About Us

Jabari K. Jones

Philadelphia is my home. I love this city, the diversity of its neighborhoods, the energy (especially after an Eagles or 76ers win), and a unique culture you can’t find anywhere else. My roots are planted here—my great-aunt was the founding treasurer of one of West Philadelphia’s oldest African-American churches, my grandfather chose this city to settle down in, and my dad, uncles, aunts and cousins called Philly their first home.

Like many young and optimistic social entrepreneurs, I see opportunity all around me as I walk the streets of our city. But I also see inequality, and the stubborn issues of poverty, unemployment, and crime, plague neighborhoods year after year. I decided to do something about it in 2015 when I founded the West Philadelphia Corridor Collaborative, with the idea that the best way to lift people from poverty was through self-sufficiency via entrepreneurship. If we build new businesses and help existing business thrive and hire, we can solve the economic problems that face neighborhoods. I also believe that if we tap into the intelligence and multidisciplinary perspectives of our business owners to solve other challenges, the city has few limits on what it can become.

Today, the Corridor Collaborative is the largest business association in West Philadelphia: encompassing 2,000 companies and 12 commercial corridor shopping districts. We’ve proven time and time again what happens when you get a diverse group of people in a room working as a team. I’m looking forward to the work of A Greater Philadelphia because I know we can solve our city’s challenges if we do it together.