A Charlotte nonprofit recently tapped a leader for its newly created role focused on bolstering small businesses.
The CLT Alliance Foundation, an arm of the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, brought on Tya Bolton in April as its new director of small business and entrepreneurship. She is responsible for guiding small businesses to the right resources to support their companies, increasing supplier diversity opportunities and bolstering Black, Indigenous and People of Color communities in the Charlotte area.
Bolton will also serve as a primary referral source for other technical assistance providers and community development financial institutions across the city, the CLT Alliance Foundation said.
Bolton has a deep commitment to Charlotte’s entrepreneurial landscape, with an abundance of experience in community engagement, social and racial equity, economic development, coaching entrepreneurs and other work. The nonprofit noted that she led community outreach and engagement within the six Corridors of Opportunity for the Beyond Open grant, administered by Foundation For The Carolinas.
Bolton has also served as an interim contract director for ASPIRE Community Capital to help launch and scale the organization. In addition, she was director of the Global Wealth Exchange and played a key role in helping to improve Mecklenburg County Office of Economic Development’s goals on minority, women and small business enterprise, the foundation said.
Through CLT Alliance Foundation, Bolton can continue performing similar work but under a more permanent platform, she recently told CBJ.
“What’s beautiful about this is that I have now one platform that I can come in and build some amazing products and programs to help build businesses and business leaders, which are the priorities of the foundation,” she said.
Bolton said one of her top priorities is to help business owners gain better access to capital. The foundation will be launching a C3 program later this summer to help entrepreneurs navigate the complex and fragmented entrepreneurial landscape.
Read more about Bolton and the experience she brings to the CLT Alliance Foundation team, here.
