Walton County joins other metro Atlanta counties as states newest Entrepreneur Friendly community
ATLANTA, March 14, 2007 – Walton County is the most recent metro Atlanta 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-three percent of Walton County's 2,768 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.'
Walton County is the 37th Entrepreneur Friendly community in the state to be named Entrepreneur Friendly by the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD). Other metro Atlanta counties that have been recently certified include Newton, Gwinnett, Rockdale, Henry, Douglas, Cherokee and Forsyth. DeKalb County is in the certification process at the moment, as are Barrow and Jasper counties.
To earn the designation, Walton 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. Walton County also underwent a full-day assessment by a review team composed of GDEcD staff, representatives from the Small Business Development Office, the Department of Community Affairs, and Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute.
Qualified entrepreneurs and small business owners in Walton 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 the structured process for designation gave us a better understanding of our small business entrepreneurs' concerns and areas in which the chamber could be of more assistance to them,' said Teri Wommack, president of the Walton County Chamber of Commerce. 'The Walton County Chamber of Commerce board of directors looked at the survey results with our Entrepreneur Business Council and we have put programs in place this year to better serve this segment of our membership and community."
'We congratulate Walton 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.