Investing in tomorrow—creating opportunities

LYNETTE BELL: Hello, and welcome to the latest episode of Inspiring Conversations with Truist Foundation’s grantees and strategic partners. I'm Lynette Bell, the president of Truist Foundation. Truist’s purpose is to inspire and build better lives and communities, and Truist Foundation carries out this purpose by collaborating with organizations that support this mission.

During this audio series, I sit down with leaders working alongside the foundation to give them the opportunity to share the amazing work they're doing to make a difference in their respective communities. Today, I have the great pleasure of being joined by my wonderful partners: Earl Beauford, president of CAEL; and Joe Scantlebury, president and CEO of Living Cities. CAEL and Living Cities, along with Main Street America, serve as the anchor partners of Truist Foundation's signature initiative Where It Starts. By partnering with local and national nonprofits, we’re building new, innovative programs that break down barriers for small business owners and open doors for adult learners to grow and succeed. We are so lucky to have Earl and Joe join us today. Welcome to Inspiring Conversations, guys.

JOE SCANTLEBURY: Thank you, Lynette. Honored to be here.

EARL BEAUFORD: Thank you for having us.

LYNETTE BELL: Absolutely. Before we dive into the conversation, I'd like for you all to give a brief introduction. I've read your bios, and they are packed with such great information about who you are and how you got here. Let's talk a little bit about yourself, your organization, and the work you each do in your local communities. Earl, let's start with you.

EARL BEAUFORD: Okay, first of all again, thank you for having us and for the opportunity to work with you and see my great friend, Joe. I’m Earl Buford, president of CAEL, which stands for the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning. This is year 50 for CAEL, and this is my third year, plus a few months, of leading CAEL. It's been an honor—as Lynette kicked off things—to lead this amazing work and organization, and it also gave me the space to help it grow. Prior to CAEL, I had the pleasure of running workforce boards and workforce systems in various markets like Milwaukee, Wisconsin—my hometown—and Pittsburgh, PA, most recently. Before that, I had the pleasure of running training programs that really articulated job training credential development that led to employment, and that's always been the secret to our success. We're a membership organization and we have over 5,000 members. We are really about systems alignment and the partnership with Truist Foundation has given us a chance to really expand on that model. When systems connect the needs of employers, the needs of higher education, and the needs of training programs—and when those three are all working in synergy—it's easy for people to understand their pathways and know that it’s all connected. There’s a road map to a career, and so our work has been focused on that. We'll talk more about that over the course of this time together.

LYNETTE BELL: Thank you so much, Earl. Hey, Joe—introduce yourself.

JOE SCANTLEBURY: Living Cities is a collaborative of leading philanthropic foundations and financial institutions committed to closing the racial income and wealth gap. We fundamentally believe that all people in American cities should live an economically sustainable and abundant life. We promote equitable and inclusive wealth building by addressing barriers to capital investment, shared knowledge, and collective action. Our members and partners come together to build networks within cities and with city leaders both on the public side and the civic side.

This is why we were super excited about partnering with you on Where It Starts. We are working with Main Street America and with CAEL on the small business side of the initiative, and we call this Breaking Barriers to Business. Specifically, we’re focusing on accelerating wealth-building pathways for small businesses and for owners of color in Southeast U.S. cities and corridors. It's pretty heady and exciting work, but I think the main thing that we've been able to build on is the kind of sustained relationships that are very representative of the way that we've learned Truist works. We're very proud to be part of this very exciting work.

Prior to coming to Living Cities, and like Earl, I’m a three-year CEO, and had been on the board previously for a few years. As the vice president for place-based programs for the WK Kellogg Foundation, I learned a ton that is always applicable in this space where you're building relationships and frankly, staying with communities for the long haul.

LYNETTE BELL: Thank you, Joe, and thank you, Earl. As you can see, we have a really heavy bench strength of knowledge, intellect, and also leadership with Joe and Earl. To set the stage, I'm going to provide a brief overview of the Where It Starts program.

