When the Can-Do Kitchen was created in 2007, it started with “a little kitchen trailer” at the Kalamazoo County Fairgrounds and a strong “can do” spirit. That spirit is still there, as Lucy Dilley’s brainchild for supporting food ventures and entrepreneurship is now a regional small business hub. Rebranded in 2022 as Can-Do Kalamazoo, the nonprofit organization supports entrepreneurs of all stripes.
“When a feasibility study by the City of Kalamazoo showed a demand for a small business incubator, we decided we could lead that effort,” says Dilley, executive director of Can-Do Kalamazoo. “Since then, we’ve helped clothing businesses, landscapers, photographers, handymen and many others.”
The nonprofit, located at 519 S. Park St., offers a range of free information sessions and workshops, along with a three-year kitchen incubator program serving those working toward developing packaged food, catering, food truck, and cafe businesses. The organization’s cornerstone program is Can-Do Camp, a twice-yearly, 12-week collaborative experience for budding businesses and those that are working to grow. The camp is currently underway with 19 participants, and the next cohort will meet in September. Scholarships are available to help cover the $400 tuition (or $300 for non-food businesses).
“You get an instant community of people who are either starting or growing businesses,” explains Can-Do’s business program manager, Sheena Foster. “We tackle a different subject every week, everything from business ideation to branding, marketing, customer relationships, and financials. We study together, work together, and celebrate together at the end, and continue to support them after they finish.”
As Can-Do Kalamazoo’s roster of offerings grows, so do the number of its success stories, with 108 entrepreneurs supported in 2024 for established businesses, and the kitchen incubator sending four businesses on their way to independence last year: Kalamazoo Latino Specialties, Love Muffins, Red Tricycle Ice Cream and Specialty Cheesecake & Desserts. Countless other former clients can be found around town (and beyond).
“Can-Do gave me mentors to guide me along the road to success,” says Meka Phillips, a 2015 Can-Do Camp graduate who left a career in banking to open Desserts First in downtown Kalamazoo last year. “They taught me the importance of building a strong network, that connections are the lifeblood of a small business.”
A byproduct of Can-Do supporting entrepreneurial dreams is boosting the local economy, as Can-Do’s graduates become employers, property owners, taxpayers and consumers. Can-Do’s website notes that 68% of every $1 spent at a local business circulates in the local economy, and local businesses spend money as they grow.
“When people graduate from our kitchen, they’ve already started working with local printers, buying local ingredients, perhaps from local farmers,” says Dilley. “They have local bookkeepers. They work with local web designers. They’re renting from local landlords or even purchasing a building.”
With Can-Do’s name and mission change in 2022 came an awareness that the nonprofit was outgrowing its own space. The organization moved to its fifth location last September, a building owned by KPEP (the Kalamazoo Probation Enhancement Program), which already had commercial kitchen space. Now Can-Do offers eight stations for cooking, prepping or finishing, available 24 hours a day for current and former clients to rent by the hour.
With 11,000 square feet of space — roughly half of it yet unfinished — the organization’s big ideas have ample space to grow.
“We’re planning an open-format co-working area with about a dozen workstations, a second conference room, a classroom, event space, dedicated staff offices, and a flexible space that could be a small event or pop-up retail space. We also plan to lease office space to other small businesses,” says Dilley.
Reducing barriers to success
Part of Can-Do’s mission is to provide an accessible path toward business success, especially for communities facing added barriers.
“There are certain communities that have not had equitable access to resources — people of color, LGBTQ communities, people who don’t speak English as their first language,” says Foster. “We recognize that and work to lower those barriers.”
One way Can-Do does that is by offering free translation services to clients for whom English is a second language, who currently comprise about 30% of Can-Do’s clientele. Alex and Iryna Severyn, of Ukrainian Homemade Foods, are among the 18 food entrepreneurs who currently rent space at Can-Do’s kitchen to prepare their wares. The couple arrived in Kalamazoo in 2023 after escaping the war in their homeland.
“Can-Do has been much more than just a space for us — they’ve become our guiding light, and their support has been invaluable,” the couple wrote in an email. “With their assistance, we navigated food safety training, prepared the necessary documentation for our food license, and even secured an interest-free loan.”
The pair will return this month to the Kalamazoo Farmers Market, offering Ukrainian borscht, a variety of boiled and fried pierogi, sunflower seed candies, cookies, pastries and their popular honey cake.
“Our first season at the market was like joining a big, welcoming family, and the warm reception has only fueled our passion,” report the Severyns, who are applying for permanent U.S. residency and citizenship. “We are determined to create a business that not only thrives but also supports and uplifts the community that welcomed us with open arms.”
Extending its reach
As one of 27 small-business hubs in the state and supported by significant funding from the Michigan Economic Development Corp., Can-Do Kalamazoo is in a position to help smaller organizations in the field. In 2024, it shared more than $350,000 with Black Wall Street Kalamazoo, Startup Zoo, Room 35, and the South Haven Regional Business Hub.
Can-Do’s work to help clients improve their quality of life and the lives of their families and workers reaches beyond Kalamazoo, drawing participants from neighboring counties and even Indiana. As the nonprofit continues to grow, it will take time and money to fulfill the team’s own dreams.
“We are in the quiet phase of our $1.4 million capital campaign,” says Dilley. “We hope to raise 70% of that this year, but it will take a few years to complete all of our plans.”
When asked if there’s a typical type of entrepreneur that comes to Can-Do, she says, “Not really.”
“We’ve had a 15-year-old exploring a hot dog cart business and someone who’s been in business for 25 years,” says Dilley. “We have people who want something to pass along to their family to build generational wealth or just something to do in retirement.”
Foster adds, “We are here to show that they don’t have to do it alone. A lot of our people stay in touch with each other. Knowing others on the same small business roller coaster helps a lot.”
This story is part of the Southwest Michigan Journalism Collaborative’s coverage of equitable community development. SWMJC is a group of 12 regional organizations dedicated to strengthening local journalism. Visit swmichjournalism.com to learn more.
