Thank you to everyone who attended the October 24th general networking meeting. Thank you to Alhabu Scrubs for the yummy sandwiches and bringing young entrepreneurs to the meeting.  We appreciate Center Well for hosting our meetings.

Our meeting was very informative with the FREE 30 MINUTE WORKSHOP by Fifth Third Bank. Get caught up by reading the following

READ THE MEETING AGENDA

VIEW THE HOW TO OBTAIN BUSINESS CREDIT PRESENTATION by Fifth Third Bank.

DOWNLOAD THE PARTICIPANT GUIDE

Fifth Third Bank Launches Small Business Catalyst Fund

Fifth Third has launched the “Small Business Catalyst fund” in partnership with Community Reinvestment Fund (CRF) to support and build equitable small business ecosystems and provide access to grants and capital. The catalyst fund offers grants, micro loans, and small business loans to small businesses across our footprint, including here in Georgia. We believe the fund will help catalyze growth for small and micro businesses for whom traditional lending isn’t an option.

What’s unique about the fund is that it provides technical assistance in addition to capital, and it’s structured to help small businesses at various stages of maturity. The fund also represents an extension of our focus on spurring growth in disinvested neighborhoods across our footprint, including Grove Park, through our neighborhood investment program. 

• Applications are being accepted from October 31 – December 13, 2024. 

• Grants in the amount of $5,300 are available to businesses in the Grove Park neighborhood (zip codes 30314, 30318)

• Working capital loans are available starting as low as $5K and up to $750K (must be in the Fifth Third footprint)

For more information and/or to complete the application, please visit 

MORE INFO + APPLY

6:00PM:  THANK YOU SPONSORS:  Sandwiches provided by Alhabu Scrubs. Refreshments & Sweets provided by NWBA. Host: Center Well Grove Park   SPONSOR THE NEXT MEETING

6:15PM: WELCOME: John Mapp Jr., President, Owner of Level Construction  

• Attendees: Name, Business Name, Location and number of years in business.

• SPONSOR: Alhabu Scrubs: Shatara Hawkins

6:30 PM:       Northwest Business Association Updates

Treasurer's Report: Ben Norman, Studio Driven, Bank Balance as of  10.10.24: $11,919.21

• 2024 Budget + Income Statement. Atlanta BeltLine Grant funds next month! 

MEMBERSHIP: Chair, Gail Mapp: Based on your physical location of your business. One year- renews on join date. Online application, payment and membership directory.  JOIN HERE

• DLH Pkwy Corridor Storefront: $100 year   NPU-J Neighborhood Storefront: $100 year Resident Entrepreneur: $50 year    Affiliate: $50 year        Civic Services: FREE

• WELCOME TO OUR 30 MEMBERS: Bell Liberty Group, Center Hill Neighborhood Association, Paco tacos Atl, Historic Hills Community Development Corporation, Alhabu Scrubs LLC, whisk and ladle, Start:ME Northwest ATL, Level Construction, Party Wat3r Inc., Studio Driven, LLC., idealDESIGN, inc, Snug Concerts, Inc, Anders LLC, L.E.A.D. Center For Youth, HOT365Media, The Study Hall, Grove Park Neighborhood Association, Haliburton Heavy Equipment Operator School, The Laundry Centers, StrikeOut Wingz, Travel Source, Greener Solutions Tax and Accounting, Grove Park Foundation, Paradise CDC, Paradise Baptist Church and Fit-LC.

• Pending: PAWKids and Robyn Hoodz Beauty and Barber

>>>>Goal is 60 members in 2024! 30 more to go! We’ve grown 4 members since 9.26.24

NEW MEMBER BENEFIT: Join and get printed in the Community Resource Guide

• Neighborhood Association Collaboration Form

• Seeking Graphic Designer for cover and layout. Paid position.  More info & Apply Here

SOCIAL MEDIA WITH MALORIE: Malorie Stewart Hot365 Media: media@nwba-atl.com

• Follow us @NWBIZATL on IG & FB.  MEMBERS: Tag us and we’ll reshare in our stories/reels.

