Jackson Drysdale Center
Located in Newark, NJ and accessible through all modes of public transportation, the Jackson Drysdale Center offers clients with employment training from corporate leaders, as well as an incubator to help grow their small businesses.
Small Business Incubator
Our Small Business Incubator provides shared space for entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses. In addition to space, we also provide them with various services and materials to help them succeed, including: computers, desks, conference room space, marketing materials, business cards, support with accounting, bookkeeping, website development, and legal compliance. Also part of our program is our EQUALprenuership Initiative, which welcomes entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds into our incubator to take advantage of services aimed at helping minority businesses grow and succeed.
If you are an entrepreneur looking to become part of our incubator, complete our online application today. Contact us at 866-389-4446 with any additional questions.
GarmaGuard, one of our Center's small businesses, pitching their company on ABC's Shark Tank.
EQUALpreneurship Initiative
Across the United States, minorities are not adequately represented among the country’s small business owners. Within the US Census Bureau’s most recent count of businesses, the 2018 Annual Business Survey (ABS), found that African Americans owned 124,004 employer businesses (firms with at least one paid employee) in 2017. This amount accounted for 2.2% of the 5.7 million employer businesses in the United States, despite African Americans making up 12.4% of the US population. To combat this issue head-on, we are launching the EQUALpreneurship Initiative to ensure that at least 50% of the incoming SBOs in are minority-owned businesses.
In addition, as part of the EQUALpreneurship Initiative, we are expanding the services that we are providing to our SBOs to include training materials that specifically affect minority-owned businesses. This includes working with our training partners at Prudential, JP Morgan Chase, and Bank of America to provide local business owners with lessons on succession planning. While we will have these materials available for all business owners, we will conduct continuous follow up with our minority-owned companies regarding their business succession plans. Furthermore, these trainings will be available in person and online through our library of career training courses, including business and soft skills materials. These materials will continue to be available online moving forward, and new materials will be uploaded as new partners and sponsors join our initiative.
Training Center
Our Center also offers training using state-of-the-art equipment donated by Panasonic. Experts from the corporate and educational fields will train veterans and their family members in a myriad of business skills of varying degrees of difficulty in order to prepare them for most corporate positions offered today in the marketplace. These trainings are available live in-person, as well as simulcast online and through our training library.
In additon, the center offers veterans the opportunity to be mentored by corporate leaders and successful veterans from Veteran Employee Resource Groups from major companies throughout the New York/New Jersey region, including Pansonic, PSEG, and Prudential. Moreover, we host VetTalk events that engage top level executives at major corporations and successful veterans to speak to an audience about their life experiences and what it took for them to accomplish their goals.
Partners and Awards
Thanks to terrific partners at Prudential, Panasonic, PSEG, Kessler Foundation and JobPaths, GI Go has opened this incredible space in honor of Jackson Drysdale, the late son of PSEG President of Power Ventures Diana Drysdale and GI Go volunteer whose passion for supporting veterans lives on every day in our organization. In his honor, we are offering the first space in the state of New Jersey dedicated to helping veterans with employment and entrepreneurship.
Our Center has garnered significant praise since its opening. Most notably, we were the top prize winner of the 2020 Newman’s Own Award, presented in partnership with Fisher House Foundation, Newman’s Own, and Military Times! We also have been awarded a top prize from Great Nonprofits from 2020 - 2023!
Our Partners
