[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 14585]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF INNER CITY ADVISORS FUND GOOD JOBS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 22, 2016

  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the 20th anniversary of ICA 
Fund Good Jobs. Today November 17th, 2016, ICA Fund Good Jobs 
celebrates its many achievements in supporting small businesses and 
creating good jobs throughout the Bay Area.
  ICA Fund Good Jobs was founded in 1996 as Oakland Advisors (later 
Inner City Advisors). Its mission is to create jobs for people with 
high barriers to employment, by helping entrepreneurs with consulting, 
education, and investment services. ICA focuses on high-growth small 
businesses in order to create accessible jobs that provide living 
wages, health benefits, and opportunities for advancement.
  In 2013 ICA founded a partner organization called ``Fund Good Jobs'', 
which provides small businesses with capital investments and helps 
reduce the burden of relying on commercial lending for start-up 
businesses. In 2015 ICA and Fund Good Jobs combined their operations to 
become a comprehensive support structure for local businesses in the 
East Bay.
  In its 20-year history, ICA Fund Good Jobs has worked with more than 
500 companies to create more than 5,000 jobs and generate over $65 
million in local employee wealth.
  ICA Fund Good Jobs is a certified Community Development Financial 
Institution, and has used its expertise and capital to support 
successful startups including Revolution Foods, Blue Bottle Coffee, and 
newer successes such as Firebrand Artisan Breads and Back to the Roots. 
These companies and others supported by ICA Fund Good Jobs have spurred 
economic growth throughout the East Bay, and are examples of the 
fulfillment of ICA Fund Good Job's mission.
  On behalf of the residents of California's 13th Congressional 
District, I congratulate ICA Fund Good Jobs on 20 years of exemplary 
service as it continues to solve long-standing problems in new ways, 
and move the needle on some of the Bay Area's most challenging 
indicators of socioeconomic inequality. I wish ICA Fund Good Jobs well 
as it continues to work toward ensuring that every worker has access to 
a good job.

                          ____________________