JAMESTOWN, N.C. – The Small Business Center
Network of the North Carolina Community College System is celebrating 30 years of
providing support and assistance to small businesses and start-ups across North
Carolina. Small Business Centers (SBCs) are located at each of the state’s 58
community colleges, providing confidential business counseling and seminars to
small business owners and entrepreneurs.
Created
in1984 when the North Carolina General Assembly funded 14 SBCs, the Small
Business Center Network (SBCN) had expanded to include at least one SBC at each
community college by 1995. Each year, the centers assist in starting an average
of 650 businesses and help create and retain more than 3,000 jobs.
Today,
with more than 60 sites, the Small Business Center Network is known as the most
expansive state-funded technical small business assistance program in the
United States with locations within a 30-minute drive of almost every North
Carolinian.
“The
GTCC Small Business Center is just one example of the many ways that the college
is meeting business needs in the community,” said GTCC President Dr. Randy
Parker. “The SBC plays an important role in providing entrepreneurs with the best
resources to start their business in Guilford County, which leads to new job
creation and a positive impact on the county’s economic growth.”
The
mission of the Small Business Centers is to increase the success rate and
number of viable small businesses in North Carolina by providing high quality,
readily accessible assistance to prospective and existing small business
owners, with the goal of job creation and retention.
Over
the last year, the GTCC SBC has:
- Cultivated 33 new businesses
- Created 50 new jobs
- Retained 115 jobs
- And trained 2,037 entrepreneurs and business owners through
SBC seminars.
“Guilford County has a storied
history of entrepreneurial activity,” said Mark Hagenbuch, director of the GTCC
Small Business Center. “For the past 30 years, the GTCC Small Business Center
has been an active advocate, champion and resource for local entrepreneurs and
small business owners. Through our
pragmatic training programs and confidential counseling, the SBC has supported increased
economic development in Guilford County.”
One
organization that has benefitted from the GTCC SBC is the Greensboro
Community Development Fund (GCDF), a nonprofit that provides debt financing to
minority- or female-owned businesses in the Greensboro area. In 2013, the GTCC
SBC collaborated with GCDF and the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce to create the
Business Readiness Certificate program, a series designed to teach best practices to new businesses
and companies.
“Working
with the Small Business Center has been priceless,” said Jerome Gray, executive
director of the Greensboro Community Development Fund. “They were excited to
help the Greensboro Community Development Fund expound upon the concept and
collaborate with the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce to make it happen. Without
the GTCC SBC, I wouldn’t have a way to register participants online, market the
program, create a central location to meet and be able to measure impact. It
was a win-win for everyone involved.”
The GTCC
SBC operates offices at two locations: the High Point Chamber of Commerce, 1634
N. Main St., High Point; and The Nussbaum Center, 1451 S. Elm Eugene St., Suite
1201, Greensboro.
For
more information, visit http://bit.ly/SBC_GTCC
or call (336) 334-4822 ext. 62001 or email sbc@gtcc.edu.
Guilford
Technical Community College is the third largest of 58 institutions in the NC
Community College System. GTCC serves approximately 45,000 students annually
from four major campuses and three specialized centers. Learn more at
www.gtcc.edu."
- A Press Release
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