Where It Starts is a $22 million-dollar multi-year initiative designed to create meaningful change for entrepreneurs and career seekers in underserved communities. To truly influence change, we began by asking ourselves one keystone question: where does change start? Where It Starts is about working hand-in-hand with local organizations to identify obstacles faced by those striving to better their lives within five key communities across the Southeast. Truist Foundation awarded grants to CAEL, Living Cities, and Main Street America, who are spearheading the efforts to align with our focus—opening career pathways to economic mobility, strengthening small businesses, and tackling inequities to help break those very complex barriers that Earl and Joe both alluded to. Long term, we seek to inspire change in our communities and neighborhoods. As we get started, I’d like to first ask the question of “Where it starts?” What does that question mean to you, Joe? Let's start with you this time.

JOE SCANTLEBURY: I'll begin from a soft-spoken and really untraditional place. I think it starts first with trust and transparency. From the beginning, the team at Truist invested not just grant dollars, but time and attention, and were really intentional to make sure that we all understood where we are coming from. We had lots of honest conversations around results, around assumptions, and around relationship building. From the beginning that helped us through lots of different small tests, then big tests, and eventually, challenges that have come up in the work.

For us, when we think about addressing barriers to business, we recognize that owning a business can be a very lonely venture. We recognize that if you don't have the social capital, the knowledge capital or absolutely the financial capital, you're not going to thrive. Your business is going to be one of those businesses that come-and-go or barely subsist—versus the kind of businesses we expect to see in urban corridors. These are businesses that can hire, grow, and anchor communities. The work that we've been taking on is the work of trying to really strengthen business-serving agencies within government, business-serving organizations within communities, and more importantly, making sure that business leaders and owners understand that they're not alone. With us, they can have a tough conversation around challenges that they may not want to share with strangers.

Relationships building, trust, and transparency help us through the tough times and the tough conversations. We get a chance to really be a critical friend to the government, philanthropy, and nonprofits, but more importantly, the mind towards that business owner on the ground who sometimes is the employer of last resort for some people—but is certainly a wealth builder in the communities that we're working in.

LYNETTE BELL: Thanks, Joe, thank you for that. I was taking notes as you were talking, and there was so much that you were just unpacking and to think about with small businesses. You talked about social capital, knowledge capital, and financial capital, but really also building that ecosystem of trust in relationships so that the businesses have resiliency. Thank you for sharing that—we're going to have a really deep conversation and I'm so excited. And, Earl, what would you add to that of this question of why and what “Where it starts?” means to you and your organization.

EARL BEAUFORD: Yes, thank you—plus one to everything Joe said because it dovetails really neatly. Where it starts, to me, references how all of this work has to start somewhere. I always think back to when we meet with employer industry representatives and they say, more often than not, “Help me find people.” It’s like they’re under a rock somewhere and you can just pick up the rock and there they are.

For the talent program and work skills development, it all starts with the opportunity. I said earlier, our role is to help make these systems connect, so it's an easier road map—not an easy path—but an easier road map for people to start and then they'll know the best way to go on that path. There's an endpoint for them that leads to that adaptability and success. So “Where it starts?” is just the aptly named piece of all this great work that happens within our work, and Joe's work around the country.

Our tagline we added on to our portion of the work is Build Better Careers. There is the question of both “Where it starts?” and “How do you build careers around that?” We see each of our conversations, each of our workers, and each community as a starting point—whether it’s a key community partner or a key employer—sometimes it’s both coming together as a starting block. The goal in each of the markets we’re in—and there will be five total over the course of this project—is we’re here to develop these ‘easy to attain’ starting points for talent development and identify what the gaps in a local ecosystem are preventing you from succeeding. In some cases, we are here to work as a national partner who’s here to connect, not here to move into your network or into your community. Instead, we’re here to interject a starting point for all the great talent that you have. The best part about it is that it’s not just confined to a job training program or a degree program; it’s all of that together.

JOE SCANTLEBURY: The other thing I want to add to what Earl just shared is for the work that CAEL does specifically impacts people seeking opportunity and seeking growth. CAEL are actually the folks who become that personal resource. The providers that you work with were actually the folks you call when you don't know who else to call. They’re the other people who are making sure that not only do you have job opportunities and the training programs, but sometimes they're playing the role of counselor, friend, or confidant as people are getting their lives in order and trying to move to the next level. You all are doing really hands-on work with lots and lots of individuals over time, and it adds up.

