Honoring the Downtown Diversity Initiative Graduates and Program Success of 2024
Cohort class, and Judges preparing for their presentations.
The Macon Middle Georgia Black Pages is happy to recognize and congratulate the recent winners and participants of the graduating class for the Downtown Diversity Initiative. We are proud of the success of the initiative and deeply appreciate the efforts of Mr. Alex Habersham, who serves as the Board Chair of the Central Georgia Coalition of Black Business and is also the founder of this impactful initiative. His vision and dedication have helped create new opportunities and spaces for Black businesses in downtown Macon.
Honoring the winners of the Downtown Diversity Initiative 2024, pictured with Mr. Alex Habersham and Ricardo Cordew of Newtown Macon. A testament to resilience, growth, and community impact.
This year’s cohort of graduates exemplifies resilience, dedication, and the spirit of entrepreneurship, and we are proud to honor their accomplishments. The Downtown Diversity Initiative continues to demonstrate the power of community-driven growth and collaboration.
This success would not have been possible without the partnership of Newtown Macon, whose dedication to fostering an inclusive and vibrant business community has been invaluable. We are especially grateful for the support of Business Consultant Ricardo Cordew, whose expertise and commitment have been instrumental in guiding the participants and fostering their growth.
Josh Rogers, President, CEO, NewTown Macon
Ricardo Cordew, Business Consultant, and Lauren M. Marshall, Vice President for Community Development
Ricardo Cordew beautifully captured the spirit of this initiative, saying, “In our field, we’re often so focused on serving our community that we rarely take the time to celebrate the impact we’re making in real-time. And when we fall short of our goals, we take even less time to pause, breathe, and recognize the value of each step: every conversation, every hour planned, every community resource used, every moment of collaboration. Each effort is intentionally made to foster growth, expansion, and opportunity—and that truly means something. Thank you to the incredible individuals pictured here who took the time to value the information presented and committed to moving forward. Welcome to a CDFI life. Here’s to growth, resilience, and winning together!”
Celebrating the graduates of the Downtown Diversity Initiative Cohort 2024. These individuals are ready to bring growth and opportunity to our community. Congratulations to everyone who made it through this journey of empowerment.
A special thank you also goes out to Exodus Photography community partners of Newtown Macon for providing their amazing location to host this memorable event.
For more details about the Downtown Diversity Initiative and the incredible work being done, please visit Newtown Macon’s website
Congratulations again to all the graduates—your success is an inspiration, and we look forward to seeing the amazing contributions you will continue to make in our community!
