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| For Release: IMMEDIATE | Contact: Public Affairs |
| Date: March 19, 2004 | (919) 807-6963 |
SMALL BUSINESS CENTERS AT CENTRAL CAROLINA COMMUNITY COLLEGE RECEIVE "EXCELLENT SMALL BUSINESS CENTER" HONOR
Raleigh: Small Business Centers across the state provide valuable services to budding entrepreneurs. They also assist small companies already in business, but wanting to become more successful. Last year the 60 Small Business Centers located at the 58 community colleges across the state served just over 66,000 individuals, hosted 5068 business events, and provided counseling/information to more than 6800 individuals. Collectively, the Small Business Center Network provided 12,527 hours of business counseling.
Gayle Harvey, Small Business Center Network Director, explained to the Board that three centers are singled out each year as the best in the east, west and central regions. They are recognized for generating an outstanding business success story, creating an innovative program or small business assistance process, and for meeting a special need in their small business community. One center is selected as the overall winner, the Excellent Small Business Center.
The Central Regional and Statewide Excellent Small Business Center winner is located at Central Carolina Community College. The college serves three counties and has three very active Small Business Centers. Jim Felton, Nancy Blackman and Leon Tongret are the Directors. Each center has a tailored program, enhanced assistance networks, and alliances developed for the counties they serve. Over the past year, they have added 253 new clients to their database. At least 25% of their clients have started a business and others have been saved from personal loss of time and resources as a result of counseling received.
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This year all three SBCs participated either as chairs or steering committee members for Business Expositions designed to celebrate and spotlight small business, its benefit to the economy, and the many services and products offered in the community. The three expos brought in thousands of visitors and resulted in value added marketing for approximately 200-260 exhibitors.
The Dunn Area Committee of 100 and CCCC realized the need for a loan program for startup businesses. Nancy Blackman, SBC Director, Harnett County, manages this loan fund serving a 14 county area. Today there are 17 clients borrowing $1.9 million in loans.
Leon Tongret, SBC Director, Chatham County Campus has led the charge to make NC Arts Inc. a reality. NC Arts Inc. is a small business incubator designed as an economic development tool to assist new and emerging arts and arts-related businesses to become viable, sustainable businesses. The facility is one of the largest in the country, the only arts incubator in North Carolina, and only one of seven in the nation
Howard Marks, former manager of the Penske Auto Service Center with Kmart, now out of work due to Kmart’s financial problems found his way to SBC Director, Jim Felton for assistance in planning his tire and auto service business and finding startup capital. In February 2003, Howard signed a lease and with one employee from the Penske operation, opened the doors at Car Pros, Inc. on Lee Ave. Extension.
The East Regional winner is located at Lenoir Community College, Alice Tingle SBC Director. (Left, below) The Center developed a microenterprise loan partnership, funded by the NC Rural Center. It helped more than 600 individuals who might have had problems obtaining traditional business loans receive training and disbursed more than 100 micro loans. Nearly twenty percent of the Partnership grads started a business in downtown Kinston, helping to revitalize the area. The SBC was instrumental in the opening of the first business incubator, the Kinston Enterprise Center in February 2003. Oliver Contracting, specializing in residential and commercial renovations, was the first business to locate in the Incubator.
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The West Regional winner is located at Wilkes Community College, Robin Phillips SBC Director. (Right, above) The Center helped Unique Solutions, a customized software company, obtain a $49,000.00 grant from the NC Incumbent Workforce Development Program. The company had grown from three to fifteen employees in less than three years. After receiving the grant, business developments led to the creation of an additional fifteen employees over the next twelve months, making them a candidate for New and Expanding Industry. The SBC partnered with the Rural Internet Access Authority to host "Small Business and the Internet," a one day, multi-county event providing information about using the Internet for their business. Forty-eight small business owners benefited. The SBC also developed and delivered professional development training for the staff of Family Central, a one-of-a kind family center. It has also helped to identify and assist businesses to locate at Family Central.
The successes of the Small Business Centers honored today are representative of the important role these and the 55 other Centers in developing a strong economy.
-NCCCS-
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