McDuffie County is States Newest Designated Entrepreneur Friendly Community
ATLANTA, February 27, 2007 - McDuffie County in East Georgia has joined the states ranks of Entrepreneur Friendly communities, an official designation indicating the community is developing an environment to support small business and entrepreneurs. Nine-two percent of McDuffie County businesses are classified as small businesses, with 19 or fewer 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.
McDuffie County is the 34th Entrepreneur Friendly community in the state and the second in 2007 to be named Entrepreneur Friendly by the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD)s Entrepreneur and Small Business Office. Nearby Burke County was certified in June 2006, and other counties in the region currently in the designation process include Lincoln, Warren, Hancock and Richmond.
To earn the designation, McDuffie County completed the Entrepreneur-Friendly program with the assistance of GDEcDs regional representative Adela Kelley. 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. McDuffie County also underwent a full-day assessment by a review team composed of GDEcD staff, representatives from the Small Business Development Center, Augusta Technical College, Department of Community Affairs and the OneGeorgia Authority.
Qualified entrepreneurs and small business owners in McDuffie 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.
"A couple of years ago our Chamber board started thinking about ways to be the community resource or information clearinghouse for start-ups and smaller companies hoping to sustain or grow their businesses, said Don Powers, executive director of the Development Authority of McDuffie County. The Entrepreneur-Friendly program is a perfect vehicle to achieve that goal. We are hopeful that this program will continue to evolve and strengthen, allowing us to help our community businesses grow in the most effective way."
We congratulate McDuffie 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 GDEcDs 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.
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