A Global Conversation with Della Clark
In 2024, Della Clark will be honored with the Globy Award for Community Leadership, recognizing her remarkable contributions to minority entrepreneurship in the Greater Philadelphia area. As President of The Enterprise Center since 1992, Ms. Clark has been a driving force behind economic growth for diverse business owners, focusing on access to capital, education, and procurement opportunities. Under her guidance, The Enterprise Center has helped minority- and women-owned businesses secure over $870 million in contracts and $209 million in financing.
Clark’s approach to capital as a transformative tool in community development is central to her work. From the renovation of the historic American Bandstand building, now home to The Enterprise Center, to launching the Dorrance H. Hamilton Center for Culinary Enterprises, she has shown that economic empowerment and capital flow are essential to neighborhood revitalization. Her newest initiative, the Innovate Capital Growth Fund, further bridges the capital gap for minority entrepreneurs, reinforcing her mission for economic equity.
Your journey with The Enterprise Center began in 1992. What led you to say 'yes' to leading this initiative, and how has your vision evolved over the past three decades?
I accepted the position because I’ve always enjoyed embracing challenges. This organization was a nonprofit, a sector I had never worked in, and from what I gathered during the interview process, it was in serious need of guidance and support. Even though it lacked resources and a clear vision, I said yes. It turned out to be the best decision I’ve ever made. Staying for three decades is a testament to that. I'm not a hopper from job to job. And I also recognize that finding success takes a long time. One needs to be relentless to create change. I’ve just been true to that mentality my entire life.
What was the environment like in West Philadelphia when you first arrived, and how has it changed since then?
When I accepted the position at The Enterprise Center, I had never worked in Philadelphia, even though I lived in Philadelphia. Prior to working at The Enterprise Center, I was an entrepreneur with my own bottled water distribution business, and most of my customers were in Western Pennsylvania. Coming to West Philadelphia 32 years ago, it had graffiti and more trash than today.
I looked across the street and saw this boarded-up building that I’m sitting in today and decided that was going to be our new home, and everyone thought I was crazy because this was my second day on the job. We've owned the building for 30 years and have been working in it for 27 years now in what has become a local hub of entrepreneurship, capital and commercial activity along a major public transportation corridor. The transformation has been remarkable, but we are far from finished: the same poverty and inequity that Philadelphia’s communities and their diverse entrepreneurs were experiencing is still very much an issue today.
How do you view the relationship between preserving history and creating a future of economic equity and entrepreneurship in West Philadelphia?
When you look at the history of 46th and Market, as well as this building, it was on the cutting edge of technology around television back then. Back then, television was not pre-recorded. Everything was live when this building was in operation. When you think about the history of this building, it was the first building with a television dance show called American Bandstand. It was where the earlier FM transmission came out of, and facsimile transmission came out of this building. It is where music and ideas flowed forth from Philadelphia all throughout the country for decades. Whereas today, the building has a historic significance around business and entrepreneurship. I think there is a considerable amount of parallel between the history of this building and what we’re trying to achieve today.
What has been the most difficult part of your work at The Enterprise Center?
The most persistent challenge has been accessing capital. Over the years, we’ve offered training, workshops, and seminars to help entrepreneurs. But we found that no matter how much support we provided, without access to capital, progress was limited. In the last decade, I’ve focused intensely on bringing all types of capital under The Enterprise Center’s umbrella. We’ve learned that in low wealth, marginalized communities, it’s not about a lack of ambition—it’s a lack of resources. That’s where my focus is today: on providing those resources and building capital.
Do you feel that Philadelphia has evolved in terms of supporting minority entrepreneurs?
In some ways, yes, but Philadelphia is still one of the poorest big cities in the country. We have a lot of low-wealth individuals here, which affects how businesses are started and grown. When someone is low-wealth, I assume that they were born with a plastic spoon in their mouth versus someone born with a silver spoon, right? In the past, we tried a one-size-fits-all approach, but we realized that every entrepreneur is different, especially those from marginalized backgrounds. The key isn’t about the industries they enter, whether culinary or construction, it’s about whether they have the right mindset and preparation for the market they want to break into.
You’ve talked about the importance of entrepreneurship in community development. How do you see that connection?
