Yesterday, KQED reporter Yo-Ann Martinez highlighted ICA’s proven, equity-driven job creation model and our ALL IN 2012 fundraiser! Click this link, or the image above, to read KQED’s feature of ICA.

As part of the American Graduate Initiative, KQED will serve as a community convener and will work with local media, education, community, civic, corporate and other relevant organizations, to create a better understanding of the community impact of the dropout crisis in the Bay Area with a focus on Oakland and implement effective plans to positively impact the situation.

Congratulations to Revolution Foods, an ICA Portfolio Company based in Oakland, California, for being ranked by Fortune magazine and the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City as the 2nd fastest growing inner city business in the country. This is their first year ranking in the nation’s top 100. Revolution Foods’ achievement represents powerful evidence that ICA’s model for growing local small business and creating good jobs is working effectively.

While business growth lists typically rank according to the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of company revenue, we see a big opportunity to re-frame the collective definition of “growth” and include job creation as a key metric. Considering that consumers account for 70% of our nation’s economic activity, and that people can’t afford to buy all the goods and services of the productivity revolution because the dividends of profit are concentrated at the top, equitable growth is our economic imperative. That means creating jobs that pay family-sustaining wages is critical.

ICA’s equity-driven growth model is designed to help businesses attract new customers, increase revenue, create more jobs, share livable wages and reinvest in the local economy. As this new workforce’s ability to spend increases, those dollars stay in the local economy ensuring small business growth and a stronger sense of community.

Donate to ICA’s proven, equity-driven growth model by attending our ALL IN 2012 event on May 23rd, 2012, 5PM at the historic Oakland Fox Theater. We urge you to attend and accelerate the solution to build an equitable economy that works for all people.

Register to attend: http://icaisallin.eventbrite.com

About ICIC:
The Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) defines inner cities as core urban areas with higher unemployment and poverty rates and lower median incomes than their surrounding metropolitan statistical areas. For the 2012 list, ICIC received more than 2,000 solicited nominations using its database of small businesses and through the support of its nominating partners, including the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Staples, New York City Department of Small Business Services, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Companies were ranked by compound annual growth rate (CAGR) based on their revenue over the five-year period between 2006 and 2010, the last year for which complete data was available. This list was audited by the independent accounting firm of Rucci Bardaro and Barrett, PC.

Congratulations to Premier Organics, an ICA Portfolio Company based in Oakland, California, for being ranked by Fortune magazine and the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City as the 35th fastest growing inner city business in the country. This is their third year in a row ranking in the nation’s top 100. Premier Organics’ achievement represents powerful evidence that ICA’s model for growing local small business and creating good jobs is working effectively.

While business growth lists typically rank according to the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of company revenue, we see a big opportunity to re-frame the collective definition of “growth” and include job creation as a key metric. Considering that consumers account for 70% of our nation’s economic activity, and that people can’t afford to buy all the goods and services of the productivity revolution because the dividends of profit are concentrated at the top, equitable growth is our economic imperative. That means creating jobs that pay family-sustaining wages is critical.

ICA’s equity-driven growth model is designed to help businesses attract new customers, increase revenue, create more jobs, share livable wages and reinvest in the local economy. As this new workforce’s ability to spend increases, those dollars stay in the local economy ensuring small business growth and a stronger sense of community.

Donate to ICA’s proven, equity-driven growth model by attending our ALL IN 2012 event on May 23rd, 2012, 5PM at the historic Oakland Fox Theater. We urge you to attend and accelerate the solution to build an equitable economy that works for all people.

Register to attend: http://icaisallin.eventbrite.com

About ICIC:
The Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) defines inner cities as core urban areas with higher unemployment and poverty rates and lower median incomes than their surrounding metropolitan statistical areas. For the 2012 list, ICIC received more than 2,000 solicited nominations using its database of small businesses and through the support of its nominating partners, including the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Staples, New York City Department of Small Business Services, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Companies were ranked by compound annual growth rate (CAGR) based on their revenue over the five-year period between 2006 and 2010, the last year for which complete data was available. This list was audited by the independent accounting firm of Rucci Bardaro and Barrett, PC.

