Jasper County is the states newest designated Entrepreneur Friendly community
ATLANTA, April 16, 2007 – Jasper County is the most recent Georgia 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 percent of Jasper County's 245 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.'
Jasper County is the 41st community in the state to be named Entrepreneur Friendly by the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD). Other communities that have been recently certified include Spalding, Athens-Clarke, Walton, and Baldwin. DeKalb County is in the certification process at the moment, as are Barrow and Hancock.
To earn the designation, Jasper County completed the Entrepreneur-Friendly program with the assistance of GDEcD's regional representative Ryan Thornton. Program steps involved analyzing the current entrepreneurial and small business development environment and strategizing options for fostering small business and entrepreneurs. Jasper County also underwent a full-day assessment by a review team composed of GDEcD staff, representatives from the Small Business Development Center and the Department of Community Affairs.
Qualified entrepreneurs and small business owners in Jasper 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.
"Going through this structured process helped our Entrepreneur Team understand what it takes to help businesses succeed,' said Tracy Trovillo, executive director of the Development Authority of Jasper County. 'We learned the importance of having vital resources for businesses, and how the Development Authority, Chamber of Commerce, and Better Hometown can better support businesses by advocating for a more business-friendly environment. Having excellent support from the state made the results lasting and effective."
'We congratulate Jasper 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.