We hope this message finds you well. We're reaching out with both important news and heartfelt gratitude.
Over the past few years, it has been an honor and a joy to co-create and share the Diverse Business Directory with our community. Since its inception in 2020, and its expansion in 2023, the directory has featured over 120 incredible businesses representing a wide range of identities, backgrounds, and lived experiences. Each listing has been a testament to the innovation, resilience, and diversity that strengthens Lane County.
After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to transition the Lane County Diverse Business Directory away from our website and management. This is to ensure that all our equity programs remain compliant with federal law. While this change brings a close to one chapter, we’re excited that the directory will live on through a new host - the Eugene Springfield NAACP - where we hope it will continue to grow, thrive, and serve our community.
We want to take a moment to celebrate the 120 businesses that have been part of this journey. Your participation has helped create something deeply meaningful - a platform that has not only uplifted diverse entrepreneurs but has also fostered deeper economic inclusion and a sense of belonging in Lane County.
As we've shared before, we believe that supporting diverse businesses is vital to:
- Economic development and promoting equity - By providing opportunities and resources to diverse businesses, we bridge the economic inequality gap by offering a better path forward for our communities. In turn, this stimulates job creation, enhances workforce skills, increases local spending power, and contributes to the overall economic vitality of our region.
- A sense of belonging and representation - When we embrace and uplift businesses owned by individuals from different backgrounds, ethnicities, genders, sexual identities, abilities, and cultures, we unlock a multitude of benefits. We gain fresh perspectives, innovative ideas, and unique products and services within our local community. This results in people feeling included and connected, while creating a beautiful and prosperous collective.
Though we are stepping away from managing the directory, our commitment to equity and inclusion remains. We encourage you to continue engaging with and supporting the directory as it transitions to its new home. We are removing the directory from our website on Friday, May 30, 2025. You can find the publicly available data on the Eugene-Springfield NAACP website for now while they build a new dashboard.
Thank you for being part of this important work. The success of the Diverse Business Directory belongs to each of you, and we look forward to seeing what the future holds for this growing community.