The latest graduating cohort of 162 entrepreneurs from Rising Tide Capital’s Fall 2022 class was recently honored.
Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, U.S. representative for New Jersey’s 12th congressional district, spoke to the organization’s Community Business Academy, along with Tanuja Dehne, CEO & president of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, who served as the event’s keynote speaker.
The CBA is Rising Tide’s nationally recognized 12-week bilingual experiential learning program focused on starting, running, and maintaining a business.
“After centuries of disinvestment in Black, Brown, and low-income communities, members of these communities have found themselves locked out of the middle class,” Watson Coleman said. “Organizations like Rising Tide Capital and initiatives like the Community Business Academy are essential for ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to thrive. By offering affordable, accessible bilingual training to aspiring entrepreneurs in New Jersey, this program is providing Garden State residents in my district and beyond with the tools they need to live the lives they desire and deserve.”
“I’m thrilled to celebrate the graduates of the Community Business Academy, through Rising Tide Capital,” Dehne said. “These entrepreneurs are true leaders in their communities, and their expertise and resolve as they grow their businesses will create meaningful change for their lives, their families, and our state.”
Additional speakers included Rising Tide Co-founder and CEO Alfa Demmellash, President of Integrity Health and outgoing Rising Tide Founding Chair Doug Forrester, and Rising Tide Chief Operating Officer, Alex Forrester.
“Twice a year, for nearly 20 years, Rising Tide has been honored to celebrate the accomplishments of emerging local business leaders. We are so thankful that they have chosen to entrust us with guiding and providing them with the necessary tools as they pursue their dreams. The knowledge, social networks, and resources they take with them will create a path toward economic independence and sustainability,” Demmellash said.