ICA’s equity-driven growth model supports the local, high-impact entrepreneurs our economy needs to succeed. With great flexibility and tastes more tuned to the preferences of diverse and changing populations, these local entrepreneurs often have a competitive edge over national chains. They offer living wages to their employees and are deeply invested in their communities. Most importantly, they are reducing racial disparities in employment and equity that hold our economy back from growing. By investing in these entrepreneurs, we are improving our growth and competitiveness as a nation. There is no better time to go “ALL IN” for local entrepreneurs than right now.

Here are 6 reasons why you should go “ALL IN” with ICA on May 23, 2012 at 5PM.

1. We must increase our support for local entrepreneurs – ICA supports the most diverse and innovative entrepreneurs in the region, and this event is meant to expand the ecosystem of support around the small business leaders that create good jobs and equitable growth in our communities. We’ll be recognizing the Inner City 100 fastest-growing inner city businesses as part of our program. If you are an entrepreneur, or support one, this event is tailored for their benefit.

2. ICA’s equity-driven growth model represents the vanguard intersection of business and social innovation – We’ll be transparent. Representatives from The White House will be flying in from Washington, D.C. to attend our ALL IN 2012 event. The effectiveness of our model has garnered national attention, and by investing in ICA, we can realize the full potential of this solution.

3. Join ICA’s unparalleled network – We’ve built a powerful ecosystem of entrepreneurial support, and it’s comprised of an inclusive, intergenerational cross section of public and private sector leaders. This event will convene 1500 of the Bay Area’s most diverse and innovative entrepreneurs, workers, community and business leaders, funders, artists, equity advocates, advisors, students, social justice champions, investors, capital providers, strategic partners and philanthropists. There is no flavor like it anywhere else.

4. We’ll feed you world-class food and beverages from the best local artisans – Prather Ranch sliders, Red Door Catering, Linden Street beer, Blue Bottle coffee and tea, 479 Popcorn, and many many more artisans will be serving the most delicious food.

5. Equitable growth is an economic imperative – America cannot achieve the transformation it seeks without investing in people who have historically been excluded. PolicyLink’s report America’s Tomorrow: Equity is the Superior Growth Model puts it best: “Equity is not only a matter of social justice or morality: it is an economic necessity. By building the capabilities of those who are furthest behind, America not only begins to solve its most serious challenges, but also creates the conditions that allow all to flourish.”

6. We have a big, bold announcement to make – All we can tell you is that we’re stepping up for local entrepreneurs. “ALL IN” is our ethos, and we lead with action.

Go “ALL IN” with ICA today. $25 tickets will become unavailable after Wednesday, 5/9 at 5PM.

Yesterday Fast Company published an article highlighting all the benefits of starting a company in Oakland, CA, and Inner City Advisors (ICA) was mentioned as a valuable resource to help entrepreneurs grow their businesses. It’s true. We’ve built an unparalleled ecosystem of entrepreneurial support across the Bay Area and it’s growing daily as more hearts and minds rally to invest in our mission to create good jobs and equity for inner city residents.

Special thanks to Nancy Pfund of DBL Investors for highlighting ICA as a valuable resource in the article:

Pfund lists other Oakland players ready to support startups of any industry. Nonprofit Inner City Advisors offers small businesses guidance from business plan development to funding. One PacificCoast Bank is a community-development bank committed to funding Oakland-based ventures. And then, of course, you can always hop on B.A.R.T. and wow some San Francisco backers.

ICA assists our Portfolio Companies and local entrepreneurs by providing pro-bono advice, education, investment, networks and resources. In particular, we work directly with management teams to address their challenges in achieving growth and sustainability. Click here to learn more about the benefits that ICA Companies enjoy: http://innercityadvisors.org/about/model/

To be clear, our range of quality services are best suited for small to midsize businesses that have already proven a relative degree of success in the marketplace. We’re also very diligent about selecting entrepreneurs who are dedicated to creating quality jobs in their community, and whose models are primed to scale and create those jobs. We focus our efforts on building responsible and sustainable small businesses because our mission is squarely about creating jobs and equity for inner city residents. For more details about our selection criteria and becoming an ICA Portfolio Company, visit this link: http://innercityadvisors.org/get-involved/portfolio-company/

Read the full Fast Company article here: http://www.fastcompany.com/1836098/why-you-should-start-a-company-in-oakland-california?partner=gnews

The ICA mission is squarely about people. An ecosystem of people investing in people, because we know that the more we invest in each other–especially the most vulnerable–the better off we will be.

