Allison Kelly meets with Vice President Kamala Harris in Oakland

Vice President Kamala Harris visited her hometown of Oakland yesterday and ICA Accelerator company Red Door Catering was one of her main destinations. Vice President Harris held a listening session on the needs of small businesses and the role of Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) in funding and supporting them at the Red Door headquarters in West Oakland.

ICA CEO, Allison Kelly, was there alongside Luz Urrutia, CEO of Accion Opportunity Fund, a fellow CDFI, to talk about the unique ways in which CDFIs partner with businesses like Red Door.‍

Joining the Vice President were longtime champion of ICA, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Senator Alex Padilla, and Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis.

Speaking in front of the group, The Red Door’s Reign Free shared her experiences building a successful catering business from the ground up, and talked about the support she has received from ICA and Accion Opportunity Fund. She also touched on the challenges and opportunities posed by the COVID-19 crisis over the last year.