Companies honored for the Inner City 100's Tenth Anniversary year
by Hannah Bascom, ICIC
On March 28th, the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC), in collaboration with Inner City Advisors(ICA) honored Oakland companies that are finalists for the 2008 Inner City 100 list. Sponsored by the City of Oakland, the ceremony at Numi Tea Garden in Oakland included a brief program featuring comments from Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums; David G. Latimore, President and CEO of ICIC; and Jose Corona, Executive Director of Inner City Advisors (ICA).
Approximately 60 supporters of inner city business attended the celebration, which was held in honor of the Inner City 100 program’s tenth anniversary. It also served as a kick-off to ICA’s 10th Annual Awards Breakfast which will be held on May 9th, and honor Bay Area Inner City 100 winners.
 “I am proud that so many homegrown entrepreneurs are contributing to Oakland’s sustainability and success,” said Mayor Dellums in his remarks. “I am delighted that ICIC and ICA have recognized our city’s businesses as important drivers of economic revitalization and growth. We must continue this collaboration in order to further our efforts of making Oakland a business-friendly city that encourages workforce development and quality opportunities for all.”
Over the past ten years the Bay Area has provided 55 Inner City 100 winners, and ICIC and ICA were glad to be able to showcase the importance of these businesses and their supporters. Among those in attendance were representatives from the Small Business Administration, Rashid Coleman of Merrill Lynch (a national Inner City 100 Sponsor) and a number of ICA portfolio clients such as Crunchy Foods, Lori Bonn Design and Premier Organics.
“These Inner City companies’ success has led to innovative investment programs, they’ve helped blaze a path for others, and they’re providing enormous stimulus for change in their communities. We’re thrilled to be celebrating the companies that bring growth to Oakland,” said ICIC President and CEO David Latimore.
ICA Executive Director, Jose Corona agreed that the companies “are a very diverse group and represent a full range of industries. What they share is a focus on building strong inner city communities by creating sound and competitive businesses.”
Numi Tea, the host of the event, is a perfect example of one of these companies. Started in the fall of 1999 in an Oakland apartment, the brother and sister team of Ahmed and Reem Rahim have taken Numi on an exciting and delicious journey and are now housed in a lovely 25,000 sq. foot space on the Oakland waterfront. Since its beginning, Numi has been a success story not only for the popularity of their innovative teas, but also for their commitment to the highest levels of quality and sustainability. Today, the company’s impact is far reaching as they employ over fifty people in their Oakland headquarters, have partnered with many small farms in China and use only recycled or organic materials in their products.
 For more information on ICA’s Annual Breakfast, please visit their website. For more information about ICIC and the Inner City 100 program, please visit www.icic.org
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