(Editor’s note: This is the 67th installment in a monthly series speaking with minority business owners and leaders. Each will be asked their views on minority-business conditions in the state and for ways to improve those businesses’ chances for success. See previous features here.)
Trent Manning, co-founder of Down The Road Movers LLC, understands the obstacles to finding employment and financial security after incarceration. He also has firsthand experience with the power that comes from work opportunities designed to target this disparity.
“Applying for jobs [as a formerly incarcerated person], there are a lot of loopholes” to deny employment, Manning said. “It depends on how long you were in jail for, if you have to get your license reinstated, if you have a car to get to work.”
Through his moving company, Manning works to remove barriers for people reintegrating into society after incarceration.
The idea took off from an informal concept. Manning’s friend, another formerly incarcerated individual, began expanding job offers to people he knew in similar situations.
“He didn’t realize that he was also helping us with the transition, with the integration into normal life,” Manning said. “That’s where this whole idea came from ... how important and integral it was.
“I wanted to take something like that but not have it be so secluded in a sense, where it’s just for my friends,” he continued. “I wanted it to be for the whole community.”
Manning took this step in 2021, after the COVID-19 pandemic had amplified a need to “create that space for a second-chance community,” he said.
The business is intended to serve as a stepping stone to further career development and financial stability, Manning said.
“We’re just encouraging finding that career or going back to school,” Manning said, “taking this moment to save your money, get the career, or get the license that’s going to get you to the job that you actually want to work.”
As of earlier this year, the business had about 10 full-time employees and another 10 on a part-time, rotating crew.
The business’s workforce has expanded to include people who are supporting formerly incarcerated family members, or people at risk of incarceration.
Though helping formerly incarcerated individuals transition back into society remains at the core of the business’s mission, Down the Road Movers has broadened beyond this focus.
In addition to supporting formerly incarcerated people, Down the Road Movers also makes a point to support people who are moving due to financial difficulties and housing insecurity.
“We do a lot of emergency evictions ... and sliding scales in regards to that,” Manning said.
The business’s workforce also includes people who are supporting formerly incarcerated family members, and Manning continues to expand advocacy efforts to other marginalized or at-risk communities.
Manning and the business are a driving force behind the R.I. Deportation Defense Coalition, a group formed to protect immigrants at risk of arrest and deportation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The coalition last summer launched its Immigrant Defense Zones initiative, which calls on businesses to refuse ICE entry into their businesses without a warrant.
“The conversation [starts] from supporting housing and supporting formerly incarcerated individuals with the transition coming home,” Manning said. “And now it’s going further to, under this current regime, supporting our immigrant community and letting them know ... we stand with them during these hard times.
1. Do you believe racism is keeping minorities from starting businesses in the Ocean State or succeeding when they do? Yes, racism continues to limit both the ability of minorities to start businesses in Rhode Island and their chances of success. Structural racism manifests through unequal access to startup capital, discriminatory lending practices, and exclusion from professional and political networks critical for growth.
Communities of color often lack the same investment and institutional support as white communities. Even successful minority-owned businesses face higher scrutiny and barriers to scaling that are rooted in racial bias rather than merit.
2. How dependent is your business on the support of other minority groups? Is that a sustainable business model? My business is strongly supported by minority and working-class communities, which has been key to our growth. Many customers choose us to support shared struggle and keep money within communities often left out of economic opportunities.
We are also supported by customers who intentionally seek businesses that reflect their values of fairness. This community-based support is built on mutual trust; we honor that trust by providing reliable service, including low-cost moves for those experiencing housing instability. When combined with fair access to markets, this community-driven approach is a sustainable model for long-term growth.
3. What one thing could Rhode Island do to boost the odds for minority-owned business success? Rhode Island should create a robust, well-funded public lending and contracting program specifically designed for and overseen by minority business owners. The primary challenge is obtaining affordable loans and real opportunities, especially for those without family wealth.
A truly effective program would offer low-interest loans, technical assistance for business planning, and guaranteed access to state and city contracts. Moving beyond symbolic gestures to involve minority entrepreneurs in the design of these programs would create meaningful, long-term economic change.
4. Have you had to turn somewhere other than a bank for a loan? Do you believe the state’s lending institutions generally treat minorities fairly? Yes, I have had to look beyond traditional banks to community lenders and personal networks because fair and timely financing is often unavailable through traditional channels.
Based on personal experience and broader data, Rhode Island’s lending institutions do not treat minorities equitably, even when creditworthiness is comparable. Structural and implicit biases continue to influence who is perceived as a “safe” investment, and these disparities will persist until lending practices are made transparent and accountable.
5. If another minority entrepreneur asked you where they could turn to for support for their business, where would you direct them? I would direct them to local, community-based resources like small-business development centers and minority business associations.
I personally worked with the Rhode Island Black Business Association for a year and found their support invaluable. They offered me comprehensive services, including relief funding support, accounting, legal services and marketing. Their one-on-one business development assistance allowed me to work directly with a specialist to overcome challenges and grow my sales.
