University Economic Development Association

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Creating Neighborhood Developers Program

Case Study

The University Center for Economic and Entrepreneurial Development at Southern University developed on December 5, 2015 and launched on February 11, 2017 and March 10, 2018 “Creating Neighborhood Developers’ program,” in which the Center team members and collaborators trained individuals to acquire adjudicated properties within their neighborhoods and develop a sustainable interconnected network or ecosystem to transform local economies and cultural barriers.

The unique feature of this ten week program is that its emphasis placed on the entrepreneurship aspect of neighborhood developments. The underlining premise of the program curriculum is that revitalizing and developing a neighborhood is a risk-taking business. The program perceives its participants to be emerging entrepreneurial neighborhood developers who will improve or develop their neighborhoods or districts where they live. 

The program curriculum consists of entrepreneurship, small business fundamentals, understanding the impact of business cycles, financial market conditions, QuickBooks, provisional capacity assessment, personal finance, funding, project managements, and risk managements. Property development and construction are the other major modules of the program, along with acquisitions, licensing, permits, and Xactimate training.

Over the past two years, the program has generated 1,610 attendances. 40 jobs were created, generating $6,023,000 in income. Fifty three properties were developed, 36 houses were bought, and seven indirect projects were completed and valued at $28,513,200. The program also produced 52 certified sustainable neighborhood developers for the first time in the State of Louisiana.

Finalist Presentation

UEDA Awards of Excellence Finalists presented at the Annual Summit in Milwaukee on October 22 and 23, 2018. Summit attendees then voted for the best initiative in each category.