Jackie Perry – Beaver Street Enterprise Center’s Business Champion

April 21-25 has been designated National Small Business Week in a salute to the splendid achievements and contributions of America’s 25 million small businesses.

In conjunction with that national salute, the Small Business Administration (SBA) North Florida District Office is recognizing several local small business leaders in an awards ceremony hosted by the UNF Small Business Development Center at the University of North Florida’s University Center on May 1.

Among the SBA honorees is Jackie Perry, Manager of Beaver Street Enterprise Center, who has been chosen the North Florida District’s Minority Small Business Champion of 2008.

No stranger to accolades, since becoming manager at Beaver Street Enterprise Center in 2004, Perry has been recognized regularly for her excellent managerial skills, community outreach, and consistently positive, growth-oriented focus. In 2007, she received the Inspiration Award from the Jacksonville Business Journal and she was chosen MEDWeek’s 2006 Minority Enterprise Development Advocate of the Year.

Under Perry’s leadership, enterprise development continues to climb at Beaver Street, Florida’s only core-city business incubator. In 2007, the incubator was chosen by the National Business Incubator Association (NBIA) as a national finalist for Incubator of the Year in the Manufacturing and Services Category.

The Center, an initiative of FreshMinistries, was founded in June of 2003, and currently provides resources, support and modern office space to 21 tenants.

“Jackie Perry exemplifies the nurturing spirit of this incubator,” said the Rev. Dr. Robert V. Lee, III, Founding Chairman and CEO of FreshMinistries. “After retiring from a stellar business career, she came to us first as a volunteer mentor. As manager, she continues to mentor our tenants.”

A attended the University of Georgia and a human resources executive and training manager in the healthcare industry for more than two decades, Jackie Perry brings to Beaver Street a wealth of management experience and business acumen. As director of all incubator support services and activities and primary business consultant to tenants, she has cultivated and maintained an extensive community network to support the incubator’s many programs.

“Our tenants have created more than 150 jobs in the past year and generated more than 12.5 million dollars in revenues and sales during the past three years,” said Perry. “And, I’m most thrilled that we currently have four tenants that have ‘graduated,’ meaning they have attained their business goals as incubator clients and have outgrown us!”

Recently, Councilman Warren Jones had an opportunity to tour the Center and hear from Perry and several of the tenants about many of the incubator programs that have helped to revitalize and strengthen the economy of District 9.

Graduating tenants Joe Hutchinson of Xeye Contracting, Nikki Terry of Affordable Lending Source, and Darwin Urane of Jaguar Security shared with Jones some of their lessons learned.

“I’m impressed. Each of the graduates credited the incubator for providing many of the resources that helped them grow,” said Jones. “Jackie Perry has done an excellent job here. I see her as the drum major of a very dynamic band of businesses.”

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