Small businesses are essential to community development, but there’s a presumption that if you start a business and make more revenue, you should go where the grass is already green and the sidewalks are paved. I don’t necessarily believe that but operating a business in communities that need capital is simply more challenging to the bottom line. Commercial corridors, like South 52nd Street, were once thriving but have fallen on hard times. We’re trying to bring these areas back to life, but it’s hard to attract businesses when there are negative perceptions about safety and opportunity. We’ve seen firsthand the challenges in revitalizing these corridors, but we’re committed to making them business-friendly again.
Can you expand on the challenges of revitalizing commercial corridors in Philadelphia?
There are about 82 commercial corridors in Philadelphia, many with boarded-up buildings and safety concerns. As part of The Enterprise Center’s mission, we are focused on revitalizing areas like 52nd Street and Market Street. Several years ago, we opened a pop-up on 52nd Street during the Christmas season, to house small businesses. But there’s still a perception problem. People said they didn’t feel safe coming to the shop, which highlighted how much work we still need to do. Making these corridors feel safe and vibrant is an ongoing process, but it's essential for attracting new entrepreneurs. Corridors are the front doors to neighborhoods and revitalization is important.
You’ve mentioned The Enterprise Center is a wealth creation organization, not a social service agency. What advice would you give to aspiring minority entrepreneurs?
My advice is to focus on infrastructure and financials. Many entrepreneurs get caught up in wanting to grow but don’t have the infrastructure to support that growth. Financials, in particular, are often neglected. Too many small business owners try to manage them on their own, which isn’t ideal. You need strong financial backing and capital, externally verified, to gain credibility. Another piece of advice is to understand the sheer amount of work it takes. Running a business is not something you can do on the side, it’s a full-time commitment, and grit is required to succeed.
You’re receiving the Community Leadership Award. How would you describe your leadership style, and how it has evolved over the years?
I’m a workaholic - demanding, intentional, and straightforward. I get right to the point, and sometimes people don’t appreciate that: don’t bring me into a room to waste my time and feed me BS about how much you’re doing for Philadelphia’s diverse entrepreneurs when the numbers show that you aren’t doing anything, and don’t tell me that you don’t have the resources to help me or our entrepreneurs when it’s really the will that is lacking.
I don’t sugarcoat things when providing feedback. My standard of excellence is extremely high and not everyone is willing or able to do what it takes to meet it, and I struggle to make peace with this. What I have learned over the years is that to fulfill my calling as leader of The Enterprise Center I must be strong and direct because shying away from difficult truths is not going to move The Enterprise Center, our entrepreneurs, or our communities forward.
What are your future goals, both personally and for The Enterprise Center?
Today, I consider myself a capital revolutionary. I’m laser-focused on helping capital flow to low-wealth and marginalized communities, which I see as my calling. I’m not planning to slow down, but I am shifting my role to take on new ventures. For example, this year I’m visiting 21 cities—18 down, three more to go—to examine how entrepreneurship fits into underserved communities and their access to capital.
These travels are my learning journey and part of a larger initiative called Cocktails and Economics, sponsored by JP Morgan Chase and Comcast. The goal is to explore the role of capital in underserved areas. I’m constantly developing new ideas, including my involvement in the Innovate Capital Growth Fund, where we’re deploying equity to small businesses, and the launch of Market Street Ventures, a new venture fund. My vision is to create a comprehensive umbrella of capital solutions, supporting businesses from their early stages through to exit, all to remove poverty and address the lack of capital access in a meaningful way.
I’m very troubled by what I’m seeing in America. We all grapple with the same issues. There are many service providers, but none addresses lack of access to capital in a way that truly removes poverty. That’s where I’ll focus for the rest of my time.
How have collaborations and partnerships, whether with government entities, private corporations, or other organizations—helped advance your mission? What potential future collaborations do you see?
Partnerships and collaborations are probably the second-biggest role I play here, besides capital. That includes capital for the business and capital for The Enterprise Center. Maintaining these relationships is key. Part of my role now is educating these partners, because they often make decisions that impact small businesses without truly understanding them. I meet with partners to break down their presumptions and show them how to better support small businesses financially and otherwise. I am always open to new partners – public, private, non-profit, academic – who share in our mission to level the entrepreneurial playing field.
