20 recipients will receive funds which can be
used toward the purchase of a commercial vehicle for their business
and access to programs that help drive business growth
MAYFIELD
VILLAGE, Ohio, Sept. 9,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Progressive
Insurance®, the leading commercial auto insurer in
the United States, today announced
the 2024 recipients of the brand's Driving Small Business Forward
grant program in collaboration with Hello Alice in support of small
business owners. Each of the 20 recipients will be awarded a
$50,000 grant to use toward the
purchase of a commercial vehicle for their business. Some of the 20
recipients' reactions were captured during the announcement,
demonstrating the life-changing impact of this program.
Behind the scenes look
According to the Small Business Administration, over 33 million
firms qualify as a small business, representing 99.9% of all U.S.
businesses. This number reflects the significant role small
businesses play in generating employment and contributing to
economic stability. Progressive fosters progress in business by
continuing its commitment to supporting owners and helping them
move forward and live fully by offering improved access to capital
to fund some of their transportation needs.
"At Progressive, we recognize the small business owners who work
so hard to make meaningful contributions to our society yet face
many challenges when it comes to access to capital," said
Karen Bailo, Commercial Lines
President at Progressive Insurance. "For the last three years, the
Driving Small Business Forward grant program is one of the ways
we've been supporting entrepreneurs on their small business
journey, and we are proud to continue facilitating progress in
business as part of our belief that insurance should do more."
To administer the grant program, Progressive worked with Hello
Alice, the financial technology platform connecting over 1.5
million small businesses to capital, connections, and
opportunities.
The full list of recipients for the 2024 Driving Small Business
Forward grant program are:
- James Dong, Owner of Last Minute
Gear in San Francisco, CA
- Vernic Popat, Owner of
PlantOGram Inc in Orlando, FL
- Dermot Jones, Owner of Jones
Family Bee Removal in Antioch,
CA
- Colin Wiseman, Owner of Chai For
in Cincinnati, OH
- Ikei McCoy, Owner of McCoy Masonry LLC in Shaker Heights, OH
- Jarami Bond, Owner of Bond Studio in Charlotte, NC
- Charles Zhang, Owner of Blue
Hawaii Lifestyle in Honolulu,
HI
- Charmaine Gahan, Owner of
Cuttyhunk Shellfish Farms in Concord,
MA
- David & Mary Rodriguez,
Owners of The Oven Pizzeria in Seaside,
CA
- Shawn Jonutz, Owner of Wind
& Brass in Berkeley, CA
- Holly Verbeck, Owner of HeyChef!
LLC in Truckee, CA
- Xiaoyuan Su, Owner of Chinese
Radio Seattle in Bellevue, WA
- Adell Badgett, Owner of Dellstar
VR L.L.C. in South Bend, IN
- Mariam Gogeliya, Owner of Wonder Room Coffee & Flowers in
Brooklyn, NY
- Jose & Michelle O'Quinn,
Owner of Street Wise Driving Schools in Grand Prairie, TX
- Sharie Renee, Owner of Cosmic
Bobbins in Cleveland, OH
- Erica Cole, Owner of No Limbits
in Richmond, VA
- Chevonne Woodard, Owner of Mr.
Appliance of West Loop in Chicago,
IL
- Frederique Mitchell, Owner of
Cookies By Freddie in Baton Rouge,
LA
- Stacey Cline, Owner of New Earth
Farm / CompostSTL in St. Louis,
MO
Meet a few of our 2024 grant recipients.
Selected recipients submitted applications highlighting the
impact their business has on the local community. Erica Cole is the owner of No Limbits in
Saint Louis, MO and leads a team
of people with disabilities creating products to help those with
disabilities live life without limits.
"I am so thrilled to have been selected for this grant as it
will allow us to engage even more with the disability community,"
said Erica Cole, owner of No
Limbits. "We plan to use this grant to purchase a commercial
vehicle to host pop-up events at our retailers, clinical partners
and adaptive community events to reach customers in a fun and
authentic way."
Another applicant, Dermot Jones,
Owner of Jones Family Bee Removal in Seaside, CA has dedicated his company to
spreading awareness about the importance of bees and their role in
our ecosystem.
"Small businesses are the heart of this country, but it's become
increasingly difficult for them to operate and scale with the
challenges today's economic environment presents. Hello Alice has
helped many of these small business owners' access much needed
capital, credit, and opportunities to thrive and support their
communities," said Carolyn Rodz, CEO
& Co-Founder of Hello Alice. "We're proud to work with
Progressive on this important grant program and continue
championing small businesses."
To learn more about each recipient,
visit https://helloalice.com/grants/progressive/.
In addition to receiving a grant toward the purchase of a
commercial vehicle, recipients will have the opportunity to
participate in Boost Camp, a business coaching program from Hello
Alice that instills repeatable annual frameworks that focus on core
concepts for business growth including financial budgeting and
forecasting, funding and pitch strategies, sales and customer
acquisition.
About Progressive
Progressive Insurance® makes it easy to understand, buy
and use car insurance, home insurance, and other
protection needs. Progressive offers choices so consumers can reach
us however it's most convenient for them — online at
progressive.com, by phone at 1-800-PROGRESSIVE, via the
Progressive mobile app, or in-person with a local agent.
Progressive provides insurance for personal and commercial autos
and trucks, motorcycles, boats, recreational vehicles, and homes;
it is the second largest personal auto insurer in the country, a
leading seller of commercial auto, motorcycle,
and boat insurance, and one of the top 15 homeowners
insurance carriers.
Founded in 1937, Progressive continues its long history of
offering shopping tools and services that save customers time and
money, like Name Your Price®, Snapshot®, and
HomeQuote Explorer®.
The Common Shares of The Progressive Corporation, the
Mayfield Village, Ohio-based
holding company, trade publicly at NYSE: PGR.
About Hello Alice
Hello Alice is a financial technology platform serving more than
1.5 million small business owners in all fifty states. Hello Alice
is committed to equitable access to capital and to supporting any
entrepreneur with a good idea. Hello Alice offers funding,
education, tools, and curated opportunities. Working with
enterprise business services, ecosystem partners, affiliates, and
government agencies, Hello Alice provides its growing community
with everything they need to grow their businesses. To learn more,
visit www.helloalice.com, as well as Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram,
and Facebook.
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SOURCE Progressive Insurance