Today, the Danville Office of Economic Development & Tourism (DOEDT) announced Project Hispanic Horizons, an initiative aimed to encourage, support, and seek participation of small-, women-, and minority- owned (SWaM) entrepreneurs, with a focus on Hispanic-owned businesses, in the City of Danville. 

Project Hispanic Horizons will develop the framework for strategies to help small businesses, who are not currently engaged within the local entrepreneur ecosystem, build capacity and recognize the procurement opportunities offered throughout the City of Danville. Additionally, the project will focus on increasing awareness of available healthcare, education, and employment services to ensure that community members can navigate these systems more effectively.

To spearhead this project, the DOEDT has hired three interns, with support from the Partnership for Inclusive Innovation (PIN), that will be responsible for collecting data, engaging the community, and developing tools to better serve local SWaM businesses. 

Jackie Ruiz, a recent graduate of Oglethorpe University of Atlanta, GA, joins the project with a Bachelor of Science in Economics and a strong marketing background. Tyrese Perkins, a Martinsville native and current student at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA, brings a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science to the initiative. In addition, Oscar Kemp is currently working towards a Master of Public Policy at the UVA Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Each intern will be hosted by the DOEDT at 427 Paton Street, Danville, from May-August 2025.

“We are working to decrease the barriers present for small, women, and minority owned businesses,” said DOEDT Project Manager, Samantha Bagbey. “Through this boots-on-the-ground research, we will be able to identify what those barriers are, what additional challenges are present, and create solutions to ensure that we are better served and welcome all of our entrepreneurs in the ecosystem.”

The Partnership for Inclusive Innovation (PIN) is a public-private partnership launched in 2020 to advance innovation, opportunity, and shared economic success across the East Coast. PIN is focused on community research, student engagement, and pilot programs. 

Learn more about Project Hispanic Horizons and PIN here: htps://pingeorgia.org/all_projects/project-hispanic-horizons-danville-va/