Spark Centro will serve as a workforce development and economic hub for the growing Latino community in Charlotte's Albemarle Corridor.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — More than 170,000 people in Mecklenburg County identify as Latino, but this community and local businesses have traditionally lacked an economic hub tailored to their needs.
Charlotte's Latin American Chamber of Commerce explores solutions that support people and their upward mobility. Spark Centro's construction start room.
The $20 million center will serve as a workforce development and economic hub for the Albemarle Corridor in east Charlotte. This will help Mecklenburg County's fastest growing Latino community.
“The East Side has historically been a blank canvas, but it's home to many small, diverse businesses,” said Grice Bailey, president and CEO of the Latin American Chamber of Commerce in Charlotte. “So now is the time to help companies scale up.'' It's time for them to professionalise. ”
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The center is located on 9 acres and 45,000 square feet. SPARK Centro will house nonprofit organizations and host skill-building workshops, entrepreneurship training, and recruitment efforts.
“We want to take our careers to the next level and become better entrepreneurs,” said Maurizio Frattini, founder and CEO of Immigrant Culture.
Two years ago, Frattini took on a blank canvas and created an immigrant culture of local coffee roasters.
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“Coffee is an incredible thing. It's in every culture in the world,” Frattini said, explaining how he came up with the name for his shop. “All coffee comes from Africa, and its origin is Ethiopia. After it was discovered, it traveled all over the world and absorbed some of its culture.”
With the right support from LACCC, Frattini's vision for his business became clearer.
“When we first started, we didn’t know what a banner was,” Frattini says. “The biggest challenge is not knowing what you don't know, but in places like this you can meet people who can help and lend a hand.”
The chamber hopes to open Canvas in 2025 so businesses in this growing Latino community can hone their craft.
“Every time I see a new Hispanic or Latino business, whether it's coffee or a bakery or a new restaurant, I get excited because I know what we bring to the table. '' Frattini said.
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