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DETROIT, Mich. (May 22, 2023) – Helping to showcase locally-owned and operated businesses across the City of Detroit, the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear today announced the 29 companies that will comprise the first-ever Small Business Straightaway, which will be featured Downtown in Cadillac Square during race weekend, June 3-4. The transformational initiative looks to provide an even greater boost to the local economy by giving Detroit-based entrepreneurs, shop owners and neighborhood businesses the opportunity to shine and benefit from what promises to be a big weekend for commerce in the Motor City.

The Small Business Straightaway is a key element of the Detroit Grand Prix’s previously-announced Community Partnership program, focused on driving sustainability, arts, culture and entrepreneurship, small business empowerment and youth enrichment across the seven districts in the City of Detroit. With the support of its key Community Partners, the Grand Prix’s Small Business Straightaway will highlight the legacy of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) businesses in Detroit. The Straightaway is focused on increasing equity by supporting small businesses owned by women, people of color, veterans and entrepreneurs located outside of the Downtown corridor. With thousands of race attendees visiting Detroit and the new Downtown racing venue on the city streets, the Grand Prix hopes to turbocharge the local economy with increased foot traffic to the Small Business Straightaway, as well as the more than 260 businesses located within walking distance of the new circuit.

“With the Grand Prix returning to its original home on the Streets of Detroit this summer, one of our biggest priorities was to create more opportunities for small, locally-owned businesses across the city,” said Michael Montri, President of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear. “Thanks to the support of our Community Partners, the Small Business Straightaway will give local entrepreneurs the opportunity to benefit from a big event weekend in Detroit and make even more of an impact across our business community. We believe that promoting small businesses will help support working families while reinvesting in our communities and neighborhoods across the City of Detroit.”

Located immediately to the east of Campus Martius Park in Downtown Detroit, the Small Business Straightaway in Cadillac Square will provide local companies the opportunity to market their businesses and sell products and services on Saturday, June 3 and Sunday, June 4 from 9 a.m.- 6 p.m. EDT. The area is also expected be a popular location just a few blocks from the new racing circuit with the popular Downtown Street Eats food truck rally offering a diverse array of food options fans, adjacent to the Small Business Straightaway.

The Grand Prix fielded requests to participate in the Small Business Straightaway for the last few months. Interested Detroit-based organizations, representing four business corridors across the city, were selected using a points system. Points were earned by minority-owned businesses, companies focused on sustainability initiatives and businesses that employ people from disadvantaged backgrounds with BIPOC ownership. The Small Business Straightaway will feature an eclectic collection of local merchants, from startups to well-established minority-owned enterprises.

Diverse businesses like Pink Poodle Dress Lounge, ZAB Cultural Collective and Corktown Business Association will all activate in the Small Business Straightaway during Grand Prix weekend. Pink Poodle Dress Lounge owner Raeshawn Bumphers worked in the automotive industry for 20 years, moonlighting as a wedding planner, before opening a full-service bridal and formal attire shop on the Northeast side of the city. Denise Moore is the owner of the nonprofit ZAB Cultural Collective, a co-working space and art gallery, located on East Warren Avenue on the city's East Side. Rohani Foulkes is a board member of the nonprofit Corktown Business Association and is the co-founder of the all-day brunch café Folk in Corktown, which opened in April 2018.

The full list of companies participating in the groundbreaking Small Business Straightaway at the Grand Prix includes: I-75 South, ArtLoft Midtown, Chellediorstyles , Corktown Business Association, Detroit Forever 313, Detroit Hives, E. Warren Development Corp., Folk, Konnected Fitness Strength & Conditioning Gym, Lorraine’s Premium BBQ Sauce, Love Travels Imports, Motor City Popcorn, Ocean Ridge Developments, Our Hour-Mobile Paint Party, Pawstries, Pink Poodle Dress Lounge, Ponyride, Sno Biz Detroit, SKIN BAR VII, Soapstone Soaps, Southwest Detroit Business Association, Support Impact Give Hope, Tacobachis, TbakesTreats, Threads & Legs, Unique Monique Scented Candles, VMX International, Voluptuous Bien'Aime Boutique and ZAB Cultural Collective.

With support from partners American Axle & Manufacturing, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Delta Air Lines, Delta Dental, DTE Foundation, Henry Ford Health, Huntington Bank, Lear Corporation and PNC Bank, the Grand Prix’s Community Partnership program is embracing and engaging the neighborhoods and communities across Detroit like never before. The program is helping create free access throughout more than half of Grand Prix venue all event weekend with nine free viewing platforms around the Downtown racing circuit, producing murals designed by Detroit students that will be displayed trackside during the Grand Prix and creating opportunities for locally-owned and operated companies through the Small Business Straightaway.