Educating through Exchange: The Interchange
Making a dream a reality is never something we do alone; it takes a vision and a whole community to support it. Small businesses are no exception, and no one understands the needs of our small business community quite like Business High Point - Chamber of Commerce (BHP). With 85% of their members identifying as small businesses (having fewer than 25 employees), their team works hard to guarantee that High Point is a place where those businesses, and the individuals operating them, can truly succeed.
“It’s the American dream to be able to start a business, grow your business, and be successful at providing an opportunity for the next generation to do the same thing,” says Rachel Collins, President & CEO of BHP. “A vibrant business community is what really starts any revitalization in any community, large or small.”
It was this mindset that led Business High Point to develop into what it is today. Its current incarnation came about in 2015 after a merger between High Point Partners and the High Point Chamber of Commerce that led to the initial formation of Business High Point. Today, BHP is a wraparound and innovative chamber of commerce that supports the needs of our business community through education, networking, and innovative programming.
“We had two business organizations that came together because we had a similar mission,” says Rachel. “I think that was our first step in becoming the voice of business. We had to dig deep and figure out how we were going to be relevant in this community.”
Looking for ways to boost the entrepreneurial efforts of High Pointers, BHP sought to bring once isolated businesses and professionals together, becoming a common resource to help the community to grow and support itself.
“The small business undergirds everything that we're trying to do at Business High Point,” explains Rachel. “We all need our large businesses; they help support a community vision. But it's the small businesses that help the community grow.”
And it’s looking for ways to support these small businesses that led to the establishment of BHP’s latest initiative: The Interchange.
In working to further establish a foundation of support for High Point’s expanding business community, BHP’s visionary leadership, led by former Board Chairman, David Congdon, embarked on a long process of extensive ideation and data collection to form the tools and programs that would provide holistic support for their members and the larger business ecosystem. After a variety of surveys and research points, BHP settled on three points that businesses, employers, and employees alike needed to focus on: leadership, entrepreneurship, and innovation.
These three pillars became the founding tenants for The Interchange, a one of a kind program making expertise and education available to the entrepreneurs and business owners of High Point. With these pillars as the initiative’s guiding principles, The Interchange set about establishing its learning academies, training programs, and relationships with experts in these areas.
“There was no road map for a program like this,” explains Julie Hill, Executive Director for The Interchange, “but we knew there was a need for young and seasoned leaders and professionals in every business to be educated and to really grow professionally.”
Beyond a simple collection of professional development seminars, The Interchange is exactly that: an exchange of skills and ideas. Julie explains that the initiative seeks to “collaborate in every sense of the word,” creating opportunities for entrepreneurs to connect and leveraging other organizations in the region with educational offerings. The Guilford County Non-Profit Consortium, Guilford Technical Community College, Goodwill Industries, SCORE Piedmont, the High Point Public Library, and more participate as educators and experts to better equip those in the classes with a variety of vital, business-based skills.
“Entrepreneurs have a business plan, and they've received mentoring and coaching through some other outlets, but maybe they don't know how to write a budget,” explains Julie. She notes that crucial skills to business success – budget writing, Excel usage, and cyber security to name a few – aren’t always skills an entrepreneur has had the chance to develop in his or her day-to-day life. It’s this gap The Interchange hopes to fill.
Beyond the academies and classes that they offer, The Interchange is working to connect professionals to subject matter experts, allowing participants to ask real questions and foster true connections that can lead to collaboration and an increased chance for success.
“We don’t want people sitting and listening without engagement,” Julie says. Instead, they encourage participants towards the bravery to ask questions and dig deep into what it takes to succeed. The classes at The Interchange are constantly rotating, to ensure relevancy for participants all year round, asking their participants and our business community constantly: “What are you looking for next?”
Having just started in 2023, The Interchange is already starting to make an impact on High Point’s professionals. Brenda Murphy, Studio Coordinator at Elements Studio, a video productions studio in High Point, discovered that level of confidence that she needed to begin a career in a very new role through The Interchange.
“The Interchange helps me hone in on things that I normally would have a hard time learning on my own,” says Brenda.
But Brenda is just one of many new students at The Interchange taking advantage of their varied offerings: everything from excel classes to their upcoming Nonprofit Learning Lab Education Series. Businesses can find more information on BHP’s website or even just by calling them up; Julie even encourages contacts to ask for her by name.
“There was no road map for a program like this, but we knew there was a need for young and seasoned leaders and professionals in every business to be educated and to really grow professionally.”
Julie Hill, Executive Director for The Interchange
As The Interchange continues to grow, Julie has remained driven in her mission and is overjoyed to watch High Point’s business people learn and develop. She recalls teaching a Grant Writing workshop this past January and seeing how many members returned for the next one in February, ready and excited to learn. She highlights the importance of giving people a safe space to grow and ask questions, and is excited to see how much our community can accomplish through mutual support.
“I always want our community to look at The Interchange as a bridge,” says Julie. “The Interchange has become a way to actively contribute to our community's professional growth. We’re here to give them the tools to really grow, scale on their own, and be confident that they’re able to do this.”
Discover our High Points,
The HPD Team