An entrance at the Entrepreneurship & Workforce Development Center in Brentwood. | Wes Lester, city of Jacksonville
Published on May 7, 2025 at 4:18 pm
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The city chose this week — national Small Business Week — to cut the ribbon Wednesday on the first Entrepreneurship & Workforce Development Center in Jacksonville.
The location in Brentwood is the site of a former liquor store the city purchased after outcry from nearby residents.
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Managed by the city’s Small and Emerging Business program, nicknamed “J-SEB,” the entrepreneurship center on Golfair Boulevard will provide access to free resources and offer free workshops on things like financial literacy and industry certifications.
Contractor Vontrell Mitchell owns a land clearing business, started by his father 20 years ago.
“The J-SEB program has taught us three things: One, how to do business with the city. Two, how to locate opportunities with the city. And three, how to compete and win some of those same opportunities.”
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Three more business development centers are planned in Jacksonville: at the main library Downtown, in the Phoenix Arts District in Springfield and at the Cecil Commerce Center on the Westside.
Ed Randolph, executive director of the Office of Economic Development, said the city spent $270,000 on all four of the centers. The money went toward expenses such as renovations, equipment and technology to facilitate future training activities.
