On Friday, January 16, Westside Future Fund (WFF) welcomed community members, neighbors, partners, and local business leaders to the first Transform Summit of the new year. It offered a dynamic and forward-looking conversation focused on economic opportunity, collaboration, and preparing Westside businesses to thrive ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
WFF President & CEO John Ahmann and Jon Ingram, WFF’s Chief Development Officer, opened the Summit by welcoming attendees and thanking the sponsors and supporters who make these monthly gatherings possible, and providing a brief update on WFF’s Home on the Westside program. To date, more than 60 families have moved into Westside neighborhoods through the program.
This month’s devotion was led by Derrick Green, project director at Morehouse School of Medicine and CEO of Historic Hills Community Development Corporation. As a fifth-generation Atlantan, Green reflected on the story of Nehemiah, drawing parallels to the ongoing work of restoring Westside neighborhoods. He acknowledged the challenges inherent in this work, reminding the room that opposition is inevitable—but perseverance is essential. Green closed with a brief prayer, after which attendees shared time in fellowship, greeting neighbors and welcoming one another to the Summit.
Following the devotion and fellowship, Ingram introduced Gavin McGuire, Executive Director of the Grove Park Foundation, as moderator for the featured discussion titled “World Cup Ready: Positioning Westside Businesses to Win.” Panelists Charis Wright (Fifth Third Bank), Eric Fears (J2RL), and Ashaela Bowen (CREAIT Tech) shared perspectives rooted in investment, innovation, and inclusion.
The World Comes to Atlanta
Beginning with a reflection on Atlanta’s past, McGuire noted that the city has an opportunity to learn from the 1996 Olympics and do something truly special this time. McGuire remarked, “[World Cup Ready] is about creating real access and real opportunity for the dreamers and business owners who just need a chance.”
A short video introduced the World Cup Ready framework, outlining the challenge facing local businesses: barriers to access, outdated systems, limited digital visibility, and lack of connection to global visitors. The initiative is designed to address those challenges directly, using the World Cup as a catalyst to create lasting infrastructure, skills, and access that will have lasting impact well beyond the final whistle.
The goal: activate 2,000 local businesses and ensure that economic opportunity reaches neighborhoods that have historically been left out.
Winning on the Westside
A central theme of the conversation was the importance of intentional partnership. Wright emphasized that community-driven investment is essential to long-term success, highlighting Fifth Third Bank’s work supporting small businesses through relationship-building, financial education, grants, and microloans. “The change is community-driven,” she stated, “and that’s what makes it impactful.”
Eric Fears, a key architect of World Cup Ready, reflected on his own experience during the 1996 Olympics while attending Georgia Tech. “When the World Cup was announced,” Fears shared, “the first thing I said was, ‘We gotta win.’ We gotta win on the Westside.”
An Opportunity Now, A Brighter Future Later
“What seed can we plant right now?” Fears asked. “That’s what World Cup Ready really is. It’s all about taking advantage of the moment… How do we actually help businesses truly, truly scale right now. Not tomorrow, but right now.” The goal is to economically equip businesses now so that decades from today, the Westside looks different not because of displacement, but because of inclusion.
The initiative focuses on several critical areas, including AI-enabled workflows and participation in the global digital economy. Fears highlighted the partners supporting the effort and businesses already engaging, reminding the room that Atlanta has long been known for institutionalizing opportunity—putting people on, not just opening doors.
“30 years down the road your kids and grandkids are going to ask you ‘when the World Cup came to Atlanta, did you have an opportunity to be World Cup Ready?’ And I know the answer is going to be yes. So let’s get it done,” Fears inspired.
McGuire grounded the conversation by emphasizing that the World Cup is not a savior, but a moment of momentum—one that helps get the house ready for future events while ensuring communities historically left out have real access to opportunity.
Getting World Cup Ready
Bowen shared her perspective as an Atlantan who grew up watching local businesses struggle to grow. Through automation, multilingual communication tools, and data-driven insights, she emphasized how businesses can scale, serve global customers, and prepare staff for an international audience. “Technology allows you to translate your message to anyone,” she said. “It can speak in all different languages.” She also highlighted how these tools create new pathways for youth by expanding access to advanced knowledge earlier than ever before.
The panel closed with questions from business owners eager to engage with the program and the panelists emphasizing that while the initiative began as “Grove Park Ready,” it has grown into World Cup Ready, with no neighborhoods left out. “I want our work to be an elimination of barriers,” McGuire said. Attendees were encouraged to register through the program’s website to access available tools, resources, and opportunities.
Ingram closed the summit by thanking the panelists, the sponsors, and all in the room who continue to show up for Atlanta’s historic Westside.