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Eight-week Banker’s Blueprint program helps established Dallas entrepreneurs strengthen financial readiness and prepare for growth opportunities
The Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (GDHCC), Dallas College, and Texas Regional Bank (TRB) have launched The Banker’s Blueprint: Access to Capital, an eight-week business accelerator designed to help established entrepreneurs better understand lending requirements and prepare to pursue financing for business growth.
The inaugural program, which began in October, is designed for a cohort of 30 growth-stage business owners. Through practical exercises and guidance from banking professionals, participants learn to assess their financial position, define their capital needs, and develop the financial documentation needed to communicate their business plans to prospective lenders.
Developed through the Chamber’s Venture Forward Accelerator, part of The Empowered CEO Institute, the program responds to feedback from entrepreneurs who completed earlier business development programs but continued to encounter challenges accessing capital. Some lacked established banking relationships, while others needed additional guidance understanding financing requirements or preparing their financial information.
“Many of the entrepreneurs we work with have built successful businesses through years of hard work, but reaching the next stage of growth often requires financial resources they haven’t been able to access,” said Rita Castillo-Vela, Program Director of the Venture Forward Accelerator. “We developed Banker’s Blueprint to help business owners better understand their financial position, prepare the documentation lenders need and approach financing opportunities with greater confidence.”
TRB serves as the program’s banking partner, with Gene Tremblay, President of TRB Financial, helping develop the curriculum and co-facilitating the eight-week program. Tremblay works directly with participants to explain how lenders assess financing requests and how entrepreneurs can better prepare to communicate their business needs.
Business owners often understand their operations exceptionally well, but presenting that business through the financial information a lender needs can be a different challenge. We want entrepreneurs to understand the lending process, recognize where they can strengthen their financial position and approach conversations about financing with a clear understanding of their options. – Gene Tremblay
Through its collaboration with Dallas College, the program also connects practical business education with an opportunity for participants to pursue college credit for their coursework.
The accelerator concludes December 7–8 with Capital Ready Day, a two-day showcase where participants will present their financing proposals to a panel of bankers, community development financial institutions and investors for feedback. Participants will also develop individualized 90-day action plans identifying next steps as they explore appropriate financing opportunities.
TRB’s involvement follows the August opening of TRB Financial in Oak Cliff, a new division focused on expanding access to relationship banking through financial education, differentiated credit strategies, and community engagement. The accelerator is among the division’s early initiatives to work directly with Dallas entrepreneurs and contribute banking expertise to their business development efforts.
TRB Financial’s first dedicated banking center, located at 332 Jefferson Blvd. in Oak Cliff, began serving customers in August 2026.
Learn MoreFounded in 1939, the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (GDHCC) supports the growth and success of Hispanic-owned and small businesses throughout North Texas. Through advocacy, business education, and economic development initiatives, the Chamber connects entrepreneurs with the resources, relationships, and opportunities needed to strengthen their businesses and advance economic prosperity.
Learn more at gdhcc.com.
