Comcast grants aim to help Southern Colorado business grow

Comcast announced grant awards for 100 small businesses in Southern Colorado this month through a digital equity program called Comcast RISE.

The $5,000 grant awards include professional coaching, entrepreneurship education, and business technology upgrades. The businesses will also receive a 30-second commercial and media consultation services.

Kevin Davis is the owner and director of Guerilla Media, LLC. His company creates video content for businesses large and small. He said he was working on a video project when he learned about being awarded the grant.

"I was actually filming Johnna, of the Colorado Springs Chamber and EDC that morning and literally I got the email, and this is the place that I went to and they made the announcement, I was sitting front row, and I was like, there is no way that this just happened," Davis recalled.

Southern Colorado is one of 5 regions around the US to be selected for the RISE awards. The other communities include metro Atlanta, Houston, Jacksonville, and Richmond, Virginia.

Mia Sanchez and her husband Andy own the Walter's Brewery in Pueblo. She said owning a small business is hard work and it feels good to be recognized.

"We are here day and night, working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, my mind is always running, even when I'm not clocked in," Sanchez said.

She is looking forward to working with the Comcast team on the television commericial.

And so is Rodney Gullatte Jr., a Certified-Ethical Hacker and owner of Firma IT Solutions.

"You know my business is very hard to build a relationship with a client over a 30-second commercial spot."

Comcast RISE was created in 2020 to help businesses hardest hit by COVID-19. It's part of a $1 billion commitment by the media company to advance digital equity through programs and community partnerships.

"Small businesses are the hearts of our communities," said Leslie Oliver, the Senior Director of External Communications for Comcast Mountain West Region.

"They are places where people connect and gather and create opportunities for each other and innovate."

Self expression is central to the vision of Anthem Music Enterprises. Kristen Faith Sharpe helps to run production company with her husband, Terryjosiah, the business founder.

"To us, Anthem is an outlet for people to share their stories, it's a place for people to feel like their voice matters," she said.

Russ Moss and his wife Zakiya own Drip Queen Coffee in the Chapel Hills Mall. They launched the business during the pandemic and wanted their store to put their customers at ease.

"We wanted to make people feel like they were in an environment where they could kind of let their guard down a little bit and relax and enjoy a cup of coffee without all of the nuisance that was going on at the time."

The business grew from its early days as a coffee distributor to a hybrid store and cafe. They have recently launched a line of cold brew coffee drinks that are lactose-free, and dairy-free making them shelf-stable and ready to ship globally.

Since launching Comcast RISE 4 years ago, the company has provided 14,000 small businesses with more than $140 million in monetary, marketing and technology grants.

Oliver said Southern Colorado was selected in part because our region is experience rapid growth.

"There's so many people moving to this area, there's so many creative types and entrepreneurs down here," she said.

"Small businesses especially in communities throughout Southern Colorado really are the heartbeats of our area."
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