Carroll County joins other metro Atlanta counties as states newest Entrepreneur Friendly community
ATLANTA, April 30, 2007 – Carroll County is the most recent metro Atlanta county to be certified 'Entrepreneur Friendly' by the state. The designation means that the community is strategically building its environment to support small businesses and entrepreneurs. Ninety-one percent of Carroll County's 3,760 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.' Carroll County is the 45th Entrepreneur Friendly community in the state to be named Entrepreneur Friendly by the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD). Other metro Atlanta counties that have been recently certified include Henry, Douglas, Cherokee and Forsyth. DeKalb County is in the certification process at the moment, as are Coweta and Haralson counties. Paulding County was designated earlier this month. To earn the designation, Carroll County completed the Entrepreneur-Friendly program with the assistance of GDEcD's regional representative Lindsay Martin. Program steps involved analyzing the current entrepreneurial and small business development environment and strategizing options for fostering small business and entrepreneurs. Carroll County also underwent a full-day assessment by a review team composed of GDEcD staff, representatives from the Small Business Development Center, the Fanning Institute, Georgia Department of Community Affairs, and Georgia Tech. Qualified entrepreneurs and small business owners in Carroll 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. "Achieving this designation culminates a year-long effort by the Chamber's Entrepreneurship Committee,' according to Committee Chairman Cary Chandler. "By becoming an Entrepreneur Friendly community we will be able to better facilitate the needs of our small businesses. It should also help us attract prospective entrepreneurs who are looking for places to start a new business." 'We congratulate Carroll County for taking this proactive approach to supporting its small businesses,' added Chris Clark, chairman of the Georgia Entrepreneur and Small Business Coordinating Network and GDEcD's deputy commissioner of Global Commerce. 'Steps like these ensure growth and development in the local business community.' 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.