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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The city of Charlotte is calling on all minority-owned businesses in the Queen City that need a little help.
Business owners might have questions about how to operate in Charlotte, or may feel like they’re struggling in some areas. That’s where Charlotte Business Inclusion steps in. It’s a city program designed to help businesses grow through mentorship and opportunity.
For Ada Esther Gil Jimenez, construction was in her blood. Her father had a business and hung drywall for decades. Her family moved from the Dominican Republic to the United States when she was just 14 years old. She later earned her general contracting license, but construction seemed to have skipped a generation.
“I wasn’t sure if I wanted that,” Gil Jimenez admits. “I went into technology instead.”
Instead, she built a career in IT, climbing corporate America’s ranks. But then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and skyrocketing home prices derailed her plans, leaving her in financial distress.
That’s when a nonprofit stepped in and helped her secure a home—an experience that sparked a realization.
“That’s when I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m a general contractor,'” Gil Jimenez said.
So, she returned to her family roots and started her own construction company, AEGJ. But the journey wasn’t easy.
“I was petrified. Why would I want to do this?” Gil Jimenez said. “I learned a lot from my dad, but there was chaos here and there.”
Desperate for guidance, she turned to the internet, searching “How to not go bankrupt.”
That search led her to Charlotte Business Inclusion, where she learned critical business skills, from financial management to securing contracts. Within just a few months, her struggling business flourished. She landed projects at the Spectrum Center and Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
“They had to come together and say, ‘Hey, she hasn’t done a project at this scale before, but we’re going to back her up,’” she said.
Julius Edwards with Charlotte Business Inclusion emphasizes that minority-owned businesses like AEGJ are the backbone of the community.
“Everybody plays a role, and everybody contributes to the economy—it’s second nature,” Edwards said.
With federal diversity programs being rolled back, he believes their work is more important than ever.
“Every day, we’re excited to do the work that we do,” Edwards said.
Contact Austin Walker at awalker@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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