“When I first saw it, it was really emotional pulling off the Beltline,” Anthony said when he saw the building with the logo for the first time. “It is really making a statement, making an impact for the next several generations. I just feel like this building is going to be a building that continues to allow economic wealth, economic growth and really be not just an impact for South Madison, but also for the entire region.”

There is a lot that is going to be packed into the four-story building that the Urban League and its partners are erecting. In essence, it will be a one-stop, fullk service center for minority entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses within the confines of the four-story structure.

“When we are done with the Black Business Hub, there will be more economic development tools in this building than anywhere else in the state,” Anthony said. “We’ll have WEDC, WWBIC, the Black Chamber, FCI, Bob Wynn’s company and all of these other groups that are going to be there, it’s just going to be amazing.”

All of these different resources will be under one roof. And the potential or existing entrepreneur won’t have to hunt around for services and guidance. They will all be right there for them to take advantage of.

“We have to make sure that we put Brown and Black people in affordable business spaces,” Anthony said. “Some of our office spaces might be as low as $250. I don’t think you will find anything that low in the city. Also African Americans have challenges with having access to capital and banking. We have an Accelerator Program where we have already given out five grants, not loans, grants of $50,000 for businesses to expand. The ULGM Accelerator program is in partnership with Gener8tor, the national accelerator program, to provide gAlpha and gBETA trainings. And they aren’t even in The Hub. We’re trying to help build up this economy favorably for African Americans and others here in the city. We’ll be providing access to business training, partnering with other entities that have been around for years growing Black businesses like the Black Chamber of Commerce, WWBIC and all of these other folks. We’re building a strong partnership with Gener8tor. We’re building a strong partnership with investors and other folks who have decided to stay close to the urban area like Exact Sciences. They are looking to build partnerships. WEDC wants to be right there in the action. It’s the biggest economic development organization in the state. Their headquarters will be right here. We’ll have a Black Wall Street type area where Climb USA, Bob Wynn’s organization will be. There are other organizations that are committed to making sure that African Americans have banking relationships, have experts around to tell them how to not just be in their business, but how to grow their business, how to maintain their business and giving them the opportunity for economies of scale because we can do group purchasing of HR, insurance and other business services. It is belts and suspenders for our Black-owned businesses.”

It’s almost like each floor has been designed to accommodate a different kind of business that is in a different stage of development.

“On the first floor, we expect to have an Afro-Caribbean restaurant,” Anthony said. “And then we have four retail spaces for restaurants. And then we have eight micro-business pop up spaces against the windows. And then we have another pop-up space to the side where it can also accommodate 7-8 businesses. The pop-up businesses are micro-businesses. Some of those businesses can’t afford brick and mortar. Some of them might just be exploratory. They want to try their hand running a jewelry shop or running a popcorn stand. We want to give them an opportunity. We could have a multitude of length of leases. They could be four months or longer. And then we have a full commercial kitchen in the basement where we can accommodate food trucks and those folks who are cooking cupcakes and other items in their homes. Maybe we can accommodate 40 businesses with that space.”

The second floor will almost be like a micro strip mall.

“On the second floor, we expect it to be a beauty school,” Anthony said. “We expect to have a podcasting business. We expect to have a barber. And we have four other office spaces that could be enclosed. And we have another potential government coming on as well.”

The third floor will house a lot of business support services.

“On the third floor, WEDC is going to take half of the space,” Anthony said. “There will be two non-profits buttressing them. There will also be room for businesses who want to support minority businesses like financial businesses. There will be a Black therapist on the third floor.

Businesses that have the permanent spaces could be there for potentially long-term. Hopefully they will outgrow the space and then go out throughout Dane County and the region with businesses.”

And then on the fourth floor, tthere will be a lot of innovation going on as the present and future entrepreneurs will be in a place where they can engage each other as they bring their business ideas to fruition.

“On the fourth floor, we are going to build out 17 closed offices,” Anthony said. “We have about 20 cubicles on that floor. And then we have a lot of other spaces for businesses to have different relationships. Someone might want a private office. Someone might want a shared space. The co-working spaces on the fourth floor are more short-term opportunities for folks to build up their revenue, get some cheap rent so they have low overhead and be able to launch and then go to other places. We can accommodate probably 75-100 businesses just in the co-working space on the fourth floor.”

In nome ways, the Urban League’s Black Business Hub will have something for every entrepreneur, no matter what stage of development they are in. And the Black Business Hub is just in time to assist African Americans and other people of color to take advantage of the development boom that is just beginning in South Madison.