LYNETTE BELL: You're exactly right Joe, and Earl, you make such great points. This is not just about talent programs or workforce development programs. It's about making those systems connect, building the relationships, and creating an easy—and a seamless—process as part of that. It’s not swooping in as the national nonprofit to say, “I’m going to solve all your problems,” but instead, we’re working alongside you. We’re bringing you that synergy to build that career pathway. I love that you added building careers to our Where It Starts tagline, Earl. I think it’s very appropriate.

Earl, let’s stick with CAEL for a minute. Your team started in Charlotte with a focus on careers in the financial services sector. Can you tell me how year one went for your team? What have you been able to accomplish thus far and where are you headed?

EARL BEAUFORD: Charlotte was just one of those communities that had great synergy—good business leaders, great higher education institutions, and strong non-profits, but yet they want to scale. The ability to sit down with local leadership was another important piece and the fact that they already had a Leadership Council in place allowed us to connect right away to an existing group that wanted to do some big things—so that made it easy. The real key to this was finding a strong local partner in Goodwill.

I want to make sure that Goodwill gets their proper due. They wanted to work with us on this project and they already had a reputation and wanted to scale. They wanted to bring in training around hiring services, and as part of our project, we were also bringing national partners to the table. Our career works partner—which is BankWorks—had national programming in 17 other markets and wanted in on those markets. Executive leadership wanted this in the market and so did employers, so it was easy to get a sign off from all the right parties. Getting the project off the ground was easy.

The next part is that they [Goodwill] have a bank within their headquarters and are able to conduct learning on site. They start with training, then work-based learning, and then people are ready to go into their careers. We also had great synergy with the team at USCC, so the education piece is in place as well. Think of it this way: someone gets trained through BankWorks; next thing, they get college credit within their curriculum; and now, they’re able to start working at Truist or any other institution in the region. Then within months, if not a year—as they progress and grow in their career—they’re able to look at ways to grow within that company. If they need a degree to move up into cyber security, for instance, we can help. That’s sort of the trajectory that's there and it's pretty easy for us to do that while also bringing national partners in to fill in those gaps that are not in the local region—that was pretty exciting.

One other piece is something called the “My Journey Platform” through our national partner parent. It is basically a career portal that allows individuals to create a profile and really connect to the openings that are in the region. We're able to do trainings and growth projections but also matchmaking as well.

LYNETTE BELL: Earl, that is so fantastic! I heard so many great things in what you just talked about. You talked about building synergy, you talked about having the right navigational tools, but more importantly, that public-private partnership had to be in place so that this all came together in a way that will impact career seekers and provide the placement that they need. That’s a really great story, especially being in the first year of launching and making this happen.

Joe, let's turn to Living Cities and the work you're doing to support local entrepreneurs. One of the obstacles, which I believe you've identified by listening to local business owners, is their struggle to keep up with a constantly increasing lease cost. What has your team been able to do to help address this issue?

JOE SCANTLEBURY: Well, it's an ongoing issue, so I can’t put it in the one and done category just yet. One of the things that we've been able to do is to bring together partners who may not have known one another. We recently created an Inclusive Capital Council that brought together local capital allocators such as CDFIs and Community Banks from across the country, as well as folks who were seeking local capital.

We had a conversation in Atlanta about what the barriers are. The U.S. Department of Commerce joined us because they were keenly interested in this question of how resources moved and what challenges were happening on the ground for entrepreneurs. What we decided was to form, sustain, and maintain this council because we started to see patterns. A very solid example in one of our Truist cities was a community in Miami struggling with how to acquire commercial property that already host surviving businesses, but the businesses don't own the land. They want to own the land before they’re priced out and they have to sell their businesses on the cheap and move from the community. They see it as critical to maintaining the character of their community, but more importantly the livelihood of many people who own the businesses, employ people through the businesses, and are really the fabric of the community.

They didn't have a solution, and I have to say it—Miami is one of those cities where I kept saying to myself, “It should be easier here, but it's not.” I kept thinking, “Can we really move the needle in Miami?” Of course, my team is always optimistic and always creative. They made a connection between some work that one of our partners in Saint Paul, Minnesota had done to create a trust conservancy so that investment can be held to secure land and property in a way that really hadn't come up in the Miami conversation before. They actually designed it and then were able to broker with the leadership of the Health and Human Services Department in Miami. I'm not sure how they got connected to this, but they connected viable commercial property to the public health indicators. They were able to both leverage their leadership and the leadership of local elected officials to create this trust in order to purchase that property.

