FLINT, Mich. (WJRT) – On National Small Business Day, 24 businesses in the city of Flint received a financial boost with some help from General Motors.
It’s a time to celebrate individuals who turn their dreams of owning a business into reality.
Gustavo Martin and his wife, Aliz Mendoza, are originally from Miami, Fla. They have been sharing their Venezuelan and Cuban heritage at I Love Pig since 2022 and then moving into the Flint Farmer’s Market a year later.
“You just have to enjoy the journey, and we’ve been having fun and for her it’s a pleasure to bring flavor to the people of Flint,” Martin said.
The couple and 23 other small businesses in Flint learned on Friday that they will share a total of $205,000 through the Moving Flint Forward Small Business Grant Program. The businesses can use their money to grow their operations.
“Everybody loves our sauce. It is called mom’s sauce. So what she’s planning to do is trying to distribute it and trying to take it to everybody’s home here. Flint,” Martin said.
Tyler Rossmaessler, executive director of the Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance, said small businesses are valuable to the local economy because they attract and keep dollars in the community.
“So rather than shipping or buying that food at a store that comes from somewhere else, they’re coming from here locally. So it helps strengthen our community,” he said.
The grant program is a collaboration between the Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance and General Motors for the past five years. They provided 17 grants worth $10,000 and more grant worth $5,000.
General Motors got its start as small business in Flint more than 100 years ago. Chad Pung, plant executive director for GM Flint Assembly, said the automaker hopes to boost the local economy in its birthplace.
“The long term goal is just to be able to invest in this community, in the region and really continue to help grow and support especially young business owners that want to come in and get started here,” he said.
For the owners of I Love Pig, the grant will allow them to continue to expand and give back to a city that they say has embraced them from day one.
“Well, let me tell you something: The community has opened their arms for us. We’re being accepted so well. We actually love the city,” Martin said. “It has helped us grow a lot and he has brought us a lot of opportunities.”
The Moving Flint Forward Small Business Grant Program is open to anyone who owns and operates a small business in the city of Flint with up to 20 employees.
“We want to make sure we put the resources behind these great ideas,” said Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley. “Everything began with the idea. Everything in our society was the idea. So we have to really invest in these things.”
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