Clinton School students Camille Gilmore and Dylan Lofton partnered with the City of Little Rock and contributed to the launch and evaluation of BUILD Academy: a free business incubator built to diversify the marketplace, grow businesses, and develop opportunities by intentionally cultivating a new generation of small business leadership.
Gilmore and Lofton partnered with Little Rock’s Small Business Development Office to research barriers to development and wealth for traditionally underserved communities.
Their research assisted in the implementation of BUILD Academy – short for Businesses United In Leadership Development. Later that year, Gilmore created a system of metrics to evaluate the success of BUILD Academy and to identify areas of improvement.
Championed by Mayor Frank Scott, Jr. as an intentional effort to promote economic equity, BUILD Academy officially launched in Fall of 2021. In 2022, the City launched a sister program, called Emprende, to meet the needs of its Spanish-speaking entrepreneurs.
It has now graduated three cohorts of business leaders who are laying the foundation for growth and prosperity in Little Rock.
The Clinton School Impact Minute is a recurring segment with Little Rock Public Radio, highlighting the Clinton School’s field service impact in Arkansas.
Since 2004, Clinton School students have completed more than 600 field service projects with nearly 300 organizations in Arkansas alone, creating immediate and long-term impact for businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies across the state.
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