Our Approach

Mission & History

ICE carries out its mission by filling a gap in the small business economic development field using an asset based approach of providing existing inner city business owners who are interested in growth with 'real world' programs and research which provide peer-to-peer learning and networking opportunities. Over the past decade, micro-enterprise has done a credible job assisting the start-up of numerous inner city businesses. The time has come now to also focus on growing existing businesses in the inner cities. ICE's comprehensive program includes: The Business Workout, Business Assessments, and Re-Energize. ICE also conducts research to document and disseminate lessons learned for other small business owners and the academic and economic development community. The strongest community leadership usually comes from the strongest businesses. Yet, strong business leadership is generally lacking in the inner city communities of Boston. ICE will take a unique approach to building business leadership based on market principles, best practices, knowledge sharing and networking in a managed environment. By focusing on existing inner city small businesses interested in growth, ICE is developing a network of business leaders that will play a vital role as community leaders in the future.