The future success of the Bay Area would be compromised by convention, so we made it our mandate to innovate our old way of doing things. The people who need jobs the most can no longer afford to wait for incremental growth. Plus, we know that people weren’t coming to our Annual Awards Breakfast for the breakfast meal itself. We received quality feedback from our network about event changes that would maximize the mission, so we re-imagined the whole thing. First, by renaming it to ALL IN 2012, and then moving it to the historic Fox Theater in downtown Oakland, which lends an opportunity for a more impactful evening engagement.

Our annual spring event always welcomes the entire Bay Area community, and this year is no different. Building an equity-driven growth model, like ICA’s, requires bold action and an all hands on deck effort–not just talk–on small business growth and job creation. It also requires greater scale. So this year, ICA is going all in for Bay Area entrepreneurs, and we will only succeed if you go all in with us.

ICA’s ALL IN 2012 convenes the Bay Area’s most diverse and innovative entrepreneurs, workers, community and business leaders, funders, artists, equity advocates, advisors, students, social justice champions, strategic partners and philanthropists to dramatically increase our collective investment in the local small businesses that actually create good jobs. We are bringing the Bay Area together to celebrate the entrepreneurs that are creating equitable growth in our communities, honoring the people who support them and rallying more hearts and minds to invest in the ICA mission.

Together, we are the vanguard of social innovation and ICA’s model represents a proven solution to lift us towards a truly equitable economy. Our numbers tell the story, and now we need a deeper investment from you in order to yield the impact that will secure the future success of the Bay Area.

Caine’s Arcade from Nirvan Mullick on Vimeo.

Caine’s Arcade is a powerful, heart warming story about creative imagination, commitment and human compassion. Caine Monroy is a 9 year old boy who built an elaborate cardboard arcade inside his dad’s used auto parts store in East Los Angeles. Nirvan Mullick, Caine’s first customer, stumbled upon the arcade in pursuit of a door handle for his ’96 Corolla. As Nirvan narrates, “I asked Caine how it worked and he told me that for $1 I could get two turns, or for $2 I could get a Fun Pass with 500 turns. I got the Fun Pass.”

Despite Caine’s diligence “preparing everything, perfecting the game design, making displays for the prizes, designing elaborate security systems, and hand labeling paper-lunch-gift-bags,” his dad’s auto parts store received “almost zero foot traffic,” leaving Caine little chance to get new customers for his arcade. So Nirvan, recognizing Caine’s dream for more people to come play his games–and with permission from Caine’s dad George–recorded a video of Caine’s arcade and organized a flashmob of L.A. residents to come play. All of this, just to make Caine’s dream come true.

We’ve watched this story spread around the interwebs in the last 72 hours, and we were moved by Caine’s inventive, joy-filled spirit, George Monroy’s support of his son’s entrepreneurial instincts, as well as Nirvan’s compassion. With full consideration to Caine’s potential to become an engineer, he’s already demonstrating characteristics of a great entrepreneur. Here are 6 things that Caine’s arcade taught ICA’s CEO, Jose Corona, about entrepreneurship:

1. Think like a child. Anything is possible when your imagination runs wild, you vision is clear and you know what you want.
 
2. Creative capital is as important as cash. Business growth requires multiple forms of capital, and creativity is critical.
 
3. The value of cash. Caine got paid first, before anyone could play the arcade games.
 
4. Waste to wages. Caine made effective use of the available resources, turning cardboard trash into playful treasure. That’s real sustainability.
 
5. Being humble. Caine said he was proud at the end. He was not gloating. Strong character is a true measure of success.
 
6. A great story transcends geographic limits. The emotions of entrepreneurship are universally shared. Communicate with clear, strong values so that people buy into your beliefs, not just your business offerings.

What did you learn about entrepreneurship from Caine’s Arcade? Join the conversation on ICA’s Facebook Page.

Would you like to be part of an exciting growing company that is committed to community involvement and the importance of sustainability?

El Porteño Empanadas, a local Argentine Bakery, is currently looking for Cooks, Drivers and Retail Staff in Farmer’s Markets stands.

Retail Staff – Farmers Market and Ferry Building
You will be working at our stands at local farmers markets, and at our prestigious Ferry building location. You will need to use your own vehicle (truck, van or wagon) and be comfortable setting up farmers markets on your own.

