County Entrepreneur Collaborative Gives Nonprofits Room For Success

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL — Since 1945, the Tampa Alphas fraternity has served the Tampa Bay area through mentoring programs for young men, educational foundations, fundraisers and more.

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced many to stay home and social distance, the Tampa Alphas didn't slow down.

They partnered with the Hillsborough County Entrepreneur Collaborative Center to host their monthly meetings safely. The ECC provides the technology and space to host meetings in virtual and in-person formats, giving the Tampa Alphas resources it needed to succeed.

The ECC offers the space at no cost, allowing the Tampa Alphas to focus their finances on programs and initiatives that benefit the community.

The Tampa Alphas support the ECC's mission by incorporating entrepreneurship lessons in their mentoring programs. The nonprofit has contributed to many organizations including Big Brothers Big Sisters, Hillsborough County Head Start, March for Babies, Relay for Life and The Alzheimer's Association.

As a result of those initiatives, the chapter was recently recognized as the Most Outstanding Chapter in Florida and Most Outstanding Chapter across the fraternity's southern region.

Past president Kaseem Mabry said the Tampa Alphas wouldn't have been as successful without the ECC.

"The space has allowed us to have a greater level of collaboration to be able to facilitate and organize around the programs," Mabry said.

The Entrepreneur Collaborative Center was established in 2014 to provide entrepreneurs easy access to business service providers, resources, mentorship and training. Services are provided for each businesses' stage of development.

Additionally, the ECC offers state-of-the art technology and collaborative space for local nonprofits and agencies to host networking and engagement events.