Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

A man with Selma ties is working to help improve small businesses in Central and South Alabama.

Vivian’s Door is partnering with Interise to increase the economic growth of small businesses based in South and Central Alabama and the Gulf Coast through the launch of a new initiative, LIFT: Together We Rise.

Interise’s Director of Program Bernard Johnson’s parents were born in the Black Belt Region. His mother, Annette Johnson, is a Selma native. His father, Booker T. Johnson, is from Linden.

“The foundation of Vivian’s Door is centered on a legacy of ensuring those who are often overlooked and underrepresented are no longer,” Johnson said.

“As the proud son of two parents who were born & raised in the Black Belt in Alabama, I am excited for the opportunity to collaborate with Vivian’s Door to focus on building generational wealth by supporting minority small business owners and to create lasting sustainability and profound impact.”

Vivian’s Door is a Mobile-based small business hub. Interise is a national not-for-profit with award-winning small business programs.