Cook
Minimum 2 years experience, follow recipes, be punctual

Drivers
California driver license, clean record and car or minivan

The ideal candidate for this position will have a strong understanding of South American, cuisine. Additionally you will possess a passion to share that knowledge with our customers. Ideally you will have at least two years experience working in a café, restaurant or farmers market stand. You will need to be able to speak Spanish, be punctual, friendly, clean, reliable and organized.

You must also be able to lift fifty pounds and be able available to work rain or shine.

This is an exceptional opportunity for someone who wants to be a part of an exciting, fast growing company.

If this sounds interesting to you please e-mail us your resume.

Location: San Francisco
Compensation: Compensation $11/$14 based on experience Mileage paid
This is a part-time job.
Principals only. Recruiters, please don’t contact this job poster.
Please, no phone calls about this job!
Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.

PostingID: 2937381783

Operations Coordinator
JOB DESCRIPTION

LOCATION: Company and position based in San Francisco, CA
WEBSITE: www.479popcorn.com
SALARY: Competitive Hourly salary

COMPANY BACKGROUND
479° Popcorn is a dynamic start-up based in San Francisco. The Company’s popcorn is crafted by hand using the finest organic, non-GMO, gluten-free ingredients, many of which are sourced locally in Northern California. 479° Popcorn is a premium brand that caters to sophisticated consumers with emphasis on “better for you” snacks. The Company’s strong brand, high quality product, and unique global flavors generated national media recognition on New York Times, Oprah, Today’s Show, WSJ, Good Morning America, and Food & Wine magazine.

The Company distributes its product in two channels: wholesale (mainly via specialty / natural retailers) and direct (online/corporate gifts). 479° Popcorn is rapidly gaining brand recognition in both channels, highlighted by its continued sales growth and rapidly expanding customer base.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
The company is looking for a hands-on, entrepreneurial minded team member to facilitate the day-to-day operations of the Company. Reporting to the Vice President Operations, the Operations Coordinator takes ownership of bookkeeping duties, new customer setup, order processing/fulfillment, customer service and other related activities supporting operational effectiveness.

• Performs bookkeeping via QuickBooks (A/R, A/P, etc.)
• Facilitates order to fulfillment, and billing processes (e.g., order entry/fulfillment/shipping, invoicing, returnsprocessing, customer issues resolution)
• Reviews all fulfillment transactions daily/weekly
• Coordinates freight logistics and customer shipping activities
• Analyzes customer ordering and sales trends for production planning
• Provides customer service to consumers and retailers via phone and email
• Serves as a liaison between customers, internal sales and operations teams
• Provides sales data and insights to sales team
• Involved in select packaging procurement activities
• Provides administrative support to internal teams
• Documents operational and other procedures

QUALIFICATIONS

• High Proficiency utilizing Quickbooks and Excel Required
• Minimum of 2 years of bookkeeping, customer service, sales support or operations experience
• Analytical skills
• Experience working for a start-up / small company
• Extremely attentive to detail, able to develop and follow processes, and thrive in fast-paced environment
• Experience with food, manufacturing, CPG company a plus
• Prefer some college experience

SUBMISSION
Please send resume and cover letter to careers@479popcorn.com

Under the great leadership of Ingrid Jacobson, ICA’s Education Manager, our 2012 Business Growth Strategy Series is off to an exceptional start. We received almost 100 applications from across the Bay Area, vetted 59 companies and now have 43 new entrepreneurs attending the course, including 7 new leaders from ICA Portfolio Companies. We’ve learned quickly that there’s an increased demand for proven, practical, action-oriented knowledge from entrepreneurs that are already running their businesses, and that ICA is being sought out by small business leaders from around the Bay Area to fulfill that need.

OVERVIEW OF 2012 EDUCATION COMPANIES
• Average revenue in 2011: 1.1 million

• Projected job impact 659 in 2011 to grow to 977.5 in 2012

• Entrepreneurs represent San Francisco, Richmond, Oakland, Emeryville and Berkeley

• Industries include: Education, Energy Efficiency, and Specialty Food Manufacturing and Processing

Special thanks to The 8 Factors and Chevron for making ICA’s 2012 Business Growth Strategy Series possible. Chevron’s $100,000 investment into ICA’s Inner City Entrepreneurship Institute helped create and retain 659 good jobs in 2011, and is projected to grow to 978 jobs in 2012.