CCL manifests Carey’s commitment to Baltimore businesses

When you think of Johns Hopkins, you think of Baltimore. The Johns Hopkins Carey Business School partners with its Charm City home through its Community Consulting Lab, which strengthens local businesses through coaching, connecting, and educating.

Since 2019, CCL has worked with 115 local businesses and given over $125,000 in grants. Over 80% of local business owners who participate in the program land capital in one way or another, likely due to the mentorship and networking opportunities CCL provides. At its core, CCL aims to improve Baltimore’s economic development in a way only a business school can.

CCL is an eight-week program that pairs Carey students with local business owners, giving students hands-on consulting experience and local businesses the opportunity to accelerate their business through professional coaching. Carey recently celebrated the successful culmination of another year for CCL at the program’s final showcase.

At the event, Carey’s Director of Strategic Partnerships and Student Innovation, Corrine Brassfield said, “I am just blown away by all the people in the room. It’s very exciting to see the culmination of this amazing program and the impact that we’ll have in Baltimore and beyond for many years to come.”

Referring to that impact, Tracy Akinade, Carey’s associate director of community engagement and economic impact and head of the CCL program, explained that business schools have a responsibility to contribute to the economic vitality of the communities in which they reside.

“Carey’s commitment to Baltimore is this program,” said Akinade. “In Baltimore, many small businesses struggle due to limited access to capital, resources, and exposure. There’s a market and space for what we do and what CCL has to offer.”

Empowering local leaders

Elisa Milan, owner of The Empanada Lady, a popular restaurant and catering company proudly based in downtown Baltimore, earned a $7,000 investment after delivering a shark-tank style pitch to six Baltimore business leaders who served as judges at the final showcase event.

“The Empanada Lady has grown from a home-kitchen hustle to a cultural cornerstone,” Milan said. “We’re building a business that lasts. Our long-term strategy is to do it all. We want to expand our catering, have nationwide locations, food trucks that will be franchised, and frozen distribution.”

Like CCL, Milan feels passionately about preserving culture, building community wealth, supporting small businesses, and celebrating Baltimore’s diverse communities. She said, “We fill a critical gap for authenticity, representation, and connection - hiring locally, mentoring youth, and investing directly back into the economic growth of our neighborhood."

Milan plans to use the winnings to onboard an operations coordinator, enabling her to focus on marketing, scaling, and expanding her business beyond its flagship location with a food truck.

From student to teacher

CCL strives to be beneficial not only to students and local business owners but also as an economic driver for the greater Baltimore community. Financial literacy is a key focus of the program.

“Whether your goal is to impact the community from a social standpoint or you really are passionate about driving revenue, you have to know your numbers, you have to understand how profitable your business is in order to get the right investment, find the right customers, and target the right needs,” said Akinade. “CCL does that.”

Akinade began her role with CCL after earning her MBA from Carey in 2021 and has grown the program since.

“Having been a student at Carey, I sit in a really unique position of understanding what a graduate student is looking for, and in this role, I’ve been able to understand what makes Baltimore special and what gaps a business school can fill.”

Throughout their time in the program, student consultants and business owners receive individualized coaching from Will Holmes, owner of Will Holmes Consulting, chairman emeritus of the Baltimore City Chamber of Commerce, and founder of the Baltimore Economic Leadership League.

“We want to make sure we introduce people in the program to my network,” said Holmes. “I’ve been here my whole life. Any resource that students or businesses need, we can connect them, and that’s been a great part of the program.”

Holmes and Akinade team up every spring to deliver CCL to Carey students and the Baltimore business community. They affectionately refer to themselves as the “mom and dad” of the program.

From student to teacher

Christopher Lundy, director of the Mayor’s Office of Small and Minority Business Advocacy & Development, shared his excitement about the continued collaboration between Carey and Baltimore City during his remarks at this year’s final showcase.

“We have a shared vision of an educated business community that is aware of available resources,” Lundy said. “The Community Consulting Lab is a critical experiential learning program that supports businesses and gives students a perspective they can’t get from textbooks. It takes time to craft effective solutions, but this program does the work to provide valuable consulting to businesses.”

“People come out of this program—both business owners and students—more confident in who they are,” Akinade said. “That confidence changes the game for me and motivates me to come back each year and support this effort.”