Worcester business center works to share development

Joanna James

WORCESTER — As the director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Business Empowerment Center, Jay Mattier says he doesn’t just work there, he basically lives there.

Mattier’s long hours come from his passion to teach financial literacy to anyone who walks through the King Center’s door asking for help.

Another reason, he explained, is the inability of the local government to step up and include Worcester’s minorities in the city’s economic pie. As an example of the city’s lack of diversity, the city’s own Office of Economic Development employs eight people — none of whom are African American, Hispanic or Asian.

“There are only a handful of minorities involved in the city’s economic development area or even attempt the political arena,” Mattier said. “That’s one of the things that has to happen in Worcester — we need more [minority] leaders, company owners, political figures.”

Worcester’s minority population combining African Americans, Latinos and Asians is around 26.2 percent according to the last U.S. Census taken in 2000. Those numbers breakdown to 6.2 percent African American; 15.1 percent Latino and 4.9 percent Asian.

Julie Jacobson, acting chief of Worcester’s Economic Development Office, did not return repeated phone calls.

Michael Lanava, business resource manager with the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, said there were no minorities in the Worcester Chamber of Commerce direct staff of eight. However he said on a board of directors with more than 40 members there are four African Americans.

“The Chamber represents 3,500 businesses in the community of Worcester... we never exclude anyone from anything,” Lanava said.

Mattier acknowledged some city initiatives “trying to make Worcester more welcoming and inviting,” but the 52-year-old still disregarded the effort because “they’re only in their infancy.”

Started six years ago, the King Center has only worked with the city on a handful of projects. The community center focuses on business development, job placement and technical training through various business workshops.

Mattier pointed out that the recent $1 billion plan to redevelop the city’s downtown, including construction of a new courthouse, hotel and renovation of City Square, presents a golden opportunity for more minority involvement.

Mattier and other African-American leaders in Worcester are coming up with their own plans.

Diversity-Jobs-Worcester is an initiative that the King Center, with five other organizations, are now working on to make “Worcester a more welcoming community.” The 2006 initiative will aim to link minority applicants with Worcester employers through a website enrolling 10 to 12 major city companies, including UMass Memorial Health Care, Bank of America, St. Vincent’s and Allmerica Financial. The website will also contain additional links to other Worcester area multi-cultural owned businesses and services.

The King Center isn’t stopping there. Mattier explains that financial outreach needs to begin by teaching the youth what to do with the money they will receive once they get jobs.

“We need to start educating our youth in money and investments because financial literacy is not taught in school,” Mattier said.

An entrepreneurial program is now in the works between the King Center and the Worcester YMCA to teach children what business is all about and how to make money while not getting trapped in what Mattier calls a “vicious cycle.”

“It’s based on a working mentality of survival rather than smart investments or looking towards your future,” Mattier said. “It’s a vicious cycle — you make a paycheck, put it towards bills and do it all over again.”

Ironically, Mattier used that theory to explain that although he wants to reach out to more minorities through the King Center, not as many are coming to render the services.

“We are accessible to them,” said Mattier regarding Worcester’s minority population. “But with bills to pay and families to look after... they may have dreams to start a business, but when they come to realize how much work is involved to do it some of them get discouraged.”

Since the center moved into the former New England Envelope Building on Chandler Street, it has had 2,800 client visits to date. Of those visits 41 percent of them have been Caucasian, 36 percent have been African American, 14 percent have been Hispanic and less than 4 percent have been from Asians.

When there are only a “few minority faces spread thin,” Mattier argues, “we get visibility but it doesn’t transform into a movement in the community.

“Until you have organization … your voices are very seldom heard. The only way you get heard is if you join together.”