Kinetic Business Awards Grant to 15 Lexington Business Owners

Launched in November 2020, the fund seeks to increase the number and stability of Black-owned businesses in its service footprint. “We’ve been able to help several small businesses in Lexington since we’ve been taking applications,” said Lorenzo Clark, vice president of inside sales for Kinetic and president of the Windstream Black Professional Network Committee. “Small businesses are the heart of the community. We want to keep the momentum going.”

Businesses selected for the grants receive free Kinetic Business Internet for a year and a cash award up to $5,000. The businesses also get a free business consultation from Kinetic Business on processes and products that could improve efficiencies and make their business more profitable.

“When I got the call I had been selected, I was elated and knew better times were coming,” said Carolyn Dunn, owner of Carolyn’s Crown and Glory Beauty Salon, and BBSF recipient.

To be eligible for a Black Business Support Fund grant, a business must:

• Be a new or current small business customer in Lexington, Kentucky;
• Be Black-owned and have 25 or fewer employees;
• Not be currently engaged in bankruptcy proceedings;
• Not be a nonprofit organization, liquor store, check-cashing agency, gun shop, pawn shop or adult entertainment business; and
• Not apply for multiple businesses.

“When COVID-19 hit and everything shut down, it felt like a ton of bricks on my shoulders,” said Lori Davis, owner of Mortarboard & Tassel Collegiate Consulting, LLC and BBSF recipient. “I needed to find a way to make my business presence virtual, something I had never focused on before.”