Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Washington Community Alliance for Self Help and Good Work Network to Receive Grant Funding to Help Small Disadvantaged Businesses
WASHINGTON, Oct. 29, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced today that it awarded grants to the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Washington Community Alliance for Self Help, and Good Work Network for special projects to promote the development, success, and long-term survival of small disadvantaged businesses that participate in the agency's 8(a) Business Development Program.
"These organizations are well recognized in their communities, and these new grants are excellent examples of the SBA's efforts to work with such organizations to extend entrepreneurial education and counseling resources to more small disadvantaged businesses, and to more small businesses in underserved communities," said SBA Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet. "The assistance provided by these organizations will help more small businesses become viable, and vital members of their economic communities."
Grants were made to service providers that proposed innovative approaches providing training and consulting assistance to eligible small businesses through the SBA's 7(j) Management and Technical Assistance Program. Eligible small businesses include those owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, those located in areas of high unemployment or low income, and those owned by low-income individuals.
These projects will also educate small disadvantaged businesses on teaming with other businesses, mastering the process of federal contracting, reversing declines and turning around businesses, and securing loan financing or private equity funding.
Good Work Network, located in New Orleans, Louisiana, will provide tailored training to 8(a) Program participants in construction industries located in Louisiana, and specifically located in Greater New Orleans and Greater Baton Rouge regions. Thirty-three training sessions will be provided to an average of 20 firms on topics such as: Construction Project Management Training, Construction Project-Based Estimating Training, QuickBooks for Contractors Training, Moving from Transactions to Relationships Training, Evaluating Customer Relationship Software Training, Marketing and Branding and Web Strategies/Social Media Training, Proposal Development Training, Procurement Preference Certification and Government Contracting Programs Training (in collaboration with SBA's District Offices) and Bonding Training.
The Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, will help 7(j) eligible firms in Arizona to improve internal operations and enable delivery of products and services aligned with customer expectations, seek and secure more customers locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally, create strategic partnerships with other businesses to complement capabilities, and adapt, as business conditions change, to mitigate risk of failure, and to increase secular sustainability. The chamber will provide assistance through local live seminars, workshops, and coaching. Non-local firms can attend webinars, webcasts, and receive coaching via teleconference. Small disadvantaged businesses will learn to assess themselves in six key areas: leadership, customers, strategies, people, processes and business intelligence. They also will learn how to implement effective marketing campaigns.
The Washington Community Alliance for Self Help, located in Seattle, will provide product-based businesses with assistance on product design, display, pricing, packaging, and markets. The project will provide uniquely impactful technical assistance and training services for low-income entrepreneurs in King and Snohomish Counties.
The effort will include two major components. The first component includes tailored hands-on training for product-based businesses through three eight-week core training programs addressing the fundamentals of business finance, marketing, sales, and operations. The second component includes one-on-one technical assistance. This effort will provide customized technical assistance for retail and wholesale businesses. Individuals who have completed the core training program may sell products at Ventures, a local chain of high-traffic retail stores, which are akin to 'consignment - retail incubators,' and are fully staffed by retail experts to attract customers and generate sales.
Release Number: 14-63
Contact: Tiffani S. Clements
Phone: (202) 401-0035
Internet Address: http://www.sba.gov/news
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110909/DC65875LOGO
SOURCE U.S. Small Business Administration
Share this article