Philadelphia, PA (August 22, 2019) Over the past 14 weeks, Russ Napolitano, one of our Partners, participated in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program (aka 10KSB) here in Philadelphia. Russ’ participation in this program meant a commitment to spend the entire day each Thursday in a cohort classroom environment at the Community College of Philadelphia – the site selected by Goldman Sachs for this program. Russ officially completed the program by graduating as part of Cohort 19 on August 15, 2019.
Zave Smith, Co-Founder of Xhilarate, says, “Each week, Russ would attend our Partners’ meeting providing our team with updates about what he had learned in the areas of business strategy, human resources, work culture, marketing, finance, operations, the art of successful negotiations and overall business growth strategies for Xhilarate and its clients.” “By giving Russ this opportunity, we are confident that we will put practices into place that will effectively help us to grow our business, build our client relationships and provide our clients with the business consultation required to help them face challenges and grow their businesses,” says Michael McDonald, Partner and Lead Creative, Xhilarate.
The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program recruits, interviews and selects small business owners who meet certain requirements and who they believe have the desire for on-going education and the commitment level required to successfully complete the program. Since the program is fully funded by Goldman Sachs, they want to ensure that they are selecting small business owners who will help meet their primary objectives—grow their business, hire local talent and contribute to the local community.
“Taking part in this 14-week program has given me a tremendous opportunity to learn more about all aspects of running a business from business and brand strategy to the importance of culture in hiring and retaining the best talent and to ensuring that we have the proper operating procedures in place to give our clients the best agency experience – guaranteed,” says, Russ Napolitano, Partner, Client Relationships. “In addition, I feel like I have been given the tools to work more effectively with my business partners and our clients, that I have grown both professionally and personally, and that I now have access to over 10,000 national alumni across a range of industries and disciplines who can help our business grow on so many levels. There is no doubt that 10KSB was a transforming life experience,“ adds Russ.
About Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses (10KSB)
Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses is an investment to help entrepreneurs create jobs and economic opportunity by providing greater access to education, capital and business support services. To date, more than 7,300 business owners have graduated from the program across all 50 states in the US, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. The latest 10KSB class (Cohort 19) to graduate from Philadelphia on August 15, 2019, has increased 10KSB’s alumni base from the Philadelphia region alone to over 500 alumni representing businesses with an estimated combined revenue over $675M.
