NEWS
Carver celebrates one year anniversary; $3.4 million invested in the community
(Photo Credit: NEO Barney, Astronomical Quality)
Carver Celebrates one year anniversary and $3.4 million invested back into the community.
The Carver Legacy Center hosted a one-year anniversary celebration on Saturday, April 29, 2023 from 10 am to 2 pm at the historic Carver building near 24th and Lake.
(Photo Credit: NEO Barney, Astronomical Quality)
The Carver Legacy Center is a black-owned financial institution and wealth building system owned by Willie and Yolanda Barney and Martin and Lynnell Williams.
The Carver team purchased and restored the historic Carver Savings and Loan building at 24th and Lake to serve as its headquarters. The Center officially opened on April 4, 2022 and the event on April 29, 2023 served as an opportunity to provide customers and the community an update on progress and next steps.
(Photo Credit: NEO Barney, Astronomical Quality)
Bankers, lenders, owners and partners were on site to greet customers and meet those interested in learning more. Community members had the opportunity to gain more knowledge about the Carver, open savings accounts, meet lenders and support small businesses at the pop-up.
“We’re excited to celebrate our one-year anniversary and the momentum is building thanks to our incredible partners and supporters,” said Willie Barney, one of the co-owners and co-founders of the CLC. “With a year under our belts, we had solid successes and also now have an even greater understanding of where some of the gaps are and how we can assist businesses and homeowners.”
(Photo Credit: NEO Barney, Astronomical Quality)
“We greatly appreciate the support of the community as they have opened accounts and made deposits which allows us to leverage investments back into the community,” Barney said.
“Thus far we have been able to leverage $3.4 million in loans through Carver and the Carver Promise and we are just getting started.”
The goal of the Carver is to help create a strong financially empowered community, develop thriving black-owned and North Omaha businesses, increase home ownership in North Omaha and provide a platform for the community members to control their own destiny through ownership and building wealth.
“It is with great pleasure and gratitude that I greet you to acknowledge and celebrate our first-year anniversary of the Carver Legacy Center,” said Martin Williams.
“We are humbled to be part of this historic occasion, and I want to thank each of you for your unwavering support and commitment to our community.”
Carver owners partner with American National Bank led by their Co-CEOs and Executive Co-Chairs John and Wende Kotouc. The Carver team contracts with ANB to provide banking services utilizing their more than 165-year history of serving the community. Because of this partnership, Carver clients can open Carver accounts and conduct business at all American National Bank locations. All banking products are available through the partnership and deposits are FDIC insured.
“We are delighted by the partnership with the Carver. It is an honor to support this Black-owned business and do our part to make the vision a reality,” said John Kotouc.
“I also want to thank the American National Bank team for their work in supporting this historic and innovative approach.”
For the past 12 months, the Carver Legacy Center team has worked with clients to open accounts, process business loans and provide education and training for businesses. The team announced progress in each area and appears ready for the next phase.
Since opening the Carver Legacy Center, deposits have grown consistently and averaged $10 million. The Carver team is investing funds back into the community and also providing training, education and technical assistance to over 200 small businesses.
“In the past year, we cohosted seven summits between the Carver and Revive Black Business Network,” said Yolanda Barney. “We have connected businesses to training and education in key areas including legal, funding, banking, credit, technology, strategic plans, branding, marketing and effective database and POS systems. The businesses are also creating an ecosystem of support and doing business with each other.”
In addition, Revive conducted a pilot program at the Carver and housed products from 10 local small businesses during Pop-Up events. The Revive Store inside the Carver has products ranging from candles and books to popcorn and spices.
“We look forward to adding more products and pop-ups at the Carver,” said Barney. “It’s a great way for businesses to introduce themselves to the marketplace, generate sales and engage with customers.”
Williams added, “What makes me the proudest is the fact that we have been strategic in helping current community businesses scale and prepare for loans. These businesses have created jobs, generated sales and increased wages. Businesses like Anding Family Dental, Davis Contracting, Dyna-Vision and others are growing and expanding. We’re ready to help more businesses do the same.”
“Once again, I want to express my sincere gratitude to all of you who have made this first-year anniversary possible,” said Williams. “We ask for your continual support in restoring the financial dreams and hope of our North Omaha families and neighborhoods. Let’s continue to work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and more inclusive financial community.”
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(Photo Credits: NEO Barney, Astronomical Quality)
Community Features
95% increase in the number of Black-owned businesses with employees in Omaha
A recent story by the Brookings Institution highlights a 95% increase in the number of Black-owned businesses with employees in the Omaha metro.
The Brookings reports leads with the statement that Black-owned businesses are driving economic growth in America.
The report uses data from the Census Bureau’s Annual Business Survey showing an increase of 182 Black-owned businesses with employees in Omaha from 2017 to 2022.
That is great news for the organizations and businesses working to increase the number and size of Black-owned businesses.
“This is incredible. A 95% surge in Black-owned businesses with employees in Omaha is more than a statistic—it’s a testament to resilience, innovation, and economic empowerment,” said Frank Hayes, CEO and Founder of Hayes & Associates. “This growth fuels generational wealth, strengthens communities, and drives the local economy forward. When Black businesses thrive, Omaha thrives!”
The Brookings report shows that minority businesses are driving economic growth in the entire country.
