Social Responsibility

A Prosperity Hub Story: Career Paths, Community Impact and Limitless Possibilities

When you see something incredibly special, it’s natural to want to share it with the whole world. That’s how I feel about Intuit’s Prosperity Hubs, which is one of the highlights of my 30-year career. It’s proven to be more than just successful; it’s also been truly meaningful to those who have benefitted from this

Written by Mark Notarainni
Published Jul 26, 2021
3 min read

My parents and extended family are from Detroit, Michigan so the experience of growing up in a town that starts to decline is personal to me; a realization that you oftentimes need to leave to make something of yourself. What if there was another way to help these towns have the opportunity to prosper?

The Prosperity Hub program supports Intuit’s mission to power prosperity around the world. Launched in 2016, Prosperity Hubs help communities in need by creating jobs, preparing people for jobs of the future, and supporting entrepreneurs to start and build successful businesses. For every dollar we invest in these communities, we generate up to $1.83 of economic impact. As of January 2021, the program had generated 2,300 jobs and $123 million of annual economic contribution to communities in need.

Today we have eight Prosperity Hubs across the U.S., Canada and the UK. We selected these communities based on several factors. The community must score low on the scale of economic well-being, based on data from the Distressed Community Index, and it must have an availability of talent.

Making a meaningful impact

We see stories with a similar theme unfolding in towns across the United States and around the world. It’s a story of communities where families are split apart as young people seek career opportunities elsewhere, and of tough times for local small business owners. This is particularly tough for older community members, who grew up and raised families in better economic times.

Through Prosperity Hubs, we can make a difference. Working with partners such as Alorica, Concentrix, Sykes Enterprises, and Sitel, we’re able to bring thousands of well-paying jobs such as product experts and management jobs, combined with learning and development opportunities and meaningful career paths. And if you want to become a domain expert — such as a CPA, certified bookkeeper or payroll professional, or an IRS-authorized tax advisor (Enrolled Agent) — we’ll help you get there too. Plus, about one-third of these jobs are permanently virtual and designed for people in military communities, who must often relocate due to new assignments, as well as people with varying abilities.

Changing the cycle to create a lasting impact

Every community is unique – there are amazing people in these communities; they want to help, they want to contribute and grow and prosper, but they really love their communities and want to see them grow again. I want to see these communities regain some of their vibrancy of years’ past. We can help them pay off that sense of pride.

It’s unbelievably rewarding to see the effects our Prosperity Hubs have on these communities. Instead of leaving town, individuals are choosing to stay. They buy cars and homes, further their education, and raise families. In my pre-COVID travels to Prosperity Hub communities, it was not uncommon to see a food truck going from one truck to two, three, or even four trucks. It was the same with local restaurants, and auto or tire shops. As their business picked up, so would their suppliers’ business. A virtuous cycle.

We’ve made tremendous progress to date, but we want to do even more to inspire change. We’re starting to partner with other companies to develop similar business models to make an even larger impact to more communities in need around the world.

I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve done around Prosperity Hubs, and I can’t wait to get back to visiting the communities as we come out of the pandemic. The possibilities are limitless and the best is still yet to come.

Mark is a seasoned veteran with more than 20 years’ experience in the technology industry. In his role as Chief Customer Success Officer, Mark is responsible for ensuring the success of customers across all their interactions with the Intuit ecosystem.

He is passionate about improving the customer experience through innovation, leading his teams to develop their craft so they can learn and earn more, and investing in economically disadvantaged communities to help people fulfill their purpose and achieve financial freedom.

Prior to his current role, Mark spent over eight years as vice president of Customer Care and Services for Intuit’s Consumer Tax Group, transforming customer care through a world-class team providing the highest quality service to millions of taxpayers every year.

Mark joined Intuit in 2009 and has previously held leadership positions at NCR Corp, Dell, and Hewlett-Packard. He earned his bachelor’s degree in finance from Michigan State University.