DALLAS, TX – The Dallas Entrepreneur Center (DEC), a 501(c)(3) non-profit that helps entrepreneurs start, build and grow their businesses, was awarded $200,000 grant from Bank of America at its newest location, The DEC @ Redbird at Southwest Center Mall in Oak Cliff. The grant will provide the DEC with leadership, flexible funding and peer networking tools to help emerging startups and founders create more sustainable communities in the southern sector.
More than 450 would be entrepreneurs toured the new offices at RedBird and talked with business owners about opportunities available to help launch their businesses.
The innovative hub will bring resources, tools and partnerships including education, training, mentoring, programs and events as well as access to capital and corporations to the entrepreneurs of southern Dallas. The DEC @ Redbird is a part of The Dallas Entrepreneur Center's larger initiative in southern Dallas that will include additional locations at UNT-Dallas and Paul Quinn College.
The DEC @ Redbird became a reality through the collaborative effort of DFW's leading foundations, organizations, businesses, civic and community leaders. Hill-Wilkson, a leading general contracting company in DFW donated a portion of their fees to help defray the costs of the construction project. PAGE donated design/engineering, planning, interiors, and consulting services to create a space that drives engagement and collaboration. VARIDESK also donated all desks, office furniture and office fixtures to provide an active workplace environment that is on the cutting edge and completely reconfigurable to support the changing needs of a workspace and teams that will inhabit our space.
Corporate sponsors including Bank of America, Comerica, Chase, Capital One and Frost Bank provided construction and design resources as well as programming and education to ensure entrepreneurs are provided an exceptional environment and community with year-round best in breed tools and resources.
The North Texas entrepreneurial ecosystem has grown substantially over the last five years and the goal of the Dallas Entrepreneur Center and The DEC @ Redbird is to create community, and a regional ecosystem where all entrepreneurs are provided with the opportunity to successfully start, build and grow their businesses.
Founded in 2013, The Dallas Entrepreneur Center (The DEC) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization created to help entrepreneurs start, build and grow their companies, and to ensure that Dallas is recognized as a leading city for entrepreneurship throughout the country. The DEC has built a business support structure to focus on stimulating job growth and driving the Dallas economy. Born from a shared vision among small businesses and entrepreneurship advocates, The DEC believes investment in entrepreneurship is an investment in the community.