Business Community Lenders (BCL) of Texas is an economic development organization with more than 30 years of experience across a wide variety of disciplines, including home ownership, entrepreneurship education, small business lending, and commercial lending. BCL has been leveraging EcoMap’s technology to supercharge the entrepreneurial ecosystem across multiple Texas cities. We spoke with Brian K. Marshall, Chief Programs Officer, who is responsible for the strategic planning, development, implementation, and management of all programmatic activities within the organization at BCL, about how this platform is improving ecosystem connectivity and supporting founders across the state.
How has collaboration improved since implementing EcoMaps in Austin and San Marcos?
Brian: EcoMap is helping us create a regional technology-backed ecosystem by connecting cities under one technology platform. This allows us to better engage on a regional multi-city, multi-county platform. By centralizing resources from different cities onto easy-to-use platforms, EcoMap has made it simple for key community stakeholders to engage with and showcase their ecosystems.
"EcoMap is helping us create a regional technology-backed ecosystem by connecting cities under one technology platform. This allows us to better engage on a regional multi-city, multi-county platform."
Brian K. Marshall
Business Community Lenders (BCL) of Texas
Is there one piece of feedback you get consistently from entrepreneurs?
Brian: The main feedback we receive is that entrepreneurs love the tool. As we continue to improve the usability and make it more intuitive, especially with the introduction of Pathways, we’re seeing increased engagement.
We’re also noticing that EcoMap is adapting to different types of entrepreneurs. Many are not in tech; they’re traditional mom-and-pop businesses. The age range varies significantly too. EcoMap is developing to be more intuitive regardless of the client’s age or tech-savviness.
How does your multi-city approach with EcoMap help you serve diverse entrepreneurial demographics across Texas?
Brian: We currently have three platforms: San Marcos, Austin, and we’re in the process of acquiring the Dallas platform under BCL. This multi-city approach allows us to test and compare engagement across different demographics. For instance, in San Marcos, we’re dealing with an older population where the average age of business owners is over 54. Their engagement with EcoMap differs from that in Austin and Dallas, where entrepreneurs are typically 25 to 35 plus.
Through EcoMap’s platforms, BCL of Texas continues to fulfill its mission of providing essential resources and support to entrepreneurs across the state. By leveraging EcoMap’s technology, they’re creating a more connected and accessible ecosystem for Texas’s diverse entrepreneurial community, spanning multiple cities and demographics.
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