Larimer County Commissioners have renewed their support of small business and entrepreneurship with a $20,000 grant to the Larimer Small Business Development Center (SBDC).
The Larimer SBDC provided business assistance to over 1,300 clients in the past 12 months. This assistance consists of one-on-one free confidential consulting, a wide range of business workshops and classes, and connection to useful business resources.
“The collaboration between the Small Business Development Center and the Board of Larimer County Commissioners will provide resources and support to our local small businesses,” said Commissioner Tom Donnelly. “The commissioners know that local businesses are the backbone of our economy and local communities. I’m proud of the county’s effort on this front.”
Front Range Community College is the local host for the Larimer SBDC, which is located at Innosphere, 320 E. Vine Drive, Fort Collins, with associated offices throughout Larimer County.
Larimer County strategically invests resources to support its initiative to strengthen regional economic development. These investments include an economic development department, support of the SBDC which provides small business education and assistance, support of the Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC), an organization that helps businesses access and do businesses with governmental customers, and by being the host for economic development partnership meetings
Jacob Castillo, Larimer County economic development director, said, “Larimer County is fortunate to have vibrant small-business activity across a very diverse range of industries. We want to help support those entrepreneurs by supporting productive business education. The Larimer SBDC performs that function.”
This is the second year Larimer County has provided support.
Mike O’Connell, Larimer SBDC director, said, “The number of entrepreneurs we’re assisting has doubled in the past three years. Thanks to the significant commitment from Larimer County and others, we’re able to provide this important support.”
About Front Range Community College
FRCC offers nearly 100 degree and certificate programs from locations in Boulder County, Larimer County, Westminster, and Brighton, and online. FRCC is a member of the Colorado Community College System.
About the Colorado Community College System
The Colorado Community College System (CCCS) is the state’s largest system of higher education, serving more than 144,000 students annually at 13 colleges and 39 locations across Colorado. Our open access mission ensures all Coloradans who aspire to enrich their lives have access to quality higher education opportunities. CCCS students save time and money with affordable tuition and fees, concurrent enrollment, and guaranteed transfer to any public university in Colorado. Online courses are available via Colorado Community Colleges Online. CCCS also oversees career and technical programs in our 13 colleges, more than 160 school districts, and six other post-secondary institutions. By partnering with business and industry, CCCS helps employers meet workforce needs and prepares students for direct entry to their chosen career pathway. The vast majority of our students are Colorado residents and, after graduation, 97 percent of our students stay in state, becoming the workforce that powers the Colorado economy and the heart of our neighborhoods, businesses, and communities.
About the Larimer Small Business Development Center
Since 1989, the Larimer Small Business Development Center Network (SBDC) has been dedicated to helping existing and new businesses grow and prosper in Larimer County by providing free and confidential consulting and no- or low-cost training programs. In the last 10 years, we have helped 226 businesses start, created 930 jobs, retained 421 employees, and increased sales over $14.5 million.
