Across Alabama’s Black Belt, new conversations about entrepreneurship are beginning to take shape through a process of listening, relationship-building, and community partnerships.

Communities Unlimited (CU) has begun laying the groundwork for entrepreneurship support in several Black Belt counties, helping rural residents explore business ideas, access training and technical assistance, and eventually connect with financing as their ventures grow.

Much of the initial engagement grew out of relationship-building led by CU’s Community Sustainability Team through the organization’s participation in the International Economic Development Council’s (IEDC) Economic Recovery Corps (ERC) fellowship.

CU’s ERC fellow, Sherrie Campbell, met with local leaders and community partners to better understand the barriers residents face when trying to start businesses. Those conversations revealed a consistent challenge: many residents had business ideas but lacked access to guidance, training, and startup capital.

As those relationships developed, communities across Perry, Marengo, Choctaw, Dallas, and Greene counties began connecting with CU’s Entrepreneurship Team for training and early technical assistance.

The Alabama initiative formally launched Oct. 1 through a new USDA Alabama Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG).

Since then, CU has received about 18 referrals across the region, with roughly 10 entrepreneurs now working with the team to explore or develop their business ideas. Many of those entrepreneurs are still in the early stages, learning what it takes to move from an idea to a viable business.

CU has also hosted two entrepreneurship workshops in Perry County — one focused on financial literacy and another on starting and growing a small business.

One of the most active partnerships so far has emerged in the city of Marion, where local leader Donald Bennett has helped connect residents with CU resources. Bennett serves as president of Main Street Marion, an organization focused on revitalizing the city’s historic downtown and expanding opportunities for local businesses.

“I’ve been with Main Street Marion since the summer of 2017,” Bennett said. “I was asked to serve as board president, and our mission is to revitalize downtown Marion. Over time, that vision expanded beyond the business district. We’re now focused on improving quality of life across the entire city.”

Bennett sees entrepreneurship as a key part of that vision.

“In a small community, every piece is like part of a puzzle,” he said. “If you only focus on one area, something else will be missing. We’re trying to bring those pieces together and build on Marion’s rich history to turn the town into a tourist destination.”

CU’s Entrepreneurship Team has also been working directly with Bennett as he prepares to open his own downtown restaurant, Vino Pizzeria. Bennett has secured a location, some funding, and a grant for the project and is currently working with CU Senior Management Consultant Rhett Douglas on financial projections and a loan package.

“Our surveys kept showing the same thing — Marion is a small town with a college within walking distance, and pizza and college students go hand in hand,” Bennett said. “My wife and I had already invested downtown with an Airbnb and a bookstore, so opening a pizzeria felt like the perfect next step — and a way to show young people that small businesses can succeed here.”

Bennett said partnerships with organizations like CU are essential for helping rural entrepreneurs navigate the early stages of launching a business.

Another example of CU’s work in Alabama’s Black Belt is in Demopolis, where the team partnered with Demopolis Hickory Mill in Marengo County in 2025 after a referral from the local Economic Development Authority.

The family-owned sawmill, operating since the late 1800s, had faced declining sales and financial strain following the pandemic. CU’s Entrepreneurship Team worked with the business to review finances, correct accounting issues, and develop a turnaround strategy that included cost reductions and new product lines such as firewood and sawdust.

CU also helped secure a working capital loan to stabilize cash flow. Within months, the mill landed new contracts, improved its finances, and returned to profitability — helping preserve local jobs.

“I thank God that somebody helped me get a jump start here,” said owner Don Lawrence.

The approach reflects CU’s broader philosophy: community-led economic development supported by technical assistance from the beginning. By helping residents shape their ideas, build business skills, and connect with resources early on, CU hopes to create opportunities that grow from within the community itself.

In places like Marion, leaders say those early partnerships are already helping spark new momentum.

“I’m pleased with how things have started,” Bennett said. “And I expect the relationship to grow even more.”