Some neighboring cities in the Midwest and partner cities also performed very well when it comes to increasing the number of Black owned businesses.
“We set a goal in 2015 to work together to help create or scale 250 more Black-owned businesses with employees by 2025,” said Willie Barney, CEO of the Empowerment Network and co-owner of the Revive Black Business Network and Carver Legacy Center. “We’ve partnered with many organizations to host expos, markets, workshops, networking events and assist with raising capital and securing investments.”
“Even with the pandemic, we have collectively made substantial and measurable progress. This proves what can be accomplished in just five years and we want to help create or scale 250 more businesses before 2030.”
Locally, there are many support organizations and the entrepreneurs working to make things happen in Omaha:
- Nebraska Enterprise Fund
- Grow Nebraska
- Omaha 100
- Start Center
- Omaha Economic Development Corporation
- Revive Black Business Network
- Empowerment Network
- Carver Legacy Center
- Metro Omaha Women’s Business Center
- Hayes & Associates
- Business Seals
- Small Business Administration
- DreamBusiness
- Greater Omaha Chamber
- Urban League of Nebraska
- Midlands African-Chamber
- and others are focused on entrepreneurship and business growth.
“When we invest in small businesses, we invest in the heartbeat of our communities. These businesses don’t just provide services, they create jobs, generate local spending, and fuel economic growth. By empowering entrepreneurs in low to moderate-income communities, we build ecosystems of opportunity where every dollar earned circulates locally, strengthening neighborhoods and paving the way for generational prosperity,” said Veta Jeffery, CEO of Jeffery Consulting.
“These achievements are encouraging and proof that the focus on building an entrepreneurial economy-system is vital to building vibrant communities,” said Jim Reiff, Executive Director of Nebraska Enterprise Fund. “While a confirmation of our collective efforts, I see this as a call to action for the next five years and beyond. Each small business that expands or successfully starts improves all of the community.”
MOVING FORWARD
“The timing is perfect for this report as we turn our attention to Transformation 2030,” said Barney. “This should be a celebration point for Omaha and other cities and also inspire us all to push even harder after seeing what is possible.”
Investments through the North and South Omaha Recovery Program and other sources should help accelerate the pace of growth even more in Omaha over the next five years.
The additional funding is made possible through the partnership of the community and leadership of Senators Justin Wayne and Terrell McKinney to gain passage of LB1024 and LB531.
After a nearly unanimous vote in the Nebraska State Legislature and the signatures of former Governor Pete Ricketts and current Governor Jim Pillen, the legislation became law.
Awards were announced in January 2024 and The Department of Economic Development has led the allocation of funding and many Black-owned businesses benefitted from grants ranging from $50,000 to $2,000,000.
The future $30 million investment in the IHUB and $90 million business park in North Omaha will also make an impact.
These funds and other strategic investments will support the continued progress and help to increase the number of Black-owned businesses with employees. It also has an impact on future generations.
“When young people grow up seeing businesses start and thrive around them, they begin to dream bigger, knowing they, too, can build and contribute. This cycle of inspiration and opportunity fuels long-term economic resilience, ensuring that thriving businesses lead to thriving communities for generations to come,” said Jeffery.
Read the full Brookings report here: Driving prosperity: How Black-owned businesses fueled recent economic growth
For a listing of Black-owned businesses in Omaha. Revive Black Business Guide – Revive! Omaha
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More Details by Sector:
Analysis by Raheem Sanders, CEO of PPRP Innovations.
The growth in Black-owned businesses has not been confined to a single industry – it has been spread across multiple sectors of Omaha’s economy, with every major industry seeing increases. A U.S. Census Business analysis noted that from 2017 to 2019, the number of Black-owned firms grew in all sectors of the U.S. economy, and this broad-based growth has been reflected in Omaha as well.
Growth by Sector:
- Health Care & Social Assistance has been the #1 industry for Black-owned businesses in Omaha by total count of firms. In 2022, there were about 75 Black-owned health care/social assistance firms with employees, making up roughly 20% of all Black-owned employer businesses in Omaha. This sector saw about +56% growth from ~48 firms in 2017 to 75 in 2022. Nationwide, health care is also the top industry for Black business owners (49,872 such firms in 2022) (4).
- Professional & Technical Services and Construction each account for ~10–12% of Omaha’s Black-owned firms. By 2022, there were roughly 45 Black-owned professional service firms and 37 construction companies in Omaha – both nearly doubling since 2015.
- Other Services (personal services, nonprofits, etc.) nearly doubled to 30 by 2022.
- Transportation & Warehousing saw explosive growth from about 12 to 37 firms (~200% increase). Nationally, transportation/warehousing was the fastest-growing sector for Black owned businesses (nearly +150% from 2017–2022) (4).
- Administrative & Support Services also doubled (from ~15 to 30).
- Retail Trade and Accommodation/Food Services each expanded significantly (~100% growth).
- Real Estate doubled from ~6 to 15 (≈+150%), mirroring a national real estate surge (~102% growth) (4).
- Finance & Insurance remains the smallest category (growing from ~2–3 to ~4).
(Data Sources: Estimates for 2015–2017 are based on available Census percentages (1) and Omaha’s share of statewide data. Actual 2022 figures from Census/Brookings Institution (3)(4). 2025 is a projection assuming continued growth. All figures rounded.)
