workforce growth.
Every business we invest in is tracked on four outcomes.
Positions added from program start to 6 and 12 months after.
Wages, benefits and the share of new roles still filled a year later.
Revenue growth and new contracts won.
The share of new hires who live in the communities these businesses serve.
Most small business programs offer a single service: a grant, a workshop or a mentor. OVU’s innovation is integration. Capital, expertise, wellness, strategic relationships, market access and policy work together, because lasting workforce growth requires all of them.ย ย
Small business support in the United States is spread across many organizations. Owners who should be running their businesses spend their time stitching together capital, advice and market access.
OVU brings these resources into one coordinated system, built to scale across cities, Main Streets and rural regions. Every resource drives toward the same result: stronger businesses, job creation, and a stable community. OVU also partners with training providers and workforce boards, so the talent they prepare has local employers ready to hire.
“The future of economic development is measured in quality jobs. For too long, progress has been counted by how many people we train, not by how many opportunities exist for them. OVU starts with the employer. When a local business grows, it creates better jobs with fair pay and a path forward, keeps wealth circulating on its own Main Street, and strengthens the tax base that funds schools, parks and
public services. Our Village United is scaling that model to cities and towns across the country. We are not waiting for good jobs to arrive. We are building them.”