I'm being very vague here because part of what they shared with me was, “Joe, it's Miami. If you talk about our property, the sharks will come out and we'll be competing at a higher rate than we need to.” But on my site visit there, I saw local philanthropy join in. I saw local developers join in. I saw other commercial investors join in. But the table itself would not have been present without the partnership between Main Street of America's partners on the ground, Living Cities’ ability to bring in unusual suspects, or if Truist hadn't created the platform for the conversation to begin with. That trusting conversation and solutioning just would not have happened in the time that it took to secure the resources for this particular property.

Again, these were small catalytic things, but bringing people together who had a similar vision, were like-minded, and were willing to help one another—amazing. That’s a very big example of how we tend to work. How do we adapt to the conditions we tend to find on the ground? How do we support leaders on the ground? How do we bring innovations to the point of use and the point of readying this? And more importantly, how do we stand back and support communities as far as they need to be supported without overshadowing what they're doing?

As I said in the beginning, the trust and transparency that the relationship with Truist cultivated from the beginning made this just a natural thing to do. Now, the extension of this work is how we're thinking about our Inclusive Capital Council and how it will serve cities across the country as well. We're already leveraging what we're learning from this work, which is pretty heavy.

LYNETTE BELL: It is pretty heavy. I love the fact that even though you were on the ground in dealing with some of the challenges that were unique—or felt like they were unique to a Southeastern City—you actually identified a solution that was national and had worked in another market. You said, “Hey, how do we activate that?” The fact that you were able to, as an organization, see the federal piece that was missing and clue it in is huge.

When you think about barriers that exist, Miami looks like it has everything as a thriving urban metropolis. You may say, “Why is this not working down here,” but there's a piece of the puzzle they didn't even know existed that you were able to pull from another location. This is why we thought this was the right type of synergy to bring together. We knew we could bring those great, powerful solutions that might not have even been thought of in a particular area but had similar concerns and variables and demographics that another area across the country represented, so I love the fact that you brought that together.

You actually went into my other question, so Earl, I'm going to flip it to you for a little bit. As we talk about collaboration of partnership, how has the collaboration been going so far in each community? Again, we looked at cities in the Southeast specifically because some of the same economic factors were driving some of the disparities. What are some of the challenges your team has faced and what is this collaboration doing to make it easier? Or not make it easy?

EARL BEAUFORD: Great question. The other markets, in addition to Charlotte, are Memphis, Tennessee, and South Florida. We're working in both Broward and Dade [counties], so I always reference both Fort Lauderdale and Miami. We’re about a month away from announcing the fifth market—which is the greater DC and DMV area—to be modified as we’re still working out all the logistics.

Each market has a set of key partners: there's key community partners, key education partners, and then there's a cohort of employers. Whether it's a chamber—or executive leadership council like in Charlotte—each region is different. The easy part is that you have to find the right partners. Some of them were already partners, like the University of Memphis has been a long-time member of CAEL. CareerSource in South Florida has been a long-time partner. That’s been the easy part, but the challenge is to come in as a partner, as a contributor to the region and to not come in and establish roots saying that we're here on this horse just to save you all—because that's not the case. We're here to connect to what you're doing and support and scale and [figure out] what have you always wanted to do more of in terms of scale.

We’ve been able to work with each of those regions in that way. We’ve been a helpful resource financially and have assisted the local funders as well—the philanthropic and corporate communities have been helpful in that way to bring in national partners to fill in the gaps. The challenge is maintaining your relationships and staying in your lane. You have to have that balance because really, we're all there in support of the same goal. The talent is ready and mobile; it’s ready to grow.

Normally in these situations, it's about resources, but because we're not there to invade someone's resource pot or their local workforce pot, we are there to supplement that; it has been really helpful.  

Again, I thank Truist for thinking about it that way. We’re so honored to help lead the conversation and continue the conversation. I also think they’re excited about the evaluation piece that’s coming with this project, so they can say these best practices really work, can be scaled, and can be worked on.

The challenge is to make it easier for people to start that path [we create]. It’s so hard to find people to work around some of the barriers that they’re dealing with. We haven't solved that, but as Joe mentioned earlier, there are other regions around the country that are asking how we can set this [program] up there—in the Northeast and in the Midwest in particular, and even in some parts of the West Coast. I have not found another investor or funding partner who's willing to put in the amount of resources and time that's needed to build these systems, and so that's really what sets you [Truist] apart.

