Earlene McMichael

For 38 years, a group of retired and active business professionals have been providing free mentoring to Southwest Michigan's small-business owners and aspiring ones. In 2017, they served 367 businesses, up more than 100 from the previous year.

That helped SCORE Kalamazoo/SW Michigan, a local affiliate of a national organization serving entrepreneurs, to recently be named Chapter of the Year in Michigan.

The chapter continues to add new programs, including its Entrepreneurship Day of workshops begun three years ago and, just this year, the Kalamazoo Capital Consortium to link entrepreneurs with interested lenders.

Twenty local black women professionals are pooling their money to aid Greater Kalamazoo-area nonprofits that offer cultural, educational or human-service programs of interest to African-Americans. A few months ago, they formed the Tendaji giving circle. That's Swahili for "makes things happen."

Today's guest on WMUK's WestSouthwest news and public affairs show is Dr. L. Marshall Washington, the new president of Kalamazoo Valley Community College. There’s only been three presidents since the college was founded in 1966. Washington makes the third. He started July 1, replacing Marilyn Schlack, who guided KVCC through tremendous expansion during her 35-year tenure. Washington was previously president of New River Community and Technical College in West Virginia.

It was a year ago this October that the near half-century-old Family Health Center in Kalamazoo named its main headquarters building after local humanitarian Moses Walker. He was pivotal in starting the center to help those with limited means get medical care. We interviewed him about his many contributions to the community at the time of the naming ceremony. Today's WestSouthwest is an encore presentation of that interview with WMUK Local Morning Edition Host Earlene McMichael. It originally aired Nov. 17, 2017. (Click on triangle to hear it.)

Increasing entrepreneurship could help reduce the high rate of poverty in the city of Kalamazoo, according to Neighborhood Business Coordinator Dwayne Powell Jr. He says that's why the city agreed to be a partner with the inaugural Kalamazoo Black Business Expo being held from 3-7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 11 at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts.