Entrepreneurship Center Debuts with Support from Regions and Community Partners

For Kendra Key, Feb. 12 had been a long time coming.

When she began her journey three years ago as part of Regions Bank’s Community Engagement team, she could hardly have imagined this moment: Birmingham civic leaders including Mayor Randall Woodfin, corporate executives such as Regions Bank Chairman, President and CEO John Turner and Regions Head of Community Engagement Leroy Abrahams, along with a roomful of business owners, entrepreneurs and community partners – celebrating the culmination of work she helped shape from the ground up.

The Entrepreneurship Center is the outgrowth of years of conversations with business owners, business-support organizations and partners who have worked tirelessly to strengthen Birmingham’s economic future. Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin

This wasn’t simply a launch event. It was a moment of shared celebration, with a sense of excitement and possibility filling the room. The grand opening of the Entrepreneurship Center for Growth and Excellence (EC) represented more than a new organization; it signaled a catalyst designed to coordinate, accelerate and elevate Birmingham’s small‑business landscape.

“The Entrepreneurship Center is the outgrowth of years of conversations with business owners, business-support organizations and partners who have worked tirelessly to strengthen Birmingham’s economic future,” Mayor Randall Woodfin said.

The Path to a Citywide Ecosystem Strategy

Key, whose background includes extensive experience in community and economic development finance, was hired in 2023 by Leroy Abrahams to collaborate with community partners and leverage Regions Bank’s resources, insights and business development experience to strengthen a more vibrant small-business ecosystem in the bank’s headquarters city.

Over the course of three years, she led a thoughtful and vigorous effort to engage those who need support and those who have long worked in the space. Leroy Abrahams, Regions Head of Community Engagement

“Kendra answered the call to help us better understand the landscape and the needs of the community – and to translate that insight into a strategic solution,” Abrahams said. “Over the course of three years, she led a thoughtful and vigorous effort to engage those who need support and those who have long worked in the space.”

Recent economic research shows that Birmingham’s rate of employer‑business formation trails that of peer metro areas, underscoring the need for stronger support systems for local entrepreneurs.

Additionally, a recent analysis of Birmingham’s business landscape highlighted valuable insights into the profile, performance and economic impact of local entrepreneurs across a broad range of industries. The study, which gathered responses from more than 1,100 businesses, provides one of the most detailed snapshots to date of the city’s entrepreneurial ecosystem – revealing trends in revenue generation, business maturity, industry representation and employment patterns. The findings offer clear opportunities to strengthen coordination, improve access to resources and support business owners as they work to grow, hire and contribute to the region’s economic momentum

These focused research findings helped define the scope of Key’s work. While leveraging this data, she benchmarked peer markets, met with leaders in multiple cities across the country and convened organizations and owners at home. The throughline from that exploration became a practical framework to reduce fragmentation, coordinate partners and guide businesses to the right resource at the right time – work that ultimately laid the foundation for the Entrepreneurship Center for Growth and Excellence.

Introducing the EC: Who, What, Why

With that framework in place, the next step became clear: Birmingham needed a centralized, coordinated hub to bring this strategy to life. That vision is now the Entrepreneurship Center for Growth and Excellence. The EC connects small businesses to the knowledge, tools, and resources they need while coordinating the ecosystem to spark revenue, wage and job growth.

Key, now serving as the inaugural executive director as a loaned executive from Regions Bank, describes four key purposes:

“In practice, that means the EC works with both small businesses and resource providers to create meaningful connections,” Key said. “The Center acts as a catalyst – uplifting existing business‑support organizations while helping owners navigate to the most relevant resources.”

Leadership, Community Partnership and Investment

Over the past decade, Regions Bank has advanced its community engagement strategy across its footprint by focusing on expanding opportunities for economic prosperity. Within that broader commitment, Birmingham – as the company’s headquarters city – has been a natural place to deepen efforts that support local businesses and strengthen the economic landscape.

Regions is deeply invested in our hometown. Leroy Abrahams

According to Leroy Abrahams, one of the most meaningful ways to continue this work is by developing strategies that help emerging businesses grow and thrive.

“Regions is deeply invested in our hometown,” Abrahams said. “By enhancing our collaboration with community groups and focusing more of our time and resources on the growth of local businesses, we can address an important need in the Magic City while strengthening the quality of life for more entrepreneurs, families and neighborhoods.”

Abrahams not only leads Regions Bank’s Community Engagement efforts but also serves as Board Chair of the Entrepreneurship Center for Growth and Excellence – reinforcing the bank’s involvement in the EC’s creation and long‑term vision. Regions Bank also loaned Key to lead the EC, enabling her to transition from research and strategy development into launch and operational execution.

Earlier this year, the Regions Foundation provided a $100,000 grant that also contributed to unlocking the federal funding and helped the EC begin implementing its first wave of programming.

The Regions Foundation^® is a nonprofit funded primarily by Regions Bank that focuses on initiatives that enhance economic and community development, education and workforce readiness, and financial wellness.

Key’s groundwork helped position Birmingham to receive this significant federal investment. Her research, ecosystem mapping and extensive convenings informed the city’s broader Reinvest Birmingham initiative by clarifying business needs, identifying structural barriers and highlighting where employer‑firm growth could accelerate – ultimately strengthening the application for the EDA award.

In addition to Regions Bank and the Regions Foundation, the EC is supported by national and local partners including the Kresge Foundation, Mastercard and Prosper Birmingham – organizations invested in a more coordinated, data‑driven entrepreneurial ecosystem for the city. Together, these partners represent the cross‑sector alignment that lies at the heart of the EC’s mission.

Looking Ahead: What’s Next

With the Center officially launched, Key and a small, dedicated team are now executing against a long‑term vision to build a robust, best‑in‑class ecosystem. Early efforts will focus on industries where many local owners operate today, such as food service, retail, construction, healthcare, childcare and professional services, while the EC coordinates with partners to support startups and help growth‑stage companies scale.

The EC aims to help owners seeking authentic, results‑driven support – prioritizing clear pathways over generic programming. That includes connecting businesses to capital and contracting opportunities, helping navigate permits and regulatory processes, and making targeted referrals to experts who can accelerate progress.

At the EC, we’re here to listen, connect and walk alongside them – one clear next step at a time – so together we can grow jobs, strengthen families and build a community where small businesses thrive. Kendra Key, Senior Vice President for Community Engagement at Regions and Executive Director of the Entrepreneurship Center for Growth and Excellence

As the work advances, the EC will keep its focus on measurable outcomes – revenue growth, job creation, and business sustainability – guided by a simple promise: the right resource, at the right time, driven by data for real results.

“Birmingham’s entrepreneurs are our neighbors, and their dreams shape the places we call home,” Key said. “At the EC, we’re here to listen, connect and walk alongside them – one clear next step at a time – so together we can grow jobs, strengthen families and build a community where small businesses thrive.”