The amount of time you have invested in this project, you can really see. Knowing that it won't be perfect, but we have got to walk away from this [recognizing] that we have found some really good practices that can help sustain this for a while and that people are benefiting.

LYNETTE BELL: Exactly right, so the scale and collaboration are the cornerstone of what you do, and you bring in the right departments to make it work. But you're right, there are still going to be challenges there. Again, both organizations have shown that this is a long play for all of us, not a short-term commitment. What you're saying, Earl, is that it’s a long play with a goal to not to be invasive to the organizations that are existing on the ground and that we have to make sure we don't—as the song used to say—"blur the lines.” We stay in our lane to make sure that we're executing toward a success for the constituents we're trying to serve, and I really appreciate that.

Alright, let’s talk about partnership—you know the Where It Starts program is unique. It's the first time the Truist Foundation has brought national partners like yourself together to collaborate on a multi-year project. You've mentioned a little bit why it's important for you to be part of the collaboration, but when you think about the impact this work is having and reporting back to funders as the project progresses, how does it help your organization not only achieve its goals, but amplify its work and inspiration? Joe, let’s start with you.

JOE SCANTLEBURY: I feel pretty lucky to be part of the work at this stage because one of those undeclared goals that seems obvious to me is changing the nature of philanthropic work in the economic and community development space. All of us have seen the typical big grant announcement that is made to a community to do a particular project. Most times, it's not enough to finish the project and it is certainly not enough to sustain the project. It's done in the kind of charitable way that is a good thing. There is nothing wrong with backpacks, and there is nothing wrong with just pure charity.

However, it doesn't help you get the systems to change. It doesn't necessarily get you past the grant announcement or really thinking that the people I'm helping today will be my partners tomorrow. They will be my clients tomorrow. They will be my depositors tomorrow. They will be my business partners tomorrow. They will be my neighbors tomorrow. That kind of thinking is baked into this work because in effect, we're coming to the table without the opinion that we know everything. We know a few things and we're exposed to many things, but we're not living the reality of the particular community that we're in, nor the stakes that the folks in communities who are building businesses and who are employing people are facing every day. We have an opinion, but we may not always know everything.

The approach of listening, problem solving, and co-creating solutions is the kind of outcome that has legs over time. It builds constituency. It builds support. It makes it difficult when you have a change of municipal leadership to somehow say, “Well, we want to do something different because that was the last guys’ thing.” No, this is the community's thing, and we, Truist, are part of that community and we've invited others to join us for the benefit of this community over time. That's a very strategic view, it's a very sophisticated view, but it's one that I think will gain ground over time when people are really debating what our future economy looks like. For us at Living Cities, this is a very rich deep dive and very values aligned. We believe in collaboration. We believe in being intentional about racial equity. We think innovation is key. We don't think it comes from the top always. Sometimes it comes from a kitchen table where somebody is doing something tremendous but doesn't know that it's an innovation. We believe in leaders and investing in them.

One thing I want to lift up is the investment that you [Truist] made and the choice you made in us with the Truist Leadership Institute. I know the Truist audience here will recognize the whole balcony view of things. Earl and I had the privilege of being in the same class together. From that balcony view perspective, it’s about helping people step back from their positions and think about the arc of what is going on—and the dynamics that are happening—that has really helped us unthread a lot of knots that have shown up from time to time.

I'm really pleased that that commitment is also part of this investment because helping us be better leaders allows us to model the kind of leadership you will expect to see on the ground over time. I just want to lift that up because you're investing in people and not just projects, and ultimately investing in people will have a return.

LYNETTE BELL: Earl, what would you add?

EARL BEAUFORD: I echo Joe's point about the leadership academy, and the fact that we also now have new relationships that we’re building that we didn't have previously and specifically, corporate relationships across the spectrum that enhances our work—and enhances leaders. Over the course of this conversation, I've talked about the systems building, the bridges, the scale, and the adaptability; I’ll get into the brass tacks of what we're expecting to do.

