Spalding and Athens-Clarke counties designated today as states newest Entrepreneur Friendly communities
ATLANTA, April 10, 2007 – Both Spalding County and Athens-Clarke County were certified today by the state as its most recent 'Entrepreneur Friendly' communities. The designation means that these communities are strategically building their environments to support small businesses and entrepreneurs.
Ninety-one percent of Spalding County's 1,988 companies are small businesses with fewer than 20 employees. Of the 4,543 companies in Clarke County, 89 percent have 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.'
Spalding County and Athens-Clarke County are the 39th and 40th communities in the state to be named Entrepreneur Friendly by the Georgia Department of Economic Development. (Athens and Clarke County have a unified local governmental body.)
Entrepreneur Friendly communities in metro Atlanta include Walton, Newton, Gwinnett, Rockdale, Henry, Douglas, Cherokee and Forsyth. Several neighboring communities are also pursuing this designation, including the counties of DeKalb, Barrow, Jasper, Madison and Oglethorpe.
To earn the designation, Spalding County completed the Entrepreneur-Friendly program with the assistance of GDEcD's regional representative Dawn Townsend. Athens-Clarke County was assisted by GDEcD representative Ryan Thornton. Program steps involved analyzing the current entrepreneurial and small business development environment and strategizing options for fostering small businesses and entrepreneurs. The counties also underwent full-day assessments by review teams composed of GDEcD staff, representatives from the Small Business Development Center, Georgia Micro Enterprise Network, Department of Labor, Small Business Administration, and Georgia Department of Community Affairs.
Qualified entrepreneurs and small business owners in these counties are now eligible for customized market data, such as demographic and business information, to help give them a competitive edge.
Spalding and Athens-Clarke counties are also eligible for Entrepreneur-Friendly Implementation Fund (EFIF) grants to help them implement specific, long-term programs that support their entrepreneurs and small businesses. The grant must be matched 50 percent in dollars or in in-kind value by the community.
'Our Small Business committee project, Leading Entrepreneurs Advancing the Future (LEAF), has been a rewarding experience,' said Bonnie Pfrogner, executive director of the Griffin-Spalding Chamber of Commerce. 'Our government, education, and business sectors as well as our citizens have joined together to enhance our area's business opportunities. This initiative gave us a clear understanding of what we have and what we can improve. We look forward to continuing our work and developing more program initiatives for business.'
'The process was outstanding in helping us learn about our community, its assets and its shortcomings,' stated Jared Bailey, co-chair of the Athens-Clarke County Entrepreneur Friendly designation project. 'We are now able to better address these issues because of the research required for this program.'
'Jared and I were thrilled at the responses we got,' added Beth Thrasher, co-chair of the campaign. 'Every agency working with small business in Athens was ready to roll up their sleeves and do the hard work of surveying our small businesses; creating a uniform startup guide for all agencies to use in helping entrepreneurs get started; and developing strategies for the future. The first event we held for local entrepreneurs was filled to capacity!'
'We congratulate Spalding County and Athens-Clarke County for taking this proactive approach to supporting their small businesses,' said 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 our local business communities.'
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.