We built it. We taught it.

We handed it over.

A marketing accelerator for East Side entrepreneurs—designed to outlast us.

Entrepreneurs on Buffalo’s East Side have always had the vision and the work ethic.

What they haven’t always had is marketing support designed around their realities—not retrofitted from someone else’s program, not squeezed into a weekday schedule that forces you to close up shop and lose revenue, not taught by people who’ve never navigated what they’re navigating.

The Exchange at Beverly Gray and The Foundry, backed by The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, wanted to change that. They came to us with funding, a mission, and an open brief: build a sustainable marketing capacity-building program for East Side businesses. From scratch.

They chose Riveter because our nonprofit work goes beyond campaigns and collateral. We do program design. We do capacity building. We understand how to create something that an organization can own and run long after we’ve stepped away.

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Designed around the people in the room.

We started where we always start—by listening.

Interviews with East Side business owners told us what a program like this actually needed to look like. Saturday workshops, because entrepreneurs can’t afford to lose a weekday’s revenue. Mentors who shared participants’ lived experiences, because representation isn’t a nice-to-have—it’s essential for trust and learning. Implementation funding, so graduates could actually execute what they learned instead of filing away good advice they couldn’t afford to act on.

Every design decision came from those conversations. Not from a template. Not from what was administratively convenient.

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Program architect. Brand builder. Lead agency.

The scope was broad. We designed the complete eight-week accelerator structure, including a customized mentor-matching model that paired each business with marketing experts suited to their specific challenges. We built the Reach East brand from naming through visual identity. We created every program asset—digital application system, CRM setup, marketing materials, the giant ceremonial graduation checks.

We recruited the mentor cohort directly. Seven of eight were people of color. That wasn’t easy in Buffalo’s marketing community, but it wasn’t optional. In a majority-minority neighborhood, the people teaching need to reflect the people learning. The research told us it mattered, so we did the work.

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The customized approach to Reach East is unique and will offer businesses marketing strategies and solutions truly tailored to their needs and their budget, making the training something that business owners can implement right away.

Megan McNally

Executive Director, The Foundry

Built to be handed off.

This is the part we’re most proud of.

A capacity-building program only matters if it can survive without the people who built it. We knew that from day one, and it shaped everything. After piloting the program, we packaged the entire operation—curriculum, workshop structures, application processes, marketing templates, implementation guides—and transferred it to The Exchange and The Foundry to run on their own.

The goal was never a recurring engagement. The goal was infrastructure.

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What happened.

The response confirmed what the community already knew: the need was there. Forty-two businesses applied for eight spots—five times what anyone projected. Every single participant graduated.

After implementing what they learned, entrepreneurs reported increased business, new collaborations, and something harder to measure but just as important: a sense of legitimacy. They weren’t working alone anymore.

The Exchange and The Foundry have since run two additional cohorts independently. No agency support needed. The model works.

Today, Reach East operates as part of the Small Business Growth Initiative within the $180 million Regional Revitalization Partnership. Organizations across the country are studying it as a model for inclusive entrepreneurship support.

I learned some additional seasonings to add to the recipe that I originally was missing. It’s led to an increase in business for me and opportunities as far as collaborations and partnerships.

Shannon Howard

Owner, Heartfelt Construction
Reach East participant

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Let’s Connect 

Let’s Connect 

Riveted?

This is just one example of how we partner with mission-driven organizations to create capacity-building programs that last.

Let’s talk about what sustainable success looks like for your organization.

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