The Lowcountry Small Business Hub will continue to operate after its founding grant expires in June 2010, thanks to a recent vote by the Lowcountry Small Business Coalition – a group of more than 35 community public and private organizations dedicated to cooperatively delivering support for sustaining and growing the region’s small businesses.

The Small Business Hub was started in 2008 by the Technical College of the Lowcountry (TCL) and funded by a two-year grant awarded by USDA Rural Development. The Hub focuses on helping build a broad community-based, public‐private partnership focused on creating and growing small businesses across Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton and Jasper counties.

“The TCL USDA Rural Development grant allowed us to design and deliver programs to test the feasibility of an effective regional collaborative approach for small business support,” said TCL President Tom Leitzel. “TCL is delighted with the Coalition’s commitment to forming a Hub organization that is sustainable and positioned to expand the excellent work that was begun in 2008. We look forward to continuing as a strong Coalition partner.”

Since its inception, the Hub has helped many Lowcountry small businesses by providing a central resource for information, referrals, business education via the FastTrac® program, and by providing other types of entrepreneurial assistance. The Hub also provides small businesses with the use of free office and conference room space at its facility in Ridgeland.

“TCL was fortunate to be the initial recipient of the grant. The Hub has met its goals and exceeded all expectations,” TCL Associate Vice President of the New River Campus David Carter said.

The future Hub will operate as a standalone non-profit with its own governance and autonomous ability to raise funds and generate revenue.

“The Lowcountry Small Business Hub is going to be about ‘strategic doing’ to help entrepreneurs and the small businesses of the region,” said Ray Wenig, newly elected Hub board chairman and president of Ariel Savannah Angel Partners. “It will focus on engaging existing business support organizations, cultivating the latest ideas for small business creation and growth, marshalling knowledgeable volunteers, building a local business incubator and micro-financing capability, and improving employee skills and management practices through practical educational programs.”

The Coalition’s decision to extend the life of the Hub was based on results from a survey it conducted last November across its four-county service area. More than 97 percent of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the continuation of the Hub is important, more than 95 percent agreed that the Hub has a proper focus, and almost half of the respondents contributed their ideas for additional Hub programs.

The Small Business Hub Board of Directors was elected at the December Coalition meeting, and the executive leadership team was elected at the January meeting. They include:

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer: Ray Wenig – President, Ariel Savannah Angel Partners & New Directions Network

Vice Chairman: Paul Jacobson – President, Mission Resources Group

Treasurer: Christy Herman – Development Project Coordinator, Jasper County

Secretary: Bret Pruehs – Attorney, McNair Law Firm

Other board members include:

Dennis Adams – Information Services Coordinator/MA, MLS Beaufort County Library

Hank Amundson – Economic Development Coordinator, City of Walterboro

David Carter – Associate Vice President TCL, New River Campus

Tony O’Reilly – President, Small Business Assistance Corporation (SBAC)

Cindy Petitt – President, Coaching for Positive Action & New Directions Network

Luke Pittaway – Director, Center for Entrepreneurial Learning and Leadership Georgia Southern University

William Small, Jr. – Former Executive Director Economic Development, Hampton County & TCL Commissioner

Blakely Williams – Director Member Services, Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce

The board has begun working on plans for implementing a Virtual Business Incubator and a formal study to assess the feasibility of a Microfinance Program.

D’J Moore, current Hub director, was also elected President and Chief Operating Officer of the new Small Business Hub effective July 1, 2010.

If you would like to learn more about the Lowcountry Small Business Hub contact Moore at dmoore@tcl.edu or 843-470-6023 or visit www.LowcountrySmallBusinessHub.org.

Contact: Leigh Copeland
Office: 843- 525-8231
Email: lcopeland@tcl.edu

The Technical College of the Lowcountry is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all qualified applicants for admissions or employment without regard to race, gender, national origin, age, religion, marital status, veteran status, disability, or political affiliation or belief.