The Southern Georgia Black Chambers (SGBC) has announced the formal graduation ceremony for its 2026 Small Business Academy, concluding an intensive 11-week technical residency program. The graduation finale will take place on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, at 6:30 PM inside the Pound Hall Auditorium on the North Campus of Valdosta State University (VSU).

Supported by federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds through the City of Valdosta and hosted in collaboration with the VSU Langdale College of Business, the academy has established a new regional benchmark for technical capacity. Moving away from the passive and traditional lecture-based model, the SGBC cohort engaged in direct, "fingertips-to-keyboard" execution labs to construct concrete corporate infrastructure.

Over the course of the 11-week program, participating small business owners completed rigorous, audited deliverables across nine specialized modules. Key accomplishments include the legal separation of personal and business liabilities, the generation of verified Q1 Profit & Loss statements, and the acquisition of federal Unique Entity IDs (UEIs) via SAM.gov to compete for state, federal, and corporate procurement contracts.

"In this program, we did not gather to swap business cards or discuss business concepts through slides," said H. DeWayne Johnson, President and CEO of the SGBC. "Our participants built real, bankable, and scalable assets designed to withstand the operational and fiscal friction of the modern marketplace. We are proud to present these founders to our regional lenders, corporate partners, and civic leaders as highly prepared, contract-ready architects of our future economy."

In recognition of their successful compliance and completion of all digital academy requirements, compliant graduates will be eligible to be selected for the $2,500 Georgia Power Sponsored Master Grant directly on stage. These strategic capital injections are designed to immediately fuel operational expansion, hiring systems, and technology upgrades within the South Georgia region.

The graduation event will feature invited VIP guests including regional civic leaders, VSU administrative heads, and financial sponsors, including representatives from the City of Valdosta, Georgia Power, Bank OZK, CBC Bank, and First Federal Savings of Valdosta.

Doors open at 6:00 PM EST, and the formal processional will begin promptly at 6:30 PM EST. Admission is free, but registration is required due to limited auditorium capacity. Members of the press, community supporters, and regional business professionals are invited to secure their seating by registering online at www.sgablackchambers.org/events.