Southern Georgia Black Chambers to launch free 11-week tech residency at VSU to aid small businesses

Dwayne Johnson, president and CEO of the Southern Georgia Black Chambers, used the council’s citizens-to-be-heard slot to announce a no-cost, 11-week technical residency for small business owners beginning Tuesday, Feb. 24, at Valdosta State University.

Johnson said the program is supported by CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) funding provided by the city and includes partnerships with the UGA Small Business Development Center at VSU, Georgia Power, ACE South Georgia and the Verasta Latino Association. The first session is scheduled for Feb. 24 at 5:30 p.m. in Room 3126 of VSU’s Business Administration and Health Services Building, 2525 North Patterson Street, Valdosta.

Johnson said the residency—part of the Chamber’s Small Business Academy—offers no-fee registration and hands-on technical support to build bank-ready, contract-ready assets for business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs. He highlighted "Project Fuente," an initiative using AI translation to ensure Spanish-speaking and other non-English-speaking business owners can fully access training materials.

Johnson thanked the council for its initial investment and said the program has already attracted additional partners and funding commitments. Registration and further details were described as available through the Chamber and VSU partner offices.