The Resources Factor with Shana Knight (Part 2)

Show Summary:

Shana Knight, our guest in Episode 1 of Season 2 of the Frederick Factor, is back for her follow-up episode! As a guest in one of our most popular episodes, Shana is back to share her year-later update about her position as the Senior Business Development Manager for Diversity and Inclusion with the Frederick County Office of Economic Development. She shares many great resources for underrepresented businesses through the FCOED. Plus, she shares exciting updates about SOUL Street, which is a local collective of Black business owners and community members in Frederick County who have come together to empower the Black business community through events, outreach, advocacy, and education. Shana Knight, our guest in Episode 1 of Season 2 of the Frederick Factor, is back for her follow-up episode! As a guest in one of our most popular episodes, Shana is back to share her year-later update about her position as the Senior Business Development Manager for Diversity and Inclusion with the Frederick County Office of Economic Development. She shares many great resources for underrepresented businesses through the FCOED. Plus, she shares exciting updates about SOUL Street, which is a local collective of Black business owners and community members in Frederick County who have come together to empower the Black business community through events, outreach, advocacy, and education.

Show Notes / Highlights from the Show:

Shana’s updates one year since recording Episode 1 of Season 2 of the Frederick Factor
How underrepresented businesses can get support through FCOED’s EmPOWER offerings, such as the Monthly Networking Events, the EmPOWER Mentorship Program, and the Virtual Mentorship Accelerator Program
What a one-on-one meeting with Shana at the FCOED is like, and what kind of support & guidance a small underrepresented business can get from it
How the FCOED’s Underrepresented Business Directory offers an accessible way for businesses to get more visibility
Shana reveals SOUL Street’s BIG news!
How the SOUL Street Takeover Events became a solution for serving brick-and-mortar underrepresented businesses in a fun and engaging way
Special SOUL Street events coming up in summer 2023!

Guest Bio:

Although she is not a native, Shana Knight has lived in Frederick County most of her life and is proudly rooted in this community. She is a Frostburg State University graduate with a Mass Communication and Journalism degree. Her career path took many twists and turns, from working at a local news station behind a camera to working in the nonprofit field for seven years. Working in nonprofits allowed Shana to form new skills, meaningful connections, and a new love and appreciation for Frederick County.

Amid the pandemic and after the death of George Floyd in 2020, Shana and a group of community members came together to advocate for the Black Community by promoting and uplifting black-owned businesses in Frederick County and surrounding areas through pop-up markets. As a result, the organization SOUL Street was formed. SOUL Street is a local collective of Black business owners and community members in Frederick County who have come together to empower the Black business community through events, outreach, advocacy, and education. Inspired by Black Wall Street, “SOUL” is an acronym for Sustaining Our Unique Legacy.

Shana’s advocacy and work through SOUL Street led her to a new career path, working in the government sector while supporting Frederick County’s underrepresented businesses.