Othello

You can’t Fix what you can’t See

On any given day, millions of dollars flow through our neighborhoods. A construction project breaks ground. A hospital orders supplies. Families buy groceries. But here’s the catch: too often, those dollars don’t stay in our neighborhoods. They leave almost as quickly as they arrive—flowing out of the community to national chain stores, outside firms and distant investors.

This is why communities can see development all around them and yet feel little change in their own bottom line. The problem isn’t the amount of money coming in—it’s the system guiding where that money goes.

At Othello, we uncover the hidden architecture of the micro economy. And the first step to changing it is simple but powerful: you have to see it. That’s where ecosystem mapping comes in.

Seeing the System

The micro economy is more than just shops on a corridor or contractors bidding on jobs—it’s a web of relationships between small businesses, capital providers, anchor institutions, policymakers, and consumers. It’s designed to produce the results we see.

• If contracts consistently go to the same big firms, that’s the system at work.
• If residents spend more of their dollars outside the neighborhood than inside it, that’s the system at work.
• If entrepreneurs can’t scale because financing isn’t accessible, that’s the system at work.

The truth is: systems create outcomes by design, not by accident.

Ecosystem mapping gives us a way to trace those designs. It asks:

• Who are the players?
• Where does money flow in?
• Where does it flow out?
• What connections are strong, and what connections are missing?

Plugging the Leaks

Once we see the map, patterns emerge. And so do solutions.

• Local Procurement: Anchor institutions, large corporations and city agencies can direct contracts to local businesses, keeping millions of dollars circulating in our communities.
• Stronger Supply Chains: When a local contractor hires a local electrician, who buys from a local supplier, dollars recycle instead of leaving.
• Community Investment: Credit unions, CDFIs, and neighborhood funds keep capital accessible and reinvested.
• Ownership Matters: Local ownership of businesses, buildings, and land prevents wealth from being extracted when outside firms dominate.

In short, you keep wealth in the community by closing the leaks and building the connections that recycle value locally.

Othello: The Opportunity Architect

This is where Othello steps in. We don’t just point to problems—we architect solutions.

• Mapping Specialists: We build clear ecosystem maps that show the flow of money, influence, and opportunity in a community’s micro economy.
• Connectors: We bring entrepreneurs, policymakers, and institutions to the same table, aligning strategies that keep dollars local.
• Capacity Builders: We prepare local businesses to step into bigger opportunities by strengthening their operations and access to resources.
• Strategic Advisors: We help anchor institutions, developers, prime contractors and government entities redesign procurement and development strategies that build wealth in the communities we serve.

Think of Othello as both the architect and the builder—helping communities see their hidden economy, then implementing strategies for equity and growth.

A Different Future

Imagine this: instead of a $10 million development project flowing mostly to outside firms, local contractors, suppliers, and workers capture the majority. Wages earned in the neighborhood are spent in local shops, which reinvest in their own growth. CDFIs finance expansions, and anchor institutions source from businesses just down the street. The same $10 million doesn’t just pass through—it multiplies. That’s how communities build wealth that lasts.

Let’s Keep Wealth in the Community

Change doesn’t begin with fighting harder; it begins with understanding the system. The micro economy is the foundation of community wealth—and if we want it to serve us, we must map it, connect it, and redesign it.

At Othello, we stand ready to be your Opportunity Architect. Together, we can turn hidden systems into visible pathways for prosperity—keeping wealth where it belongs: in the community.