State designates Camden County as “Entrepreneur Friendly” for small businesses

ATLANTA, Dec. 14, 2006 - Camden County is the second Georgia coastal county this month to be certified 'Entrepreneur Friendly' by the state. The designation means that these communities are strategically building local environments to support small businesses and entrepreneurs.
'Homegrown businesses and entrepreneurs create quality jobs that are integral to ensuring prosperity and opportunity throughout Georgia,' said Gov. Sonny Perdue. 'By encouraging and supporting small businesses, we are investing in a stronger future for local communities and the state as a whole.'

Camden County is the 31st Entrepreneur Friendly community in the state and the 18th this year to be named 'Entrepreneur Friendly' by the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD)'s Entrepreneur and Small Business Office. Glynn County, also in the coastal region, was certified Dec. 7 and Brantley County was certified last May.

To earn the designation, Camden County completed the Entrepreneur-Friendly program with the assistance of GDEcD's regional representative. Program steps involved analyzing the current entrepreneurial and small business development environment and strategizing options for fostering small business and entrepreneurs. Glynn County also underwent a full-day assessment by a review team composed of GDEcD staff, representatives from the Small Business Development Office and the Department of Labor. Qualified entrepreneurs and small business owners in Camden County are also eligible for customized market data, such as demographic and business information, to help give them a competitive edge.

'I believe the Entrepreneur Friendly initiative has had a great impact on our businesses and community as a whole,' said Chris Daniels, president of the Camden Chamber of Commerce. 'We have implemented new campaigns to assist our entrepreneurs to be more successful by understanding what they need and enhancing the things that are working.'

The 1,017 small businesses in Camden County make up 73 percent of the county's total local businesses.

'We congratulate Camden 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.