Our goal is to affect 6,000 individuals over this period across five markets; we expect it will be more, but that is the project plan. We have goals that will heighten that, but the most important part is these folks will be in a whole different arrangement afterward. Now they aren’t just getting trained to do something—they are wholeheartedly understanding that they are at the very start—no matter if they are 18 years of age or 45-years-old. They are on a path they understand, and they can say to their families—and their neighbors—about where they are and how they are moving forward.

These people can say, “I'm gonna show you the way now too, because I now understand and now know how to interact with this college across the street that I would have never even thought about having the opportunity to go to.” They can connect with community groups that they may not have known they could.

So, we're going to affect those 6,000 plus individuals in a variety of ways: some will get placements, some will get better jobs, some will get educated but they all walk away prepared for the rest—and the region will be affected. For me, that's what this is all about.

This is personal to me. I'm a product of a high school pregnancy, and that's always a barrier and the fact that those two great people I call parents probably fit the profile of everything we [CAEL] are working toward. My mother went back to school and became a teacher. My father bounced around from manufacturing jobs till a training program gave him the job he’s been at for 30 years and retired from with a pension. All those are things that we work towards, and so I'm just grateful that it worked out for them. My [goal] in life is to replicate that for any of the people that I work with.

LYNETTE BELL: Thank you for sharing that personal story about your family. That's exactly what we envisioned when we started designing this initiative with you all—how do we help individuals level the playing field so that everybody has an equal opportunity to thrive. You and Joe both have illustrated that in the programs that you're working [with] and through some of the challenges that exist in both the small business ecosystem, as well as in the career pathways system.

We want to level that playing field and build the right assets so that we have the right synergies and collaborations, and build the partnerships at the private, public, or federal level to help create and stabilize communities. We want to help people pull themselves up into a new opportunity and a new direction.

As we wrap up our time together today—we could talk for hours—I always try to give the partners an opportunity to highlight something important about your work, so that our listeners can know more about your organization or better understand something they might not get right about your organization. What is the one thing you'd like to leave listeners with here today? Joe, I'm going to start with you.

JOE SCANTLEBURY: Because of this investment, we are actually hosting our convening in September in the city of Memphis. Memphis is a city that from time to time comes up in headlines. We found in Memphis lots and lots of hopeful people who believe they can make a difference. Believe that they can actually build their communities and build their cities, and we found public officials believe the same. Nobody thinks it's going to be easy. Nobody's playing for an easy win, but a determined win.

One of the things about Living Cities being a member collaborative of financial institutions and foundations is we have the ability to be patient. We have the ability to take on risks together and we have the ability to share knowledge in ways that go well beyond one particular grant or organization.

We're very much intent on calling for the questions around, “What does inclusive capital look like?” and “What does the future economy look like?” We think the economy has to be equitable, inclusive, and growing. As we grow it, we think everyone prospers, and we're intent on making sure that is the narrative going forward—instead of people having zero-sum thinking or calling it a desperate claim for capital.

It’s investing in real people and real ideas and seeing how they go. We are eager to just continue this journey.

LYNETTE BELL: Earl, I’ll give you the final word.

EARL BUFORD: I mentioned at the top of the hour that this is year 50 for CAEL, so we are having our 50th anniversary. We have an annual conference every fall, and this year is our 50th. It's in New Orleans and next year it will be in Memphis, to double down on Joe’s investment conversation. We are investing in our partners in Memphis for our 51st conference next year, so if you’re interested in that, go to our website.

I think the lasting point for us is that on and off ramp of opportunity. If you heard this and you're an employer, call Joe and me to touch base on that talent or investment conversation. If you're an educator or [want to] talk to us about what we're doing, we can help you pull some practices together that will help you grow. We can make it easy to obtain opportunity for individuals that are out there waiting for opportunity.

LYNETTE BELL: Well, thank you both so much. This has been an outstanding conversation as you have heard today listeners. CAEL and Living Cities are premier nonprofit organizations doing incredible work trying to build equity and make a difference in our communities. Thank you both for joining me today and sharing more about our Where It Starts initiative. Truist Foundation is excited to be on this journey with CAEL, Living Cities, and Main Street America as we strive to build better careers and break down barriers to businesses in underserved communities. I look forward to sharing more stories of the impactful work of Truist Foundation, grant partners, and collaborators. Be sure to stay tuned for the next episode of Inspiring Conversations and until then, visit truist.com/foundation to learn more. Thank you, Earl, and thank you, Joe.