Cecilia Russo Marketing Celebrating 15th Anniversary with Three $5,000 Entrepreneur Grants for Small Business Owners
To celebrate 15 successful years in business, we are proud to announce that we are accepting applications from new business owners, start-ups and budding entrepreneurs in the State of Georgia for a $5,000 grant award, paying homage to the first payment from the first client we ever received. Grants will be awarded to three recipients for a total of $15,000.
In 2008, Founder and CEO Cecilia Russo Turner left a stable and secure job to take on the publicity and event planning for Tour de Georgia, a U.S. professional road cycling stage race across the State of Georgia. The event took a couple of months and she was paid $5,000 for the successful completion of the project. Cecilia never looked back, building a successful company over the following 15 years. Since then, she has worked with countless southeast, regional, and Savannah-area businesses and philanthropic organizations, providing strategic communications, marketing, fundraising, and public relations counsel to business executives in the large private and nonprofit sectors.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, known for his leadership as a champion of small business, congratulated Cecilia on the announcement of the grants. Governor Kemp established the Georgians First Commission to review state regulations, policies, and procedures to streamline government, remove inefficiencies, and secure Georgia’s place as the top state for small business in the country.
“Small businesses are the backbone of Georgia’s economy, supporting both individuals and employees while providing vital services and character to communities across our state,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “As the No. 1 state for business, Georgia has the tools for entrepreneurs to succeed, including a qualified workforce, friendly business environment, and world-class infrastructure. We are also taking steps to further support these irreplaceable job creators through measures such as the recently passed HB 128, which will open new doors for small businesses in the state procurement process, especially for minority-, women-, and veteran-owned businesses. Hardworking Georgians appreciate all our small businesses offer.”
The Cecilia Russo Marketing 15th anniversary grant program was inspired by “The Little Red Backpack Fund,” offered by Spanx, and The Spanx by Sara Blakely Foundation in the wake of COVID-19. Knowing the ripple effect that empowering women can have to strengthen communities, the foundation awarded 1,080 grants of $5,000 each to female entrepreneurs in the U.S. to help alleviate the impact of the crisis.
“I have followed Sara Blakely‘s story for as long as I have been in business, and I am constantly inspired by her work,” said Cecilia. “She clearly grasps the magnitude of what a single thriving enterprise can do for its community – so much so that she has dedicated herself to helping others achieve prosperity, as she did! Now it’s my turn. I’m committed to doing the same for three entrepreneurs in my home state, stimulating tangible change and aiding economic development in the State of Georgia at a grass-roots level.”
Interested in applying? Submit a written pitch of no more than 1,000 words explaining your business and how it would benefit from a $5,000 grant and continue to propel the economic impact in our State.
Nominations may be submitted online by Sunday, October 1.