The outreach support event started in Perry, drawing small-business leaders from Lafayette, Dixie and Taylor counties.
FloridaCommerce[1] and the state’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC[2]) have started an outreach program designed to grow more businesses in smaller markets.
Florida’s Rural Business Resource Tour[3] started in Perry, with the first stop of the tour at Big Bend Technical College[4]. The event was designed to draw business interests from Taylor, Lafayette and Dixie counties.
The focus of the visit by FloridaCommerce and SBDC officials was to provide resources to business owners, entrepreneurs and small-business support organizations to build a robust business ecosystem.
Florida Secretary of Commerce J. Alex Kelly acknowledged that rural areas simply haven’t been given the business development access that may be taken for granted in larger metropolitan areas.
“Our goal is simply to bring Florida’s services and resources for small and emerging businesses directly to rural communities — communities where business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs place greater value on direct, local, face to face outreach,” Kelly said. “We want to shift the approach to bringing the answers, options and supports for rural businesses directly into rural communities.”
The SBDC is a network of nearly 20 offices located throughout the state that provide small-business specific support and opportunities for those entrepreneurs who largely own their own stores and commercial enterprises. Those businesses largely fit the rural landscape.
“We are thrilled to launch Florida’s Rural Business Resource Tour to bring support and resources directly to our state’s rural communities,” said Greg Britton, State Director of the Florida SBDC Network.
“Whether someone is looking to launch a new venture or expand an existing business, the Rural Resource Tour is for them. Rural entrepreneurs are vital to our state and the Resource Tour is about making sure they have direct access to the tools and resources they need to succeed right in their own backyard.”
The event was organized with the help of the Rural Areas of Opportunity[5] advocacy and support organizations and more events will be coming to rural areas that FloridaCommerce will stage and announce as they become available. More than a dozen state government and business agencies provide outreach to the small businesses during the tour stops.
References
- ^ FloridaCommerce (floridajobs.org)
- ^ SBDC (floridasbdc.org)
- ^ Florida’s Rural Business Resource Tour (floridajobs.org)
- ^ Big Bend Technical College (www.bbtc.edu)
- ^ Rural Areas of Opportunity (www.floridajobs.org)