ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVELOPMENT: BUSINESS RESOURCE CENTERS Creating a supportive business climate as well as training opportunities for today’s great ideas and tomorrow’s business success. The Business Resource Center Program is focused on increasing the number of successful businesses within the State of Utah. Plan This past year GOED partnered with various members of industry, service providers, academia and public officials to determine the way-ahead for the Business Resource Center Program. This very talented group of individuals donated their time and contributed their expertise to develop a plan for reducing the number of business failures in the State, increasing the sustainability of new and existing businesses, and increasing awareness of and access to business resources available throughout the State. The plan proposed encourages local flexibility and customization, recognizing that each area of the State is different, and, to be effective, their must be local stakeholders involved. The program will work from a set of criteria that each center must attain in “Wayne County’s great business order to become certified. It will focus on coenvironment is enhanced by resource ordinating the efforts of local service providpartners working together for the good ers and enabling businesses to tap into a broad of the businesses they serve. When statewide network of support, recognizing that resources come together small businesses not all services will be physically located at prosper.” every place, but can be made available through Jodi King, Director of either personal contact or on-line. It will inWayne County Economic Development crease access to a statewide network of service providers, industry leaders, capital providers and information. The plan does not focus on duplicating any services already being provided nor as a replacement for any existing reporting systems. The plan is still being worked, but the potential benefits are maximizing the use of available services and resources, access to practical industry expertise and improving success rates for new businesses within Utah. It is anticipated that legislation will be brought forward to establish additional Business Resource Centers during the 2008 legislative session.
Governor’s Office of Economic Development • Annual Report 2007
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