PALMETTO LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
Building Future Leaders of America
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Funding and strategic partnerships that will provide more opportunities for our youth participants. Develop a strong grant application working group with experienced administrators. Ability to gain local support from community leaders in immediate Spartanburg/Greenville service area. in 2022-2024, The organizations will focus in the development of the Blue Initiative Program. The program will collaborate with Anointed Connect Church Inc, E-Vision Project Development Corporation, EVISIONEYE Corporation, EWTECHNERD LLC, E-Vision Business Center to enable local opportunity zone stakeholders to improve neighborhood emergency preparation ,fire safety training, food security, security survellience training, and communication. The core components of the pilot program is training for public safety departments, community leaders and students in the utilization of emergency management technologies.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
PLI Executive Education Program
PLI Executive Education Program is an interactive learning experience—one that empowers future and existing leaders to engage, act, and reemerge as visionary free market leaders. Our programs offer the rare opportunity to understand how important a robust free market policy and strategy can improve your economic position. You will return to your organization with new insights and strategies that improve your leadership abilities, and a global network of enterprise free market thinkers whose challenges mirror your own.
The PLI Leadership Program (PLP) is designed to help free market professionals reach their leadership potential. This unique program offers a multiple-domain approach and draws on research and real market experience from many fields-including government policy, political science, information technology, and entrepreneurship. The PLI Leadership Program (PLP) provides insight into your personal leadership style and a framework to develop in an intense and collaborative environment.
Youth Entrepreneurship Advanced Program
The program is designed for High School seniors to provide real world application of starting a new business. Students will work together to form a real technology business. Students will work together to develop customer usability, competitive analysis, prototype and sales development.
PLIKIDS Afterschool Program
PLIKids, teaches children the basics of entrepreneurship, business and finance in a hands-on manner. This project-based learning (PBL) program gives children the opportunity to learn first-hand how to start and operate their own business.
Tech Academy
PLIkids' Tech Academy introduces kids to the free market entrepreneurship and provides new emerging market skills that prepare students for leadership. The mission is to assist young people use the creative minds through utilization of technology to produce goods and services.
Concept Nerd Training Program
E-Vision Business Center is a proud mentor to its small business ConceptNerds protégé program. We have provided training in technical, managerial, business development, digital media and financial systems to develop or enhance our protégés’ capabilities as commercial and government contractors. We have developed long-term relationships with firms that benefit our government customers, our protégés, and the E-Vision organization.
Working together our ConceptNerds can benefit from the work we received from the state, federal and commercial sectors by participating as an integral part of the E-Vision Business Center Team through subcontracting or teaming arrangements.
We are constantly looking to enhance and expand our ConceptNerds mentor-protege programs and assess new potential start-up partners who share our commitment to serving customers and our community. Our partner registration process allows start-up companies in reduced-wealth communities to include information critical to our protege selection process. Additional criteria in selection of new ConceptNerds include the following:
We are constantly looking to enhance and expand our mentor-protégé programs and assess new potential partners who share our commitment to serving our customers. Our sponsor registration process allows companies that are registering with PLI for the first time to include information critical to our protégé selection process.
Minority Empowerment Program
Minority education and training benefits the growth and inclusion of more capable small businesses in South Carolina. Furthermore, it creates opportunity, instills confidence and stimulates the economy.
The program's mission is improve economic, financial literacy, and develop workplace training. Participants will learn corporate structures, how to write a live working business plan. It will determine individual entrepreneurial interests, apply key marketing, project management skills. Identification of sources of capital, apply basic accounting principles and training, and demonstrate financial management.
Understanding Blue
BLUE CONNECT
Fostering youth and public safety relationships. Community engagement and coordination for emergencies.
COMMUNITY SECURITY
Increasing Community Surveillance utilizing technology and analytics to prevent crime and increase emergency response.
TRAINING
Provides opportunity for youth high school student to pursue careers in IT Surveillance and Law Enforcement.
Collaborative holistic approach to community safety.
Juniors Entrepreneurship Program
The program is designed for kids from ages 7-16 years old to provide real-world application of starting a new business and building online e-commerce models.
Blue Initiative Project
Palmetto Leadership Institute has collaborated with Blue Initiative to enable local opportunity zone stakeholders to improve neighborhood security and surveillance
The program is sponsored by E-Vision Project Development Corporation and Orchid Farm LLC to designed the Safety and Security Technology Simulation Centers (SSTSC) to enhance emergency preparation, provide broadband access, video surveillance training for public safety, community stakeholders, and high school students.
Where we work
External reviews

Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of free participants on field trips
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adolescents, Adults
Related Program
Youth Entrepreneurship Advanced Program
Type of Metric
Context - describing the issue we work on
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Participants work on site at the E-Vision Business Center Inc utilizing the technology resources Established Online Training Seminars and Weekly Progress Virtual Conferences with particpants.
Number of job skills training courses/workshops conducted
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, At-risk youth, Young adults
Related Program
Youth Entrepreneurship Advanced Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
The training included VOIP Telecommunication, network Infrastructure, Web Design and Legal Compliance
Number of training events conducted
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, Young adults
Related Program
Youth Entrepreneurship Advanced Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
The Trainign events was conducted online and in person focusing on customer service, product and service development, supplier engagement.
