The Arlington Economic Development Corporation (EDC) is offering a leg up to local small businesses through its industry-specific small business cohort program. This free initiative connects entrepreneurs with experts in their respective fields, tailoring advice and strategies to the unique challenges these industries face. As reported by the City of Arlington's official news article, since September 2025, 20 local businesses have already benefited from participating in the professional services and construction cohorts.
Geared towards established companies, the program aims to help them scale and refine strategy, emphasizing providing relevant and actionable industry-specific insights. Through the program, businesses not only receive valuable class content but are also offered networking opportunities. Kay Brown-Patrick, assistant executive director of the Arlington EDC, mentioned in a statement obtained by the City of Arlington, “We strive to offer a range of programs for different levels of entrepreneurship, and thought it was especially important to provide tangible, industry-specific insights as well as information beyond just startup basics.”
The experience provided by the cohort has been applauded by its participants for its comprehensive and enlightening content. Bwana Thurman, CEO of BluPrint Worldwide, and a graduate of the professional services cohort, told the City of Arlington, “My experience was informative and enlightening. One piece that has been extremely useful to me was how to improve my client experience and do a deep dive into my analytics.”
Juan F. De Leon, CEO of De Leon's Designs and participant in the construction cohort, found the program's relevance particularly impactful. In recognition of construction workers often being overlooked, he said, "There are a lot of programs and services for more white-collar professions, but construction folks are not often well-represented. This is something that I’ve been looking for, and it felt so good that it catered to our community," according to a City of Arlington interview.
