Cummins Advocating for Racial Equity grant helps Memphis vocational training firm keep pace

Finding your niche in business is vital to remaining successful. For the last 11 years, Olympic Career Training Institute (OCTI) has done just that. OCTI has solidified its place in Memphis, Tennessee, a major U.S. distribution, logistics, and shipping hub.

The adult vocational school located in Memphis trains employees, so they're ready to hit the ground running, and connects them with employers in the transportation and logistics industry.

"A lot of times, they [employers] would say: 'Train the people before getting them placed on the job,'" said Kim Byrd, co-owner and educational director at OCTI. "Training just kept coming up again and again to the point where we kept saying that's a whole separate function above and beyond the staffing. We realized there was a limited amount of training being offered."

In addition to providing workforce training for adults, OCTI is committed to young people in Memphis. The company has had a partnership with the city for five years through its Office of Youth Services and a contract with Shelby County Schools for its Youth Violence Prevention Program.

Unfortunately, both programs were forced to shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic had a significant impact on the company's contracts and day-to-day business operations. OCTI, like other businesses nationwide, closed its doors in March 2020 and reopened in June 2020. 

But OCTI applied for and was awarded a 2021 CARE (Cummins Advocating for Racial Equity) grant of $20,000. This allowed them to make payroll, pay rent and utilities and more, thereby keeping their doors open for vocational training.

“Black-owned businesses serve an essential role here in Memphis and across the nation,” said Cummins executive, Fernando Herndon. “It is an honor to support small businesses so they can continue the great work they’re doing for communities in the city of Memphis. A special thank you to our partner River City Capital for its contribution to the CARE grant program.”

Cummins Inc.’s CARE initiative seeks to address inequities in areas where it conducts business. Cummins has provided grants to Black-owned businesses in Memphis, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, and Columbus, Indiana 

"Traditionally in the private sector, it's 'dog eat dog,' it's whatever you kill, you eat,” Byrd said. “The competitive landscape can be quite daunting. To be given assistance coming from the private side, that is quite an anomaly. It's rewarding to know that Cummins thought enough to earmark money specifically for Black businesses."

To learn more about the Olympic Training Institute, visit octitraining.com, or contact OCTI Educational Director Kim Byrd at 901-614-2060, or Kim.Byrd@hotmail.com.