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1998 Echoing Green Fellow Daniel Tellalian and his partner, Elwood Hopkins, were featured in The June 2009 issue of Entrepreneur Magazine, in which they explore their inspiration for launching their organization called Emerging Markets Inc.

Passionate about changing the economic landscape of Los Angeles’s low-income neighborhoods, Daniel and Elwood recognized that they would need to become more business-savvy to reach their goals.  In order to turn their heart-felt mission into a “limited profit business,” Daniel and Elwood conducted field research in these low-income communities to prove to banks that they were missing out on financial opportunities. By recruiting influential community members who could teach their neighbors important banking practices, a real bank soon replaced the check-cashing window. Potentially resulting in new jobs, millions of dollars, and vendor spending in areas where a tainted perception generally scares investors away, Daniel and Elwood hope to move their operations to cities outside Los Angeles, including New York City and Philadelphia.

Want to read more about how Daniel and Elwood used greed to complete their mission? Check out the full article in Entrepreneur Magazine.