• MEMBER GIVEAWAY: Snug Concerts- Enter to win dinner for two & jazz at Murphy’s in VaHi

UPDATES: 

• StartME: Northwest90 Applications. Interviews start Nov 19. Sessions start Tuesdays Jan.’25

• Grove Park Foundation: 5K Sponsorships & Week of Impact. Harambee Fest Oct 5 10-3

UPCOMING MEETINGS:

• Saturday, October 26: 10a-Noon: Southern Poverty Law Center Charrette #2 

• 10.26.24: 10a-12:30pm:Abolish the Litter-Clean Up Challenge @ H.E. Holmes Marta Station

• Tuesday, October 29: 5:30-8:00p: Plan A Economic Development Chapter Community Meeting {IN-PERSON}

• Last meeting of 2024: Thurs. November 21 6-8:30pm Networking Meeting + 30 minute FREE WORKSHOP Small Business Financial Statements with Fifth Third Bank.

• NWBA Holiday Gathering Thursday. December 12 from 6-8:30pm @ 2050 DLH PKWY NW featuring food, drinks, raffle and kids coat drive with Women R Inc. MORE INFO + SIGN UP

6:45PM: PRESENTATION

How to Obtain Business Credit presented by Fifth Third Bank           Participant Guide

Brittani M. White and Latosha Trammer         

7:15 PM: ADJOURN Next Meeting is Thursday, November 21, 2024 from 6-7:30pm @ Center Well NETWORKING UNTIL 7:30PM

FYI: GDOT Donald Lee Hollowell Traffic Calming:  Working on Pedestrian Crossing Signals

Main Contact: Christopher A. Robinson chrrobinson@dot.ga.gov  404.807.6379  

kids coat drive at nwba holiday gathering on 12/12

The Northwest Business Association is partnering with local nonprofit member, WomenR, for the fifth annual kids coat drive called "Operation Warm". 

Bring a brand new kids coat to the NWBA Holiday Gathering on Thursday, December 12th and be entered into a raffle to win local prizes from NWBA members. 

Seeking businesses to donate food, drinks, raffle or raffle items to the event. 

FOR YOUR DONATION OF FOOD, DRINK, SERVICE OR RAFFLE ITEM, NWBA WILL PURCHASE A $25 GIFT CARD FROM YOUR BUSINESS TO BE RAFFLED OFF ON 12/12. Every Coat Donation Will Receive 1 Raffle Ticket. Every Member Will Receive One Raffle Ticket. Additional Raffle Tickets Will Be Available For Purchase. Must be present to win.

 WHAT: Winter coats for kids between the ages of 2t & 17 years old.

WHEN: Thursday, December 12 between 6-8:00pm. 

WHY: Help children stay warm this winter and assist single mothers in providing this important seasonal clothing. 

WHERE: NWBA Holiday Gathering at 2056 DLH Pkwy NW. 

YOU'LL RECIEVE A RAFFLE TICKET FOR EVERY COAT YOU DONATE!  Sizes of coats will be announced at the November 21st NWBA meeting. 

HOW OPERATION WARM WORKS

So far there are 20 kids that registered. Parents must register to pick up new coats. We are accepting monetary donations via “Operation Warm” fundraising link and Coat donations!

Coat event : Dec 15,2024

Location of coat distribution :TBA

Link to register your child for a coat: form.jotform.com/242777696183069

Link to donate to WomenR- 501 c(3) nonprofit. 

secure.givelively.org/donate/operation-warm-inc/team-up-with-womenr

The Northwest Business Association is seeking a contract graphic artist and layout designer to help create the 2025 Community Resource Guide. 

• This is a paid, contract position from December 2024-July 2025. 
• Budget is $2500. 

NWBA is seeking a skilled graphic artist with at last 3 years experience in illustration, graphics and print layout to create: 

• Original graphic art depicting the history, character and today's view of the NPU-J neighborhoods.  This will be used for printed cover art and scaled/resized to be used on the digital version, website, social media, printed posters and email newsletters to promote the guide.
• Print and digital formatting experience a must. 
• Layout of NWBA member directory with logos and contact info. 

• First printing deadline is January 20, 2025. 
• Second printing deadline is July 10, 2025 will include updated content and NWBA member directory. 

