Ware County is states newest designated Entrepreneur Friendly community
ATLANTA, June 6, 2007 – South Georgia's Ware County has become one of the state's 'Entrepreneur Friendly' communities, an official designation indicating the community is developing an environment conducive to small business and entrepreneurs. Ninety percent of Ware County's 1,523 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.'
Ware County is the 48th community in the state to be named Entrepreneur Friendly by the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD). Previously certified South Georgia counties include Bacon, Berrien, Brantley, Camden, Coffee and Glynn. Nearby counties in the progress of designation include Charlton and Appling. Jenkins and Worth counties received their certifications last month.
To earn the designation, Ware County completed the Entrepreneur-Friendly program with the assistance of GDEcD's regional representative Ray Snow. 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. Ware County also underwent a full-day assessment by a review team composed of GDEcD staff and representatives from the Small Business Development Center and the Georgia Department of Labor.
Qualified entrepreneurs and small business owners in Ware 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.
'The Waycross-Ware County Chamber of Commerce along with a group of individuals that represent state and local government, education, banking and small business owners, began to work with the Georgia Department of Economic Development to establish an entrepreneur support program,' said Larry Gattis, member of the Entrepreneur Friendly committee. 'This was the birth of WED: Waycross Entrepreneur Driven, whose goal is to understand our existing small business environment and develop sustainable, effective strategies to promote small business.'
'Small businesses are the backbone of Georgia communities. By helping entrepreneurs and small businesses grow, 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 applaud Ware County for incorporating small businesses into 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.