On Thursday, September 3, 2020, U.S. Small Business Administration Regional Administrator and Entrepreneurship Policy Advisor for the White House Opportunity & Revitalization Council Ashley D. Bell will join Travis Steffens, President & CEO of R. Investments, Denise Cleveland-Leggett, Regional Administrator for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, SBA North Carolina District Director Thomas Stith, several minority entrepreneurs and local leadership on a tour and ribbon cutting of Independence Place. Independence place represents a project within a Charlotte Opportunity Zone. “To lift up underserved communities across the nation, our tax cuts created nearly 9,000 opportunity zones including over 250 right here in North Carolina,” exclaimed President Donald Trump during the Charlotte Opportunity Now Summit held in February.
Independence Place is a property that currently houses 179 extended stay units. R. Investments will be hosting a tour of the property to highlight their Opportunity Zone project to showcase and celebrate the work of a small business, a construction company and a non-profit organization all operated under the R. Investment umbrella. The property is currently home to roughly 20 disabled Veterans through a program called Family Forum. R. Investments will be working with local government officials to further the outreach to formerly homeless veterans to fill the property with homeless veterans that they will work with through their non-profit to get back on their feet. “We are so proud to announce that Investments Limited and its Founder Jim Batmasian is our Conscious Capital Partner in this Opportunity Zone Social Impact investment here in Charlotte. This is just the beginning to many Social Impact Opportunity Zone investments we will be doing together across the Country,” says Travis Steffens, President & CEO of R. Investments.
SBA is honored to join the tour and ribbon cutting on Thursday, September 3rd to showcase to entrepreneurs the life changing possibilities that investments in Opportunity Zones may bring to small businesses, local governments, Veterans, investors, and most importantly to our communities. “Opportunity Zones have become magnets for capital to underserved communities across North Carolina. In Charlotte, we have the opportunity to see how that capital will help revitalize a community and bring hope to Veterans who are in need of quality, sustainable housing,” says Ashley D. Bell, SBA Regional Administrator and Policy Advisor for the White House Opportunity & Revitalization Council.