Conditions: 

• Artist will be credited for original artwork. NWBA retains the exclusive rights to the finished artwork for uses in perpetuity as long as artist is credited. 
• Artist will receive a social media, website and newsletter feature. 
• Artist will receive a complementary NWBA entrepreneur level membership valued at $50 and included in the Community Resource Guide.
• Payment terms will include a deposit and payments based on an agreed upon deliverable schedule between NWBA and artist. 

TO APPLY: 

Email your resume and digital portfolio/website to welcome@nwba-atl.com by November 30, 2024.

• Include your name, business name, zip code and why you want to assist with this community project.  

Thank you to everyone who attended virtually due to Hurricane Helene. Thank you to StartME for presenting an informative Meta Ads mini-workshop on audience segmentation. Thank you to Alhadu Scrubs for sponsoring our virtual meeting and October 24th meeting with sandwiches!

Agenda with Links

Zoom Meeting Recording

Passcode: 4V??$v9n

Meta Ads Segmentation Presentation

NWBA has been awarded a $59,000 commercial district grant from the Atlanta BeltLine to create a community resource guide to promote NWBA member to the NPU-J neighborhoods. 

We are thrilled to announce the hiring of Malorie Stewart as our Community Outreach and Social Media Manager as a first step in creating more connectivity and promotional opportunities for our members. 

Over the next 12 months, NWBA will be working to build membership, collect information and engage the business and residential communities of NPU-J. 

• Promote our existing NWBA members on social media. 

• Community engagement at the Small Business Day of Impact on Tuesday, October 1st, the Grove Park Foundation 5K and Harambee Festival on Saturday, October 5th. 

• Get out and meet business owners on a weekly basis! 

• Attendance at NPU-J neighborhood association meetings.

• Meet with neighborhood association leaders to gather history and ways business owners and residents can engage. Neighborhood association input form.

• Enlist a local graphic artist to create the cover and image of the resource guide. 

• Work with the City of Atlanta to compile a quick list of who to contact for issues related to business and residents. 

• Grow our membership from 29 members to at least 50 for the first printing in January 2025. 

TO GET INVOLVED

• Attend the monthly meetings! 
• Become a member  to get included in the print and digital guide. 
• Follow us on FB & IG @Nwbizatl for updates. 
• Email us at welcome@nwba-atl.com. 

JOIN NWBA TODAY TO BE INCLUDED! 

Did you know PCI compliance is an annual requirement for all businesses who accept credit card payments? While QuickBooks is PCI Compliant, other applications on your local computer/network can compromise the security of your environment. Use of QuickBooks Payments services ensures parts of the transaction processing chain are compliant, but does not guarantee compliance by the Payment Card Industry.

What is PCI Compliance?

PCI Compliance is a global card brand requirement with the ultimate goal to help protect your customers and your business from a cardholder data breach. While Intuit products are PCI Compliant, you also need to validate your business is handling payment card data safely. As a part of the Intuit Terms of Service, it is required that your business is PCI Compliant.

What if I am already PCI Compliant?

No action is required, but remember to renew your certificate of compliance each year.

How can I protect my business outside of QuickBooks?

There are multiple companies that provide security and compliance services you can use to ensure your business is PCI compliant outside of QuickBooks Payments. Intuit has partnered with SecurityMetrics to help merchants become PCI compliant. Visit the following link to get started online: www.securitymetrics.com/pcidss/intuit or you can call them at 800-557-4684.

To understand your role in maintaining PCI Compliance you can review this Small Merchant Guide to Safe Payments from the PCI Security Standards Council. Click here for more information around PCI Compliance requirements.

The City of Atlanta’s Nightlife Division is conducting a study to detail the unique significance of Atlanta’s nightlife culture and how the city’s nightlife industry supports the local economy. The purpose of this survey is to understand customer behavior and perceptions of Atlanta’s nightlife.

The survey should take 5 minutes to complete. All answers will be kept anonymous.

This survey was designed and conducted by Jon Stover & Associates (JS&A) and Purpose Possible. If you have any questions, please contact JS&A at info@@stoverandassociates.com.

TAKE THE SURVEY HERE

Join On the Rise Financial Center and Grove Park Renewal for a FREE 10-week Wednesday classes from 5:30-7:15pm at 1566 Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway.

Meet with financial coaches and experts to really CHANGE your credit score. 

Childcare and food is included for those who RSVP so please do so! 
RSVP HERE