The Summers Group, LLC (TSG) is a niche market business development consultancy. We provide community revitalization through entrepreneurship and business development through effective community outreach and inclusion. We do this by focusing on 3 key areas:

  • Individual current and prospective business owners

  • Community chambers of commerce and economic development organizations

  • Companies with community outreach and supplier diversity programs.

Our specialty is driving economic development from within underserved communities. We believe that true, sustainable community revitalization comes from the inside out, identifying and strengthening existing capabilities, identifying gaps and supplying the products and services identified as in demand.

Mr. Summers has over 40 years of experience. He has led creative and production teams for Aldens, Spiegel, Marshall Field and, Hammacher Schlemmer. His electronic publishing team launched Spiegel.com, one of the first online shopping experiences. For the Whirlpool Corporation, he led Global E-Business. His experiences include leading business innovation programs, process improvement initiatives, sales and marketing and business development for businesses ranging from Fortune 100 conglomerates to small sole proprietorships.

The Summers Group has provided Diversity and Inclusion plans and implementation for international diversity and inclusion consulting firms, one of the nation’s largest civil rights organizations, municipalities and corporations.

Our passion is helping small businesses grow. With our extensive experience and broad network of affiliates and partners, The Summers Group can provide you with the top talent and support you need at a price that you can afford. Contact us today.

n 2017 the City of South Bend funded an economic study titled: The Racial Wealth Divide in South Bend. It showed that over 40% African Americans in the city fall below the poverty line, which is twice the national poverty rate for AA households, making South Bend one of the worst cities to live in if you’re Black. They asked us to help. The Congressional Budget Office has said that disparities in business income accounts for most of the rise in income inequality. So, it makes sense that one way to help close the gap is to increase business income in that segment. To help address the problem, we sought the help of Project impact.


The solution? Open a Business Development Center in the heart of the community. Bring the resources directly to the people in the community and provide specifically what they need. Bring services to entrepreneurs in that space instead of asking them to find them. Create a professional space they will be excited and proud to come to and laid out to provide the environment conducive to business development. Align the business development resources with Project Impact’s family foundational services to optimize impact. Focus directly on neighborhood entities, provide the resources they need to develop strong, healthy businesses. To see the Center we helped open visit https://www.projectimpactsouthbend.org/