The Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs (RICE) held a ribbon cutting ceremony in celebration of the UPS Logistics Launchpad Wednesday, Oct. 12 in Atlanta.
The purpose of the event was to highlight the opening of the warehouse, fulfillment and shipping space at RICE and celebrate the first group of RICE entrepreneurs who are growing in the area.
UPS CEO Carol Tomé said RICE and UPS have a common purpose, which is to grow jobs, lives, and make a difference in communities.
“We are honored to be here and a part of this. This is a team effort with UPS, UPS Foundation, Ware2Go, the UPS store, and of course RICE,” Tomé said. “We are going to provide warehousing, shipping, and fulfillment for Black entrepreneurs. That’s way cool because it’s doing good for them to help them grow their business and along the way, it’s good for us too because we get to grow our business as well. It is a win-win all day long.”
Tomé also said the process doesn’t stop with just shipping, warehousing, and fulfillment.
“Supply chains and global supply chains are really complicated, so we’re going to teach people through our supply chain accelerator program about how supply chains work. It’s an exciting time and exciting for us to get back to our hometown, the city of Atlanta,” she said.
Mayor of Atlanta Andre Dickens said he is pleased to help celebrate the collaboration between two of Atlanta’s favorites, UPS and RICE.
Dickens also said the collaboration plays vital roles in Atlanta’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
“Their collaboration in this logistics launchpad is important as we amplify the role that small and medium size businesses play here in Atlanta,” Dickens said. “Small and medium sized businesses are the backbone of our communities and often become pathways of prosperity for their own and for the members of the communities and their families. This is especially true for Black entrepreneurs and Black communities.”