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Models of Corporate Partnership

One of the most rewarding aspects of NCCED's Corporate Partnership Program is profiling models of successful joint ventures between community development corporations (CDC's) and business. Following are select examples of win-win corporate-CDC partnership models from NCCED members. They illustrate the many ways partnering can occur and provide replicable models for companies to consider.

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Franchising Models
The Franchise Partnership: This partnership brings together franchisors, franchisees, and financial intermediaries of inner city Chicago. This new project, an alliance between two ventures- Connections for Community Ownership and the Latino Franchise Project- encourages African Americans and Latinos to become franchise-owners in low- to moderate- income areas. The Franchise Partnership will see the opening of its first four franchises later this year. click for more info
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Chase Manhattan Corporation - Abyssinian Development Corporation: In the past, residents of Harlem would have to either travel to the suburbs in order to visit a grocery store or pay higher prices at local shops with less selection. Chase and Abyssinian have partnered in order to bring a large shopping center to Harlem, anchored by a Pathmark Supermarket. This site has been one of the most profitable grocery stores in the Pathmark chain. click for more info

Bank of America - Marshall Heights Community Development Corporation: Located in Washington, DC, Marshall Heights has over twenty years of experience in community economic development. Partnering with the Bank of America has brought new ways to finance projects including franchising opportunities and small business incubators. click for more info

Healthcare Models
J.P Morgan - Primary Care Development Corporation: Primary Care Development Corporation was designed to address health care issues in low-income areas of New York City, which generally faces a high disease rate and a low availability of health care. The partnership with J.P. Morgan addresses this situation while bringing more affordable health care to residents of New York City. click for more info
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Telecommunications Models
Sprint - Black Economic Union of Kansas City (BEU): This call center operation, located in the historic 18th and Vine community in Kansas City, Missouri, has become a prototype for call centers across the nation. The inner-city facility provides customer service, order fulfillment and other support functions of the Kansas City headquarters of Sprint. The center has found great success in terms of quality and retention, largely because of the community-centered atmosphere engendered by the partnership between BEU and Sprint.

Main Resource, Inc. - Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI): CEI participated in NCCED's Community Building through Telecommunications initiative several years ago, resulting in the founding of Main Resource, Inc. This firm buys used phones, refurbishes them, and resells them. Seventy-five percent of the labor force are low-income workers. click for more info

New England 800 - Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI): This successful partnership, utilizing CEI's Employment and Training Agreement, partners a Waldoboro, Maine, customer call center with a local CDC. The venture targets low-income residents for employment, while providing benefits, above- average wages, and opportunities for advancement. click for more info
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Workforce Development Models

Eaton Corporation - Northwest Side Community Development Corporation: These partners have been working together on a broad range of projects for the past 15 years, exemplifying successful corporate-community partnerships. The Milwaukee Navy Controls division of Eaton, a manufacturer and leading Defense Department contractor, together with partner Northwest Side, have provided contract opportunities, new job training and placement, education assistance, and are now working to acquire tool and dye facilities as a joint venture. Ed Bartlett, General Manager of Eaton Milwaukee, and Howard Snyder, Executive Director of the CDC (and an advisory board member for NCCED's corporate program), describe this longstanding partnership as one built on trust and creativity.

Lucent Technologies - Impact Services Community Development Corporation: This Philadelphia partnership has made good use of both Pennsylvania's low-income housing credit and federal corporate-tax deduction programs, just as the partners in the relationship have made good use of each other. Confronted with the challenges created by rapid expansion, Lucent needed both trained technicians and new sources for parts. Impact Services partnered with Lucent, helping the company meet these needs, and Lucent made a financial contribution to the CDC that resulted in both a state tax credit and a federal deduction. Lucent has found success working with CDCs all over the nation, including in Washington, DC, with NCCED telecommunications advisor Ernie Boykin's Capital Commitment training program.

Argonne National Laboratory - Bethel New Life: Based in Chicago, Bethel New Life has been battling inner-city problems such as unemployment, urban decay, and housing since the late 1970s. Partnering with Argonne National Laboratory, run by the University of Chicago for the U.S. Department of Energy, has brought much more than environmental employment to residents of West Garfield Park. The partnership fosters the much larger task of sustainable development, including building rehabilitation, land reuse, and energy efficiency. click for more info
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