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Date 4-26-06
Contact Shelia White 228.865.4573
Author Jason Sherwood
Gulfport—The
University of Southern Mississippi’s Gulf Coast Business Assistance
Center (GCBAC) has linked south Mississippi with volunteers in economic
development from across the nation and beyond. Through its partnership
with the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), the
center has been coordinating and hosting volunteer efforts on the
coast.
Since it opened
in January, the GCBAC has hosted five professional economic developers.
Jeffrey Brewer, GCBAC director, says the volunteers’ expertise has
been “refreshing” to the staff and complimentary to the center’s
purpose of small business development on the coast.
“They have come
to us from all over the United States and Canada,” Brewer said.
“The volunteers have been a great resource for us here at the center.
It’s always encouraging and it helps to motivate us in the long
run to see that there are still people who want to come down and
help in a professional capacity.”
Brewer describes
the GCBAC as an “information clearinghouse,” designed to help entrepreneurs
with resources and guidance in their business development. He says
the different view points of the volunteers have enabled his staff
to “think outside of the box” in strategic planning and business
assistance post-Katrina.
The center became
aware of the IEDC after attending a presentation in Louisiana. They
decided to partner with the organization to help restore and build
coastal businesses post-Katrina. Since then, the IEDC has been sending
volunteers to the coast, and the center has coordinated their efforts
locally.
“The thing that
we are doing and focusing on is getting out door-to-door to these
small businesses,” Brewer said. “We’re taking it to them and saying,
‘Let us hold your hand through this process.’ We’ll walk them through
the loan applications. We’ll provide seminars and workshops that
will help, such as hiring practices, marketing, contact management,
things like that.”
Brewer says
that while there are no plans for volunteers in the month of April,
the center is coordinating some developers for May. He says the
center eventually hopes to be in touch with every small business
on the coast and become a mainstay within the small business community
as the primary point of contact for assistance.
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