GDEcD News
CONTACT:
Alison Tyrer
Georgia Department of Economic Development
404-962-4078
Statewide program helps foster current and potential small businesses
ATLANTA, August 16, 2007 – South Georgia’s Crisp County has become one of the state’s “Entrepreneur Friendly” communities, an official designation indicating the community is developing an environment conducive to small business and entrepreneurs. Ninety percent of Crisp County’s 927 companies are small businesses with fewer than 20 employees.
“Homegrown businesses and entrepreneurs create quality jobs that are integral to ensuring prosperity and opportunity throughout Georgia,” said Governor Sonny Perdue. “By encouraging and supporting small businesses, we are investing in a stronger future for local communities and the state as a whole.”
Crisp County is the 53rd community in the state to be named Entrepreneur Friendly by the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD). Previously certified South Georgia counties include Worth, Bryan, Ware, and Berrien. Nearby counties in the progress of designation include Dooly, Wilcox, Lee and Macon. Whitfield County received its certification last week. More than two-thirds of the state’s counties are slated to receive the designation by the end of 2008.
To earn the designation, Crisp County completed the Entrepreneur-Friendly program with the assistance of GDEcD’s regional representative Keith Moffett. The county analyzed its entrepreneurial and small business environment and developed strategies tailored for that environment, to help foster the growth of this critical business segment. Crisp County also underwent a full-day assessment by a review team composed of GDEcD staff and representatives from the Agriculture Innovation Center, South Georgia Technical College, One Georgia Authority, Fort Valley State University and Middle Flint Regional Development Center.
Qualified entrepreneurs and small business owners in Crisp County are now eligible for customized market data, such as demographic and business information, to help give them a competitive edge.
The county is also eligible for an Entrepreneur-Friendly Implementation Fund (EFIF) grant to help it implement specific, long-term programs that support their entrepreneurs and small businesses. The grant must be matched 50 percent in dollars or in-kind value by the community.
“In Cordele-Crisp County, our local entrepreneurs and small businesses are the heart of our community, and we feel it is important to take a proactive approach in supporting and growing them,” said Monica Simmons, president of the Cordele-Crisp Chamber of Commerce. “The Entrepreneur Friendly Community designation process has enabled us to combine our local resources and gather feedback from the business community in order to maintain an environment where our local entrepreneurs and small businesses will grow.”
“Small businesses are the backbone of Georgia communities. By helping entrepreneurs and small businesses grow, we help Georgia grow,” said Heidi Green, chairman of the Georgia Entrepreneur and Small Business Coordinating Network and GDEcD’s deputy commissioner for Global Commerce. “We applaud Crisp County for incorporating small businesses into its strategic plan for growth.”
The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) is the state's sales and marketing arm, the lead agency for attracting new business investment, encouraging the expansion of existing industry and small businesses, locating new markets for Georgia products, attracting tourists to Georgia, and promoting the state as a location for film, video and music projects, as well as planning and mobilizing state resources for economic development.
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