Binghampton is located in the heart of Memphis, between Midtown and North Memphis.
Binghampton began as a racially integrated Memphis town in the late 1800s and was mainly populated by blue-collar workers.
But as the city of Memphis expanded, significant disinvestment of resources in the neighborhood led to profound neglect, an increase in poverty levels, and an increase in unemployment.
Binghampton slowly became used as a “cut-through” neighborhood for locals to reach different parts of Memphis. As a result, the historic neighborhood slowly diminished and fell victim to misconceptions.
This led the Binghampton neighborhood to decrease in home ownership and increase in blighted property.
Founded in July 2003, the BDC began pursuing a strategy to support the revitalization of this historic neighborhood through housing and economic development, and empowerment programs for those plagued by issues of systemic poverty.
The BDC serves the neighborhood by investing in people and property toward a stronger and more self-sustaining future.
Two years ago, Power & Tel generously donated their 82,000 sq. ft warehouse facility after the BDC pitched an idea of a warehouse training facility for local Binghampton residents.
Thus, the BDC Business Hub was born.
In the BDC Business Hub job training program, trainees learn valuable hard and soft skills that are key to gaining and keeping employment.
Trainees learn to dismantle any employment barriers they face, including obtaining driver’s licenses, completing or furthering their education, resolving any lingering legal issues, etc. The program exists to prepare and enable people with the necessary skills, abilities, and confidence to go out and achieve success.
No day is the same at the warehouse as trainees work on numerous projects to improve and beautify sections of the warehouse. They run recycling operations for several different ventures and assist in warehouse operations for 3rd party logistics services.
Graduates of the BDC Business Hub receive a forklift certification, OSHA-10 certification, and even receive financial literacy training.
The Business Hub is currently working on recycling all the lights at their facility for different nearby municipalities such as New Albany, MS, Covington, TN, and Bartlett – that’s a lot of lights and a lot of job opportunities!
While the BDC has a lot to celebrate, we at Choose901 want to highlight their very first graduate of the BDC Business Hub.
Meet TED Young
Logan Tyree, a Business Hub Operations Coordinator, sat down with Ted to discuss his time at the Business Hub and what this means for his future.
The following is an interview conversation between Ted Young and Logan Tyree.
How did you discover the BDC Job Training program?
“I asked the BDC property management team about work opportunities when I saw them working in the neighborhood one day, and they told me about the BDC Business Hub.”
What opportunities did the BDC provide for you? How did it open doors for you?
“I was able to make a plan with the BDC Business Hub team that was similar to the goals that I wanted to accomplish for myself and it helped me gain confidence in my skills and abilities and I learned more about my self-worth. The program was challenging and I feel so much more confident in myself to do things that I would’ve shied away from before doing the program.”
What was one of the hardest things you had to overcome during your time with the BDC?
“Completing the program was the hardest for me because I had to recognize and overcome many distractions in order to finish.”
How has the BDC impacted your life?
“It truly helped me to know my worth much more deeply.”
What is something you learned from the Job Training program that you didn’t expect?
“I didn’t expect for lights to be 100% recyclable and had no idea how much they are worth once they are recycled.”
