Submitted by Thurston Economic Development Council
October 4, 2013 – The Thurston Economic Development Council (EDC) announced today that it has received official designation as an SBA Women’s Business Center (WBC) by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The new program, which will work in concert with the Thurston EDC’s Business Resource Center (BRC), will provide entrepreneurial and small business counseling to women business owners throughout the region.
The program will be both an online and in-person social network of professional women, which will provide networking, training, counseling and encouragement to women who are starting or developing new businesses. This program will act as a catalyst in our region for providing in-depth, outcome-oriented business services to women entrepreneurs and established businesses, a representative number of which are socially and economically disadvantaged.
“The Thurston EDC is excited about the opportunity to host a Women’s Business Center,” said Michael Cade, Thurston EDC’s Executive Director. “Through this program, we can continue our mission to help new and existing businesses expand and grow, and provide services to an important and underserved segment of entrepreneurs.”
For more than 20 years, the Business Resource Center has provided services to entrepreneurs to increase their success at creating and retaining jobs and increasing company revenues. The sole mission of the Thurston BRC is to provide counseling and training to entrepreneurs of all stages of business ownership in order to create a viable and diverse economy thereby increasing opportunities for full employment. Services have targeted women, minorities and entrepreneurs in rural communities. The Thurston BRC is well known throughout the community as the go-to organization for business development services.
The program is in the development stage, and is expected to begin service delivery to women entrepreneurs in October, 2013.
