Davidson-Davie Small Business Center supports local small businesses through Duke Energy Foundation grant
Press Release
THOMASVILLE – Davidson-Davie Community College was recently able to provide support to 17 local businesses in downtown Thomasville thanks to a $25,000 grant from the Duke Energy Foundation that aims to support small businesses looking to expand, upgrade and improve.
The grant, awarded to the college in August, is part of $700,000 in funding made available to North Carolina small businesses in partnership with community development organizations like Davidson-Davie. The Duke Energy Foundation small business grant program is now in its fourth year and has provided over $2 million in funding to small businesses since its inception during the COVID-19 pandemic, helping to refuel a resurgence of entrepreneurial small businesses across the state. Small businesses play a critical role in the state’s economic health and employ nearly half of North Carolina’s workforce, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Award money given to local businesses was supplemented with previously granted funds, and each received roughly $2,600 which will help entrepreneurs modify equipment and physical space, improve e-commerce sites for online sales, and expand capacity for delivering goods and services – all projects that require renovations, new tools and more.
“We would like to thank the Duke Energy Foundation for their generous support,” said Jonathan Brown, vice president of Workforce and Community Engagement for Davidson-Davie. “We are excited to regrant these funds to businesses in ways that will sustain them for years to come.”
Dr. Dee Stokes, director of Davidson-Davie’s Small Business Center, noted that the Small Business Center often gets requests for grant money from local businesses owners looking to modify and grow. “We are excited to have the ability to help our community in this way – furthering the revitalization of downtown Thomasville.”
Stokes noted that local community members aided in the selection of awarding the funds, including Jonathan Brown, vice president of Workforce and Community Engagement at Davidson-Davie; Scott Styers, city councilman and owner of Dal Styers Agency; Andrew Clement, owner of The Finch House; and Blythe Leonard, owner of BL Maker’s Market.
For more information on the Duke Energy Foundation and its initiatives, visit duke-energy.com/Foundation.
Davidson-Davie Community College (www.DavidsonDavie.edu), which incorporated Davie County into its name in 2021, is a fully accredited, multi-campus college where students of all ages and backgrounds pursue academic and career-focused education in order to build successful futures. As one of 58 institutions within the North Carolina Community College System, Davidson-Davie offers more than 40 degree and professional certificate programs, as well as affordable college-credit coursework to students who plan to transfer to four-year schools. With a mission to serve the changing needs of students competing in a global environment, Davidson-Davie is committed to quality education, innovative and equitable learning experiences, training, and support across a wide range of 21st-century career fields.
