Small Business Development Council Starts Weekly Hours In Milford

MILFORD – Connecticut’s Small Business Development Council (CTSBDC) has partnered with the City of Milford Department of Economic and Community Development to offer weekly office hours at Parsons Government Center.

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Chris Pisarz, a business advisor from CTSBDC will be available weekly to assist, guide, and educate prospective and existing business owners. Office hours will be held at the Parsons Government Center by appointment.

“The Connecticut Small Business Development Center is pleased to partner with the City of Milford to provide an additional access point for small business assistance in the state,” said Emily Carter, CTSBDC State Director in a press release.

To start the process, please register for business advising at www.growct.com, site Milford Economic Development in the referral box. Please advise Julie Nash, Director of Economic Development, at jnash@ci.milford.ct.us or 203-783-3230 of registration.

In addition to weekly office hours, CTSBDC has established a virtual location at the Milford Public Library. Adding to the nearly 30 virtual locations around the state, the new station in Milford offers a laptop equipped with Google Hangouts. Individuals wishing to connect with a CTSBDC representative can meet virtually right from the Library. Training will be provided to librarians to assist anyone unfamiliar with Google Hangouts. The virtual setup will be confidential and allow individuals to work on business documents and applications for funding with the help of skilled business advisors, all without leaving Milford.

Milford Public Library Director Christine Angeli noted the program supports the library’s mission to educate, inform and improve its community. “The Milford Public Library is excited to be able to offer support services to local entrepreneurs and small businesses. The addition of a virtual CTSBDC office at the library will greatly expand our ability to provide relevant business information to our community,” said Angeli.

CTSBDC provides no cost, confidential advising services to both prospective and existing business owners to help them start or expand their business. Small business owners and entrepreneurs can meet with professional business advisors to learn more about everything from startup planning and marketing, to assisting with access to capital, global growth, market research, disaster preparedness and more.

Mayor Benjamin Blake commented on the collaboration, stating, “This is a great partnership between city departments, the state and the federal government to ensure access and support to all resources available to small business in the City of Milford. This is yet another reason to do business in this city.”

CTSBDC is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development and the University of Connecticut. The SBDC program remains one of the nation’s largest small business assistance programs in the federal government celebrating a proven track record of providing 35 years of service to small businesses.

For more information about the CTSBDC and the services they provide to small businesses and entrepreneurs throughout the state, visit GrowCT.com or connect with us on social media Facebook.com/GrowCT, Twitter.com/GrowCT and LinkedIn.com/company/CTSBDC.