BusinessLINC® stands for Learning, Investment, Networking and Collaboration, the strategies utilized in successful business-to-business partnerships. Following are some examples of BusinessLINC® strategies in action.

Learning
Jackson Masonry and Nashville BusinessLINC®’s Turner Construction Managing Training Institute
Jackson Masonry, based in Nashville, was founded in 1998 and has annual revenues of $5 million. The company has been involved in a variety of large jobs, including the construction of a new physical fitness facility for the Army Corp. at Fort Campbell. Maria Jackson, CEO of Jackson Masonry, oversees office workers, foremen who to supervise different job sites and a large number of laborers and bricklayers working for her on-site. Maria was looking for a way to increase her management experience and take her business to the next level.

Through an opportunity with Nashville BusinessLINC®, Maria gained valuable technical assistance in managing various aspects of her construction business. In 2003, Nashville BusinessLINC® inaugurated a series of classes – the Turner Construction Management Training Institute at Vanderbilt University – to help owners and managers in the construction industry grow and manage their businesses. Maria was among the first class of graduates in June 2003. Since then, she has also cemented a partnership with Turner Construction to be the masonry contractor for the expansion and renovation of Fort Sanders Parkwest Medical Center, a contract worth over $1 million.

Investment
San Francisco BusinessLINC®, Pacific Community Ventures and First Light Destinations
San Francisco BusinessLINC® member Pacific Community Ventures (PCV) has committed capital and advising resources to First Light Destinations, a for-profit destination lodging company. Co-founded by Lee Zimmerman, Brian Anderluh and Dan Braun, First Light acquired its first property, Evergreen Lodge, located near the western entrance to Yosemite National Park, in December 2001. Since late 2001, First Light’s founding team has worked with PCV Business Advisor Tom Callinan, a principal of Pacific Union Development Corporation with years of experience in real estate development and the hotel industry.

Tom has been instrumental in supporting First Light’s expansion efforts by providing architectural and more general guidance and directing the management team to resources, including key people who have assisted them with construction and development planning. Tom’s support has encouraged First Light to exemplify the mission of BusinessLINC® small businesses – to have a strong business mission, with an awareness of the community in which they operate. First Light seeks to own, develop and manage a portfolio of destination outdoor properties for people to enjoy, while at the same time provide career training, work experience and social service support for at-risk Bay Area youth.

Networking
Blueboy Document Imaging and Washington BusinessLINC®’s Networking Opportunities
Participation in BusinessLINC® has greatly increased business for Hiram Russell, President of Blueboy Document Imaging. Through networking meetings and business development seminars sponsored by Washington BusinessLINC®/Greater Washington Board of Trade, Hiram has been able to access a new client base. Businesses such as law firms and accounting firms were not Hiram’s target market prior to joining BusinessLINC®, but due to their participation in the network, Hiram is able to access these customers, communicate with them regularly and easily and provide them with services.

The greatest benefit Hiram has received from BusinessLINC® has stemmed from his partnership with Clark Construction. When Clark received the contract to build the new Washington, D.C. Convention Center, they incorporated Blueboy into the project because of their established relationship. Hiram estimates that this project alone has brought him $1 million in business. Throughout their partnership, Clark Construction has provided not only contracting opportunities, but also a great deal of structural support, from employee needs and technical assistance to business mentorship.

Collaboration
Pinnacle Technical Resources and Dallas BusinessLINC®’s Mentor-Protégé Program
Through Dallas BusinessLINC®’s mentor-protégé program, entrepreneur Nina Vaca was matched with a mentor who aided her in crafting business plans, preparing for meetings with potential customers and providing general business guidance and direction wherever it was needed. In 2003, Pinnacle was awarded the DFW Minority Business Development Council’s “E” Award as the Minority-Owned Business Enterprise of the Year for 2002. She has received several other awards recognizing her business. Nina was also elected vice chair of the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.

Pinnacle grew 700 percent between 1997 and 2000, ranking it among the fastest-growing technology businesses and largest women-owned businesses in the Metroplex. In addition to dealing with an uncertain economy, Nina has had to tackle the challenge of rapid growth. Understanding and managing growth was one of the biggest challenges for Nina, and it was a challenge her mentor helped her manage.