RJ’s Printing is a 29-year-old business located in Kalamazoo’s Edison neighborhood, the only Black-owned printing business in Southwest Michigan. Owner Sean Hollins, 56, says, “I believe there’s some in the Detroit area, but between Chicago and Detroit I believe I’m the only Black-owned print shop.”

The previous owner, Ralph Jones, had contacted Hollins in 2020 to see if he was interested in buying the business. But, as Second Wave SW Michigan said,

“Imagine being perfectly suited to take over a well-established, highly respected small business but you must first get over two big hurdles: arrange financing worth roughly a half-million dollars and deal with the restrictions of the COVID pandemic.”

The three-year effort culminated when Hollins finally took ownership in January 2023.

Northern Initiatives, Kalamazoo LISC, and Rende Progress Capital – all CDFIs operating in West Michigan – worked together to get Hollins to business ownership. “It was all happening during COVID,” Hollins remembers. “People were pulling back at that point and weren’t lending. I’m like, ‘I guess this is over.’ But (they) helped navigate through that space. So it was a great partnership,” Hollins said.

Hollins continues to champion Black-owned businesses. “What owning a business is going to help do is close that wealth gap,” he said. “The two best areas of upward mobility are home ownership and business ownership. Now the capacity of what I can make is literally up to me. Instead of sitting at the table eating someone else’s meal, I’m able to prepare the meal.”