Next Street Announces Research Series and Supplier Accelerator Programs in Arizona and New York for Small Businesses

With $2.4 million in philanthropic support from JPMorganChase, new programs will help 60+ small businesses become contract-ready semiconductor suppliers.

Next Street today announced two complementary initiatives designed to strengthen small business participation in America’s rapidly expanding industrial economy: Building America's Industrial Base, a national research series examining the trends shaping U.S. industrial supply chains, and PropelAZ and PropelNY, two regional Supplier Success Accelerator programs that prepare small businesses to compete for supply chain opportunities in those markets and broadly America’s semiconductor industry.

Together, the initiatives are made possible by $2.4 million in philanthropic support from JPMorganChase and reflect a shared focus on helping small businesses access the resources and expertise needed to compete in America's critical industries. These businesses account for approximately 50% of U.S. industrial production and 75% of the supply chain—essential to broadly shared industrial growth. The semiconductor industry illustrates both the opportunity and the challenge. Arizona and New York account for nearly $590 billion in announced semiconductor investment, creating significant new demand across construction, manufacturing, facilities management, logistics, engineering, and professional services. Yet many small and mid-sized businesses must meet new technical and quality requirements, invest in equipment and facilities, develop specialized workforces, and establish buyer relationships before they can compete.

PropelAZ and PropelNY are currently underway, helping small businesses build the capabilities needed to compete for opportunities in the semiconductor industry. Combined, these programs are supporting more than 50+ businesses critical to semiconductor supply chains, including construction, manufacturing, facilities, skilled trades, logistics, engineering, and professional services. Over the 15-week program, launched in late summer, participants receive approximately $6,000 in personalized advising from subject matter experts in the field, industry-focused training, and ongoing support to help them become contract-ready suppliers. The program also includes hands-on semiconductor cleanroom training and networking opportunities, with events in New York (October 26–November 2 and November 17) and Arizona (November 2).

The inaugural cohorts will continue through the end of 2026, with final supplier readiness assessments completed in early 2027.

"America's industrial resurgence presents tremendous opportunities for small businesses, but opportunity alone isn't enough. Suppliers need the capabilities, relationships, and support systems that enable them to compete for and perform on increasingly complex contracts,” said Charisse Conanan Johnson, CEO, Next Street. “By pairing national research with local implementation, we're helping communities translate historic industrial investment into lasting economic opportunities for small businesses."

“Arizona is at the center of one of the country's most significant semiconductor investments, creating new opportunities for small businesses across sectors,” said Gavin Borowiak, West Division Business Banking Director and member of the Arizona Market Leadership Team at JPMorganChase. “By supporting PropelAZ, we'll help local businesses build the capabilities, relationships, and readiness needed to compete for those opportunities, strengthening both Arizona's economy and the supply chains that support America's industrial growth, while advancing a key focus of the firm’s American Dream Initiative: supporting small businesses.”

“Upstate New York is experiencing a period of unprecedented industrial growth, and ensuring small businesses can participate in and benefit from that growth is central to JPMorganChase's American Dream Initiative,” said Matt Tipple, Managing Director, Private Bank, and Chair of the Upstate New York Market Leadership Team at JPMorganChase. “PropelNY and the Building America's Industrial Base research series will help more businesses understand where opportunities are emerging and develop the capabilities needed to compete in the semiconductor supply chain, supporting a stronger and more competitive regional economy.”

Turning Research into Regional Impact

The Building America’s Industrial Base research series, developed through the Industrial Supply Chain Forum within the Next Street Institute, establishes a national fact base on the industries, regional ecosystems, and supplier dynamics shaping America’s industrial future.

The series includes industry briefs, regional case studies, and cross-cutting analysis on supplier and workforce development and regional economic competitiveness. The research focuses on critical industries including semiconductors and frontier technologies. Research to date includes “Investing in America’s Suppliers,” a foundational report on the importance of small and mid-sized businesses in America’s reindustrialization; “Inside the Semiconductor Supply Chain,” an industry analysis examining growth, investment, and supplier opportunities across the U.S. semiconductor supply chain; and “How Michigan Manufacturing Is Evolving Through Industrial Transition” and “Building Semiconductor Ecosystems in Arizona and Upstate New York,” two regional case studies examining how industrial growth and transition are unfolding across U.S. regions. Two additional reports on AI and computing infrastructure and workforce development will be published in the next few months.

Next Street’s Supplier Success Accelerator model translates the research into action by helping small and mid-sized businesses build the capabilities needed to compete in regional supply chains. In Arizona and New York, the model is being delivered through PropelAZ and PropelNY, two semiconductor-focused supplier programs tailored to each state’s growing industry.

Together, the research series and Supplier Success Accelerator represent Next Street's integrated approach to strengthening supplier ecosystems, from identifying national trends to helping businesses build the capabilities needed to compete in regional industrial markets.