Associated Industries of Massachusetts recently kicked off its Economic Inclusion Roundtable Series in the Berkshires with a discussion that brought together small business owners, entrepreneurs, community leaders, and resource partners. The event was an honest and impactful conversation about the opportunities and challenges facing small and diverse-owned businesses across the region.

Part of AIM’s Economic Inclusion Initiative, the roundtables are designed to create space for business owners to share their experiences, identify barriers to growth, and connect directly with organizations that can provide support and resources.

The roundtable was hosted by Sarah Mills, Vice President of Government Affairs, and Nurys Camargo, SVP of Member Services, with AIM President & CEO Brooke M. Thomson also present for the discussion.

Among the issues raised was access to capital, access to information and resources (for example, a one-stop shop for contracts, grants, or opportunities), access to decision makers, and being prepared to apply for grants and resources.

Many small-business resource websites are difficult to navigate – small business owners must choose between running a business and looking for resources. Liz Gomes from the Massachusetts Treasurer’s Office shared a helpful online tool kit to help small companies quickly access resources.

Other Roundtable participants identified a need to have large contracts broken up into smaller ones so that multiple businesses might fulfill a procurement. Most of the companies at the Roundtable do not have the funding or resources to fill a large order up front – or can fulfill part of it but not all of it.

One company gave the example of a procurement for tee-shirts with logos – the business can fulfill the screening needs but may need to partner with, or coordinate with, a business that creates the actual tee-shirts in order to be able to do it.

The Berkshires may be rural, but the region is also diverse, innovative, and an important contributor to the Massachusetts economy. It was valuable to spend time listening to small business owners and to learn more about the realities they are navigating every day.

A special thank you to Berkshire Black Economic Council, 1Berkshire, Massachusetts Office of Economic Development, Treasurer and Receiver General Goldberg’s DEIA program team, and especially John Bissell, President & CEO of Greylock Federal Credit Union in Pittsfield, for hosting us and for continued commitment to supporting small and diverse-owned businesses throughout the region.

The Berkshire session was the first of a series. AIM looks forward to continuing these conversations across the Commonwealth.