SLU Habitat for Neighborhood Business Announces Fall 2026 Cohort

09/25/2026

ST. LOUIS – SLU- HNB, Saint Louis University’s program to help small entrepreneurs grow their retail and service businesses in economically-challenged neighborhoods, announces its Fall 2026 cohort.

The five business owners will collaborate with Saint Louis University students and faculty to strengthen their business operations. This is the first SLU HNB cohort in over a year.

“We are excited to welcome these entrepreneurs to SLU,” said Ben Smyth, Ph.D., program director for SLU-HNB. “We have retooled the program, allowing for applicants outside the boundaries of the City of St. Louis to reflect the wider needs of the region.” 
 
Participants in the program have access to an array of resources through the Business School, including industry-specific mentors  and expert insights into building business acumen. 
 
The selected entrepreneurs and businesses are: 

• Tyanna Broadway, Broadways on Broadway Event Space and Cultural Center. Broadways on Broadway serves older adults, faith-based groups, non-profits and small businesses. 
• Chan Davis, Lefty’s Fried Rice. Lefty’s is a Black-owned Chinese-style restaurant. 
• Neshanta Larry, That’s So…Good, LLC. That’s So…Good is a specialty food service company. 
• Kimberly Pitliangas, The Thaxton and Thaxton Speakeasy. The Thaxton is a boutique event venue and cocktail lounge. 
• Wendy Womack, Womack Barber and Hair Salon. Womack is a second-generation salon owner with a 26-year old operation in Jennings.

Undergraduate students at SLU, through courses in the Chaifetz School of Business, get the opportunity for service learning by helping program participants with business and marketing plans. Participants who want a deeper dive into the long-term feasibility of their business plans are paired with a student enrolled in Strategy and Practice, a capstone course within the school’s Professional MBA program. 
 
“Entrepreneurs in the program do not simply receive information,” said Jackson Nickerson, Ph.D., dean of the Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business at SLU. “Our model is one of university-community engagement, with neighborhood entrepreneurs and students collaborating in learning, business development, and community vitality.”

Habitat for Neighborhood Business National (HNB-National) was founded in 2006 by SLU alum Douglas Brown (CSB ’66), who saw a lack of businesses in economically challenged neighborhoods when visiting cities throughout the U.S. With assistance and collaboration from SLU, Brown spent two years meeting with people in local neighborhoods in need of renewal. Armed with this information and support from the Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business, Brown launched HNB with several fellow SLU alums.

Entrepreneurs interested in learning more about SLU-HNB can reach out to operations coordinator LySyin Lobster.  

About the Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business

Founded in 1910, the Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business at Saint Louis University has shaped the future of industry for more than a century. As one of the oldest business schools west of the Mississippi, the Chaifetz School has built a reputation as a leader in business education committed to innovation, inclusion and impact and recognized with eight undergraduate and graduate programs nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report. 

About Saint Louis University

Founded in 1818, Saint Louis University is one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious Catholic research institutions. Rooted in Jesuit values and its pioneering history as the first university west of the Mississippi River, SLU offers more than 13,300 students a rigorous, transformative education that challenges and prepares them to make the world a better place. As a nationally recognized leader in research and innovation, SLU is an R1 research university, advancing groundbreaking, life-changing discoveries that promote the greater good.