Yes, it is very important to patronize our businesses as well. Since a there is a large population of Hispanics in some area, sometimes, it is enough to capture the Hispanic dollars, but in Spokane, the population is not large enough to limit oneself to a particular population.
Have you worked with any Hispanic success stories?
NW Freight – Sergio De Leon, Coffee Systems Inc. Robert Duron and El Gallo Giro Restaurant.
How Can someone Learn About AHANA?
Mostly through referrals. Most community leaders refer people to AHANA. Same goes for the government entity and the various chambers. Business leaders know that minority businesses get more out of AHANA than any other service providers. However, we do use AHANA as a bridge to use other services, sometimes, we facilitate those meetings. We want our businesses to capitalize on all services that are available for small business. We do not have all the answers.
