Black Wall Street opens in Mississippi

Greenwood Plaza 2.0 was inspired by the original Black Wall Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Greenwood District

   New and existing business owners can take advantage of free monthly money management

workshops, business growth programs, individual consultations, and lease payment vouchers for

renting commercial space in Oak Grove’s new Greenwood Plaza located at 4906 Old Highway 11,

adjacent to Highway 98 approximately eight miles and near the Bellevue community.

Real Estate Broker Bruna Bezerra believes the Plaza is just what is needed to promote business

growth in the area. It is ideal for trade schools, supply stores, barber shops, beauty salons,

insurance, real estate brokers, medical offices, lending institutions, caterers, florists, and small

events or corporate meetings.

   “Greenwood is the perfect location for expanding businesses that started in their homes and

now need a professional location, as well as for businesses that need to relocate to a more

affordable but profitable area.”

   Greenwood Plaza will house the Linked-Up Empowerment Center that will provide financial

education, opportunities for homeownership, entrepreneurship, and access to mainstream

banking. Linked Up Empowerment Center aims to increase the number of small businesses.

“We focus on promoting and teaching personal finance skills to individuals and business

owners so that they can make informed and responsible decisions,” says Pastor Tony

Reimonenq, Jr., who founded Linked Up in 2017.

   Successful entrepreneur Dee Brown believes such services are critically important to the

success of small businesses. Brown is the Founder and CEO of The P3 Group, Inc., the nation’s

largest African American owned, public-private partnership real estate development firm with

several offices spread throughout the country, including Jackson, MS. He is also a member of the

FORBES Real Estate Council and has been a mentor and associate of Reimonenq for more than

a decade.

   “Training is important because inadequate management is one of the leading causes of small

business failure,” says Brown. Most small business owners fail because they lack access to

capital, have poor management, or fall victim to poor planning and execution.”

   Currently, there are an estimated 1,270 small businesses growing within Forrest and Lamar

counties and 1,961minority-owned businesses. The Small Business Administration’s District

Director Janita Stewart says that small businesses and their growth are critical to Mississippi’s

economy and sees Linked Up as a necessary component in helping to nurture and sustain local

ventures.

   “Having a resource center to help someone start a business or grow an existing one situated

under the same roof is a great asset,” says Stewart. “Small businesses and entrepreneurs need

various resources to do what they do best, which is to create, make, sell something, or provide a

viable service.”

   In spite of the pandemic, there has been a net growth in small businesses over the course of the

past couple of years. In accordance with the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of

Advocacy, Mississippi small businesses saw a slight increase from 262,272 to 264,858 with

some of these new-starts created out of necessity.

   “When small businesses succeed, so does the economy,” says Stewart.

To receive more information or to lease contact London & Stetelman at 3906 Hardy Street #20,

Hattiesburg, MS 39402, 601-268-8770 or Pastor Tony A. Reimonenq Jr., Linked-Up

Empowerment Center, 4906 Old Highway 11, Hattiesburg, MS,

trj@linkedupempowermentcenter.org.