Number of hours of training
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adolescents, Young adults
Related Program
Youth Entrepreneurship Advanced Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
The training was 5 hrs weekly online to included every Monday Financial Management training utilizing Quickbooks
Total number of volunteer hours contributed to the organization
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Young adults
Related Program
Youth Entrepreneurship Advanced Program
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of clients satisfied with employment training services
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people, Young adults
Related Program
Youth Entrepreneurship Advanced Program
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
The parents of the student highly recommend the program and the success of their kids new businesses
Number of staff members certified in subject area training
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Young adults
Related Program
PLI Executive Education Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We have 3 Certified Quickbooks Pro Advisors and Certified Ringcentral Business Experts. The trainers consisted of CEO of EVision Project Development Corporation and E-Vision Business Center.
Number of paid participants on field trips
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Multiracial people, People of African descent, People of Latin American descent, Christians, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Youth Entrepreneurship Advanced Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Provide Virtual Entreprenuership Trainign Classes and Workshop for underserved particpants.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
2020- 2022 Launch Blue Initiative Project the will be focused on provided technical security and surveillance training to local high school students in collaboration with local law enforcement and public safety. The new facility is designed by E-Vision Project Development Corporation incorporating security surveillance, renewable energy, food security technologies into training and research objectives based on the needs of community stakeholders. The SSTSC will play a vital role in establishing an integrated approach to utilizing video surveillance, emergency communications, fire safety training to provide safer environments.
2022- PLI GIG Kids Program in partnership with Active Expressions Art Academy to provide Digital Art training
for Kids ages 5-14 years old. Classes are 2 hours long, Tuesdays and Thursdays 3-5 pm for 4 weeks. Each week students will learn about different artists, art styles, and get to use all different types of art mediums. Students will also get fun "How To Draw" instructional worksheets. Artwork will be promoted, exhibited, and shared on our website, NTFs and Facebook Page.
2022- Minority Empowerment Program (MEP) class of 2022 in partnership with EWTECHNERD LLC- Minority education and training benefits the growth and inclusion of more capable small businesses in South Carolina. Furthermore, it creates opportunity, instills confidence and stimulates the economy. The program's mission is improve economic, financial literacy, and develop workplace training. Participants will learn corporate structures, how to write a live working business plan. It will determine individual entrepreneurial interests, apply key marketing, project management skills. Identification of sources of capital, apply basic accounting principles and training, and demonstrate financial management.
2022- 1st Quarter -Establishment of Food Bank in partnership with Anointed Connect Church Inc
2021- Launch Youth Entrepreneurship Advance
The program is designed for PLI Alumni real-world application in running a new business. Young Entrepreneurship Alumni will work together to form a real technology business. Students will work together to develop customer usability, competitive analysis, prototype and sales development.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Partnership with Technology industry companies, law enforcement , community partners and public safety to support and sponsor our entrepreneurship programs. Implement program on small scale with assistance of strategic partners to reduce cost and confirm programs viability. We have established private partners that include Anointed Connect Church Inc, E-Vision Project Development Corporation, EWTECHNERD LLC, E-Vision Business Center Inc, Active Expressions Art Academy, Back2Work LLC and the newly establish UBBC Association working together and poolign resources to accomplish our goals.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Our organization leadership is comprised of small business and not-for-profit organization founders. We believe with the combined resources and experience accomplishment of our strategic objectives can be obtained.
Emergency Preparation Strategies, Food Security Development, Public Safety Research and Innovation, Technology Training, Fire Safety Training Technologies, Entreprenueurship and Youth Training.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
We successful executed the Youth Entrepreneurship Program with 5 Graduates, who have established a legal business entity.
We successful executed without any private funding the MEP (Minority Empowerment Program) Program 2016. Established in 2022 in the New Classes of the MEP that will consist six new underserved minority businesses with age ranges from 25-76 years old.
We have strategic partner E-Vision Project Development Corporation, the creator of EVISIONEYE products and services, Certified AXIS Channel Partner, Certified SCDOT, Certified Women-Owned Business.
2022- We have establish strategic partnership with EWTECHNERD LLC -small business consulting and coaching firm to conduct our training classes.
2021- We established strategic partnership with Anointed Connect Church Inc to establish our Food Safety Program that will provide a local Food Bank for underserved communities and establish a sustainable greenhouse to provide gardening training and food access programs.
2022- We established strategic partnership with E-Vision Business Center Inc to provide a Pearson Testing Center at our new Blue Initiative Training and Research Facility.
2020- 2022 -We have established strategic partnerhip with Active Expressions Art Academy Inc to provide youth training digital art programs that focus on creating emerging entreprenueurs utilizing digital art and learning more about NFT's.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
PALMETTO LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
Board of directorsas of 07/21/2022
Juan Garcia
CUTRITE USA CORPORATION
Term: 2021 - 2022
John Lewis
AMERICAN CAPITAL FUNDS GROUP LLC
Term: 2021 - 2022
John L Lewis
Board Chairman
Dyanne W Lyles
Retired School Teacher of 30 years
Robert Pressley
Michael Zepeda
LandLease Inc
Juan Garcia
Cuterite Landscaping LLC
John Bryant
Orchid Farm LLC
Van Staggs
The Vanco Group LLC
Joey Adams
Central Piedmont College
James C Mitchell
Retired
Thomas Clark
Thomas Clark Group
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 09/05/2019GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.