Partnering in the Human Need: Design, Development, and Housing

1655 Old Leonard Avenue,Columbus OH 43219

07 December, 2022

Description

Please join Evenings at ECDI for the kickoff talk of the series “Partnering in the Human Need, Design, Development, and Housing.” Amanda Dunfield Founder of Astra Design Studios, Jerry Valentine, Founder of Renter Mentor, and Carlos Mendez, the Program Manager of the Minority Contractor Resource Center (MCRC) program at ECDI will discuss the intersections of inclusive design and housing, and why diversity is critical in local development. We invite you to engage in this conversation with socially conscious founders, community leaders, corporations, and industry experts. Evenings at ECDIIn the last decade, “social enterprise” has become a buzz word . Yet, socially conscious corporations and businesses have always existed within our society. Within Central Ohio we have patrons of social enterprises, social innovators with and without businesses, and corporations with employees who want to partner in the greater good. Evenings at ECDI will bring together all those individuals in a focused, human needs-centric conversation, to strengthen awareness of current Central Ohio social issues and get to know the businesses that work for social good. The conversation will bring together collaborators of diverse backgrounds to drive action and create new partnerships within our community. PanelistsCarlos Mendez is the Program Manager of the Minority Contractor Resource Center (MCRC) program at ECDI. The MCRC program aims to upscale Minority Contractors with the goal of helping contractors land pivotal commercial Construction projects in the Ohio region. Carlos has managed large-scale projects as the Construction Program Manager at National Center for Urban Solutions. Prior to working with National Center for Urban Solutions, Carlos grew Entrepreneurship-specific grant programs at Central Community House. Amanda Dunfield, AIA, NOMA founded Astra Studios, a multi-disciplinary design studio, to serve underrepresented people and communities. She leads a team of designers who focus on making design accessible to the organizations who are trying to do more good in this world. Together, they work diligently to think of design more holistically as a tool for community stabilization, prosperity, and cultural impact. Jerry Valentine is a social entrepreneur from Cincinnati, Ohio. He is the Founder and current CEO of Renter Mentor, a social enterprise company that helps connect people to affordable housing. The company services assist landlords and tenants through housing processes and provides them access to needed supportive services. Jerry is a certified U.S. Housing Consultant with the National Association of Home Builders and brings extensive affordable housing knowledge and experience from his former employment with the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA). As an active community member and volunteer in Columbus, Ohio, Jerry is a recent Project REAP/Urban Land Institute graduate, a recent OPEN Access Fellow for the Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing, and currently a board member for Physician Care Connections. Jerry is dedicated to continuing making community impact through servant leadership and advocacy for affordable housing and diversity equity & inclusion in the community development industry. Since 2004, ECDI has assisted Ohio’s entrepreneurs through their one-stop-shop business services model, suited to meet the needs of all entrepreneurs, regardless of what business stage they’re in. From providing capital to entrepreneurs looking to expand their businesses, to providing focused, business-specific educational opportunities to enhance entrepreneurial skill sets, ECDI works with their clients to meet their specific needs. Whether you merely have a business idea or are opening up your fifth location, we have helped more than 15,000 entrepreneurs to take advantage of the services we provide.