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Business Resource Centers
U.C.A. 63N-3-301
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Business Resource Centers (BRCs) are convenient “one-stop-shops” to address the needs of new or growing businesses . Through on-site or overthe-phone assessments with clients, BRCs offer comprehensive services and ongoing assistance to help businesses expand .
Formed in partnership with a local college or university, BRCs house various business service providers in a single location and the on-site staff is equipped to answer questions ranging from business planning to finding funding and more. BRC staffs coordinate the resources of local business service provider partners to make the delivery of solutions more effective for the business customer .
BRCs are tailored to the local community they serve and have service providers who are experts in their fields. Some of the partners found at the BRCs include the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) which is sponsored by the U .S . Small Business Administration, Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) which provides governmental contracting assistance, Manufacturers Extension Partnership (MEP), Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE), and the Utah Science Technology and Research (USTAR) agency . In addition, investors, microloan organizations, business incubators, chambers of commerce, local economic development organizations and resources are available at the local educational sponsor . Because BRCs are interconnected statewide, directors can access fellow centers to find a solution for a specific business.
FY 2016 Summary
In addition to the day-to-day counseling with business owners and connecting them with service providers, BRCs across Utah pursued interesting projects in FY 2016 . The San Juan BRC led out in the creation of the Online Artisan Project, a virtual marketplace for talented craftspeople and Native American artisans . The SUU BRC moved to a new
location, allowing it to offer more services and additional business incubator space for small startups, while the Tooele BRC moved ahead with a land purchase and planning for a new building . The Park City BRC had some “purposeful fun” breaking its clients’ products in a “Destruction Lab,” providing stress testing of outdoor products and prototypes .
Outcomes
Each month nearly 1,500 individual business customers interact with a BRC for assistance in starting new businesses or creating or retaining jobs in existing firms. All of the BRCs host regular training events as a way to introduce the coordinated services of the BRC partners . These regular seminars bring in new clients for the BRC and partner agencies . Many of the BRCs also host paid training events and larger conferences and seminars on relevant business topics for their local business communities .
Moving Forward
With the opening of the new Morgan NorthFront BRC, the objective with that location (and others) is to complete staffing in order to remain an effective resource. The BRCs are fulfilling the mandate under which they were created by the legislature in 2008 – to bring together the various agencies, entities, and programs that provide assistance to Utah businesses and offer these services in a coordinated way at one easily accessible location .
For additional information about Business Resource Centers visit business .utah .gov or contact Larry Shepherd, Program Coordinator, at larryshepherd@utah .gov or 801-538-8770
