LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) — The Walter C. Potts Entrepreneur Center is marking 20 years of supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs in the Lima area, celebrating its impact with an annual meeting focused on past achievements and future growth.
Named after Walter C. Potts, the first African American man in Lima to receive an electrician’s license and start his own business, the center has spent two decades providing education and resources to help local entrepreneurs succeed.
The milestone event highlighted the center’s role in fostering business development and strengthening the local workforce by equipping aspiring business owners with practical knowledge and training.
“We are a non-emergency medical transportation company,” said Janelle Magoto, co-owner of Hometown Transportation. “My husband and I went through the Potts Small Business Class two years ago to learn more about how to get started and understand the business side of running a small business.”
The milestone event highlighted the center’s role in fostering business development and strengthening the local workforce.
Board member and meeting chair Samuel White Jr. said the anniversary reflects the center’s lasting impact on the community.
“This is a very important milestone for the Potts Center,” White said. “Twenty years of helping small businesses and entrepreneurs in our community is amazing. It’s about retaining local talent and improving workforce development, and the center continues to build on that legacy.”
The annual meeting also served as an opportunity to reflect on the center’s two decades of service while looking ahead to supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs across Lima and Allen County.
