Richmond County is States Newest Designated 'Entrepreneur Friendly' Community
ATLANTA, May 7, 2008 – East Georgia's Richmond County is now one of the state's newest 'Entrepreneur Friendly' communities. The designation means the community has developed an environment that is welcoming to small business and entrepreneurs. Eighty-eight percent of Richmond County's 7,463 companies are small businesses with fewer than 20 employees.
'The economic activity created by small businesses and entrepreneurs brings prosperity and opportunity to every part of Georgia,' said Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue. 'By championing these businesses, we are investing in a stronger future for communities throughout the state.'
Richmond County is the 103rd community in the state to be named Entrepreneur Friendly by the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD). Previously designated East Georgia counties include Burke, Columbia and McDuffie. Nearby counties in the process of designation include Johnson and Washington. Jefferson County received its designation last month.
To earn its designation, Richmond County completed the Entrepreneur Friendly program with the assistance of GDEcD's regional representative Adela Kelley. The county analyzed its entrepreneurial and small business environment and developed strategies to help foster its growth. Richmond County also underwent a full-day assessment by a review team composed of GDEcD staff and representatives from the Department of Community Affairs, Georgia Tech Procurement, Small Business Development Center and Senator Saxby Chambliss's and Senator Johnny Isakson's offices.
Qualified entrepreneurs and small business owners in Richmond County are now eligible for customized market data, such as demographic and business information, to help them become more competitive.
The county is also eligible for an Entrepreneur-Friendly Implementation Fund (EFIF) grant to help it implement programs that support their entrepreneurs and small businesses and have a regional impact. The grant must be matched 50 percent in dollars or in-kind value by the community.
'This process has significantly impacted the way in which our chamber and community will help to cultivate, support and recognize small businesses,' said Remer Brinson, president of First Bank, member of the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and chairman of the Entrepreneur Friendly Designation Program. 'Everything about the program has strengthened our understanding of how to build the most robust environment we can possibly maintain for entrepreneurial success.'
'Small businesses are the linchpin in all of Georgia's communities. By supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses, 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 congratulate Richmond County for making small businesses part of 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.